# 1982–83 Kent Football League

The 1982–83 Kent Football League season was the seventeenth 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 league featured seventeen clubs, fifteen which competed in the previous season together with two additional clubs which both transferred from the London Spartan League:
* Alma Swanley
* Beckenham Town
The league was won by Crockenhill, their only season as champions of the Kent League.
At the end of the season seventh placed team Chatham Town left the league following their election to the Southern Football League.

### League Table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Season End Notes |
| 1 | Crockenhill | 32 | 19 | 6 | 7 | 55 | 26 | +29 | 44 | |
| 2 | Hythe Town | 32 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 66 | 37 | +29 | 43 | |
| 3 | Deal Town | 32 | 15 | 11 | 6 | 51 | 34 | +17 | 41 | |
| 4 | Sittingbourne | 32 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 70 | 33 | +37 | 40 | |
| 5 | Tunbridge Wells | 32 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 46 | +6 | 37 | |
| 6 | Herne Bay | 32 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 33 | 32 | +1 | 36 | |
| 7 | Chatham Town | 32 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 42 | 36 | +6 | 35 | Elected to the Southern League Southern Division |
| 8 | Cray Wanderers | 32 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 65 | 53 | +12 | 34 | |
| 9 | Beckenham Town | 32 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 33 | |
| 10 | Sheppey United | 32 | 13 | 6 | 13 | 51 | 49 | +2 | 32 | |
| 11 | Alma Swanley | 32 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 50 | 49 | +1 | 32 | |
| 12 | Slade Green Athletic | 32 | 12 | 7 | 13 | 41 | 35 | +6 | 31 | |
| 13 | Faversham Town | 32 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 40 | 53 | −13 | 27 | |
| 14 | Darenth Heathside | 32 | 5 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 51 | −24 | 22 | |
| 15 | Whitstable Town | 32 | 6 | 9 | 17 | 36 | 59 | −23 | 21 | |
| 16 | Kent Police | 32 | 6 | 7 | 19 | 34 | 80 | −46 | 19 | |
| 17 | Ramsgate | 32 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 22 | 62 | −40 | 17 | |

### Challenge Cup

The 1982–83 Kent Football League Challenge Cup was won by Slade Green Athletic, who defeated Faversham Town in the final, their only winners trophy whilst members of the Kent League. The competition, contested by all seventeen clubs in the league, comprised five single match tie rounds (with only one tie in the first round) culminating in the final.

#### Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and Final

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| Ramsgate | 1 | 0 | | | | | | |
| Darenth Heathside | 1 | 1 | | | | | | |
| Darenth Heathside | 1 | 1 | Darenth Heathside | Darenth Heathside | 1 | | | |
| | | | Faversham Town | Faversham Town | 2 | | | |
| Crockenhill | Crockenhill | 0 | Faversham Town | Faversham Town | 2 | | | |
| Faversham Town | Faversham Town | 1 | | | | | | |
| Faversham Town | Faversham Town | 1 | | | | Faversham Town | Faversham Town | Faversham Town |
| | | | | | | Slade Green Athletic | Slade Green Athletic | Slade Green Athletic |
| Slade Green Athletic | Slade Green Athletic | 1 | | | | | | | Slade Green Athletic | Slade Green Athletic | Slade Green Athletic |
| Hythe Town | Hythe Town | 0 | | | | | | |
| Hythe Town | Hythe Town | 0 | Slade Green Athletic | 0 | | | | |
| | | | Sheppey United | 0 | | | | |
| Sheppey United | Sheppey United | 2 | Sheppey United | 0 | | | | |
| Herne Bay | Herne Bay | 0 | | | | | | |
* 1 2 Replay
* 1 2 After extra time
* 1 2 After extra time
* 1 2 Replay

#### Second Round

* Ramsgate 3 – 2 Deal Town
* Darenth Heathside 2 – 1 Chatham Town
* Sittingbourne 1 – 2 Crockenhill
* Faversham Town 3 – 2 Kent Police
* Cray Wanderers 1 – 3 Slade Green Athletic
* Hythe Town 3 – 2 Tunbridge Wells
* Alma Swanley 1 – 4 Sheppey United
* Herne Bay 1 – 0 Beckenham Town

#### First Round

* Whitstable Town 1 – 2 Deal Town
* Byes for the other fifteen teans
Sources:
* Final: "Archives: League Cup Winners". SCEFL: Southern Counties East Football League. February 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
* Semi-finals: "Other Results: Kent: League Cup semi-finals". The Sunday People. 3 April 1983. p. 36. Retrieved 20 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Quarter-finals: "(column 6) Kent League: League Cup". Sunday Mirror. 27 February 1983. p. 40. Retrieved 20 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "(column 4) Kent League: League Cup replay". Sunday Mirror. 6 March 1983. p. 41. Retrieved 20 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Second Round: "Results: Saturday: Kent League Cup, Division 1, Round 2". Kentish Express. 1 October 1982. p. 22. Retrieved 20 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* First Round: "A Mills nightmare ends League Cup dream". Whitstable Times. 3 September 1982. p. 15. Retrieved 20 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.

## 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 eighteen clubs (including one non-reserve team, Snowdown Colliery Welfare), sixteen of which had competed in the division the previous season with two additional clubs:
* Beckenham Town R
* Faversham Town R, returning after a one season absence.
The division was won by Maidstone United R for the second successive season.
At the end of the season four clubs left the league: Sheppey United R, and three who joined the Essex and Herts Border Combination: Dartford R, champions Maidstone United R and Welling United R.

#### League Table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Season End Notes |
| 1 | Maidstone United R | 34 | 25 | 5 | 4 | 106 | 42 | +64 | 55 | Resigned |
| 2 | Welling United R | 34 | 23 | 7 | 4 | 85 | 32 | +53 | 53 | Resigned |
| 3 | Erith & Belvedere R | 34 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 87 | 39 | +48 | 48 | |
| 4 | Sheppey United R | 34 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 69 | 62 | +7 | 38 | Resigned |
| 5 | Darenth Heathside R | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 51 | 43 | +8 | 37 | |
| 6 | Beckenham Town R | 33 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 56 | 51 | +5 | 35 | |
| 7 | Faversham Town R | 34 | 14 | 7 | 13 | 49 | 54 | −5 | 35 | |
| 8 | Sittingbourne R | 34 | 15 | 5 | 14 | 67 | 71 | −4 | 35 | |
| 9 | Herne Bay R | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 62 | 73 | −11 | 35 | |
| 10 | Chatham Town R | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 48 | 43 | +5 | 33 | |
| 11 | Dover R | 33 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 53 | 53 | 0 | 33 | |
| 12 | Ashford Town R | 34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 56 | 57 | −1 | 32 | |
| 13 | Hastings United R | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 68 | 81 | −13 | 31 | |
| 14 | Dartford R | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 75 | 80 | −5 | 29 | Resigned |
| 15 | Hythe Town R | 34 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 51 | 62 | −11 | 25 | |
| 16 | Folkestone R | 34 | 9 | 5 | 20 | 61 | 94 | −33 | 23 | |
| 17 | Snowdown Colliery Welfare | 34 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 42 | 89 | −47 | 18 | |
| 18 | Whitstable Town R | 34 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 39 | 99 | −60 | 15 | |
* 1 2 missing Beckenham Town R versus Dover R

### Division Two Cup

The 1982–83 Kent Football League Division Two Cup was won by Erith & Belvedere R who defeated Hythe Town R in the final.