Isthmian League
|
|
The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England. It is more commonly known by the name of its official title sponsor as the Ryman League, and before that as the Diadora League, ICIS League and Vauxhall-Opel League.
| Contents |
History
The league was founded in 1905, and was strongly dedicated to amateurism. The champions did not even receive a trophy, league policy being that the honour sufficed. Teams less able to compete financially thus gravitated to it rather than the Southern League, while those with ambition and money would move in the opposite direction.
Although the league established itself as one of the strongest leagues in the country, routinely providing the winners of the FA Amateur Cup, it was still seen as being at a lower level than the Southern League and Northern Premier League, the top regional semi-professional leagues. The league began to admit professionalism in the 1970s, although it refused to participate in the formation of the Alliance Premier League 1979. Two Isthmian clubs, Enfield and Dagenham, defected to the APL in 1981, but it was not until 1985 that the Isthmian League champions were given a promotion place to the newly renamed Football Conference.
Since then, due to it being accompanied by the reward of promotion into the Conference, no team has retained the title (as had happened on 22 occasions previously); however, Canvey Island were runners-up three seasons running from 2000-01 to 2002-03, also winning the FA Trophy and reaching the Third Round Proper of the FA Cup, before finally securing the 2003-04 league title.
League expansion
The league expanded over the years from six clubs in its first season, to 14 clubs in 1921-22. Over the next five decades, only a few new members were admitted, mainly to fill vacancies left by clubs leaving the league. A second division of 16 clubs was formed in 1973, and a third division was added in 1977. These divisions were renamed as Premier, First and Second divisions.
Most new Isthmian League members joined from the Athenian League, which was similarly dedicated to amateurism. The Athenian League disbanded in 1984 when the Isthmian League Second Division split into North and South sections. These were restructured again to Second and Third divisions in 1991.
In 2002, the league was restructured again, with the First and Second Divisions merging to become First (North) and First (South), and the Third Division being renamed as the Second. In addition, the Isthmian's three feeder leagues - the Combined Counties League, Essex Senior League and Spartan South Midlands League - ran in parallel with the Isthmian Second, and were able to feed directly into the regional First Divisions.
Current structure
In 2004, The Football Association pushed through a major restructuring of the non-league National League System (NLS), creating new regional divisions of the Football Conference. The Isthmian League was reduced back down to three divisions, and its boundaries were changed to remove the overlap with the Southern League. The Premier Division (at step 3 of the NLS) covers Greater London and most of south east England; and the First Division (at step 4) covers a smaller area of south London and the southern Home Counties. The league still overlaps with the Southern League and its feeder leagues to some degree, especially at step 5, the Isthmian Second Division. Future restructuring at this level of the pyramid may force the Second Division to merge with another league.
There is a league cup, open to teams of all divisions, sponsored by Bryco. One team, Clapton F.C., have been ever-present in the Isthmian League since its foundation.
Premier Division teams, 2005-06
- AFC Wimbledon
- Billericay Town
- Braintree Town
- Bromley
- Chelmsford City
- East Thurrock United
- Fisher Athletic
- Folkestone Invicta
- Hampton & Richmond Borough
- Harrow Borough
- Hendon
- Heybridge Swifts
- Leyton
- Maldon Town
- Margate
- Redbridge
- Slough Town
- Staines Town
- Walton & Hersham
- Wealdstone
- Windsor & Eton
- Worthing
Teams progressing to the Football League
- Maidstone United
- Wimbledon F.C.
- AFC Wimbledon became members of Isthmian League Division One for the 2004-05 season, and will become members of Isthmian League Premier Division for the 2005-06 season
- Wycombe Wanderers
- Yeovil Town F.C.
Past Champions
(Clubs tagged with a * no longer exist.)
- 1906 London Caledonians*
- 1907 Ilford
- 1908 London Caledonians*
- 1909 Bromley
- 1910 Bromley
- 1911 Clapton
- 1912 London Caledonians*
- 1913 London Caledonians*
- 1914 London Caledonians*
- 1915-1919 no competition
- 1920 Dulwich Hamlet
- 1921 Ilford
- 1922 Ilford
- 1923 Clapton
- 1924 St. Albans City
- 1925 London Caledonians*
- 1926 Dulwich Hamlet
- 1927 St. Albans City
- 1928 St. Albans City
- 1929 Nunhead*
- 1930 Nunhead*
- 1931 Wimbledon F.C.
- 1932 Wimbledon F.C.
- 1933 Dulwich Hamlet
- 1934 Kingstonian
- 1935 Wimbledon
- 1936 Wimbledon
- 1937 Kingstonian
- 1938 Leytonstone
- 1939 Leytonstone
- 1940-1945 no competition
- 1946 Walthamstow Avenue
- 1947 Leytonstone
- 1948 Leytonstone
- 1949 Dulwich Hamlet
- 1950 Leytonstone
- 1951 Leytonstone
- 1952 Leytonstone
- 1953 Walthamstow Avenue
- 1954 Bromley
- 1955 Walthamstow Avenue
- 1956 Walthamstow Avenue
- 1957 Walthamstow Avenue
- 1958 Tooting & Mitcham United
- 1959 Wimbledon F.C.
- 1960 Tooting & Mitcham United
- 1961 Bromley
- 1962 Wimbledon F.C.
- 1963 Wimbledon F.C.
- 1964 Wimbledon F.C.
- 1965 Hendon
- 1966 Leytonstone
- 1967 Sutton United
- 1968 Enfield
- 1969 Enfield
- 1970 Enfield
- 1971 Wycombe Wanderers
- 1972 Wycombe Wanderers
- 1973 Hendon
- 1974 Wycombe Wanderers
- 1975 Wycombe Wanderers
- 1976 Enfield
- 1977 Enfield
- 1978 Enfield
- 1979 Barking
- 1980 Enfield
- 1981 Slough Town
- 1982 Leytonstone/Ilford
- 1983 Wycombe Wanderers
- 1984 Harrow Borough
- 1985 Sutton United
- 1986 Sutton United
- 1987 Wycombe Wanderers
- 1988 Yeovil Town
- 1989 Leytonstone/Ilford
- 1990 Slough Town
- 1991 Redbridge Forest
- 1992 Woking
- 1993 Chesham United
- 1994 Stevenage Borough
- 1995 Enfield
- 1996 Hayes
- 1997 Yeovil Town
- 1998 Kingstonian
- 1999 Sutton United
- 2000 Dagenham & Redbridge
- 2001 Farnborough Town
- 2002 Gravesend & Northfleet
- 2003 Aldershot Town
- 2004 Canvey Island
- 2005 Yeading
External link
- www.isthmian.co.uk,the official "Ryman Football League" site (http://www.isthmian.co.uk/)
Template:Isthmian League Prem
Template:English football league system