The2003–04Southern Football League season was the 101st in the history of the league, an Englishfootball competition.
It was the last season for the Southern Football League as a feeder for the Conference Premier. At the end of the season, the Premier Division was replaced as alevel 6 league (along with theNorthern Premier League Premier Division andIsthmian League Premier Division) by the newly formedConference North andConference South. The Premier Division lost more than half its clubs to newly formed divisions, and the two regional divisions had a number of their clubs promoted to the Premier Division to replace them. Thus, the Southern Football League divisions downgraded to 7-8 levels.
The Premier Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 17 clubs from theprevious season and five new clubs:
Crawley Town won the division and were promoted to the Conference National. Clubs finished higher than 14th position were to transfer to the newly created Conference North and South divisions and clubs finished higher than 18th position plus winners of divisions One were to participate in the play-offs for a two final spots in Conference North/South.
There were no relegation from the Premier Division this season, though, due to league reform, clubs remained in the division downgraded from sixth tier to seventh.
| Season | 2003–04 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Crawley Town |
| Promoted | Crawley Town |
| Matches | 462 |
| Goals | 1,238 (2.68 per match) |
2004–05 → | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crawley Town | 42 | 25 | 9 | 8 | 77 | 43 | +34 | 84 | Promoted to theConference National |
| 2 | Weymouth | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 76 | 47 | +29 | 72 | Qualified for theConference South |
| 3 | Stafford Rangers | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 55 | 43 | +12 | 68 | Qualified for theConference North |
| 4 | Nuneaton Borough | 42 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 65 | 49 | +16 | 66 | |
| 5 | Worcester City | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 71 | 50 | +21 | 63 | |
| 6 | Hinckley United | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 55 | 46 | +9 | 59 | |
| 7 | Newport County | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 52 | 50 | +2 | 59 | Qualified for theConference South |
| 8 | Cambridge City | 42 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 54 | 53 | +1 | 57 | |
| 9 | Welling United | 42 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 56 | 58 | −2 | 56 | |
| 10 | Weston-super-Mare | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 52 | 52 | 0 | 55 | |
| 11 | Eastbourne Borough | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 48 | 56 | −8 | 55 | |
| 12 | Havant & Waterlooville | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 59 | 70 | −11 | 55 | |
| 13 | Moor Green | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 42 | 54 | −12 | 54 | Qualified for theConference North |
| 14 | Merthyr Tydfil | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 60 | 66 | −6 | 53 | Qualified for theplay-offs |
| 15 | Tiverton Town | 42 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 63 | 64 | −1 | 51 | |
| 16 | Bath City | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 49 | 57 | −8 | 51 | |
| 17 | Dorchester Town | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 56 | 69 | −13 | 51 | Qualified for theplay-offs, then qualified to theConference South |
| 18 | Chelmsford City | 42 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 46 | 53 | −7 | 49 | Qualified for theplay-offs, then transferred to theIsthmian League |
| 19 | Dover Athletic | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 50 | 59 | −9 | 49 | Transferred to theIsthmian League |
| 20 | Hednesford Town | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 56 | 69 | −13 | 48 | |
| 21 | Chippenham Town | 42 | 10 | 17 | 15 | 51 | 63 | −12 | 47 | |
| 22 | Grantham Town | 42 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 45 | 67 | −22 | 45 |
| Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
| 16P | Bath City | 2 | |||||||
| 17P | Dorchester Town | 4 | |||||||
| 15P | Tiverton Town | 1 | |||||||
| 17P | Dorchester Town | 3 | |||||||
| 15P | Tiverton Town | 1 | |||||||
| 18P | Chelmsford City | 0 | |||||||
| Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
| 1ed | King's Lynn | 0 | |||||||
| 1wd | Redditch United | 1 | |||||||
| 14P | Merthyr Tydfil | 0 | |||||||
| 1wd | Redditch United | 3 | |||||||
| 14P | Merthyr Tydfil | W/O | |||||||
| Club | Stadium |
|---|---|
| Bath City | Twerton Park |
| Cambridge City | City Ground |
| Chelmsford City | New Lodge (groundshare withBillericay Town) |
| Chippenham Town | Hardenhuish Park |
| Crawley Town | Broadfield Stadium |
| Dorchester Town | The Avenue Stadium |
| Dover Athletic | Crabble Athletic Ground |
| Eastbourne Borough | Priory Lane |
| Grantham Town | South Kesteven Sports Stadium |
| Havant & Waterlooville | West Leigh Park |
| Hednesford Town | Keys Park |
| Hinckley United | Middlefield Lane |
| Merthyr Tydfil | Penydarren Park |
| Moor Green | The Moorlands |
| Newport County | Newport Stadium |
| Nuneaton Borough | Liberty Way |
| Stafford Rangers | Marston Road |
| Tiverton Town | Ladysmead |
| Welling United | Park View Road |
| Weston-super-Mare | Woodspring Park |
| Weymouth | Bob Lucas Stadium |
| Worcester City | St Georges Lane |
The Eastern Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 18 clubs from theprevious season and four new clubs:
| Season | 2003–04 |
|---|---|
| Champions | King's Lynn |
| Matches | 462 |
| Goals | 1,359 (2.94 per match) |
2004–05 → | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King's Lynn | 42 | 28 | 7 | 7 | 90 | 35 | +55 | 91 | Qualified for theplay-offs, then promoted to thePremier Division |
| 2 | Histon | 42 | 26 | 10 | 6 | 96 | 41 | +55 | 88 | Promoted to thePremier Division |
| 3 | Tonbridge Angels | 42 | 27 | 7 | 8 | 82 | 46 | +36 | 88 | Promoted to theIsthmian League Premier Division |
| 4 | Eastleigh | 42 | 27 | 4 | 11 | 88 | 40 | +48 | 82[a] | |
| 5 | Folkestone Invicta | 42 | 20 | 15 | 7 | 91 | 45 | +46 | 75 | |
| 6 | Salisbury City | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 73 | 45 | +28 | 74 | |
| 7 | Stamford | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 63 | 45 | +18 | 71 | Promoted to thePremier Division |
| 8 | Banbury United | 42 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 65 | 57 | +8 | 67 | |
| 9 | Burgess Hill Town | 42 | 19 | 7 | 16 | 67 | 54 | +13 | 64 | Transferred to theIsthmian League Division One |
| 10 | Sittingbourne | 42 | 18 | 8 | 16 | 61 | 55 | +6 | 62 | |
| 11 | Bashley | 42 | 18 | 7 | 17 | 66 | 58 | +8 | 61 | Transferred to theIsthmian League Division One |
| 12 | Ashford Town (Kent) | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 51 | 53 | −2 | 54 | |
| 13 | Chatham Town | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 49 | 67 | −18 | 49 | |
| 14 | Fisher Athletic | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 61 | 81 | −20 | 49 | |
| 15 | Corby Town | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 44 | 75 | −31 | 45 | Transferred to theWestern Division |
| 16 | Dartford | 42 | 13 | 6 | 23 | 48 | 81 | −33 | 45 | |
| 17 | Burnham | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 52 | 76 | −24 | 44[b] | Transferred to theWestern Division |
| 18 | Hastings United | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 60 | 91 | −31 | 43 | Transferred to theIsthmian League Division One |
| 19 | Newport (Isle of Wight) | 42 | 11 | 7 | 24 | 42 | 69 | −27 | 40 | |
| 20 | Rothwell Town | 42 | 9 | 11 | 22 | 30 | 47 | −17 | 38 | Transferred to theWestern Division |
| 21 | Erith & Belvedere | 42 | 7 | 10 | 25 | 45 | 84 | −39 | 31 | |
| 22 | Fleet Town | 42 | 5 | 7 | 30 | 35 | 114 | −79 | 22 | Transferred to theIsthmian League Division One |
| Club | Stadium |
|---|---|
| Ashford Town (Kent) | The Homelands |
| Banbury United | Spencer Stadium |
| Bashley | Bashley Road |
| Burgess Hill Town | Leylands Park |
| Burnham | The Gore |
| Chatham Town | The Sports Ground |
| Corby Town | Steel Park |
| Dartford | Stonebridge Road (groundshare withGravesend & Northfleet) |
| Eastleigh | Ten Acres |
| Erith & Belvedere | Park View Road (groundshare withWelling United) |
| Fleet Town | Calthorpe Park |
| Folkestone Invicta | Cheriton Road |
| Fisher Athletic | Champion Hill (groundshare withDulwich Hamlet) |
| Hastings United | The Pilot Field |
| Histon | Bridge Road |
| King's Lynn | The Walks |
| Newport (Isle of Wight) | St Georges Park |
| Rothwell Town | Cecil Street |
| Salisbury City | Raymond McEnhill Stadium |
| Sittingbourne | Bourne Park |
| Stamford | Hanson's Field |
| Tonbridge Angels | Longmead Stadium |
The Western Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 18 clubs from theprevious season and four new clubs:
| Season | 2003–04 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Redditch United |
| Matches | 420 |
| Goals | 1,166 (2.78 per match) |
2004–05 → | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redditch United | 40 | 25 | 9 | 6 | 75 | 30 | +45 | 84 | Qualified for theplay-offs, then promoted to theConference North |
| 2 | Gloucester City | 40 | 24 | 7 | 9 | 77 | 46 | +31 | 79 | Promoted to thePremier Division |
| 3 | Cirencester Town | 40 | 24 | 4 | 12 | 73 | 40 | +33 | 76 | |
| 4 | Halesowen Town | 40 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 64 | 40 | +24 | 73 | |
| 5 | Rugby United | 40 | 21 | 8 | 11 | 57 | 40 | +17 | 71 | |
| 6 | Team Bath | 40 | 21 | 6 | 13 | 62 | 41 | +21 | 69 | |
| 7 | Solihull Borough | 40 | 19 | 9 | 12 | 50 | 31 | +19 | 66 | |
| 8 | Sutton Coldfield Town | 40 | 16 | 15 | 9 | 52 | 38 | +14 | 63 | |
| 9 | Bromsgrove Rovers | 40 | 16 | 11 | 13 | 60 | 48 | +12 | 59 | |
| 10 | Ilkeston Town | 40 | 16 | 10 | 14 | 58 | 59 | −1 | 58 | Transferred to theNorthern Premier League Division One |
| 11 | Clevedon Town | 40 | 16 | 5 | 19 | 55 | 59 | −4 | 53 | |
| 12 | Gresley Rovers | 40 | 15 | 7 | 18 | 52 | 60 | −8 | 52 | Transferred to theNorthern Premier League Division One |
| 13 | Mangotsfield United | 40 | 14 | 8 | 18 | 70 | 70 | 0 | 50 | |
| 14 | Evesham United | 40 | 15 | 5 | 20 | 56 | 57 | −1 | 50 | |
| 15 | Taunton Town | 40 | 14 | 8 | 18 | 50 | 55 | −5 | 50 | |
| 16 | Yate Town | 40 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 51 | 79 | −28 | 42 | |
| 17 | Swindon Supermarine | 40 | 10 | 9 | 21 | 41 | 69 | −28 | 39 | |
| 18 | Stourport Swifts | 40 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 43 | 62 | −19 | 38 | |
| 19 | Bedworth United | 40 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 39 | 61 | −22 | 36 | |
| 20 | Cinderford Town | 40 | 7 | 9 | 24 | 50 | 94 | −44 | 30 | |
| 21 | Shepshed Dynamo | 40 | 5 | 13 | 22 | 31 | 87 | −56 | 28 | Transferred to theNorthern Premier League Division One |
| 22 | Atherstone United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Club folded |
| Club | Stadium |
|---|---|
| Atherstone Town | Sheepy Road |
| Bedworth United | The Oval |
| Bromsgrove Rovers | Victoria Ground |
| Cinderford Town | Causeway Ground |
| Cirencester Town | Corinium Stadium |
| Gloucester City | Meadow Park, Gloucester |
| Clevedon Town | Hand Stadium |
| Evesham United | Common Road |
| Gresley Rovers | Moat Ground |
| Halesowen Town | The Grove |
| Ilkeston Town | New Manor Ground |
| Mangotsfield United | Cossham Street |
| Redditch United | The Valley |
| Rugby Town | Butlin Road |
| Shepshed Dynamo | The Dovecote Stadium |
| Solihull Borough | Damson Park |
| Stourport Swifts | Walshes Meadow |
| Sutton Coldfield Town | The Central Ground |
| Swindon Supermarine | Hunts Copse Ground |
| Taunton Town | Wordsworth Drive |
| Team Bath | Twerton Park (groundshare withBath City) |
| Yate Town | Lodge Road |
