2017–18 Eastern Counties Football League

The 2017–18 season was the 75th in the history of Eastern Counties Football League, a football competition in England.^[1] It was also the last season to have a single division at Step 6.

The constitution for Step 5 and Step 6 divisions for 2017–18 was announced on 26 May 2017,^[2] and the Eastern Counties divisions constitutions were ratified at the league's AGM on 17 June 2017.^[3]

Coggeshall Town were champions, winning their first Eastern Counties Football League title and were promoted to the Isthmian League for the first time in their history. Felixstove & Walton United finished second and were promoted due to expansion of step 4 up to seven divisions.

Premier Division

Eastern Counties
Football League
Premier Division

Season	2017–18
Champions	Coggeshall Town
Promoted	Coggeshall Town Felixstowe & Walton United
Relegated	Fakenham Town Ipswich Wanderers Wivenhoe Town
Matches played	550
Goals scored	1,896 (3.45 per match)
← 2016–17 2018–19 →

The Premier Division featured 19 clubs which competed in the division last season, along with five new clubs:

• Coggeshall Town, promoted from Division One
• Haverhill Borough, promoted from Division One
• Histon, relegated from the Southern Football League
• Stowmarket Town, promoted from Division One
• Wroxham, relegated from the Isthmian League

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Coggeshall Town	46	37	4	5	145	26	+119	115	Promoted to the Isthmian League[a]
2	Felixstowe & Walton United	46	35	4	7	129	41	+88	109
3	Stowmarket Town	46	33	4	9	126	51	+75	103
4	Godmanchester Rovers	45	31	2	12	103	50	+53	95
5	Brantham Athletic	46	26	9	11	93	62	+31	87
6	Histon	46	25	8	13	100	62	+38	83
7	Gorleston	46	21	11	14	99	77	+22	74
8	Stanway Rovers	46	22	8	16	80	58	+22	74	Transferred to the Essex Senior League
9	Newmarket Town	46	22	7	17	107	74	+33	73
10	Kirkley & Pakefield	45	19	11	15	80	69	+11	68
11	Saffron Walden Town	46	20	7	19	82	80	+2	67	Transferred to the Essex Senior League
12	Thetford Town	46	19	9	18	84	78	+6	66
13	Wroxham	46	18	12	16	74	70	+4	66
14	Ely City	46	18	10	18	71	79	−8	63[b]
15	Great Yarmouth Town	46	15	14	17	64	69	−5	59
16	Long Melford	46	17	8	21	54	79	−25	59
17	Walsham-le-Willows	46	16	7	23	82	100	−18	55
18	FC Clacton	46	14	9	23	52	96	−44	51
19	Haverhill Rovers	46	12	13	21	59	79	−20	49
20	Haverhill Borough	46	12	4	30	66	120	−54	40[c]	Demoted to Division One North
21	Hadleigh United	46	10	4	32	50	106	−56	34
22	Fakenham Town	44	7	4	33	28	124	−96	25	Relegated to Division One North
23	Ipswich Wanderers	45	4	9	32	33	108	−75	21
24	Wivenhoe Town	45	4	6	35	35	138	−103	17[d]	Relegated to Division One South

Source: FA Full-Time
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results^[5]
Notes:

1. 12 of the 14 runners-up at Step 5 were to have been promoted to Step 4.
   However, with resignations and mergers in leagues above, all fourteen runners-up were promoted.
2. Ely City were deducted one point on 11 October for a contravention of league rules.
3. Haverhill Borough were demoted due to ground grading issues.^[4]
4. Wivenhoe Town were deducted one point on 7 October for a contravention of league rules.

Stadia and locations

Brantham Athletic

Coggeshall Town

Ely City

Fakenham Town

Felixstowe & Walton United

Clacton

Godmanchester Rovers

Gorleston

Great Yarmouth Town

Hadleigh United

Haverhill Borough & Haverhill Rovers

Histon

Ipswich Wanderers

Kirkley & Pakefield

Long Melford

Newmarket Town

Saffron Walden Town

Stanway

Stowmarket Town

Thetford Town

Walsham-le-Willows

Wivenhoe Town

Wroxham

Locations of the Premier Division clubs

Team	Stadium	Capacity
Brantham Athletic	Brantham Leisure Centre	1,200
Coggeshall Town	West Street
Ely City	Unwin Sports Ground	1,500
Fakenham Town	Clipbush Park	2,000
Clacton	The Rush Green Bowl	3,000
Felixstowe & Walton United	Dellwood Avenue	2,000
Godmanchester Rovers	Bearscroft Lane	1,050
Gorleston	Emerald Park	3,000
Great Yarmouth Town	Wellesley Recreation Ground	3,600
Hadleigh United	Millfield	3,000
Haverhill Borough	New Croft (artificial, groundshare with Haverhill Rovers)	3,000
Haverhill Rovers	New Croft	3,000
Histon	Bridge Road	4,300
Ipswich Wanderers	Humber Doucy Lane	1,000
Kirkley & Pakefield	Walmer Road	2,000
Long Melford	Stoneylands
Newmarket Town	Cricket Field Road	2,750
Saffron Walden Town	Catons Lane	2,000
Stanway Rovers	Hawthorns	1,500
Stowmarket Town	Greens Meadow	1,000
Thetford Town	Mundford Road	1,500
Walsham-le-Willows	Summer Road	1,000
Wivenhoe Town	Broad Lane	2,876
Wroxham	Trafford Park	2,000

Division One

Eastern Counties
Football League
Division One

Season	2017–18
Champions	Woodbridge Town
Promoted	Framlingham Town Whitton United Woodbridge Town
Matches played	416
Goals scored	1,673 (4.02 per match)
← 2016–17 2018–19 (North) 2018–19 (South) →

Division One featured 17 clubs which competed in the division last season, along with four new clubs:

• Little Oakley, promoted from the Essex and Suffolk Border League
• Norwich United reserves
• Spixworth, promoted from the Anglian Combination, with a name change to Norwich CBS
• Swaffham Town, relegated from Premier Division

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion
1	Woodbridge Town	40	32	5	3	136	41	+95	101	Promoted to the Premier Division
2	Framlingham Town	40	29	7	4	115	36	+79	94
3	Whitton United	40	29	2	9	132	46	+86	89
4	Swaffham Town	40	26	7	7	138	53	+85	85	Placed in Division One North
5	Braintree Town reserves	40	24	6	10	99	61	+38	78	Placed in Division One South
6	King's Lynn Town reserves	40	22	6	12	99	64	+35	72	Placed in Division One North
7	Debenham LC	39	20	7	12	69	53	+16	67
8	Norwich CBS	39	20	5	14	93	60	+33	65
9	Downham Town	40	15	10	15	67	63	+4	55
10	Halstead Town	40	14	13	13	77	75	+2	55	Placed in Division One South
11	AFC Sudbury reserves	40	14	7	19	69	78	−9	49	Placed in Division One North
12	Leiston reserves	38	13	7	18	70	96	−26	46
13	Diss Town	40	13	6	21	62	96	−34	45
14	Holland	40	13	4	23	68	82	−14	43	Placed in Division One South
15	Little Oakley	39	11	10	18	69	97	−28	43
16	Cornard United	40	12	5	23	58	96	−38	41	Placed in Division One North
17	March Town United	40	9	12	19	54	77	−23	39
18	Wisbech St Mary	38	11	5	22	61	105	−44	38
19	Norwich United reserves	39	10	7	22	46	106	−60	37	Resigned to the Anglian Combination
20	Needham Market reserves	40	6	3	31	52	149	−97	21	Placed in Division One North
21	Team Bury	40	5	2	33	39	139	−100	17	Club folded

Source: FA Full-Time
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results^[5]

Stadia and locations

Sudbury res

Braintree Town res

Cornard United

Debenham LC

Diss Town

Downham Town

Framlingham Town

Halstead Town

Holland

King's Lynn Town res

Leiston
res

Little Oakley

March Town United

Needham Market res

Norwich CBS

Norwich United

Swaffham Town

Team
Bury

Whitton United

Wisbech St Mary

Woodbridge Town

Locations of Division One clubs

Team	Stadium	Capacity
A.F.C. Sudbury reserves	King's Marsh	2,500
Braintree Town reserves	Cressing Road	4,202
Cornard United	Blackhouse Lane	2,000
Debenham LC	Maitlands	1,000
Diss Town	Brewers Green Lane	2,500
Downham Town	Memorial Field	1,000
Framlingham Town	Badingham Road
Halstead Town	Rosemary Lane	1,000
Holland	Rush Green Bowl (groundshare with F.C. Clacton)	3,000
King's Lynn Town reserves	The Walks	5,733
Leiston reserves	Victory Road	2,500
Little Oakley	Memorial Ground
March Town United	The GER Sports Ground
Needham Market reserves	Bloomfields	4,000
Norwich CBS	the FDC
Norwich United reserves	Plantation Park	3,000
Swaffham Town	Shoemakers Lane
Team Bury	Ram Meadow	3,500
Whitton United	King George V Playing Fields	1,000
Wisbech St Mary	Beechings Close
Woodbridge Town	Notcutts Park	3,000