Hellenic League sides to receive relegation reprieve?
March is a crucial month in the Hellenic League calendar, with the business end of the season well and truly upon us.
Due to scheduling, we are set for another season where sides finish their league campaigns by the middle of the month, leaving some teams playing the waiting game on where they will finish come the end of the season.
This season has seen a number of our sides struggling at the bottom end of both the Hellenic Premier and Division One, with a number of sides looking over their shoulder.
But there may be some positive news for the sides in Division One in the summer.
On 15 February, Southam United announced on their Facebook page that they had withdrawn from the Hellenic League with immediate effect.
Southam are the latest side who have been unable to complete a campaign at step 6 due to the financial difficulties clubs face at that level, especially with the amount of travelling in this year’s constitution.
Following the news, there is a belief that only one side will now be relegated from the division.
However, the Hellenic League have advised that they are hopeful that none of the 17 sides left in Division One will be relegated, but have advised Severn Sport that it will be up to FA discretion come the point of allocating the divisions for the 2025/26 season.
This is because the Hellenic League have lost five teams since the original allocation of 22 back in May 2024.
Sporting Club Inkberrow were promoted into the Premier Division, whilst FC Bristol, Long Crendon and Moreton Rangers all withdrew from step 6 at various points.
So from a league perspective, the bottom three were set to be relegated and even with Inkberrow’s promotion, it was set to be three from 21 at the start of the season.
Carterton, Newent Town and Wellington currently occupy the bottom three, with Cheltenham Saracens and Kidlington Reserves just ahead of that.
With as many as 9 games left to be played for the sides at the bottom of the division, there is a chance that whoever finishes bottom will retain their Hellenic League status for another season.
Both Newent and Saracens are in cup action this midweek, with Newent heading to Chipping Sodbury Town in the Supplementary Cup, whilst Sarries host Premier side, Roman Glass St George, in the Floodlit Cup – with both games taking place on Tuesday night.
