The 2021–22 Southern Football League season was the 119th in the history of the Southern League since its establishment in 1894. The league had two Premier divisions (Central and South) at Step 3 of the National League System (NLS) and two Division One divisions (Central and South) at Step 4. These correspond to levels 7 and 8 of the English football league system.
The allocations for Step 4 this season were announced by The Football Association (FA) on 17 May 2021.[1] The scheduled restructuring of the non-League system took place at the end of the 2020–21 season and a new division was added to the Northern Premier League at Step 4 for 2021–22,[2] which resulted in some reallocations into or out of, and promotions to, the Southern League's Step 4 divisions.
| Competition: | Southern Football League Premier Division Central |
| Season: | 2021–22 |
| Winners: | Banbury United |
| Promoted: | Banbury United Peterborough Sports |
| Relegated: | Biggleswade United Lowestoft Town |
| Matches: | 420 |
| Total Goals: | 1271 |
| Attendance: | 178,706 |
| Average Attendance: | 425 (+18.4% to previous full season) |
| Prevseason: | 2020–21 |
| Nextseason: | 2022–23 |
After Kings Langley were transferred to the Premier Division South, The Premier Division Central consisted of 21 clubs, all from the previous aborted season.
Semi-finals
Final
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayden Road | 2,000 | |||
| Lye Meadow | 3,000 | |||
| Spencer Stadium | 2,000 | |||
| Kirkby Road | 2,500 | |||
| Langford Road | 3,000 | |||
| Victoria Ground | 4,893 | |||
| Owen Street Sports Ground | 2,000 | |||
| 6,039 | ||||
| Top Field | 4,554 | |||
| Victory Road | 2,250 | |||
| Crown Meadow | 3,000 | |||
| Bloomfields | 4,000 | |||
| 4,614 | ||||
| Lincoln Road | 2,300 | |||
| The Valley | 5,000 | |||
| Garden Walk | 5,000 | |||
| Dales Lane | 2,000 | |||
| Westwood Road | 2,000 | |||
| 2,626 | ||||
| Knights Lane | 2,000 | |||
| 4,565 |
| Competition: | Southern Football League Premier Division South |
| Season: | 2021–22 |
| Winners: | Taunton Town |
| Promoted: | Taunton Town Farnborough |
| Relegated: | Wimborne Town |
| Matches: | 462 |
| Total Goals: | 1391 |
| Attendance: | 162,690 |
| Average Attendance: | 352 (+4.1% to previous full season) |
| Prevseason: | 2020–21 |
| Nextseason: | 2022–23 |
The Premier Division consisted of 22 clubs: 20 clubs from the previous season, and two new clubs:
Semi-finals
Final
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holloways Park | 3,500 | |||
| The Meadow | 5,000 | |||
| 5,000 | ||||
| Cherrywood Road | 7,000 | |||
| Privett Park | 4,500 | |||
| 3,000 | ||||
| The Memorial Playing Fields | 2,000 | |||
| SkyEx Community Stadium | 3,000 | |||
| Silver Jubilee Park | 2,000 | |||
| Sadiku Stadium | 1,963 | |||
| 4,000 | ||||
| Imber Court | 3,000 | |||
| Tatnam Ground | 2,500 | |||
| 5,000 | ||||
| Hunts Copse Ground | 3,000 | |||
| Wordsworth Drive | 2,500 | |||
| Ladysmead | 3,500 | |||
| Bolitho Park (groundshare with Plymouth Parkway) | 3,500 | |||
| Elmbridge Sports Hub | 2,500 | |||
| Woodspring Stadium | 3,500 | |||
| The Cuthbury | 3,000 | |||
| Lodge Road | 2,000 |
| Competition: | Southern Football League Division One Central |
| Season: | 2021–22 |
| Winners: | Bedford Town |
| Promoted: | Bedford Town North Leigh |
| Relegated: | Colney Heath Wantage Town |
| Matches: | 380 |
| Total Goals: | 1244 |
| Attendance: | 68,899 |
| Average Attendance: | 181 (-4.2% to previous full season) |
| Prevseason: | 2020–21 |
| Nextseason: | 2022–23 |
Division One Central consisted of 20 clubs: 14 clubs from the previous season, and six new clubs.
Semi-finals
Final
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creasey Park | 3,200 | |||
| The Meadow (groundshare with Chesham United) | 5,000 | |||
| Sharpenhoe Road | 4,000 | |||
| The Eyrie | 3,000 | |||
| Broadwater | 2,500 | |||
| The Eyrie (groundshare with Bedford Town) | 3,000 | |||
| Recreation Ground | n/a | |||
| Loop Meadow | 3,000 | |||
| Cheshunt Stadium (groundshare with Cheshunt) | 3,000 | |||
| The Harlow Arena | 3,500 | |||
| Hertingfordbury Park | 6,500 | |||
| Hillgrounds Leisure | 2,000 | |||
| Yarnton Road | 1,500 | |||
| Eynsham Hall Park Sports Ground | 2,000 | |||
| New Rowley Park | 3,500 | |||
| Meadow View Park | 2,000 | |||
| Capershotts | 3,500 | |||
| 1,500 | ||||
| Wodson Park | 3,300 | |||
| Herns Way | 1,000 |
| Competition: | Southern Football League Division One South |
| Season: | 2021–22 |
| Winners: | Plymouth Parkway |
| Promoted: | Plymouth Parkway Winchester City |
| Relegated: | Mangotsfield United Barnstaple Town |
| Matches: | 342 |
| Total Goals: | 1138 |
| Attendance: | 82,944 |
| Average Attendance: | 243 (+42.1% to previous full season) |
| Prevseason: | 2020–21 |
| Nextseason: | 2022–23 |
After Moneyfields voluntary relegated from the league, Division One South consisted of 19 clubs: 17 clubs from the previous season, and two new clubs:
Semi-finals
Final
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Testwood Stadium | 3,000 | |||
| Mill Road | 5,000 | |||
| The Sports Ground | 2,000 | |||
| The Creek | 2,000 | |||
| Causeway Ground | 3,500 | |||
| Corinium Stadium | 4,500 | |||
| Jubilee Stadium | 3,000 | |||
| Badgers Hill | 2,000 | |||
| The Elms Recreation Ground | 2,000 | |||
| The Plain Ham Ground | 1,000 | |||
| The Sports Ground | 1,000 | |||
| Cossham Street | 2,500 | |||
| Oakfield Stadium | 2,500 | |||
| Athletic Field | 2,500 | |||
| Bolitho Park | 3,500 | |||
| Portsmouth Road | 1,000 | |||
| Thornhill Park | 1,500 | |||
| Silver Street | 1,000 | |||
| The City Ground | 4,500 |
Seven clubs at Step 3, all four fourth-from-bottom teams and those placed third-from-bottom that are the top three on a points per game (PPG) basis, were reprieved from relegation. The remaining team was relegated to Step 4.
The final points-per-game ranking of the third-from-bottom placed teams in Step 3 divisions was as follows:
| Pos | Team | League | Pld | Pts | PPG | Qualification | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Basford United | Northern Premier League Premier Division | 42 | 45 | 1.071 | Retention at Step 3 | |
| 6 | Barwell | Southern League Premier Division Central | 40 | 41 | 1.025 | ||
| 7 | Kings Langley | Southern League Premier Division South | 42 | 37 | 0.881 | ||
| 8 | Leatherhead | Isthmian League Premier Division | 42 | 36 | 0.857 | Relegation to Step 4 |
Source:
Ten of the 16 clubs at Step 4, all eight fourth-from-bottom teams and two clubs placed third-from-bottom, one at the top and the other in third place on a points per game (PPG) basis, were reprieved from contesting relegation play-offs. The FA granted third-placed Sheffield a reprieve after demoting Yorkshire Amateur from the Northern Premier League for non-compliance with Step 4 ground grading requirements.[3] The remaining six teams contested one-off matches with six runners-up from Step 5 that had the fewest PPG at the end of the 2021–22 season. Three winners of their matches stayed at Step 4 for the 2022–23 season, while three others lost theirs and were relegated to Step 5.
The final points-per-game ranking of the 3rd-from-bottom-placed teams in Step 4 divisions was also as follows:
| Pos | Team | League | Pld | Pts | PPG | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Prescot Cables | Northern Premier League Division One West | 38 | 39 | 1.026 | Retention at Step 4 |
| 10 | Lancing | Isthmian League South East Division | 38 | 36 | 0.947 | Relegation match with a Step 5 team |
| 11 | Sheffield | Northern Premier League Division One East | 36 | 33 | 0.917 | Retention at Step 4 |
| 12 | Witham Town | Isthmian League North Division | 38 | 33 | 0.863 | Relegation match with a Step 5 team |
| 13 | Cinderford Town | Southern League Division One South | 36 | 31 | 0.861 | |
| 14 | Kempston Rovers | Southern League Division One Central | 38 | 29 | 0.763 | |
| 15 | Histon | Northern Premier League Division One Midlands | 38 | 24 | 0.632 | |
| 16 | Chalfont St Peter | Isthmian League South Central Division | 36 | 21 | 0.583 |