The 1961–62 Southern Football League season was the 59th in the history of the league, an English football competition.
Oxford United won the championship for the second successive season and was admitted to the Football League.
Premier Division
The Premier Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 18 clubs from the previous season and four new clubs, promoted from Division One:
League table
| Season | 1961–62 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Oxford United |
| Relegated | Tonbridge King's Lynn Folkestone Town Cheltenham Town |
| Matches played | 462 |
| Goals scored | 1,635 (3.54 per match) |
← 1960–61 1962–63 → | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oxford United | 42 | 28 | 5 | 9 | 118 | 46 | 2.565 | 61 | Elected to the Football League Fourth Division |
| 2 | Bath City | 42 | 25 | 7 | 10 | 102 | 70 | 1.457 | 57 | |
| 3 | Guildford City | 42 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 79 | 49 | 1.612 | 56 | |
| 4 | Yeovil Town | 42 | 23 | 8 | 11 | 97 | 59 | 1.644 | 54 | |
| 5 | Chelmsford City | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 74 | 60 | 1.233 | 50 | |
| 6 | Weymouth | 42 | 20 | 7 | 15 | 80 | 64 | 1.250 | 47 | |
| 7 | Kettering Town | 42 | 21 | 5 | 16 | 90 | 84 | 1.071 | 47 | |
| 8 | Hereford United | 42 | 21 | 2 | 19 | 81 | 68 | 1.191 | 44 | |
| 9 | Cambridge City | 42 | 18 | 8 | 16 | 70 | 71 | 0.986 | 44 | |
| 10 | Bexleyheath & Welling | 42 | 19 | 5 | 18 | 69 | 75 | 0.920 | 43 | |
| 11 | Romford | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 63 | 70 | 0.900 | 39 | |
| 12 | Cambridge United | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 76 | 78 | 0.974 | 38 | |
| 13 | Wellington Town | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 75 | 78 | 0.962 | 38 | |
| 14 | Gravesend & Northfleet | 42 | 17 | 4 | 21 | 59 | 92 | 0.641 | 38 | |
| 15 | Bedford Town | 42 | 16 | 5 | 21 | 73 | 79 | 0.924 | 37 | |
| 16 | Worcester City | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 51 | 64 | 0.797 | 37 | |
| 17 | Merthyr Tydfil | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 62 | 80 | 0.775 | 37 | |
| 18 | Clacton Town | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 74 | 91 | 0.813 | 36 | |
| 19 | Tonbridge | 42 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 71 | 92 | 0.772 | 34 | Relegated to Division One |
| 20 | King's Lynn | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 59 | 74 | 0.797 | 32 | |
| 21 | Folkestone Town | 42 | 12 | 6 | 24 | 64 | 103 | 0.621 | 30 | |
| 22 | Cheltenham Town | 42 | 9 | 7 | 26 | 48 | 86 | 0.558 | 25 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal ratio.
Division One
Division One consisted of 20 clubs, including 17 clubs from the previous season and three new clubs, relegated from the Premier Division:
League table
| Season | 1961–62 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Wisbech Town |
| Promoted | Wisbech Town Poole Town Dartford Rugby Town |
| Matches played | 380 |
| Goals scored | 1,319 (3.47 per match) |
← 1960–61 1962–63 → | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisbech Town | 38 | 21 | 11 | 6 | 76 | 42 | 1.810 | 53 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Poole Town | 38 | 23 | 6 | 9 | 81 | 47 | 1.723 | 52 | |
| 3 | Dartford | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 89 | 50 | 1.780 | 50 | |
| 4 | Rugby Town | 38 | 20 | 9 | 9 | 82 | 49 | 1.673 | 49 | |
| 5 | Margate | 38 | 20 | 6 | 12 | 74 | 55 | 1.345 | 46 | |
| 6 | Corby Town | 38 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 82 | 60 | 1.367 | 44 | |
| 7 | Sittingbourne | 38 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 69 | 51 | 1.353 | 44 | |
| 8 | Dover | 38 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 66 | 55 | 1.200 | 44 | |
| 9 | Yiewsley | 38 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 64 | 51 | 1.255 | 42 | |
| 10 | Barry Town | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 55 | 51 | 1.078 | 39 | |
| 11 | Ashford Town (Kent) | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 66 | 70 | 0.943 | 39 | |
| 12 | Hinckley Athletic | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 75 | 65 | 1.154 | 38 | |
| 13 | Burton Albion | 38 | 16 | 5 | 17 | 70 | 79 | 0.886 | 37 | |
| 14 | Nuneaton Borough | 38 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 63 | 71 | 0.887 | 36 | |
| 15 | Tunbridge Wells United | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 61 | 85 | 0.718 | 31 | |
| 16 | Canterbury City | 38 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 60 | 82 | 0.732 | 30 | |
| 17 | Ramsgate Athletic | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 49 | 70 | 0.700 | 29 | |
| 18 | Trowbridge Town | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 45 | 67 | 0.672 | 27 | |
| 19 | Gloucester City | 38 | 6 | 4 | 28 | 46 | 104 | 0.442 | 16 | |
| 20 | Hastings United | 38 | 5 | 4 | 29 | 46 | 115 | 0.400 | 14 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal ratio.
Football League elections
Due to the resignation of Accrington Stanley there was a free place in the Football League. Alongside the three League clubs facing re-election, a total of 26 non-League clubs applied for election, including 19 Southern League clubs. Southern League champions Oxford United were the only non-League club to be elected.[1]