The 2025–26 Southern Counties East Football League season was the 60th in the history of the Southern Counties East Football League (known for sponsorship reasons for the second consecutive season as the Presence & Co. Southern Counties East League). The league comprised two divisions, the Premier Division and the First Division, at levels 9 and 10 respectively of the English football league system (Step 5 and 6 respectively of the National League System).
Premier Division
Four clubs had left the division after the previous season: Faversham Town, promoted as champions to the Isthmian League South East Division Lordswood, relegated to the First Division Lydd Town, relegated to the First Division VCD Athletic, promoted as promotion play-off winners to the Isthmian League South East Division
The 2025–26 Premier Division club allocations from the FA Leagues Committee (subject to appeal) were announced on 15 May 2025 and was adopted at the league's AGM on 19 June 2025. The division comprised nineteen clubs, sixteen had been members the previous season and they were joined by three additional clubs: Faversham Strike Force – Promoted as champions from the First Division Hythe Town – Relegated from the Isthmian League South East Division Phoenix Sports – Relegated from the Isthmian League South East Division.
Prior to the season Glebe were renamed Chislehurst Glebe.
At the end of the season champions Whitstable Town and promotion play-off winners Punjab United (who had finished fifth in the division) were promoted to the Isthmian League South East Division. Both Hythe Town and Stansfeld were relegated to the First Division; for Hythe Town it was their second relegation in successive seasons.
League table
Results Table
Promotion Play-offs The 2025–26 Premier Division promotion play-offs, contested by the clubs that finished second to fifth position in the league table, were won by Punjab United who had been fifth-placed in the division.
Semifinals
Final
Stadia and locations
ClubLocationStadiumCapacityBearsted Otham Honey Lane 1,000Chislehurst Glebe Chislehurst Foxbury Avenue 1,200Corinthian Longfield Gay Dawn Farm 2,000Erith & Belvedere Welling Park View Road (groundshare with Welling United) 4,000Faversham Strike Force Faversham The Belmont Ground (groundshare with Whitstable Town) 3,000Fisher Rotherhithe St Paul's Sports Ground 2,500Hollands & Blair Gillingham Star Meadow 1,000Holmesdale Bromley Oakley Road Hythe Town Hythe Reachfields Stadium 3,000Kennington Kennington The Homelands (groundshare with Ashford United) 3,200Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers Larkfield Larkfield & New Hythe Sports Club 3,000Phoenix Sports Barnehurst Phoenix Sports Ground 2,000Punjab United Gravesend Elite Venue 600Rusthall Rusthall The Jockey Farm Stadium 1,500Snodland Town Snodland Potyns Sports Ground 1,000Stansfeld Eltham Badgers Sports Ground (groundshare with Cray Valley Paper Mills) 1,550Sutton Athletic Hextable Lower Road Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells Culverden Stadium 3,750Whitstable Town Whitstable The Belmont Ground 3,000
First Division
Five clubs had left the division after the previous season: Canterbury City, took voluntary relegation to the Kent County League Clapton Community, transferred laterally on appeal to next season's allocation back to the Eastern Counties League Division One South (from where they had been transferred the previous season) Faversham Strike Force, promoted as champions to the Premier Division Soul Tower Hamlets, promotion play-off winners, moved laterally to the Essex Senior League Meridian VP, relegated to the Kent County League
The 2025–26 First Division club allocations from the FA Leagues Committee (subject to appeal) were announced on 15 May 2025. Subsequently Clapton Community were successful in their appeal to be transferred laterally back to the Eastern Counties League Division One South (from where they had been transferred the previous season). The revised constitution of the division was adopted at the league's AGM on 19 June 2025; it comprised eighteen clubs, thirteen had been members the previous season and they were joined by five additional clubs: AFC Greenwich Borough, a new club Banstead Athletic, transferred laterally from Southern Combination Division One Chessington & Hook United, transferred laterally from Southern Combination Division One Lordswood, relegated from the Premier Division Lydd Town, relegated from the Premier Division
At the end of the season champions AFC Greenwich Borough and promotion play-off winners SE Dons (who had finished second in the division) were promoted to the Premier Division. Only one club, Chessington & Hook United were relegated (to the Surrey Premier County League); both Lydd Town and, for a second successive season, Welling Town were reprieved from relegation,
League table
Results Table
Promotion Play-offs The 2025–26 First Division promotion play-offs, contested by the clubs that finished second to fifth position in the league table, were won by SE Dons who had been runners-up in the division.
Semifinals
Final
Stadia and locations
ClubLocationStadiumCapacityAFC Greenwich Borough Greenwich Oakley Road (groundshare with Holmesdale) Banstead Athletic Tadworth Merland Rise 1,500Bridon Ropes Charlton Meridian Sports & Social Club Chessington & Hook United Chessington Chalky Lane 3,000Croydon Croydon Croydon Arena 8,000FC Elmstead Hextable Lower Road (groundshare with Sutton Athletic) Greenways Gravesend Rochester United Sports Ground (groundshare with Rochester United) 1,000Halls Athletic Dartford Princes Park (groundshare with Dartford) 4,100Lewisham Borough Catford Ladywell Arena Lordswood Lordswoood Martyn Grove 600Lydd Town Lydd The Lindsey Field 1,000Rochester United Strood Rochester United Sports Ground 1,000SE Dons Chatham The Bauvill Stadium (groundshare with Chatham Town) 5,000Sheppey Sports Isle of Sheppey Holm Park (groundshare with Sheppey United) 1,530Sporting Club Thamesmead Thamesmead Bayliss Avenue (groundshare with Erith Town) 800Staplehurst Monarchs Staplehurst Jubilee Sports Ground 1,000Tooting Bec Tooting Bec High Road (groundshare with Chipstead) 2,000Welling Town Welling Erith Leisure Centre
League Challenge Cup The 2025–26 SCEFL Challenge Cup (known for sponsorship reasons as the Presence & Co. SCEFL Challenge Cup) was a knock-out competition contested by all 37 clubs from both the Premier and First divisions (indicated by and respectively in the results listings below). The final, played at Cray Wanderers F.C., was won by Rusthall who defeated Bearsted 4–0.
First round The first round was contested by ten teams over five ties with the remaining 27 teams receiving a bye to the next round.
TieHome team ScoreAway team 1 Chislehurst Glebe 3–4 Erith & Belvedere 2 Faversham Strike Force 4–2 Sheppey Sports 3 Fisher 4–0 Bridon Ropes 4 Halls Athletic 0–0 Sutton Athletic 5 Punjab United 0–3 Holmesdale
Second round The second round comprised sixteen ties featuring the 32 teams remaining in the competition.
TieHome team ScoreAway team 1 AFC Greenwich Borough 2–0 Holmesdale 2 Banstead Athletic 0–2 Tunbridge Wells 3 Chessington & Hook United 1–0 Croydon 4 Corinthian 3–3 Snodland Town 5 Faversham Strike Force 2–1 Rochester United 6 Fisher 6–0 Welling Town 7 Greenways 0–2 FC Elmstead 8 Halls Athletic 0–2 Stansfeld 9 Hollands & Blair 3–0 Lydd Town 10 Kennington 2–3 SE Dons 11 Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers 2–0 Lordswood 12 Lewisham Borough 1–1 Phoenix Sports 13 Sporting Club Thamesmead 3–4 Rusthall 14 Staplehurst Monarchs 0–4 Hythe Town 15 Tooting Bec 0–3 Erith & Belvedere 16 Whitstable Town 2–3 Bearsted
Third round The third round was contested by the 16 teams remaining in the competition: twelve from the Premier Division and four from the First Division.
TieHome team ScoreAway team 1 Bearsted 1–1 Hollands & Blair 2 Erith & Belvedere 3–3 Tunbridge Wells 3 FC Elmstead 0–2 AFC Greenwich Borough 4 Hythe Town 0–0 Snodland Town 5 Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers 2–2 Faversham Strike Force 6 Rusthall 6–0 Chessington & Hook United 7 SE Dons 1–4 Fisher 8 Stansfeld 2–3 Phoenix Sports
Quarter-finals The eight teams in the quarter-finals included seven from the Premier Division and one from the First Division. TieHome team ScoreAway team 1 AFC Greenwich Borough 3–2 Phoenix Sports 2 Bearsted 3–2 Hythe Town 3 Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers 3–1 Fisher 4 Rusthall 4–3 Tunbridge Wells
Semi-finals Three Premier Division and one First Division clubs contested the semi-finals: two Premier Division clubs advanced to the final. TieHome team ScoreAway team 1 AFC Greenwich Borough 3–4 Bearsted 2 Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers 1–2 Rusthall
Final
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Division One Cup The 2025–26 SCEFL Division One Cup was a supplementary knock-out competition for the eighteen clubs of the First Division. The final, played at Cray Wanderers F.C., was won by Tooting Bec who defeated Lordswood 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out after the match finished 2–2 after 90 minutes.
First round Four clubs to compete in two first round ties, with byes for the other 14 clubs. TieHome teamScoreAway team 1 Lewisham Borough 3–1 AFC Greenwich Borough 2 Lordswood 1–1 Lydd Town
Second round Sixteen clubs to compete in eight second round ties. TieHome teamScoreAway team 1 Banstead Athletic 0–1 Chessington & Hook United 2 Bridon Ropes 2–0 Welling Town 3 Croydon 0–1 Tooting Bec 4 FC Elmstead 0–2 Halls Athletic 5 Lewisham Borough 2–1 Sporting Club Thamesmead 6 Lordswood 4–2 SE Dons 7 Rochester United 0–2 Greenways 8 Sheppey Sports 0–5 Staplehurst Monarchs
Quarter-finals TieHome teamScoreAway team 1 Chessington & Hook United 0–1 Lewisham Borough 2 Lordswood 3–3 Halls Athletic 3 Staplehurst Monarchs 1–1 Greenways 4 Tooting Bec 3–0 Bridon Ropes
Semi-finals TieHome teamScoreAway team 1 Lewisham Borough 1–2 Tooting Bec 2 Lordswood 2–0 Staplehurst Monarchs
Final
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References