The 2023–24 Southern Combination Football League season was the 99th in the history of the competition, which lies at levels 9, 10 and 11 (steps 5 and 6, and county feeder) of the English football league system.[1]
The constitution was announced on 15 May 2023.[2] Starting this season, the Premier Division (Step 5) in the league promotes two clubs; one as champions and one via a four-team play-off. This replaced the previous inter-step play-off system. For this season only, there was only one club relegated from the division.[3]
The Premier Division comprised 20 clubs from the previous season, 17 of which competed in the previous season
Transferred from Wessex Football League Premier Division
Relegated from the Isthmian League South East Division
Relegated to Division One
| Competition: | Southern Combination League Premier Division |
| Season: | 2023–24 |
| Dates: | 29 July 2023 – 5 May 2024 |
| Winners: | Steyning Town |
| Promoted: | Steyning Town Eastbourne Town |
| Relegated: | AFC Uckfield Town |
| League Topscorer: | Oli Lesley (29 goals) |
| Biggest Home Win: | |
| Biggest Away Win: | |
| Highest Scoring: | |
| Matches: | 380 |
| Total Goals: | 1330 |
| Longest Wins: | 9 matches |
| Longest Unbeaten: | 21 matches |
| Longest Losses: | 11 matches |
| Highest Attendance: | 884 |
| Lowest Attendance: | 34 |
| Attendance: | 60,750 |
| Average Attendance: | 162.0 |
| Prevseason: | 2022–23 |
| Nextseason: | 2024–25 |
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oli Lesley | Crawley Down Gatwick | 29 |
| 2 | Alfie Rogers | Newhaven | 27 |
| 3 | Lewis Rustell | Midhurst & Easebourne | 25 |
| 4 | Callum Barlow | Eastbourne United Association | 24 |
| Daniel Simmonds | Pagham | ||
| 6 | Jack Shonk | Bexhill United | 22 |
| 7 | Thomas Chalaye | Steyning Town | 18 |
| Harry Shooman | Steyning Town | ||
| Hayden Skerry | Haywards Heath Town | ||
| 10 | Liam Benson | Haywards Heath Town (previously Hassocks) | 16 |
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Withdean Stadium (groundshare with Brighton Electricity) | 8,850 | |||
| The Oaks | 600 | |||
| The Polegrove | 1,000 | |||
| The Haven Centre | 1,000 | |||
| Crowborough Community Stadium | 2,000 | |||
| 4,500 | ||||
| Eastbourne | The Oval | 1,200 | ||
| The Beacon | 1,000 | |||
| Haywards Heath | Hanbury Park | 2,000 | ||
| Gorings Mead | 1,500 | |||
| The New Defence (groundshare with Horley Town) | 1,800 | |||
| Little Common Recreation Ground | 1,200 | |||
| Plaistow Road | 1,000 | |||
| Rotherfield | 1,000 | |||
| The Trafalgar Ground | 3,000 | |||
| Nyetimber Lane | 1,500 | |||
| The Sports Park | 3,000 | |||
| Hill Park | 1,000 | |||
| Middle Road | 2,000 | |||
| The Shooting Field | 2,000 |
Division One was increased to 18 clubs from 17, 14 of which competed from the previous season
Relegated from the Premier Division
Relegated from the Combined Counties Football League Premier Division South
Promoted to the Combined Counties Football League Premier Division South
Relegated to Division Two
| Competition: | Southern Combination League Division One |
| Season: | 2023–24 |
| Dates: | 5 August 2023 – |
| Winners: | Roffey |
| Promoted: | Roffey Wick |
| League Topscorer: | Tyler Capon (34 goals) |
| Biggest Home Win: | |
| Biggest Away Win: | |
| Highest Scoring: | |
| Matches: | 306 |
| Total Goals: | 1176 |
| Longest Wins: | 10 matches Roffey |
| Longest Unbeaten: | 13 matches Roffey Wick |
| Longest Losses: | 17 matches Oakwood |
| Highest Attendance: | 327 |
| Lowest Attendance: | 10 |
| Attendance: | 22,297 |
| Average Attendance: | 75.3 |
| Prevseason: | 2022–23 |
| Nextseason: | 2024–25 |
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler Capon | Seaford Town | 34 |
| 2 | Devon Jordan Fender | Roffey | 25 |
| Joshua Irish | Wick | ||
| 4 | David Peter Crouch | Wick | 24 |
| 5 | Maurice Black | Chessington & Hook United | 21 |
| 6 | Oliver Rawlins | Dorking Wanderers B | 19 |
| 7 | Callum Connor | Seaford Town | 17 |
| George Cousins | Roffey | ||
| Lui Edwards | Banstead Athletic | ||
| 10 | Sam Bull | Arundel (previously Copthorne) | 15 |
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfold Crossways | Alfold Recreation Ground | 1,000 | ||
| Mill Road | 2,200 | |||
| Merland Rise | 1,500 | |||
| Jubilee Fields | — | |||
| Chalky Lane | 3,000 | |||
| Copthorne | Camping World Community Stadium (groundshare with Horsham) | 1,300 | ||
| Meadowbank | 3,000 | |||
| The Lashmar | 1,000 | |||
| Tinsley Lane (groundshare with Oakwood) | — | |||
| Bill Kyte Stadium | 3,000 | |||
| Mile Oak Recreation Ground | — | |||
| Culver Road (groundshare with Lancing) | 1,500 | |||
| Tinsley Lane | — | |||
| Bartholomew Way | 1,000 | |||
| The Crouch | — | |||
| Bunn Leisure Stadium | — | |||
| Crabtree Park | 2,000 | |||
| The Robert Albon Memorial Ground | 1,504 |
Division Two reduced by one to 13 teams.
| Competition: | Southern Combination League Division Two |
| Season: | 2023–24 |
| Dates: | 19 August 2023 - 04 May 2024 |
| Winners: | Storrington |
| League Topscorer: | Ashley Harris (20 goals) |
| Biggest Home Win: | |
| Biggest Away Win: | |
| Highest Scoring: | |
| Matches: | 262 |
| Total Goals: | 528 |
| Longest Wins: | 7 matches Storrington |
| Longest Unbeaten: | 9 matches Bosham |
| Longest Losses: | 7 matches Brighton Electricity Rottingdean |
| Highest Attendance: | 232 |
| Lowest Attendance: | 10 |
| Attendance: | 7,164 |
| Average Attendance: | 64.0 |
| Prevseason: | 2022–23 |
| Nextseason: | 2024–25 |
Promotion from this division depended on ground grading as well as league position.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashley Harris | Bosham | 20 |
| 2 | Chris Darwin | Rustington | 15 |
| 3 | Matthew Wilson | Storrington | 14 |
| 4 | Matthew Hards | Storrington | 12 |
| 5 | Alfred Barnes | St Francis Rangers | 11 |
| 6 | Sean Culley | Rustington | 10 |
| Toby Hewett | Bosham | 10 | |
| Luke Brodie | Southwater | 10 | |
| Harry Gardner | Ferring | ||
| Shaun Kenward | Ferring | 10 | |
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walton Lane | — | ||
| Brighton Electricity | Withdean Stadium (groundshare with AFC Varndeanians) | 8,850 | |
| Capel | Newdigate Road | — | |
| Ferring | The Glebelands | — | |
| The Beaconsfield | 2,000 | ||
| Jarvis Brook | Limekiln | — | |
| Rottingdean Village | Rottingdean Sports Centre | — | |
| Rustington Recreation Ground | — | ||
| Southwater | Southwater Sports Club | — | |
| Colwell Ground | 1000 | ||
| The Recreation Ground, Storrington | — | ||
| Upper Beeding | Memorial Playing Field | — | |
The 2023–24 SCFL Peter Bentley Challenge Cup saw Newhaven enter the competition as defending champions, having defeated Crowborough Athletic in the previous season's final.
| Round | Dates | Matches | width=100 | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 15 August | 6 | 38 → 32 | |
| Second round | 19 August to 10 October | 16 | 32 → 16 | |
| Third round | 21 October to 6 March | 8 | 16 → 8 | |
| Quarter-finals | 13 February to 16 April | 4 | 8 → 4 | |
| Semi-finals | 24 April to 7 May | 2 | 4 → 2 | |
| Final | 11 May | 1 | 2 → 1 |
| Tie | Home team (tier) | Score | Away team (tier) | ||
| 1 | Alfold (FD) | 2–2 | Forest Row (FD) | 47 | |
| 2 | Selsey (FD) | 2–1 | Worthing United (FD) | 108 | |
| 3 | Godalming Town (FD) | 1–1 | Chessington & Hook United (FD) | 129 | |
| 4 | Oakwood (FD) | 4–0 | Copthorne (FD) | 45 | |
| 5 | East Preston (FD) | 1–6 | Arundel (FD) | 47 | |
| 6 | Billingshurst (FD) | 1–2 | Mile Oak (FD) | 51 |
| Tie | Home team (tier) | Score | Away team (tier) | ||
| 1 | Saltdean United (PD) | 1–2 | AFC Uckfield Town (PD) | 87 | |
| 2 | Steyning Town (PD) | 5–1 | Lingfield (FD) | 82 | |
| 3 | Newhaven (PD) | 3–0 | Eastbourne Town (PD) | 224 | |
| 4 | Shoreham (PD) | 0–2 | Pagham (PD) | ||
| 5 | Loxwood (PD) | 3–4 | Midhurst & Easebourne (PD) | 55 | |
| 6 | Alfold (FD) | 2–2 | Dorking Wanderers B (FD) | 46 | |
| 7 | Selsey (FD) | 1–5 | Hassocks (PD) | 121 | |
| 8 | Wick (FD) | 1–3 | Haywards Heath Town (PD) | 79 | |
| 9 | Seaford Town (FD) | 3–2 | Eastbourne United Association (PD) | 74 | |
| 10 | Crowborough Athletic (PD) | 0–0 | Peacehaven & Telscombe (PD) | ||
| 11 | Horsham YMCA (PD) | 0–2 | Crawley Down Gatwick (PD) | 61 | |
| 12 | Little Common (PD) | 3–2 | Bexhill United (PD) | 273 | |
| 13 | Chessington & Hook United (FD) | 2–0 | Oakwood (FD) | 81 | |
| 14 | Arundel (FD) | 3–2 | AFC Varndeanians (PD) | 52 | |
| 15 | Mile Oak (FD) | 1–1 | Montpelier Villa (FD) | 40 | |
| 16 | Bansteas Athletic (FD) | 0–3 | Roffey (FD) | 21 |
| Tie | Home team (tier) | Score | Away team (tier) | ||
| 1 | AFC Uckfield Town (PD) | 0–6 | Steyning Town (PD) | 76 | |
| 2 | Newhaven (PD) | 6–0 | Pagham (PD) | 102 | |
| 3 | Midhurst & Easebourne (PD) | 3–3 | Dorking Wanderers B (FD) | 41 | |
| 4 | Hassocks (PD) | 2–2 | Haywards Heath Town (PD) | 202 | |
| 5 | Seaford Town (FD) | 1–4 | Crowborough Athletic (PD) | ||
| 6 | Crawley Down Gatwick (PD) | 1–2 | Little Common (PD) | 38 | |
| 7 | Chessington & Hook United (FD) | H–W | Arundel (FD) | ||
| 8 | Mile Oak (FD) | 1–4 | Roffey (FD) | 60 |
| Tie | Home team (tier) | Score | Away team (tier) | ||
| 1 | Steyning Town (PD) | 3–1 | Newhaven (PD) | 162 | |
| 2 | Midhurst & Easebourne (PD) | 0–2 | Haywards Heath Town (PD) | 106 | |
| 3 | Crowborough Athletic (PD) | 2–0 | Little Common (PD) | 223 | |
| 4 | Chessington & Hook United (FD) | 1–0 | Roffey (FD) | 56 |
| Tie | Home team (tier) | Score | Away team (tier) | ||
| 1 | Steyning Town (PD) | 5-0 | Midhurst & Easebourne (PD) | ||
| 2 | Crowborough Athletic (PD) | 6–2 | Chessington & Hook United (FD) |