# 2002–03 Southern Football League

The 2002–03 Southern Football League season was the 100th in the history of the league, an English football competition.
Tamworth won the Premier Division and earned promotion to the Football Conference for the first time. Halesowen Town, Hastings United, Ilkeston Town and Folkestone Invicta were relegated from the Premier Division, whilst Dorchester Town, Merthyr Tydfil, Eastbourne Borough and Weston-super-Mare were promoted from the Eastern and Western Divisions, the former two as champions. Spalding United, St Leonards, Rocester and Racing Club Warwick were all relegated to the eighth level.

## Premier Division

The Premier Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 17 clubs from the previous season and five new clubs:
* Two clubs promoted from the Eastern Division:
** Hastings Town, who also changed name to Hastings United
** Grantham Town
* Two clubs promoted from the Western Division:
** Chippenham Town
** Halesowen Town
* Plus:
** Dover Athletic, relegated from the Football Conference

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Tamworth | 42 | 26 | 10 | 6 | 73 | 32 | +41 | 88 | Promoted to the Football Conference |
| 2 | Stafford Rangers | 42 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 76 | 40 | +36 | 75 | |
| 3 | Dover Athletic | 42 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 42 | 35 | +7 | 71 | |
| 4 | Tiverton Town | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 60 | 43 | +17 | 69 | |
| 5 | Chippenham Town | 42 | 17 | 17 | 8 | 59 | 37 | +22 | 68 | |
| 6 | Worcester City | 42 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 60 | 39 | +21 | 67 | |
| 7 | Crawley Town | 42 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 64 | 51 | +13 | 64 | |
| 8 | Havant & Waterlooville | 42 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 67 | 64 | +3 | 60 | |
| 9 | Chelmsford City | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 65 | 63 | +2 | 57 | |
| 10 | Newport County | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 53 | 52 | +1 | 56 | |
| 11 | Hednesford Town | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 59 | 60 | −1 | 55 | |
| 12 | Moor Green | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 49 | 58 | −9 | 53 | |
| 13 | Hinckley United | 42 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 61 | 64 | −3 | 52 | |
| 14 | Bath City | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 50 | 61 | −11 | 52 | |
| 15 | Welling United | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 55 | 58 | −3 | 51 | |
| 16 | Grantham Town | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 59 | 65 | −6 | 51 | |
| 17 | Weymouth | 42 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 44 | 62 | −18 | 51 | |
| 18 | Cambridge City | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 54 | 56 | −2 | 49 | |
| 19 | Halesowen Town | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 52 | 63 | −11 | 49 | Relegated to the Western Division |
| 20 | Hastings United | 42 | 10 | 13 | 19 | 44 | 57 | −13 | 43 | Relegated to the Eastern Division |
| 21 | Ilkeston Town | 42 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 54 | 92 | −38 | 40 | Relegated to the Western Division |
| 22 | Folkestone Invicta | 42 | 7 | 7 | 28 | 57 | 105 | −48 | 28 | Relegated to the Eastern Division |

## Eastern Division

The Eastern Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 18 clubs from the previous season and four new clubs:
* Three clubs relegated from the Premier Division:
** King's Lynn
** Newport (Isle of Wight)
** Salisbury City
* Plus:
** Fleet Town, promoted from the Wessex League

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Dorchester Town | 42 | 28 | 9 | 5 | 114 | 40 | +74 | 93 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Eastbourne Borough | 42 | 29 | 6 | 7 | 92 | 33 | +59 | 93 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 3 | Stamford | 42 | 27 | 6 | 9 | 80 | 39 | +41 | 87 | |
| 4 | Salisbury City | 42 | 27 | 8 | 7 | 81 | 42 | +39 | 86 | |
| 5 | Bashley | 42 | 23 | 12 | 7 | 90 | 44 | +46 | 81 | |
| 6 | King's Lynn | 42 | 24 | 7 | 11 | 98 | 62 | +36 | 79 | |
| 7 | Rothwell Town | 42 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 77 | 52 | +25 | 76 | |
| 8 | Banbury United | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 75 | 50 | +25 | 74 | |
| 9 | Tonbridge Angels | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 71 | 55 | +16 | 71 | |
| 10 | Histon | 42 | 20 | 7 | 15 | 99 | 62 | +37 | 67 | |
| 11 | Ashford Town (Kent) | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 63 | 57 | +6 | 63 | |
| 12 | Sittingbourne | 42 | 15 | 8 | 19 | 57 | 69 | −12 | 53 | |
| 13 | Burnham | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 62 | 79 | −17 | 52 | |
| 14 | Fisher Athletic | 42 | 15 | 5 | 22 | 57 | 80 | −23 | 50 | |
| 15 | Chatham Town | 42 | 14 | 5 | 23 | 54 | 84 | −30 | 47 | |
| 16 | Newport (Isle of Wight) | 42 | 12 | 6 | 24 | 53 | 87 | −34 | 42 | |
| 17 | Dartford | 42 | 11 | 8 | 23 | 48 | 78 | −30 | 41 | |
| 18 | Erith & Belvedere | 42 | 11 | 6 | 25 | 65 | 96 | −31 | 39 | |
| 19 | Corby Town | 42 | 9 | 11 | 22 | 49 | 84 | −35 | 38 | |
| 20 | Fleet Town | 42 | 8 | 8 | 26 | 34 | 80 | −46 | 32 | |
| 21 | Spalding United | 42 | 4 | 6 | 32 | 40 | 108 | −68 | 18 | Relegated to the United Counties League |
| 22 | St. Leonards | 42 | 4 | 4 | 34 | 38 | 116 | −78 | 16 | Relegated to the Sussex County League |
* ↑ Salisbury City were deducted three points.

## Western Division

The Western Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 18 clubs from the previous season and four new clubs:
* Bromsgrove Rovers, promoted from the Midland Alliance
* Merthyr Tydfil, relegated from the Premier Division
* Rugby United, transferred from the Eastern Division
* Taunton Town, promoted from the Western League

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Merthyr Tydfil | 42 | 28 | 8 | 6 | 78 | 32 | +46 | 92 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Weston-super-Mare | 42 | 26 | 7 | 9 | 77 | 42 | +35 | 85 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 3 | Bromsgrove Rovers | 42 | 23 | 7 | 12 | 73 | 41 | +32 | 76 | |
| 4 | Solihull Borough | 42 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 77 | 48 | +29 | 76 | |
| 5 | Gloucester City | 42 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 87 | 58 | +29 | 75 | |
| 6 | Mangotsfield United | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 106 | 53 | +53 | 73 | |
| 7 | Redditch United | 42 | 22 | 6 | 14 | 76 | 42 | +34 | 72 | |
| 8 | Rugby United | 42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 58 | 43 | +15 | 69 | |
| 9 | Gresley Rovers | 42 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 63 | 54 | +9 | 67 | |
| 10 | Taunton Town | 42 | 20 | 7 | 15 | 76 | 78 | −2 | 67 | |
| 11 | Sutton Coldfield Town | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 63 | 53 | +10 | 64 | |
| 12 | Evesham United | 42 | 19 | 6 | 17 | 76 | 72 | +4 | 63 | |
| 13 | Clevedon Town | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 54 | 60 | −6 | 55 | |
| 14 | Cirencester Town | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 62 | 82 | −20 | 52 | |
| 15 | Cinderford Town | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 50 | 67 | −17 | 51 | |
| 16 | Shepshed Dynamo | 42 | 12 | 6 | 24 | 48 | 76 | −28 | 42 | |
| 17 | Stourport Swifts | 42 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 48 | 66 | −18 | 41 | |
| 18 | Bedworth United | 42 | 11 | 7 | 24 | 46 | 74 | −28 | 40 | |
| 19 | Swindon Supermarine | 42 | 11 | 5 | 26 | 52 | 85 | −33 | 38 | |
| 20 | Atherstone United | 42 | 9 | 10 | 23 | 45 | 78 | −33 | 37 | |
| 21 | Rocester | 42 | 9 | 10 | 23 | 34 | 74 | −40 | 37 | Relegated to the Midland Alliance |
| 22 | Racing Club Warwick | 42 | 3 | 9 | 30 | 33 | 104 | −71 | 18 | Relegated to the Midland Alliance |