The Southern League (football) reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
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Southern League (football)

The Southern League (currently sponsored by Dr Martens and known as the Dr Martens League) is a football league for semi-professional and amateur teams. The premier division is two divisions below The Football League. Originally founded in 1900, the Southern League ran as one of three major amateur competitions (with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League) in tandem with the (professional) Football League until the professional game was broadened in the 1950s.

It currently has a Premier Division at the second layer of the National League System and Midland and West and Southern and East divisions that are both at the third; from the 2004/2005 season it is planned that they will each move down one layer. The Southern and East division promotes from and relegates to the Kent League, Western League, Wessex League, Hellenic League, and Sussex County League; the Midland and Western division has such arrangements with the Midland Alliance, United Counties League, and Eastern Counties League. These arrangements may change with restructuring.

Premier Division teams


This article is part of the Football in England series.
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