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Combined

Counties

Football

League

he Combined Counties Football League The League was formally renamed Home
Ttraces its history back to 1921 when the Counties League on 18th June 1978 as its
Surrey Senior League was formed on 16th geographical area spread further afield. As
May 1922. The founding members were Al- the new League was, geographically, insuf-
dershot Institute Albion, Camberley & York- ficiently large enough to comply with Foot-
town, Carshalton Athletic, Dorking, Egham, ball Association regulations, the League was
Farnham United Breweries, Hersham, Ley- required to affiliate to the Surrey County
land Motors, Merton Town, RAE (Farnbor- Football Association. After a few months,
ough) and Walton on Thames. The following an objection to the name was raised by the
season the league was bolstered by the arrival London Football Association through an au-
of Brighton Railway, Godalming, Guildford tonomous body called the Home Counties
& Weybridge. The league continued to op- Conference. This body instructed the Surrey
erate, with a break for the war, until the late County Football Association to refuse sanc-
1970s. Epsom & Ewell were champions in tion to the League under its present nomen-
1974 -75 when they reached the inaugural clature in future seasons.
FA Vase Final at Wembley Stadium.
In anticipation, the League decided to re-
In 1978, when the clubs and officers of the vert to a similarity of the former title of the
Surrey County Senior League decided to old defunct league – Surrey Senior Football
end a thirty-year alignment with the Sur- League – after a change of heart by some of
rey County Football Association following the more County-aligned members. Though
continual losses of clubs to other leagues initially, verbally agreed by the Surrey Coun-
and a general lack of new senior clubs com- ty Football Association, the name was offi-
ing through from the County Intermediate cially rejected on the grounds that the Surrey
Leagues. The officers managed to obtain County Football Association intended to re-
some sponsorship; a condition of which was form the Surrey County Senior League in a
the formation of a new league to enlarge the new form at some time in the future. This re-
catchment area and scope in an attempt to jection came only ten days before the Home
seek direct affiliation with the Football Asso- Counties Football League Annual General
ciation. And so the Home Counties Football Meeting. The reformed Surrey County Sen-
League was born. ior League was started again in the 1982-
1983 season.