Conference South

Conference South
Country  England
Founded 2004
Number of teams 21 (usually 22, however Salisbury City were expelled from the division[1] in the 2014/15 campaign)
Level on pyramid 6
Step 2 (National League System)
Promotion to Conference Premier
Relegation to Isthmian League Premier Division
Southern League Premier Division
Domestic cup(s) FA Cup
FA Trophy
Conference League Cup (defunct)
Current champions Bromley
(2014-15)
Website Conference
2014–15 Football Conference

Conference South (as of 2014 billed as The Vanarama Conference South for sponsorship reasons[2]) is one of the second divisions of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference Premier. Along with Conference North it is at the second level of the National League System, and at the sixth tier overall of the English football league system.

The Conference South was introduced in 2004 as part of a major restructuring of the National League System. The champion team each year is automatically promoted to Conference Premier. A second promotion place goes to the winners of play-offs of the teams finishing in second place to fifth place. The three bottom clubs are relegated to Step 3 leagues.

For sponsorship reasons it has been known as Blue Square South (2007-2010), Blue Square Bet South (2010-2013), Skrill South (2013-2014)[3] and is now known as the Vanarama Conference South following a new three year sponsorship deal announced in July 2014. From the start of the 2015-2016 season, the league will be known as the Vanarama National League South.

Conference South clubs, 2014–15

The area covered by Conference South is coloured in yellow. Conference South teams also come from counties bordering Conference North (purple).
Club
 Finishing position 2013-14
Basingstoke Town14th
Bath City 7th
Bishop's Stortford15th
Boreham Wood13th
Bromley3rd
Chelmsford City17th
Concord Rangers9th
Eastbourne Borough10th
Ebbsfleet United4th
Farnborough16th
Gosport Borough12th
Havant & Waterlooville6th
Hayes & Yeading United20th (Reprieved)
Hemel Hempstead Town1st in Southern League Premier Division
Maidenhead United18th
St Albans City4th in Southern League Premier Division (won play-offs)
Staines Town8th
Sutton United2nd
Wealdstone1st in Isthmian League Premier Division
Weston-super-Mare11th
Whitehawk19th

Conference South stadia, 2014-15

Home Club Stadium Name Capacity
Bath CityTwerton Park8,840
Hayes & Yeading UnitedYork Road3,000
Basingstoke TownThe Camrose6,000
BromleyFortress Stadium6,000
FarnboroughPaddy Power Park5,490
Havant & WaterloovilleWest Leigh Park5,250
Sutton UnitedBorough Sports Ground5,013
Ebbsfleet UnitedStonebridge Road5,011
Bishop's StortfordProKit UK Stadium4,525
Boreham WoodMeadow Park4,502
Eastbourne BoroughPriory Lane4,134
Gosport BoroughPrivett Park4,500
St Albans CityClarence Park4,500
Weston-super-MareWoodspring Stadium3,500
Hemel Hempstead TownVauxhall Road3,152
Chelmsford CityMelbourne Stadium3,065
style="text-align:left";"|Staines TownWheatsheaf Park3,009
Maidenhead UnitedYork Road3,000
WealdstoneThe Vale2,640
WhitehawkThe Enclosed Ground2,000
Concord RangersThames Road1,500

Past Conference South winners

Conference South trophy
SeasonWinnerPlayoff Winner
2004–05Grays AthleticEastbourne Borough **
2005–06WeymouthSt Albans City
2006–07HistonSalisbury City
2007–08LewesEastbourne Borough
2008–09 AFC Wimbledon Hayes & Yeading United
2009–10 Newport County Bath City
2010–11 Braintree Town Ebbsfleet United
2011–12 Woking Dartford
2012–13 Welling United Salisbury City
2013–14 Eastleigh Dover Athletic
2014–15 Bromley

** Not promoted. In 2004–05 only three promotion places were available to the Conference National. The third place was decided in a Playoff at Stoke's Britannia Stadium, which Eastbourne lost 2–1 to the Conference North Playoff winners, Altrincham.

Records

Adam Birchall holds the record for the highest number of goals scored in a Conference South season.
Biggest home win 8 – Maidenhead United 8 Truro City 0, 08.09.2012
Biggest away win 7 – Dorchester Town 0 Grays Athletic 7, 23.10.2004
Highest scoring match 11 – Bognor Regis Town 6 Welling United 5, 11.09.2004
Bath City 7 Farnborough 4, 17.02.2015
Consecutive wins 12 – Welling United, 2012–13
Consecutive games unbeaten 21 – Newport County, 2009–10
Most wins in a season 32 – Newport County 2009–10
Fewest wins in a season 5 – Sutton United 2007–08
Fisher Athletic 2008–09
Weston-super-Mare & Weymouth 2009–10
Thurrock 2011–12
Most defeats in a season 34 – Fisher Athletic 2008–09
Fewest defeats in a season 3 – Newport County 2009–10
Most draws in a season 17 – Welling United 2005–06
Lewes 2006–07
Braintree Town 2009–10
Boreham Wood 2012–13
Fewest draws in a season 3 – Redbridge 2004–05
Eastleigh 2005–06
Fisher Athletic 2008–09
Most goals scored in a season 118 – Grays Athletic, 2004–05
Fewest goals scored in a season 22 – Fisher Athletic 2008–09
Most goals conceded in a season 103 – Weymouth 2009–10
Fewest goals conceded in a season 26 – Newport County, 2009–10
Most clean sheets in a season 23 – Newport County 2009–10
Most points in a season 103 – Newport County 2009–10
Most individual goals in a season 34 – Adam Birchall, Dover Athletic, 2010–11
Most individual goals in a game 6 – Mitchell Bryant, Weymouth 0 Basingstoke Town 6, 13.02.2010
Highest attendance 5,022 – Weymouth vs. St Albans City, 17.04.2006
Highest average attendance 3,219 – AFC Wimbledon, 2008–09

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28662058
  2. ↑ "Vanarama announced as new Football Conference sponsor". Non-League Bets. 30 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Skrill announced as new Football Conference sponsor". Non-League Bets. 26 July 2013.

External links