The 2021–22 Southern Football League season was the 119th in the history of the Southern League since its establishment in 1894. The league had two Premier divisions (Central and South) at Step 3 of the National League System (NLS) and two Division One divisions (Central and South) at Step 4. These correspond to levels 7 and 8 of the English football league system.
The allocations for Step 4 this season were announced by The Football Association (FA) on 17 May 2021.
The scheduled restructuring of the non-League system took place at the end of the 2020–21 season and a new division was added to the Northern Premier League at Step 4 for 2021–22, which resulted in some reallocations into or out of, and promotions to, the Southern League's Step 4 divisions.
Premier Division Central
After Kings Langley were transferred to the Premier Division South, The Premier Division Central consisted of 21 clubs, all from the previous aborted season.
League table
Play-offs
Semi-finals
Final
Results
Stadia and locations
Club Location Stadium Capacity AFC Rushden & Diamonds Rushden Hayden Road 2,000 Alvechurch Alvechurch Lye Meadow 3,000 Banbury United Banbury Spencer Stadium 2,000 Barwell Barwell Kirkby Road 2,500 Biggleswade Town Biggleswade Langford Road 3,000 Bromsgrove Sporting Bromsgrove Victoria Ground 4,893 Coalville Town Coalville Owen Street Sports Ground 2,000 Hednesford Town Hednesford Keys Park 6,039 Hitchin Town Hitchin Top Field 4,554 Leiston Leiston Victory Road 2,250 Lowestoft Town Lowestoft Crown Meadow 3,000 Needham Market Needham Market Bloomfields 4,000 Nuneaton Borough Nuneaton Liberty Way 4,614 Peterborough Sports Peterborough Lincoln Road 2,300 Redditch United Redditch The Valley 5,000 Royston Town Royston Garden Walk 5,000 Rushall Olympic Walsall Dales Lane 2,000 St Ives Town St Ives Westwood Road 2,000 Stourbridge Stourbridge War Memorial Athletic Ground 2,626 Stratford Town Stratford-upon-Avon Knights Lane 2,000 Tamworth Tamworth The Lamb Ground 4,565
Premier Division South
The Premier Division consisted of 22 clubs: 20 clubs from the previous season, and two new clubs: Kings Langley, transferred from the Premier Division Central Merthyr Town, returned after one-season absence
League table
Play-offs
Semi-finals
Final
Results
Stadia and locations
Club Location Stadium Capacity Beaconsfield Town Beaconsfield Holloways Park 3,500 Chesham United Chesham The Meadow 5,000 Dorchester Town Dorchester The Avenue Stadium 5,000 Farnborough Farnborough Cherrywood Road 7,000 Gosport Borough Gosport Privett Park 4,500 Harrow Borough Harrow Earlsmead Stadium 3,000 Hartley Wintney Hartley Wintney The Memorial Playing Fields 2,000 Hayes & Yeading United Hayes, Hillingdon SkyEx Community Stadium 3,000 Hendon Hendon Silver Jubilee Park 2,000 Kings Langley Kings Langley Sadiku Stadium 1,963 Merthyr Town Merthyr Tydfil Penydarren Park 4,000 Metropolitan Police East Molesey Imber Court 3,000 Poole Town Poole Tatnam Ground 2,500 Salisbury Salisbury Raymond McEnhill Stadium 5,000 Swindon Supermarine Swindon Hunts Copse Ground 3,000 Taunton Town Taunton Wordsworth Drive 2,500 Tiverton Town Tiverton Ladysmead 3,500 Truro City Plymouth Bolitho Park (groundshare with Plymouth Parkway) 3,500 Walton Casuals Walton-on-Thames Elmbridge Sports Hub 2,500 Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare Woodspring Stadium 3,500 Wimborne Town Wimborne Minster The Cuthbury 3,000 Yate Town Yate Lodge Road 2,000
Division One Central
Division One Central consisted of 20 clubs: 14 clubs from the previous season, and six new clubs. Clubs, transferred from Isthmian League South Central Division: FC Romania Harlow Town Hertford Town Waltham Abbey Ware
Plus: Colney Heath, promoted from the Spartan South Midlands League
League table
Play-offs
Semi-finals
Final
Inter-step play-off
Results
Stadia and locations
Club Location Stadium Capacity AFC Dunstable Dunstable Creasey Park 3,200 Aylesbury United Aylesbury The Meadow (groundshare with Chesham United) 5,000 Barton Rovers Barton-le-Clay Sharpenhoe Road 4,000 Bedford Town Bedford The Eyrie 3,000 Berkhamsted Berkhamsted Broadwater 2,500 Biggleswade Biggleswade The Eyrie (groundshare with Bedford Town) 3,000 Colney Heath Colney Heath Recreation Ground n/a Didcot Town Didcot Loop Meadow 3,000 FC Romania Cheshunt Cheshunt Stadium (groundshare with Cheshunt) 3,000 Harlow Town Harlow The Harlow Arena 3,500 Hertford Town Hertford Hertingfordbury Park 6,500 Kempston Rovers Kempston Hillgrounds Leisure 2,000 Kidlington Kidlington Yarnton Road 1,500 North Leigh North Leigh Eynsham Hall Park Sports Ground 2,000 St Neots Town St Neots New Rowley Park 3,500 Thame United Thame Meadow View Park 2,000 Waltham Abbey Waltham Abbey Capershotts 3,500 Wantage Town Wantage Alfredian Park 1,500 Ware Ware Wodson Park 3,300 Welwyn Garden City Welwyn Garden City Herns Way 1,000
Division One South
After Moneyfields voluntary relegated from the league, Division One South consisted of 19 clubs: 17 clubs from the previous season, and two new clubs: Lymington Town, promoted from the Wessex League Plymouth Parkway, promoted from the Western League
League table
Play-offs
Semi-finals
Final
Inter-step play-off
Results
Stadia and locations
Club Location Stadium Capacity AFC Totton Totton Testwood Stadium 3,000 Barnstaple Town Barnstaple Mill Road 5,000 Bideford Bideford The Sports Ground 2,000 Bristol Manor Farm Bristol The Creek 2,000 Cinderford Town Cinderford Causeway Ground 3,500 Cirencester Town Cirencester Corinium Stadium 4,500 Evesham United Evesham Jubilee Stadium 3,000 Frome Town Frome Badgers Hill 2,000 Highworth Town Highworth The Elms Recreation Ground 2,000 Larkhall Athletic Bath The Plain Ham Ground 1,000 Lymington Town Lymington The Sports Ground 1,000 Mangotsfield United Mangotsfield Cossham Street 2,500 Melksham Town Melksham Oakfield Stadium 2,500 Paulton Rovers Paulton Athletic Field 2,500 Plymouth Parkway Plymouth Bolitho Park 3,500 Sholing Sholing Portsmouth Road 1,000 Slimbridge Slimbridge Thornhill Park 1,500 Willand Rovers Willand Silver Street 1,000 Winchester City Winchester The City Ground 4,500
Relegation reprieves Step 3 Seven clubs at Step 3, all four fourth-from-bottom teams and those placed third-from-bottom that are the top three on a points per game (PPG) basis, were reprieved from relegation. The remaining team was relegated to Step 4.
The final points-per-game ranking of the third-from-bottom placed teams in Step 3 divisions was as follows: PosTeamLeaguePldPtsPPGQualification5Basford UnitedNorthern Premier League Premier Division42451.071Retention at Step 36BarwellSouthern League Premier Division Central40411.0257Kings LangleySouthern League Premier Division South42370.8818LeatherheadIsthmian League Premier Division42360.857Relegation to Step 4
Source:
Step 4 Ten of the 16 clubs at Step 4, all eight fourth-from-bottom teams and two clubs placed third-from-bottom, one at the top and the other in third place on a points per game (PPG) basis, were reprieved from contesting relegation play-offs. The FA granted third-placed Sheffield a reprieve after demoting Yorkshire Amateur from the Northern Premier League for non-compliance with Step 4 ground grading requirements. The remaining six teams contested one-off matches with six runners-up from Step 5 that had the fewest PPG at the end of the 2021–22 season. Three winners of their matches stayed at Step 4 for the 2022–23 season, while three others lost theirs and were relegated to Step 5.
The final points-per-game ranking of the 3rd-from-bottom-placed teams in Step 4 divisions was also as follows: PosTeamLeaguePldPtsPPGQualification9Prescot CablesNorthern Premier League Division One West38391.026Retention at Step 410LancingIsthmian League South East Division38360.947Relegation match with a Step 5 team11SheffieldNorthern Premier League Division One East36330.917Retention at Step 412Witham TownIsthmian League North Division38330.863Relegation match with a Step 5 team13Cinderford TownSouthern League Division One South36310.86114Kempston RoversSouthern League Division One Central38290.76315HistonNorthern Premier League Division One Midlands38240.63216Chalfont St PeterIsthmian League South Central Division36210.583 Source:
See also Southern Football League 2021–22 Isthmian League 2021–22 Northern Premier League
References
External links Official website