 | |||
| Full name | Benfleet Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1922 | ||
| Ground | Park Lane, Canvey Island | ||
| Capacity | 4,100 (500 seated) [1] | ||
| Chairman | Dan Wright | ||
| Manager | Lee Scott | ||
| League | Eastern Counties League Division One South | ||
| 2022–23 | Eastern Counties League Division One South, 6th of 19 | ||
Benfleet Football Club is a football club based in Benfleet, Essex, England. They are currently members of the Eastern Counties League Division One South and play at Park Lane in Canvey Island.
The club was established in 1922, [2] and were initially named Benfleet United. [3] After merging with Parkfields Athletic, they were renamed Benfleet Rangers. [3] The club played in the Southend & District League and won the Essex Junior Cup in 1967–68. [3] After winning the league title in 1971–72, [3] the club joined the Essex Olympian League and dropped the Rangers part of the name. [3] [4] They were runners-up in their first two seasons in the league. In 1981 the league gained a second division, with Benfleet becoming members of Division One. They were league runners-up again in 1981–82, before the league was renamed the Essex Intermediate League in 1986. The club were subsequently champions and Essex Intermediate Cup winners in 1988–89. [2]
In 1995–96 Benfleet finished second-from-bottom of Division One and were relegated to Division Two. In 1997, the club considered joining the Essex Senior League, however the cost of enclosing the club's Woodside Park ground proved too prohibitive. [5] They won the Essex Premier Cup in 2002–03. [2] The league reverted to its original name in 2005, and the club were Division Two champions in 2006–07, earning promotion to the renamed Premier Division. [4] After three seasons in the Premier Division, they were relegated back to Division One at the end of the 2009–10 season. The 2013–14 season ended with them being relegated to Division Two, and the club resigned from the league midway through the following season.
Benfleet then re-entered the Essex Olympian League in Division Three for the 2015–16 season, going on to win the division and secure promotion to Division Two. [4] At the end of the 2017–18 season the club successfully applied for promotion to the new Division One South of the Eastern Counties League, a three-division jump. The 2023–24 season saw Benfleet win the Division One South title, earning promotion to the Premier Division. [6]
The club originally played at the Recreation Ground in Benfleet. [3] When they moved up to the Eastern Counties League, the first team began a groundshare at Canvey Island's Park Lane. The remainder of the club's teams remained at Woodside Park in Benfleet.
Canvey Island Football Club is a football club based in Canvey Island, Essex, England. They are currently members of the Isthmian League Premier Division and play at Park Lane.
The Essex Senior Football League is an English men's football league. It contains clubs from the Essex FA, Hertfordshire FA, London FA, Middlesex FA and the Amateur Football Alliance. It is a feeder league to Division One North of the Isthmian League and has a single division which sits at Step 5 of the National League System.
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Langford Football Club is a football club based in Langford, Bedfordshire, England. Affiliated to the Bedfordshire Football Association, they are currently members of the Spartan South Midlands League Division One and play at Forde Park.
South Benfleet is a town and former civil parish, in the Castle Point district of Essex, England, 30 miles east of London. It is adjacent to the village of North Benfleet. The Benfleet (SS7) post town includes South Benfleet, Thundersley, New Thundersley and Hadleigh. The Battle of Benfleet took place here between the Vikings and Saxons in 894. In 1951 the parish had a population of 8191.
Hullbridge Sports Football Club is a football club based in Hullbridge, Essex, England. They are currently members of the Essex Senior League and play at Lower Road.
Hadley Football Club is a football club based in Arkley, Barnet, England. Affiliated to the Hertfordshire County Football Association, they are currently members of the Southern League Division One Central and play at Brickfield Lane.
Stambridge United F.C. was an English football club based in Stambridge, near Rochford in Essex. The club were members of Division Three of the Essex Olympian League and play at the Stambridge Memorial Ground.
White Ensign Football Club is a football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. They are currently members of the Essex Senior League and play at Burroughs Park in Great Wakering.
The 2023–24 Eastern Counties Football League is the 81st season in the history of the Eastern Counties Football League, a football competition in England. Teams are divided into three divisions, the Premier Division at Step 5, and the geographically separated Division One North and Division One South, both at Step 6 of the English football league system.
