# Essex Senior Football League

The Essex Senior Football League is an English men's football league. It contains clubs from the Essex FA, Hertfordshire FA, London FA, Middlesex FA and the Amateur Football Alliance. It is a feeder league to Division One North of the Isthmian League and has a single division which sits at Step 5 (or Level 9) of the National League System.

## Founder members

The Essex Senior League was formed in 1971 with nine founder members. The finishing positions for the 1971–72 season were as follows:
| 1 | Witham Town |
| 2 | Billericay Town |
| 3 | Pegasus Athletic |
| 4 | Tiptree United |
| 5 | Saffron Walden Town |
| 6 | Basildon United |
| 7 | Heybridge Swifts |
| 8 | Southend United 'A' |
| 9 | Stansted |

## Promotion and relegation

The Essex Senior League states that a club must finish in the top 3 to be considered for promotion to the Isthmian League Division One North. However the process is governed by the FA Leagues Committee who regulate relegations and promotions throughout the National League System. As of the 2014–15 season FA rules for Step 5 divisions such as the Essex Senior League stipulate that the champions should be offered the first chance of promotion. If the champions do not wish to be promoted or are not able to meet the entry requirements for promotion then the 2nd or 3rd placed team may be considered for promotion. Under normal circumstances, only one club can be promoted from a Step 5 league (e.g., the Essex Senior League) to a Step 4 league (e.g., the Isthmian League Division One).
In exchange for the promoted club, the Essex Senior League would typically receive a relegated club from a Step 4 league. Relegated clubs of Step 4 leagues are allocated an appropriate league based on their geographical locations. Thus the Essex Senior League is most likely to receive one of the relegated clubs from the Isthmian League Division One North.
There was no relegation from the Essex Senior League into a lower league since there was no Step 6 equivalent to the ESL until the 2017–18 season. Leagues including the Essex Olympian League (Step 7) sometimes acted as a feeder league to the Essex Senior League but promotion and relegation between the two leagues was not automatic. A Step 6 division for Essex and East Anglia was announced in October 2017 to solve the relegation problem. Since 2018–19, the Eastern Counties League controls this new division.

## Champions, runners up and third place finishers

| Season | Winner | Runners-up | Third place |
| 1971–72 | Witham Town | Billericay Town | Pegasus Athletic |
| 1972–73 | Billericay Town | Basildon United | Stansted |
| 1973–74 | Saffron Walden Town | Billericay Town | Coggeshall Town |
| 1974–75 | Billericay Town | Basildon United | Coggeshall Town |
| 1975–76 | Billericay Town | Tiptree United | Basildon United |
| 1976–77 | Basildon United | Brentwood | Billericay Town |
| 1977–78 | Basildon United | Tiptree United | Ford United |
| 1978–79 | Basildon United | Canvey Island | Eton Manor |
| 1979–80 | Basildon United | Wivenhoe Town | Canvey Island |
| 1980–81 | Bowers United | Heybridge Swifts | Wivenhoe Town |
| 1981–82 | Heybridge Swifts | Wivenhoe Town | Brentwood |
| 1982–83 | Heybridge Swifts | Stansted | Halstead Town |
| 1983–84 | Heybridge Swifts | Bowers United | Witham Town |
| 1984–85 | Maldon Town | Witham Town | Stansted |
| 1985–86 | Witham Town | Wivenhoe Town | Ford United |
| 1986–87 | Canvey Island | Witham Town | Purfleet |
| 1987–88 | Purfleet | Brentwood | Halstead Town |
| 1988–89 | Brightlingsea United | East Thurrock United | Ford United |
| 1989–90 | Brightlingsea United | Woodford Town | East Thurrock United |
| 1990–91 | Southend Manor | Brentwood | Burnham Ramblers |
| 1991–92 | Ford United | Brentwood | East Thurrock United |
| 1992–93 | Canvey Island | Sawbridgeworth Town | Bowers United |
| 1993–94 | Basildon United | Ford United | Canvey Island |
| 1994–95 | Great Wakering Rovers | Sawbridgeworth Town | Romford |
| 1995–96 | Romford | Great Wakering Rovers | Concord Rangers |
| 1996–97 | Ford United | Great Wakering Rovers | Concord Rangers |
| 1997–98 | Concord Rangers | Basildon United | Bowers United |
| 1998–99 | Bowers United | Great Wakering Rovers | Saffron Walden Town |
| 1999–2000 | Saffron Walden Town | Southend Manor | Burnham Ramblers |
| 2000–01 | Brentwood | Saffron Walden Town | Barkingside |
| 2001–02 | Leyton | Enfield Town | Burnham Ramblers |
| 2002–03 | Enfield Town | Concord Rangers | Ilford |
| 2003–04 | Concord Rangers | Ilford | Sawbridgeworth Town |
| 2004–05 | Enfield Town | Burnham Ramblers | Waltham Abbey |
| 2005–06 | A.F.C. Hornchurch | Waltham Abbey | Tilbury |
| 2006–07 | Brentwood Town | Romford | Barkingside |
| 2007–08 | Concord Rangers | Enfield 1893 | Barkingside |
| 2008–09 | Romford | Enfield 1893 | Takeley |
| 2009–10 | Stansted | Witham Town | Burnham Ramblers |
| 2010–11 | Enfield 1893 | Stansted | Witham Town |
| 2011–12 | Witham Town | Southend Manor | Takeley |
| 2012–13 | Burnham Ramblers | Barkingside | Takeley |
| 2013–14 | Great Wakering Rovers | Haringey Borough | Enfield 1893 |
| 2014–15 | Haringey Borough | Bowers & Pitsea | Barking |
| 2015–16 | Bowers & Pitsea | Basildon United | FC Romania |
| 2016–17 | Barking | Clapton | FC Romania |
| 2017–18 | Great Wakering Rovers | Basildon United | FC Romania |
| 2018–19 | Hullbridge Sports | Stansted | Walthamstow |
| 2019–20 | No champions; season abandoned due to coronavirus pandemic | No champions; season abandoned due to coronavirus pandemic | No champions; season abandoned due to coronavirus pandemic |
| 2020–21 | No champions; season abandoned due to pandemic-related lockdowns | No champions; season abandoned due to pandemic-related lockdowns | No champions; season abandoned due to pandemic-related lockdowns |
| 2021–22 | Walthamstow | Saffron Walden Town | Redbridge |
| 2022–23 | Enfield | Redbridge | Woodford Town |
| 2023–24 | Tilbury | Woodford Town | Romford |

### League winners records

* 5 times – Basildon United
* 3 times – Billericay Town, Bowers & Pitsea, Concord Rangers, Great Wakering Rovers, Heybridge Swifts, Witham Town
* 2 times – Brentwood Town, Brightlingsea United, Canvey Island, Enfield, Enfield Town, Ford United, Romford, Saffron Walden Town
* 1 time – AFC Hornchurch, Barking, Burnham Ramblers, Haringey Borough, Hullbridge Sports, Leyton, Maldon Town, Purfleet, Stansted, Southend Manor, Tilbury, Walthamstow

## Essex Senior League Challenge Cup

The Essex Senior League Challenge Cup is a knock-out tournament competed for by teams in the Essex Senior Football League. Brentwood Town and Basildon United hold the record jointly for the most cup wins, each lifting the trophy four times (Brentwood Town in 1975–76, 1978–79, 1990–91, 2006–07, Basildon United in 1977–78, 1993–94, 1997–98, 2015–16). As of the 2017–18 season the competition is referred to as the "Errington Challenge Cup" in recognition of the league's treasurer Margaret Errington who held the post for 26 years before dying in 2016.

### Final results

| Season | Winner | Score | Runners-up |
| 1972–73 | Billericay Town | 2–1 | Saffron Walden Town |
| 1973–74 | No competition played | No competition played | No competition played |
| 1974–75 | Colchester United 'A' | 3–1 | Billericay Town |
| 1975–76 | Brentwood | 3–0 | Basildon United |
| 1976–77 | Billericay Town | 1–0 | Bowers United |
| 1977–78 | Basildon United | 3–0 | Bowers United |
| 1978–79 | Brentwood | 2–0 | Brightlingsea United |
| 1979–80 | Canvey Island | 1–1, 0–0, 2–0 | Basildon United |
| 1980–81 | Witham Town | 4–2 | Sawbridgeworth Town |
| 1981–82 | Bowers United | 2–0 | Halstead Town |
| 1982–83 | Heybridge Swifts | 4–1 | Bowers United |
| 1983–84 | Stansted | 1–0 | Brentwood |
| 1984–85 | Chelmsford City Reserves | 2–0 | Maldon Town |
| 1985–86 | Ford United | 1–0 | Coggeshall Town |
| 1986–87 | Purfleet | 2–0 | Burnham Ramblers |
| 1987–88 | Purfleet | 2–1 | Canvey Island |
| 1988–89 | East Thurrock United | 3–2 | Ford United |
| 1989–90 | Southend Manor | 2–0 | Burnham Ramblers |
| 1990–91 | Brentwood | 2–0 | Southend Manor |
| 1991–92 | East Thurrock United | 2–0 | Basildon United |
| 1992–93 | Canvey Island | 3–1 | Sawbridgeworth Town |
| 1993–94 | Basildon United | 3–0 | Sawbridgeworth Town |
| 1994–95 | Sawbridgeworth Town | 2–0 | Stansted |
| 1995–96 | Romford | 2–0 | Southend Manor |
| 1996–97 | Concord Rangers | 1–0 | Ford United |
| 1997–98 | Basildon United | 1–0 | Burnham Ramblers |
| 1998–99 | Bowers United | 2–0 | Great Wakering Rovers |
| 1999-00 | Saffron Walden Town | 2–1 | Southend Manor |
| 2000–01 | Southend Manor | 2–1 | Sawbridgeworth Town |
| 2001–02 | Enfield Town | 1–1 (4–2 penalties) | Leyton |
| 2002–03 | Ilford | 1–0 | Sawbridgeworth Town |
| 2003–04 | Enfield Town | 3–2 | Sawbridgeworth Town |
| 2004–05 | Waltham Abbey | 4–1 | Enfield Town |
| 2005–06 | AFC Hornchurch | 2–0 | Brentwood Town |
| 2006–07 | Brentwood Town | 1–1 (5–4 penalties) | Romford |
| 2007–08 | Eton Manor | 3–2 | Concord Rangers |
| 2008–09 | Barkingside | 2–0 | Burnham Ramblers |
| 2009–10 | Bethnal Green United | 4–1 | Burnham Ramblers |
| 2010–11 | Stansted | 3–0 | Enfield 1893 |
| 2011–12 | Witham Town | 2–1 | Burnham Ramblers |
| 2012–13 | Barkingside | 9–1 | Bowers & Pitsea |
| 2013–14 | Great Wakering Rovers | 1–0 | Sporting Bengal United |
| 2014–15 | Bowers & Pitsea | 7–1 | Clapton |
| 2015–16 | Basildon United | 3–0 | FC Romania |
| 2016–17 | Takeley | 1–0 | Sawbridgeworth Town |
| 2017–18 | Great Wakering Rovers | 1–0 | Sawbridgeworth Town |
| 2018–19 | Stansted | 1–0 | West Essex |
| 2019–20 | Not completed due to coronavirus disease pandemic | Not completed due to coronavirus disease pandemic | Not completed due to coronavirus disease pandemic |
| 2020–21 | Not played due to coronavirus disease pandemic | Not played due to coronavirus disease pandemic | Not played due to coronavirus disease pandemic |
| 2021–22 | Enfield | 3–2 | Cockfosters |
| 2022–23 | Barking | 1–1 (5–4 penalties) | Redbridge |

## League and Cup double

On 14 occasions a team has won both the Essex Senior League and the Essex Senior League Challenge Cup in the same season. They are:
* 1972–73 – Billericay Town
* 1977–78 – Basildon United
* 1982–83 – Heybridge Swifts
* 1987–88 – Purfleet
* 1992–93 – Canvey Island
* 1993–94 – Basildon United
* 1995–96 – Romford
* 1998–99 – Bowers United
* 1999–00 – Saffron Walden Town
* 2005–06 – AFC Hornchurch
* 2006–07 – Brentwood Town
* 2011–12 – Witham Town
* 2013–14 – Great Wakering Rovers
* 2017–18 – Great Wakering Rovers

## Notable former Essex Senior League players

Several Essex Senior League players have also played for Football League or Premier League teams:
* Jimmy Greaves – Played for Brentwood Town after playing for West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, AC Milan, Chelsea and England.
* Alan Brazil – Played for Stambridge after Queens Park Rangers and other teams including Manchester United and Scotland.
* Kerry Dixon – Played in the Essex Senior League for Basildon after playing for other teams including Chelsea and England.
* Michael Kightly – left Basildon United to join Southend United circa 2003, playing for Burnley as of April 2016.
* Dwight Gayle – left Stansted to play for Dagenham & Redbridge, Peterborough United and Crystal Palace.
* Trevor Putney – left Brentwood to join Ipswich Town in 1980, also played for Norwich City, and Middlesbrough.
* Stuart Wardley – left Saffron Walden Town to join Queens Park Rangers in 1999.
* Steve Tilson – left Witham Town to join Southend United in 1989.
* Gary Hart – left Stansted for £1,000 and a set of kit to join Brighton & Hove Albion in 1998.
* Ben Barnett – left Southend Manor to briefly join Leyton Orient in 2000.
* John Warner – left Burnham Ramblers to join Colchester United in 1988.
* Scott Forbes – left Saffron Walden Town to join Southend United in 2000.