Isthmian League Second Division
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Countries |  England |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1973 |
| Folded | 2006 |
| Website | Isthmian.co.uk |
The Isthmian League Second Division was a division of the Isthmian League. It has a slightly complex history due to various reorganisations by the FA of the National League System and within the Isthmian League itself.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Second Division was first formed in 1973 as the first major expansion of the Isthmian League. It consisted of 16 clubs, mostly taken from the Athenian League. It was directly below the top-level division, which thus became known as the First Division.
In 1977, the two existing divisions were renamed Premier Division and First Division. Another 17 clubs were admitted (again mostly from the Athenian League) to a new Second Division. Thus the the Second Division sat at the bottom of a three-division Isthmian League hierarchy.
In 1984, yet another wave of expansion was caused by the collapse of the Athenian League, with the Isthmian League taking on many of its clubs. To cope with the influx of new teams, the Second Division was split into north and south regions.
In order to conform to the quickly evolving National League System, the regional divisions were reorganised again into the Second Division and Third Division in 1991. This allowed the First Division to accept teams from feeder leagues outside of London, with the Second and Third Divisions becoming lower level leagues covering London.
In 2002 the First and Second Divisions were combined into Division Ones North and South, and the Third Division was renamed as the Second Division, one of many feeder leagues at step four of the National League System. The introduction of the Conference South took some teams out of the Isthmian League from its top level and reduced the need for two regional division ones; this also bumped the Second Division down to step five. However, the FA decided that two regional leagues were needed at step four; this means that the Division Two was scrapped and the clubs merged either into the regional Division One North or Division One South, or into other step five leagues before 2006.
[edit] Champions
For champions of following leagues see Isthmian League Division One North and Isthmian League Division One South.
| Season | Champions |
|---|---|
| 1973–74 | Dagenham |
| 1974–75 | Staines Town |
| 1975–76 | Tilbury |
| 1976–77 | Boreham Wood |
| 1977–78 | Epsom & Ewell |
| 1978–79 | Farnborough Town |
| 1979–80 | Billericay Town |
| 1980–81 | Feltham |
| 1981–82 | Worthing |
| 1982–83 | Clapton |
| 1983–84 | Basildon United |
| Season | Champions (North) | Champions (South) |
|---|---|---|
| 1984–85 | Leyton-Wingate | Grays Athletic |
| 1985–86 | Stevenage Borough | Southwick |
| 1986–87 | Chesham United | Woking |
| 1987–88 | Wivenhoe Town | Chalfont St Peter |
| 1988–89 | Harlow Town | Dorking |
| 1989–90 | Heybridge Swifts | Yeading |
| 1990–91 | Stevenage Borough | Abingdon Town |
| Season | Champions |
|---|---|
| 1991–92 | Purfleet |
| 1992–93 | Worthing |
| 1993–94 | Newbury Town |
| 1994–95 | Thame United |
| 1995–96 | Canvey Island |
| 1996–97 | Romford |
| 1997–98 | Canvey Island |
| 1998–99 | Bedford Town |
| 1999–00 | Hemel Hempstead Town |
| 2000–01 | Tooting & Mitcham United |
| 2001–02 | Lewes |
| 2002–03 | Cheshunt |
| 2003–04 | Leighton Town |
| 2004–05 | Ilford |
| 2005–06 | Ware |
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] References
- "The Ryman Football League". isthmian.co.uk. Ryman Football League. http://www.isthmian.co.uk/. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
- "Isthmian League History". fchd.info. Football Club History Database. http://fchd.info/lghist/isthmian/isth.htm. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
