The Isthmian League () is a regional football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs.
Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 88 teams in four divisions: the Premier Division above its three feeder divisions, the North, South Central and South East divisions. Together with the Southern League and the Northern Premier League, it forms the seventh and eighth levels of the English football league system. It has various regional feeder leagues and the league as a whole is a feeder league mainly to the National League South.
History Before the Isthmian League was formed, there were no leagues in which amateur football clubs could compete, only knock-out cup competitions. Therefore, a meeting took place between representatives of Casuals, Civil Service, Clapton, Ealing Association, Ilford and London Caledonians to discuss the creation of a strong amateur league. All the clubs supported the idea and the Isthmian League was born on 7 March 1905. Membership of the league was through invitation only. The league was very strongly dedicated to the cause of amateurism in sport; consequently, the champions of the league did not even receive a trophy or medals; the league's Latin motto was honor sufficit ('honour is sufficient').
Thus, those clubs less able to compete financially gravitated to it rather than to the Southern League, which attracted clubs with ambition and money. Although the Isthmian League established itself as one of the strongest amateur leagues in the country, routinely providing the winners of the FA Amateur Cup, it was still regarded as being at a lower level than the Southern League, which had developed into the top regional semi-professional league. By 1922 the Isthmian League had fourteen clubs and over the next five decades, only a few new members were admitted, mainly to fill vacancies left by clubs leaving the league. Most new Isthmian League members joined from the Athenian League, which was similarly dedicated to amateurism.
The Isthmian League was most likely named after the ancient Isthmian Games, with the later Athenian League, Corinthian League, Delphian League, Spartan League, Parthenon League and Aetolian League all adding a Classical Greek flavour to amateur football competitions. In 1962 an 'all-star' team from the Isthmian League entered the 1962 Ugandan Independence Tournament, drawing both their games versus the Kenya and the Ghana.
The league finally began to permit professional football statuses in the mid-1970s when the Football Association abolished the long-standing distinction between amateur and professional status with effect from the 1974–75 season. A second division of sixteen clubs was formed in 1973 and a third division followed in 1977. However, the league still remained officious and refused to participate in the formation of the Alliance Premier League in 1979 and whilst two Isthmian League clubs, Enfield and Dagenham, defected to the APL in 1981, it was not until 1985 that the Isthmian League champions were given a promotion place to the newly renamed Football Conference. The reward of promotion into the Conference means that, since 1986, no team has won the league champions title two seasons in succession (as had happened on 22 occasions previously). The Athenian League disbanded in 1984 when the Isthmian League Second Division split into North and South Divisions. These were restructured yet again to Second and Third Divisions in 1991.
In 2002, the league was restructured once more, with the First and Second Divisions merging to become Division One North and Division One South (later renamed simply the North and South divisions), and the Third Division being renamed as Division Two. In addition, the league's three feeder leagues—the Combined Counties League, Essex Senior League and Spartan South Midlands League—ran in parallel with Division Two, and were able to feed directly into the regional Division Ones.
In 2004, The Football Association pushed through a major restructuring of the entire national non-league National League System, creating new regional divisions of the Football Conference feeding into the top, national, level. As a consequence of this restructuring, the Isthmian League was reduced back down to three divisions, and its boundaries were changed to remove the overlap with the Southern League.
In 2006, further reorganisation saw a reversion to two regional Division Ones and the disbandment of Division Two. This current plan calls for clubs based on the edges of the Isthmian League's territory to transfer to and from the Southern League as necessary to maintain numerical balance between the leagues. One team, Clapton, who were ever present in the Isthmian League since its foundation, were moved to the Essex Senior League for the 2006–07 season. Dulwich Hamlet, who had joined the league in 1907, became its longest serving member until their promotion to the National League South for the 2018–19 season.
In May 2017, The Football Association chose the Isthmian League to add a third regional division at Step 4 as part of further restructuring in the National League System, reducing all divisions at Step 4 to 20 teams. The new division started play in the 2018–19 season.
Current Isthmian League members The league's 2026-27 constitution is as follows:
Premier Division AFC Whyteleafe Aveley Brentwood Town Burgess Hill Town Carshalton Athletic Chatham Town Cheshunt Cray Wanderers Dartford Dulwich Hamlet Eastbourne Borough Enfield Town Leatherhead Lewes Maldon & Tiptree Ramsgate St Albans City Stanway Rovers Three Bridges Welling United Whitehawk Wingate & Finchley
North Division AFC Sudbury Bowers & Pitsea Brightlingsea Regent Buckhurst Hill Cambridge City Canvey Island Concord Rangers Fakenham Town Felixstowe & Walton United Gorleston Grays Athletic Hashtag United Little Oakley Lowestoft Town Mulbarton Wanderers Newmarket Town Redbridge Takeley Tilbury Walthamstow Witham Town Wroxham
South Central Division A.F.C. Portchester AFC Stoneham Ascot United Ashford Town Bedfont Sports Binfield Bognor Regis Town Cobham Egham Town Harrow Borough Hartley Wintney Hayes & Yeading United Hendon Jersey Bulls Kingstonian Littlehampton Town Moneyfields Raynes Park Vale Southall Westfield Winchester City Windsor & Eton
South East Division AFC Croydon Athletic Ashford United Broadbridge Heath Cray Valley Paper Mills Crowborough Athletic Deal Town Eastbourne Town Erith Town Faversham Town Hastings United Herne Bay Horley Town Margate Merstham Peacehaven & Telscombe Punjab United Sevenoaks Town Sheppey United Sittingbourne South Park Reigate Steyning Town Whitstable Town
Champions SeasonIsthmian League1905–06London Caledonians1906–07Ilford1907–08London Caledonians1908–09Bromley1909–10Bromley1910–11Clapton1911–12London Caledonians1912–13London Caledonians1913–14London Caledonians1914–19Not held due to World War I1919Leytonstone1919–20Dulwich Hamlet1920–21Ilford1921–22Ilford1922–23Clapton1923–24St Albans City1924–25London Caledonians1925–26Dulwich Hamlet1926–27St Albans City1927–28St Albans City1928–29Nunhead1929–30Nunhead1930–31Wimbledon1931–32Wimbledon1932–33Dulwich Hamlet1933–34Kingstonian1934–35Wimbledon1935–36Wimbledon1936–37Kingstonian1937–38Leytonstone1938–39Leytonstone1939–45Not held due to World War II1945–46Walthamstow Avenue1946–47Leytonstone1947–48Leytonstone1948–49Dulwich Hamlet1949–50Leytonstone1950–51Leytonstone1951–52Leytonstone1952–53Walthamstow Avenue1953–54Bromley1954–55Walthamstow Avenue1955–56Wycombe Wanderers1956–57Wycombe Wanderers1957–58Tooting & Mitcham United1958–59Wimbledon1959–60Tooting & Mitcham United1960–61Bromley1961–62Wimbledon1962–63Wimbledon1963–64Wimbledon1964–65Hendon1965–66Leytonstone1966–67Sutton United1967–68Enfield1968–69Enfield1969–70Enfield1970–71Wycombe Wanderers1971–72Wycombe Wanderers1972–73Hendon For the 1973–74 season, Division Two was added. SeasonDivision OneDivision Two1973–74Wycombe WanderersDagenham1974–75Wycombe WanderersStaines Town1975–76EnfieldTilbury1976–77EnfieldBoreham Wood For the 1977–78 season, Division One was renamed the Premier Division, Division Two was renamed Division One and new Division Two was added. SeasonPremier DivisionDivision OneDivision Two1977–78EnfieldDulwich HamletEpsom & Ewell1978–79BarkingHarrow BoroughFarnborough Town1979–80EnfieldLeytonstone/IlfordBillericay Town1980–81Slough TownBishop's StortfordFeltham1981–82Leytonstone & IlfordWokingham TownWorthing1982–83Wycombe WanderersWorthingClapton1983–84Harrow BoroughWindsor & EtonBasildon United For the 1984–85 season, Division Two was reorganised into North and South regions. SeasonPremier DivisionDivision OneDivision Two NorthDivision Two South1984–85Sutton UnitedFarnborough TownLeyton WingateGrays Athletic1985–86Sutton UnitedSt Albans CityStevenage BoroughSouthwick1986–87Wycombe WanderersLeytonstone/IlfordChesham UnitedWoking1987–88Yeovil TownMarlowWivenhoe TownChalfont St Peter1988–89Leytonstone/IlfordStaines TownHarlow TownDorking1989–90Slough TownWivenhoe TownHeybridge SwiftsYeading1990–91Redbridge ForestChesham UnitedStevenage BoroughAbingdon Town For the 1991–92 season, regional divisions Two were merged and Division Three was added. SeasonPremier DivisionDivision OneDivision TwoDivision Three1991–92WokingStevenage BoroughPurfleetEdgware Town1992–93Chesham UnitedHitchin TownWorthingAldershot Town1993–94Stevenage BoroughBishop's StortfordNewbury TownBracknell Town1994–95EnfieldBoreham WoodThame UnitedCollier Row1995–96HayesOxford CityCanvey IslandHorsham1996–97Yeovil TownChesham UnitedCollier Row & RomfordWealdstone1997–98KingstonianAldershot TownCanvey IslandHemel Hempstead Town1998–99Sutton UnitedCanvey IslandBedford TownFord United1999–2000Dagenham & RedbridgeCroydonHemel Hempstead TownEast Thurrock United2000–01Farnborough TownBoreham WoodTooting & Mitcham UnitedArlesey Town2001–02Gravesend & NorthfleetFord UnitedLewesCroydon Athletic At the end of the 1994–95 season, Enfield were denied promotion to the Conference. Their place was taken by Slough Town who finished as runners-up.
For the 2002–03 season, Division One was reorganised into North and South regions and Division Three was disbanded. SeasonPremier DivisionDivision One NorthDivision One SouthDivision Two2002–03Aldershot TownNorthwoodCarshalton AthleticCheshunt2003–04Canvey IslandYeadingLewesLeighton Town For the 2004–05 season Division Ones North and South were merged. SeasonPremier DivisionDivision OneDivision Two2004–05YeadingAFC WimbledonIlford2005–06Braintree TownRamsgateWare
For the 2006–07 season, Division One was reorganised into North and South regions and Division Two was disbanded. SeasonPremier DivisionNorth DivisionSouth Division2006–07Hampton & Richmond BoroughAFC HornchurchMaidstone United2007–08Chelmsford CityDartfordDover Athletic2008–09Dover AthleticAveleyKingstonian2009–10DartfordLowestoft TownCroydon Athletic2010–11Sutton UnitedEast Thurrock UnitedMetropolitan Police2011–12Billericay TownLeistonWhitehawk2012–13WhitehawkGrays AthleticDulwich Hamlet2013–14WealdstoneVCD AthleticPeacehaven & Telscombe2014–15Maidstone UnitedNeedham MarketBurgess Hill Town2015–16Hampton & Richmond BoroughAFC SudburyFolkestone Invicta2016–17Havant & WaterloovilleBrightlingsea RegentTooting & Mitcham United2017–18Billericay TownAFC HornchurchCarshalton Athletic
For the 2018–19 season, the South Division was reorganised into South Central and South East divisions.