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The Essex Olympian Football League is a football competition based in England, founded in the 1966–67 season. It has a total of six senior divisions and one under 21 division. The Premier Division sits at step 7 (or level 11) of the National League System and it is a feeder to Division One South of the Eastern Counties Football League. Between 1986 and 2005, the league was known as the Essex Intermediate League.
 | |
| Founded | 1966 |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Number of clubs | 91 (six senior divisions) |
| Level on pyramid | 11–17 |
| Feeder to | Eastern Counties Football League |
| Promotion to | Eastern Counties Football League Division One South |
| Current champions | Rayleigh Town (2023–24) |
Clubs to progress up the pyramid from the league include Billericay Town, Brentwood Town, Bowers United, Sawbridgeworth Town, Burnham Ramblers, Hullbridge Sports and Great Wakering Rovers.
In 1966, the Essex Olympian Football League was founded, following a meeting at the Saracens Head pub in Chelmsford. The first league constitution consisted of Basildon & Pitsea, Billericay Town, Bishop's Stortford Swifts, Bowers United, Burnham Ramblers, Collier Row, Dorstel Press, Dunmow, Little Waltham, Old Chelmsfordians and Sawbridgeworth, with Burnham Ramblers winning the first edition of the Essex Olympian League, finishing four points above Little Waltham.[1] Little Waltham left the league at the end of the inaugural 1966–67 season, with British Mathews, Critalls, Essex County Council Staff and Manor Athletic all joining to take the constitution up to 16 clubs.[2] In 1981, a Second Division was added with eight clubs (Baddow Royals, Basildon Sports, Caribbean International Sports, Chigwell Villa, Civil Service Olympian, Cossor Sports, Ekco and Rayleigh Athletic) joining the league system.[3]
In 1986, the league was renamed to the Essex Intermediate League,[4] adding a Division Three three years later.[5]
In 2005, the league renamed itself back to its original Essex Olympian League name.[6] In 2008, Takeley moved up the pyramid into the Essex Senior League. Before then the Olympian League had not sent a club to the Essex Senior League for over a decade, causing the Essex Senior League to look elsewhere in Essex for new member clubs, including lower leagues and leagues outside the National League System such as the now-defunct Essex Business Houses Football League. Clubs from this league have previously been able to jump straight into the Essex Senior League due to the facilities at which they play, not where they finished in the Essex Business Houses League.[7] The following year, in 2009, a Division Three was added, taking the number of leagues administered by the Essex Olympian League up to four.[8] In 2015, two more leagues were added to the system, being named Division Four and Division Five.[9] In 2017, The Football Association announced a step 6 (level 10) division for Essex and East Anglia in the Eastern Counties Football League to start playing in the 2018–19 season, meaning the Essex Olympian League would drop to step 7 in Non-league.[10] In March 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Football Association announced all leagues from step 3 to 7 on the National League System would be cancelled, with all results being expunged.[11] In November 2020, the Essex Olympian League was suspended, owing to a second wave of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom.[12] The league was eventually resumed in April 2021, becoming one of the only leagues in England to resume play after the suspension in November 2020. Buckhurst Hill were promoted at the end of the 2020–21 season, after winning the Premier Division, gaining promotion to the Eastern Counties League Division One South.[13][14]
Ahead of the 2024–25 season, the Southend Borough & District Combination was merged into the Essex Olympian League, resulting in the creation of two regionalised divisions at Division Four and the return of Division Five.[15]
The league has 91 teams spread over seven divisions for the 2024–25 season:
Premier Division
|
Division One
|
Division Two
|
Division Three
|
Division Four North West
|
Division Four South East
|
Division Five
|
1966–81
The league originally consisted of a single section of 13 clubs, reaching a peak of 18 clubs by 1969–70.
| Season | Champions |
|---|---|
| 1966–67 | Burnham Ramblers |
| 1967–68 | Writtle |
| 1968–69 | Basildon Town |
| 1969–70 | Billericay Town |
| 1970–71 | Billericay Town |
| 1971–72 | Sawbridgeworth |
| 1972–73 | Chadwell Heath |
| 1973–74 | Chadwell Heath |
| 1974–75 | Chadwell Heath |
| 1975–76 | Essex Police |
| 1976–77 | Collier Row Motor Gear |
| 1977–78 | Runwell Hospital |
| 1978–79 | Rayleigh Town |
| 1979–80 | Essex Police |
| 1980–81 | Rayleigh Town |
1981–89
In 1981, a second division was added. The league ran with two divisions for nine years. During this period, the league was renamed the Essex Intermediate League in 1986.
| Season | Division One | Division Two |
|---|---|---|
| 1981–82 | Herongate Athletic | Rayleigh Athletic |
| 1982–83 | Herongate Athletic | Dunmow |
| 1983–84 | Rayleigh Town | Essex Police |
| 1984–85 | Rayleigh Town | Shell Club |
| 1985–86 | Essex Police | Cossor Sports |
| 1986–87 | Essex Police | Hambros Bank |
| 1987–88 | Takeley | Standard (Harlow) |
| 1988–89 | Benfleet | Upminster |
1989–2007
In 1989, a third division was added. The league reverted to its original name, the Essex Olympian League in 2005.
| Season | Division One | Division Two | Division Three |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | Rayleigh Town | Kelvedon Hatch | Great Baddow |
| 1990–91 | Herongate Athletic | Concord Rangers | Great Wakering Rovers |
| 1991–92 | Standard (Harlow) | Great Wakering Rovers | Loughton |
| 1992–93 | Standard (Harlow) | South Woodham Ferrers | Danbury Trafford |
| 1993–94 | Kelvedon Hatch | Takeley | Ongar Town |
| 1994–95 | Writtle | Sporting Club Henderson | Great Baddow |
| 1995–96 | Kelvedon Hatch | Frenford Senior | Hutton |
| 1996–97 | Kelvedon Hatch | Runwell Hospital | Bishop's Stortford Swifts |
| 1997–98 | Danbury Trafford | Bishop's Stortford Swifts | Shell Club |
| 1998–99 | Bishop's Stortford Swifts | Sandon Royals | Basildon Town |
| 1999–2000 | Bishop's Stortford Swifts | Nortel (Harlow) | Wanstead Town |
| 2000–01 | Rayleigh Town | Canning Town | Linford Wanderers |
| 2001–02 | Takeley | Epping | Stambridge United |
| 2002–03 | Bishop's Stortford Swifts | White Ensign | Debden Sports |
| 2003–04 | White Ensign | Debden Sports | Faces |
| 2004–05 | White Ensign | White Notley | Linford Wanderers |
| 2005–06 | Harold Wood Athletic | Canning Town | Ongar Town |
| 2006–07 | White Ensign | Benfleet | Potter Street |
2007 to date
In 2007 the divisions were renamed Premier, One and Two.
| Season | Premier Division | Division One | Division Two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | White Ensign | Potter Street | Linford Wanderers |
| 2008–09 | Harold Wood Athletic | Westhamians | Sungate |
| 2009–10 | Harold Wood Athletic | May & Baker Club | Romford Reserves |
In 2010 a Division Three was added.
| Season | Premier Division | Division One | Division Two | Division Three |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Kelvedon Hatch | Hutton | Wadham Lodge | Springfield |
| 2011–12 | Frenford Senior | Southminster St. Leonards | Springfield | Old Barkabbeyans |
| 2012–13 | Frenford Senior | Bishop's Stortford Swifts | Old Barkabbeyans | Debden Sports |
In 2013 an Under 21 Division was added.
| Season | Premier Division | Division One | Division Two | Division Three | Under 21 Division |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Southminster St Leonards | Newham United | Ongar Town | Rochford Town | Ryan |
| 2014–15 | Harold Wood Athletic | Harold Hill | Basildon Town | Catholic United | Frenford Senior |
In 2015 the two reserve divisions were promoted to senior status and renamed Divisions Four and Five, along with the three higher divisions, leaving just one Under-21 division below that.
| Season | Premier Division | Division One | Division Two | Division Three | Division Four | Division Five | Under 21 Division |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Kelvedon Hatch | Canning Town | Catholic United | Benfleet | Old Chelmsfordians Reserves | Galleywood Reserves | FC Clacton |
| 2016–17 | Springfield | Basildon Town | Sungate | May & Baker Eastbrook Reserves | Manford Way Reserves | Basildon Town Reserves | Lakeside |
| 2017–18 | Catholic United | Buckhurst Hill | May & Baker Eastbrook Reserves | Manford Way Reserves | Chingford Athletic | Westhamians | Corinthians |
| 2018–19 | Buckhurst Hill | Shenfield | Chingford Athletic | Old Southendian Reserves | Corinthians | Corinthians Reserves | |
| 2019–20 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||
| 2020–21 | Buckhurst Hill | Ongar Town | Leigh Town | ACD United | Catholic United Reserves | Wakering Sports 'A' | |
| 2021–22 | Ongar Town | Toby | ACD United | Hashtag United Development | Chingford Athletic Reserves | Bishop's Stortford Swifts Reserves | |
| 2022–23 | Hutton | Old Chelmsfordians | Shoebury Town | Basildon Town Reserves | Leigh Ramblers Reserves | Manford Way Reserves | |
| 2023–24 | Rayleigh Town | Wakering Sports | Basildon Town Reserves | Runwell Sports Reserves | Toby Reserves |
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