The Southern Amateur League (SAL) is an association football league in England affiliated to the Amateur Football Alliance (AFA). It is based in and around Greater London and caters for 11–a–side men's adult teams. A feature of the league is 'multi-team football', common in AFA leagues, with clubs fielding an average of 3.5 teams each. For season 2025-26 the league has more than 100 member clubs including several veterans-only clubs running around 320 teams in 30 divisions. All clubs are strictly amateur. In 2025 The SAL merged with the Amateur Football Combination creating the largest adult football league in Europe.
Club set-up, sportsmanship and hospitality As in other AFA leagues it is common for clubs to run several teams with some SAL clubs running up to 10 teams. This allows players of all abilities to play against teams from other clubs of a similar standard. The best players will be picked for the 1st team, the best of the remainder going into the 2nd team and so on down the club.
The SAL places emphasis on sportsmanship and hospitality, with all players expected to socialise with their opponents and the match officials after the game. Disciplinary problems and cases of violent conduct are generally perceived to be experienced less in SAL football – and AFA football in general – than in other types of football.
League set-up and Challenge Cups The League is divided into four sections: Senior (4 divisions), Northern (11 divisions) and Southern (15 divisions). Teams can be promoted between Sections.
In 2018 a Veterans Section was added, divided into north and south sections for league competitions. Clubs do not have to enter the open-age competitions in order to enter the veterans competition and do not have to play in the veterans league competition in order to enter the cup competitions.
As well as league competitions the SAL runs ten cup competitions. These are:
Senior Cup (for teams in Senior Divisions 1, 2 and 3) Challenge Cup (for teams in Senior Divisions 4 plus Intermediate North and South) Intermediate Cup (for teams in Intermediate Divisions 1, 2 and 3) Junior Cup (for teams in Intermediate Division 4, Junior Divisions 1 North and 1 South) Minor Cup (Junior Division 2 North and Junior Division 2 South) Senior Novets Cup (Junior Division 3 North and Junior Division 3 South) Intermediate Novets Cup (Junior Division 4 South and Junior Division 5 South) Junior Novets Cup (Junior Division 4 North and Junior Division 6 South) Veterans Sunday Senior Cup (straight knockout, open entries) Veterans Sunday Junior Cup (straight knockout, open entries)
The Junior Cup and below were inaugurated for the 1995–96. The Senior and Intermediate Cups were introduced for season 2015–16 and the Challenge for 2025-26. They were not previously considered necessary as 1st and 2nd teams were offered an extra 'county divisional' cup by the AFA (either the Middlesex/Essex Cup or the Surrey/Kent Cup, depending on location). The veterans competitions began in 2018.
Current member clubs Three of the current members (Alleyn Old Boys, Civil Service and Crouch End Vampires F.C.) are founder members of the League while 19 have been in membership since before World War II.
Club Main Ground Founded Joined SAL Actonians Association Gunnersbury Drive, Ealing, W5 4LL 1925 1977 Alexandra Park Alexandra Park, London, N22 7BD 1898 1925, 1947 Alleyn Old Boys The Edward Alleyn Club, Rear of 83–85 Burbage Road, London, SE24 9HD 1888 1907 Bank of England Bank of England Sports Club, London, SW15 5JQ 1908 1920 Broomfield Hazelwood Sports Ground, Madeira Road, Off Hedge Lane, London, N13 5ST 1911 1958 Cambridge Heath Hackney Marshes, London, E9 5PF 2011 2017 Carshalton Carshalton Football Club, Church Road, Carshalton, SM6 7NN 1898 1912 Chattan Hackney Marshes, London, E9 5PF 1994 2021 City of London Rutland Walk Sport Ground, Rutland Walk, London, SE6 4LG 1931 2017 Civil Service Kings House Sports Ground, Riverside Drive, Chiswick, London, W4 2SH 1863 1907, 1928 Crouch End Vampires Muswell Hill Playing Fields, London, N101JP 1883 1907, 1928 East Barnet Old Grammarians Alan Drive, Off Mays Lane, Barnet, EN5 2PU 1948 1977 Hammersmith Ark Burlington Danes Academy, Wood Lane, London W12 0HR 2021 2021 HSBC HSBC Sports & Social Club, Lennard Road, New Beckenham, BR3 1QW 1900 1921 Ibis Eagles Chiswick Cricket Club, Riverside Drive, London, W4 2SP 2015 2015 Merton Joseph Hood Recreation Ground, Martin Way, Merton, London, SW20 9BU 1910 1919 Norsemen Edmonton Sports & Social Club, Church Street, Edmonton, London, N9 9HL 1896 1908 Nottsborough Kingston University Sports Ground, Tolworth Court, Worcester Park, Surrey, KT4 7QH 1988 2001 NUFC Oilers The Hive, Camrose Avenue, London, HA8 6AG 2012 2013 Old Blues Kew & Ham Sports Association, Riverside Drive, Ham, Richmond, TW10 7RX 2011 2011 Old Finchleians 12 Southover, Woodside Park, N12 7JE 1901 1998 Old Garchonians Chase Lodge Playing Fields, London, NW7 2ED 2011 2011 Old Lyonians South Vale, Harrow, HA1 3PN 1902 1924 Old Parkonians Old Parkonians Pavilion, Oakfield Playing Fields, Forest Road, Ilford, Essex, IG6 3HD 1902 1919 Old Salesians Old Tenisonians Sports Ground, New Malden, KT 3 6LX 1923 1983 Old Stationers Old Elizabethans Memorial Ground, Gypsy Corner, Mays Lane, Barnet, EN5 2AG 1906 1932 Old Wilsonians Hayes Hill, Hayes, BR2 7HN 1888 1919, 2004 Old Wimbledonians Old Wimbledonians & Donhead Sports Ground, Coombe Lane, Raynes Park SW20 0QX 1970 2021 Owens Old Owens Sports Ground, Coopers Lane, Potters Bar, EN6 4NE 1891 1996 Polytechnic University of Westminster Sports Ground, London, W4 3UH 1875 1954 Richmond & Kew Ham Playing Fields, Riverside Drive, Ham, Richmond TW10 7QA 1906 1925 South Bank Cuaco Turney Road, Dulwich, London, SE21 7JH 2001 2001 Southgate Olympic Barrowell Green, London, N21 3AU 1993 2001, 2023 St. James' Old Boys Copthall Playing Fields, London, NW4 1RL 2014 2015 The Warren Club Langley, 2 Hawksbrook Lane, Beckenham, BR3 3SR 2015 2015 Weirside Rangers Udney Park, Teddington, TW11 9BG 1919 1927 West Wickham West Wickham Cricket & Football Club, Corkscrew Hill, West Wickham, BR4 9BA 1901 1938 Winchmore Hill Winchmore Hill Sports Club, The Paulin Ground, Fords Grove, London, N21 3ER 1920 1928
Representative team The League representative team has played a programme of friendly fixtures since 1907 against other AFA affiliated leagues and universities such as Oxford and Cambridge. Two matches are played each season in memory of past servants to the League. The Champion Club plays against the Senior Cup winners at the beginning of each season for the Stuart Hyde Trophy, named for the former SAL and Southgate Olympic team manager. The League also plays the Amateur Football Combination for the Steve Langley Cup in honour of the former SAL, AFA and Crouch End Vampires captain. This match is part of the Argonaut Trophy competition which also involves the Arthurian League in which the three league representative teams play a round-robin tournament. Since 2007 the team has played in the FA Inter-League Cup which it won at the first attempt in 2008. This earned the team the chance to represent England at the 2008 UEFA Regions Cup.
League champions and Cup winners SeasonSection 'A' Section 'B'1907–08New CrusadersReigate Priory (s)1908–09New Crusaders (a)Norsemen1909–10New CrusadersTunbridge Wells1910–11New CrusadersAlleyn Old Boys1911–12Civil ServiceL.C.W. & Parr's Bank1912–13New CrusadersCrouch End Vampires1913–14Civil ServiceCarshaltonSeasonDivision 1Division 2Division 31919–20MertonAquarius1920–21Cambridge TownCheshunt1921–22Ipswich TownL.J.C. & Midland Bank1922–23EastbourneOld Parkonians (e)1923–24Westminster BankBarclays Bank1924–25Midland BankOld Lyonians1925–26EastbourneToc H.1926–27Ealing Association (a)Merton1927–28Cambridge TownHastings & St Leonards1928–29Cambridge TownKew Association (s)Britannic House1929–30Ipswich TownMerton (s)Civil Service (a)1930–31Cambridge Town (a)Civil ServiceCatford Wanderers1931–32Cambridge TownCatford WanderersEast Grinstead1932–33Ipswich TownLloyds BankCuaco1933–34Ipswich TownWestminster BankAlexandra Park1934–35Hastings & St LeonardsCuacoThornycroft1935–36Hastings & St LeonardsAquariusHighgate (e)1936–37Hastings & St LeonardsHighgate* Ealing Association*1937–38Civil ServiceNorsemen* Lensbury & Britannic House*1938–39Hastings & St LeonardsNational Provincial Bank* Eastbourne*1939–45no competitionno competitionno competition1945–46MertonOld Parkonians1946–47Ealing AssociationWestminster Bank* Winchmore Hill*1947–48Winchmore HillBarclays Bank*