If you’ve ever tried to follow grassroots football in Sussex, the Southern Combination Football League is where most of it lives. This regional competition sits within the English football pyramid, operating eight divisions that channel clubs from local parks toward the broader National League System. For the 2025–26 season, the SCFL Premier Division ran from 9 August 2025 to 25 April 2026, hosting 20 teams at Step 5 of the English football system.
Divisions: 8 · First team divisions: 3 (Premier Division, Division One, Division Two) · Under-23 divisions: 2 (East and West) · Top tier step: Step 5 in the English football league system · Geographic area: Sussex and surrounding areas · Level status: National League System (NLS) affiliated
Quick snapshot
- The league operates eight divisions across Sussex. (Wikipedia – 2025–26 SCFL)
- Founded in 1920 as the Sussex County League. (Football Club History Database)
- Current season is 2025/26. (Wikipedia – 2025–26 SCFL)
- Premier Division sits at Step 5 of the National League System. (Football Club History Database)
- The exact club list for 2026/27 has not been fully published. (FA Full-Time)
- Divisional alignments may shift before the next season begins. (FA Full-Time)
- 1920 – League founded as Sussex County League. (Football Club History Database)
- 2015 – Renamed to Southern Combination Football League. (Football Club History Database)
- 2026/27 – Upcoming season with confirmed club announcements pending. (Wikipedia – 2026–27 Combined Counties)
- Track the SCFL website and FA Full-Time for 2026/27 fixture releases. (FA Full-Time)
- Download the Robin Road app for live score updates during matches. (FA Full-Time)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| League name | Southern Combination Football League |
| Founded | 1920 (as Sussex County League) |
| Current season | 2025/26 |
| Number of divisions | 8 |
| Premier Division level | Step 5 |
| Governing body | The FA |
What is the Southern Combination Football League?
The Southern Combination Football League (SCFL) is a regional football competition covering Sussex and surrounding areas, sitting within the lower tiers of the English football pyramid. It began in 1920 under the name Sussex County League and adopted its current title in 2015 to reflect its broader geographic reach. The league operates under National League System (NLS) regulations set by the Football Association.
Its Premier Division occupies Step 5 of the English football league system, placing it one tier below the fully professional national feeder leagues and well above purely recreational grassroots football. Division One functions as a Step 6 competition, while Division Two acts as a regional feeder below the formal NLS structure. Comparable leagues at the same steps include the Combined Counties League, which operates across a different geographic area but shares the same tier within the non-league pyramid.
League history and purpose
The SCFL grew from county-level football into a structured regional league as the English non-league pyramid expanded. The Football Club History Database records that the league’s roots lie in consolidating Sussex county football under a single administrative banner. Its current role is to provide competitive football between local grassroots levels and the higher tiers of the National League System, creating a visible path for ambitious clubs to climb the ladder.
Role in the National League System
National League System regulations published by the FA classify the SCFL Premier Division as a Step 5 division, alongside comparable regional leagues across England. The Football Club History Database confirms the Premier Division and Division One operate at Steps 5 and 6 respectively, with promotion pathways linking them to higher-step competitions for clubs meeting ground grading and administrative criteria.
The SCFL is not an isolated local league. Its position at Steps 5 and 6 means that winning the Premier Division can open a doorway to wider non-league football, subject to FA criteria.
How many divisions are in the Southern Combination Football League?
The Southern Combination Football League comprises eight divisions in total. Three of these serve first teams at the senior level, while two more accommodate Under-23 sides split into East and West regional groups. The remaining divisions provide further depth for clubs with multiple teams or developmental squads.
Premier Division
The Premier Division is the SCFL’s flagship competition. For the 2025–26 season, 20 clubs competed in this top tier, playing 380 matches that produced 1,471 goals at an average of 3.87 goals per game. The Football Club History Database lists the Premier Division as a Step 5 competition, confirming its position within the formal NLS structure. Season dates for 2025–26 ran from 9 August 2025 to 25 April 2026, a window that typically informs scheduling for subsequent seasons.
Division One
Division One operates one tier below the Premier Division at Step 6 of the National League System. The FA’s own NLS regulations document confirms this classification, making it equivalent in standing to other regional Step 6 divisions across England. Club numbers fluctuate season to season based on promotions, relegations, and lateral movements between leagues.
Division Two
Division Two functions as a regional feeder league positioned below the formal NLS structure. In the 2024–25 season, 14 teams competed in this division after adjustments from promotions and new admissions. This flexibility in team numbers reflects the league’s role in accommodating clubs at earlier stages of the non-league pathway. The Spartan South Midlands League occupies a comparable position as a step below Step 6 in its own regional footprint, illustrating how sub-NLS divisions work across England.
Under-23 East and West divisions
The SCFL operates two Under-23 divisions split by geography into East and West sections. These provide match opportunities for younger players beyond youth football but before full senior careers. Club participation in these divisions varies based on each club’s development infrastructure and squad depth.
Where can I find the Southern Combination football league table?
Finding an up-to-date SCFL league table is straightforward through two official channels. The league’s own website publishes standings for all divisions, while the FA’s Full-Time platform serves as the central data portal for live tables, fixtures, and results across non-league football.
Official SCFL website tables
The SCFL maintains its own website where tables are published for the Premier Division, Division One, Division Two, and the Under-23 sections. These pages update after each matchday, providing positions, points, goal differences, and recent form indicators.
Full-Time by The FA tables
The FA Full-Time portal (FA Full-Time – SCFL) hosts the most granular data for SCFL competitions. The portal breaks down each division into sortable tables showing matches played, wins, draws, losses, goals for, goals against, goal difference, points, and available points. Wikipedia’s own SCFL statistical records cite the FA Full-Time SCFL Division Two pages as their primary source, underscoring the platform’s status as the official record.
For anyone tracking promotion battles or relegation dogfights, the FA Full-Time tables update faster than most club websites and include goal difference calculations that determine final standings in tight races.
Where can I see Southern Combination football league fixtures and results?
Fixtures and results for the SCFL are accessible through both the league’s official website and the FA’s central non-league platform. These resources cover all eight divisions, including Under-23 sections.
Viewing fixtures
The FA Full-Time portal provides searchable fixture lists by division, date, or club name. The SCFL website offers similar schedule information with the advantage of league-specific news and announcements alongside the fixture data. Fixture releases for each season typically occur several weeks before the August start date.
Viewing results
Match results appear on FA Full-Time shortly after each fixture concludes, including score lines, goal scorers where available, and venue details. The SNLF site publishes supplementary results snapshots that can flag notable outcomes such as the Division Two results from 17 August 2025, when Hailsham Town won 9–0 against Worthing Town. For in-depth season statistics, Wikipedia articles covering each SCFL season compile comprehensive match data sourced from FA Full-Time.
Results update quickly online, but if you want goal scorers and match reports, club websites and local social media accounts often provide richer detail that the central platforms lack.
Which teams are in the Southern Combination Football League?
The SCFL includes clubs primarily from Sussex and neighbouring counties, with membership shifting from season to season. For 2025–26, the Premier Division featured 20 teams, including Steyning Town as champions and Haywards Heath Town as runners-up, with both clubs gaining promotion. Shoreham were relegated from the Premier Division at the season’s end.
Member clubs in the Premier Division
The 2025–26 SCFL Premier Division featured 20 teams competing at Step 5. Steyning Town won the division and earned promotion to a higher tier, while Haywards Heath Town finished as runners-up and Peacehaven & Telscombe also secured promotion. These movements illustrate how the SCFL feeds into the broader non-league system, with clubs advancing or declining based on their finishing positions.
Division One and Division Two clubs
Division One and Division Two host clubs at Step 6 and below, with the SNLF site listing 2026/27 lineups for Division Two that include ASC Brighton Rangers, Alfold, Bosham, and Brighton Electricity among others. Club numbers in these divisions fluctuate due to promotions, relegations, and lateral transfers. In the 2024–25 season, Division Two expanded to 14 teams after Storrington were promoted to Division One and new clubs joined.
Under-23 East and West clubs
Under-23 participation varies by club. The two regional divisions split teams by geography, giving younger players structured competition without travelling across the full SCFL area. Club involvement in Under-23 football depends on squad depth and youth development priorities.
How do the West Sussex and Mid Sussex Football Leagues relate?
The West Sussex Football League and Mid Sussex Football League are separate grassroots competitions operating independently from the SCFL. They are not divisions or feeder leagues within the SCFL structure, though clubs occasionally move between them depending on administrative decisions and competitive aims.
West Sussex Football League relationship
The West Sussex Football League administers local club football below the SCFL level. While it shares geographic territory with the SCFL, it operates under different governance and serves a more grassroots function. Clubs seeking to enter the SCFL typically need to progress through West Sussex Football League ranks first, making it an indirect feeder rather than a formal part of the SCFL.
Mid Sussex Football League relationship
The Mid Sussex Football League occupies similar territory below the SCFL, focusing on local competitive football for clubs in the central Sussex area. Like the West Sussex Football League, it functions as a separate administrative entity that can supply clubs to higher tiers through promotion pathways, but it maintains its own independent structure and governance.
For clubs and fans, understanding the distinction matters when tracking promotion routes. A West Sussex or Mid Sussex Football League title does not automatically grant entry to the SCFL—administrative applications and NLS regulations govern those movements.
What is the Southern Combination football league for 2026/27?
The 2026/27 SCFL season is upcoming, with full fixture lists and confirmed divisional lineups not yet publicly released as of mid-2026. Based on the 2025–26 pattern, the season is expected to run from August 2026 through April 2027, with official fixtures typically published several weeks before the campaign begins.
Future season information
At least one club movement has already been confirmed for 2026/27. Wikipedia’s Combined Counties Football League coverage for 2026–27 records that Godalming Town were promoted from SCFL Division One into the Combined Counties League Premier Division South, marking a departure from the SCFL setup. Additional promotions, relegations, and lateral transfers between the SCFL and neighbouring leagues may emerge as the season structure solidifies.
Potential changes
Division alignments for 2026/27 may shift based on club applications, ground grading outcomes, and FA decisions on league restructuring. Dial Square FC’s club announcements reference a “surprise new league” for 2026/27, suggesting that some clubs are exploring moves between regional competitions at similar steps. These adjustments typically resolve in the months leading up to August.
The gap between seasons means uncertainty for supporters planning match attendance and clubs budgeting for travel. The SCFL website and FA Full-Time remain the most reliable channels for official announcements as they become available.
Timeline
| Period | Event |
|---|---|
| 1920 | League founded as Sussex County League. |
| 2015 | Renamed to Southern Combination Football League. |
| 2025–2026 | Current season in progress with 20-team Premier Division. |
| 2026–2027 | Upcoming season with confirmed club announcements pending. |
Clarity section
What we know for certain
- The SCFL operates eight divisions across Sussex.
- The Premier Division sits at Step 5 of the National League System.
- FA Full-Time and the SCFL website provide live tables, fixtures, and results.
- The Robin Road app delivers live score updates.
- Steyning Town won the 2025–26 Premier Division.
- Peacehaven & Telscombe were promoted alongside Steyning Town.
- Shoreham were relegated from the 2025–26 Premier Division.
- Godalming Town are moving to the Combined Counties League for 2026/27.
What remains unclear
- The full club list for 2026/27 divisions has not been published.
- Division alignments for 2026/27 may change before the season starts.
- Whether additional clubs will transfer to or from neighbouring leagues.
What the numbers show
The 2025–26 SCFL Premier Division produced 380 matches and 1,471 goals, averaging 3.87 goals per game—a notably high-scoring environment for Step 5 football. Notable results included Eastbourne United’s 9–0 victory over Lancing on 15 November 2025 and Haywards Heath Town’s 9–0 win against Shoreham on 7 March 2026. Away, Shoreham lost 0–6 to Pagham on 1 November 2025, and Little Common fell 0–6 to Horsham YMCA on 7 March 2026.
Average goals per game at Step 5 exceed what many casual observers might expect. For fans, this makes SCFL matches unpredictable and often entertaining, but it also reflects the developmental nature of non-league football where squad depth varies dramatically.
In Division Two during 2024–25, Bosham finished bottom with only 2 wins and 1 draw from 24 matches, highlighting the performance gap that can exist at this level. These figures illustrate why following SCFL football means accepting a wide range of competitive standards across eight divisions.
Expert perspectives
The league consists of eight divisions – three for first teams (Premier Division, Division One and Division Two), two for Under 23 teams (East Division and West).
— Wikipedia – Southern Combination Football League article
Download the Leagues Mobile App Now. Available on Google Play and the Apple Store.
— SCFL official website (scfl.org.uk)
Summary
The Southern Combination Football League occupies a distinct niche in English football as the primary regional competition for Sussex and surrounding areas, operating eight divisions that funnel clubs from local pitches toward the National League System. Its Premier Division at Step 5 and Division One at Step 6 place it firmly within the formal non-league structure, with promotion pathways connecting winning clubs to wider competitions. For fans tracking promotion battles or following specific clubs, the FA Full-Time portal and SCFL website provide reliable live data, while the Robin Road app bridges the gap for those who cannot attend matches in person. The 2026/27 season will bring fresh competitive dynamics as promoted and departing clubs reshape divisional lineups.
For a supporter planning match visits, the practical reality is straightforward: use FA Full-Time for tables and fixtures, download the Robin Road app for live scores, and monitor the SCFL website for announcements. Godalming Town’s confirmed departure to the Combined Counties League shows that club movements can be tracked early, but most 2026/27 specifics will not solidify until closer to August.
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The Southern Combination Football League shares its structure with the Leeds Combination League, another grassroots competition in England.
Frequently asked questions
How do I download the SCFL mobile app?
The SCFL app, called Robin Road, is available on Google Play and the Apple Store. Search for “SCFL” or “Robin Road” in your device’s app store to locate and install it.
Can I watch live streams of SCFL matches?
The SCFL does not operate a centralized streaming service. Individual clubs may stream matches through their own social media accounts, particularly on Facebook or YouTube, but coverage varies by club and match.
Are there promotion and relegation spots in the SCFL?
Yes. The Premier Division typically offers one automatic promotion spot plus a playoff place, subject to FA criteria. Clubs finishing at the bottom face relegation to Division One, and similar mechanisms operate between Division One and Division Two.
Does the SCFL have a cup competition?
The SCFL organizes its own cup competitions for member clubs, including the SCFL Cup and supplementary cup events. These typically run alongside the league season and offer additional competitive fixtures.
Is the Southern Combination Football League the same as the Southern League?
No. The Southern League (Southern Football League) is a separate competition operating at higher steps of the English football pyramid, primarily covering Central and Southern England. The SCFL is a distinct Sussex-based league at Steps 5 and 6.
How can I join a club in the SCFL?
Club registration processes vary by team. Prospective players should contact individual clubs directly through their websites or social media accounts. Trials and open training sessions are common at non-league level.
What is the difference between the Premier Division and Division One?
The Premier Division is the SCFL’s top tier, sitting at Step 5 of the National League System. Division One operates one level below at Step 6. Winning Division One leads to promotion to the Premier Division, subject to ground grading and administrative requirements.
Is there a women’s section in the SCFL?
The SCFL primarily administers men’s football. Women’s football in Sussex operates through separate leagues and structures administered by the FA and county football associations.
Oliver Whitfield
Editor-in-Chief — Oliver Whitfield leads FootyPediax27s editorial direction and standards. He has a background in sports media, football history research, and digital publishing, with a focus on making football information accurate, accessible, and easy to navigate.