South East Counties League
The South East Counties League (SECL) was a football league for the youth teams of clubs from Southern England.
The competition grew out of the Middlesex Youth Invitation Cup set up in the 1950s by the Middlesex FA and was formerly known as the South East Counties Youth Football League.[1] For many years it was the top level of youth football in the region, a second division was added in 1964 this more often than not included teams from division one, these teams putting out their younger youth players. There was also a League Cup called "Division One League Cup" which was, in 1986, superseded by the "South East Counties League Cup". The setup of the FA Premier Youth League, a nationwide competition for the top clubs, in 1997 took many of the top clubs away. The SECL continued for another season with some clubs putting out their youth reserve teams,.[2]
However in 1998, the Premier Youth League was expanded and renamed the FA Premier Academy League, while a second tier of nationwide youth football, the Football League Youth Alliance was founded, absorbing the remaining teams, meaning the South East Counties League was abandoned.
List of winners and Runners Up
| Season | Winners | Runners up |
|---|---|---|
| 1954-55 | Chelsea | Fulham |
| 1955-56 | Arsenal | Chelsea |
| 1956-57 | Chelsea | Arsenal |
| 1957-58 | Chelsea | Charlton Athletic |
| 1958-59 | Chelsea | Bexleyheath & Welling |
| 1959-60 | Chelsea | Arsenal |
| 1960-61 | Chelsea | Arsenal |
| 1961-62 | Chelsea | Arsenal |
| 1962-63 | Chelsea | Queens Park Rangers |
| 1963-64 | Queens Park Rangers | Chelsea |
| 1964-65 | Arsenal | Queens Park Rangers |
| 1965-66 | Queens Park Rangers | Arsenal |
| 1966-67 | Charlton Athletic | Ipswich Town |
| 1967-68 | Queens Park Rangers | Chelsea |
| 1968-69 | Millwall | Ipswich Town |
| 1969-70 | Tottenham Hotspur | Millwall |
| 1970-71 | Tottenham Hotspur | Arsenal |
| 1971-72 | Arsenal | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 1972-73 | Tottenham Hotspur | Arsenal |
| 1973-74 | Chelsea | Orient |
| 1974-75 | Ipswich Town | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 1975-76 | Ipswich Town | Southend United |
| 1976-77 | Ipswich Town | Chelsea |
| 1977-78 | Queens Park Rangers | Ipswich Town |
| 1978-79 | Tottenham Hotspur | Ipswich Town |
| 1979-80 | Norwich City | Queens Park Rangers |
| 1980-81 | Tottenham Hotspur | Watford |
| 1981-82 | Queens Park Rangers | West Ham United |
| 1982-83 | Norwich City | Queens Park Rangers |
| 1983-84 | Chelsea | Norwich City |
| 1984-85 | West Ham United | Ipswich Town |
| 1985-86 | Tottenham Hotspur | Chelsea |
| 1986-87 | Tottenham Hotspur | Watford |
| 1987-88 | Tottenham Hotspur | Watford |
| 1988-89 | Tottenham Hotspur | Arsenal |
| 1989-90 | Tottenham Hotspur | Chelsea |
| 1990-91 | Arsenal | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 1991-92 | Tottenham Hotspur | Arsenal |
| 1992-93 | Tottenham Hotspur | Millwall |
| 1993-94 | Queens Park Rangers | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 1994-95 | Tottenham Hotspur | Chelsea |
| 1995-96 | West Ham United | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 1996-97 | Norwich City | Chelsea |
| 1997-98 | West Ham United | Portsmouth |
| 1998-99 | Luton Town | Leyton Orient |