The South East Counties League (SECL) was a football league for the youth teams of clubs from Southern England.
The competition grew out of the Middlesex Youth Invitation Cup set up in the 1950s by the Middlesex FA and was formerly known as the South East Counties Youth Football League. For many years it was the top level of youth football in the region, a second division was added in 1964 this more often than not included teams from division one, these teams putting out their younger youth players. There was also a League Cup called "Division One League Cup" which was, in 1986, superseded by the "South East Counties League Cup". The setup of the FA Premier Youth League, a nationwide competition for the top clubs, in 1997 took many of the top clubs away. The SECL continued for another season with some clubs putting out their youth reserve teams,.
However, in 1998, the Premier Youth League was expanded and renamed the FA Premier Academy League, while a second tier of nationwide youth football, the Football League Youth Alliance was founded, absorbing the remaining teams, meaning the South East Counties League was abandoned.
List of winners
Season Winners Runners-up 1954–55 Chelsea Fulham 1955–56 Arsenal Chelsea 1956–57 Chelsea Arsenal 1957–58 Chelsea Charlton Athletic 1958–59 Chelsea Bexleyheath & Welling 1959–60 Chelsea Arsenal 1960–61 Chelsea Arsenal 1961–62 Chelsea Arsenal 1962–63 Chelsea Queens Park Rangers 1963–64 Queens Park Rangers Chelsea 1964–65 Arsenal Queens Park Rangers 1965–66 Queens Park Rangers Arsenal 1966–67 Charlton Athletic Ipswich 1967–68 Queens Park Rangers Chelsea 1968–69 Millwall Ipswich 1969–70 Tottenham Hotspur Millwall 1970–71 Tottenham Hotspur Arsenal 1971–72 Arsenal Tottenham Hotspur 1972–73 Tottenham Hotspur Arsenal 1973–74 Chelsea Leyton Orient 1974–75 Ipswich Tottenham Hotspur 1975–76 Ipswich Southend United 1976–77 Ipswich Chelsea 1977–78 Queens Park Rangers Ipswich 1978–79 Tottenham Hotspur Ipswich 1979–80 Norwich City Queens Park Rangers 1980–81 Tottenham Hotspur Watford 1981–82 Queens Park Rangers West Ham United 1982–83 Norwich City Queens Park Rangers 1983–84 Chelsea Norwich City 1984–85 West Ham United Ipswich 1985–86 Tottenham Hotspur Chelsea 1986–87 Tottenham Hotspur Watford 1987–88 Tottenham Hotspur Watford 1988–89 Tottenham Hotspur Arsenal 1989–90 Tottenham Hotspur Chelsea 1990–91 Arsenal Tottenham Hotspur 1991–92 Tottenham Hotspur Arsenal 1992–93 Tottenham Hotspur Millwall 1993–94 Queens Park Rangers Tottenham Hotspur 1994–95 Tottenham Hotspur Chelsea 1995–96 West Ham United Tottenham Hotspur 1996–97 Norwich City Chelsea 1997–98 West Ham United Portsmouth 1998–99 Luton Town Leyton Orient
References