Essex Senior Football League
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| Country |
 England
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|---|---|
| Founded | 1971 |
| Number of teams | 21 |
| Level on pyramid | Level 9 |
| Feeder to | Isthmian League |
| Promotion to | Isthmian League Division One North |
| Relegation to | Essex Olympian League Premier Division (non-automatic) |
| Domestic cup(s) | Essex Senior League Challenge Cup |
| Current champions | Bowers & Pitsea (2015–16) |
| Most championships | Basildon United (5 titles) |
| Website | Essex Senior League Official Website |
 2016–17 season
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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 (or Level 9) of the National League System.
The Essex Senior League was formed in 1971 with 9 founder members. The finishing positions for the 1971–72 season were as follows:
The Essex Senior League state that a club must finish in the top 3 to be considered for promotion to the Isthmian League Division One North. However the process is governed by the FA Leagues Committee who regulate relegations and promotions throughout the National League System. As of the 2014-15 season FA rules for Step 5 divisions such as the Essex Senior League stipulate that the champions should be offered the first chance of promotion. If the champions do not wish to be promoted or are not able to meet the entry requirements for promotion then the 2nd or 3rd placed team may be considered for promotion. Under normal circumstances, only one club can be promoted from a Step 5 league (i.e. the Essex Senior League) to a Step 4 league (i.e. the Isthmian League Division One).
In exchange for the promoted club, the Essex Senior League would typically receive a relegated club from a Step 4 league. Relegated clubs of Step 4 leagues are allocated an appropriate league based on their geographical locations. Thus the Essex Senior League is most likely to receive one of the relegated clubs from the Isthmian League Division One North.
There is no relegation from the Essex Senior League into a lower league since there is no Step 6 equivalent to the ESL. Leagues including the Essex Olympian League (Step 7) sometimes act as a feeder league to the Essex Senior League but promotion and relegation between the two leagues is not automatic.
The Essex Senior League Challenge Cup is a knock-out tournament competed for by teams in the Essex Senior Football League.Brentwood Town and Basildon United hold the record jointly for the most cup wins, each lifting the trophy four times (Brentwood Town in 1975–76, 1978–79, 1990–91, 2006–07, Basildon United in 1977–78, 1993–94, 1997–98, 2015–16).
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