The 1980–81 Kent Football League season was the fifteenth in the history of the Kent Football League, a football competition featuring teams based in and around the county of Kent in England.
The League structure comprised two divisions: Division One and Division Two with the latter known as the Reserves Section (reserves teams were not permitted in Division One). Additionally there were two league cup competitions: the Challenge Cup for the Division One clubs and another for the teams in Division Two.
Division One
The division featured the seventeen clubs which had competed in the previous season.
The division was won by Cray Wanderers.
At the end of the season Dartford Glentworth left the league.
League table
Challenge Cup The 1980–81 Kent Football League Challenge Cup was won by Sittingbourne (whose reserves team won their Divisional cup too).
The competition, contested by all seventeen clubs in the Division One, comprised five single match tie rounds (with the first round featuring one tie) culminating in the final which was played on a neutral ground (at Sheppey United F.C. this season).
Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and Final
<onlyinclude> Second Round Sheppey United 1 – 3 Hythe Town Darenth Heathside 3 – 0 Herne Bay Whitstable Town 1 – 1 Ramsgate Replay: Ramsgate 0 – 1 Whitstable Town Faversham Town 3 – 2 Kent Police Erith & Belvedere 1 – 0 Tunbridge Wells Crockenhill 1 – 0 Dartford Glentworth Slade Green Athletic 3 – 3 Deal Town Replay: Deal Town 5 – 1 Slade Green Athletic Sittingbourne 4 – 1 Chatham Town First Round Darenth Heathside 5 – 2 Cray Wanderers Byes for the other fifteen clubs Sources: Final: Semi-finals: Quarter-finals: ; Second Round: ; ; ; First Round:
Reserves Section The letter "R" following team names indicates a club's reserves team.
Division Two featured mostly reserves teams (which were not permitted in Division One) from clubs from Kent and the adjacent area whose first team played in Division One and other higher ranked leagues. There was a League Cup competition for the teams in the section.
Division Two
The league featured nineteen clubs including one non-reserve team (Snowdown Colliery Welfare). Fourteen of the teams had competed in the previous season and they were joined by five additional, all reserves, teams: Dartford joined from the Kent County Amateur League Dartford Glentworth R Folkestone R (formerly Folkestone & Shepway R) joined from the Kent County Amateur League Maidstone United R joined from the Kent County Amateur League Welling United R
Newly joined club Welling United R were the division winners.
At the end of the season Faversham Town R and Dartford Glentworth R resigned from the league.
(The table below is not the final table, maximum potential matches per team = 36)
Division Two Cup The 1980–81 Kent Football League Division Two Cup was won by Sittingbourne R (whose first team won the Challenge Cup) with Chatham Town R runners-up.
The competition was contested by all nineteen clubs in the division and comprised five single match tie rounds (with the first round featuring three ties) culminating in the final.
Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and Final
<onlyinclude> Second Round Faversham Town R 5 – 1 Dartford R Ashford Town R 2 – 2 Deal Town R REPLAY: Deal Town R 4 – 1 Ashford Town R Sittingbourne R 1 – 0 Snowdown Colliery Welfare Sheppey United R 2 – 1 Maidstone United R Hythe Town R v Dover R Dartford Glentworth R 0 – 1 Whitstable Town R Chatham Town R v Welling United R Darenth Heathside R 1 – 1 Erith & Belvedere R REPLAY: Erith & Belvedere R 3 – 0 Darenth Heathside R First Round Faversham Town R 2 – 2 Folkestone R REPLAY 1: Folkestone R 1 – 1 (aet) Faversham Town R (score at 90 minutes: 1–1) REPLAY 2: Faversham Town R v Folkestone R Sittingbourne R 3 – 0 Hastings United R Maidstone United R 9 – 0 Herne Bay R Byes for the other thirteen clubs Sources: Final: Semi-finals: ; Quarter-finals: ; Second Round: ; ; ; ; ; ; First Round: ; ;
References