Non-League and Academy football writer

At step 8 of the non-League pyramid and of the Essex Alliance Football League are Premier Divisions East and West. In the following piece I’ll be previewing these two very good divisions of the Essex Alliance Football League, ahead of the new 2025/26 season starting early next month. Starting with the Premier Division East, and two of the teams who were relegated from the Senior Division at the end of last season, AS Rapid Londra and Bakers693, join the Premier Division East for the start of this season. 

Also joining the Premier Division East for the 2025/26 season, are Buckhurst Hill Under 23s, a good Manford Way Reserves side, Bealonians, and Athletic Newham Under 23s. All of those teams who I have mentioned will add quality to this division. Two teams were promoted to this division from Division One at the end of the previous season. They were Division One champions Condor, a team who really impressed me on the occasion that I saw them play last season, and also Old Barkabbeyans, also from Division One. 

Remaining in the Premier Division East from the 2024/25 season, is a talented Kit Out London side, who finished in third place in this division last season, and who will be pushing for promotion back to the Senior Division during this season. Motormen, last seasons Premier Division Cup winners Inter Newbury, Something From Nothing, and Romford Town Flyers are the other sides who are staying in the Premier Division East. Departing this division at the end of last season was Redbridge Community, who were relegated to Division One, and two of the teams who were promoted to the Senior Division, in Greengate District and Dagenham United.

This will be a very competitive and interesting Premier Division East season, and I personally think that Condor, Kit Out London, Motormen, Inter Newbury, and Buckhurst Hill Under 23s, are just some of the teams who could really challenge for a top two spot in the division. However, it will be a very competitive division, and I’m looking forward to seeing how east London side Bealonians do, having moved this team in to the non-League pyramid, over from amateur football, which is a very good standard of football.

To the Premier Division West now. And, the two teams who were promoted to the Senior Division from the Premier Division West last season, were Sporting Bengal United Reserves and Saint City. Relegated to Division One from this division last season, was London Park City. Joining this division for the 2025/26 season, is Umayr Amjad’s FC Baresi Reserves side (they were moved across from the Premier Division East), newly promoted sides West Essex Reserves, Ocean Pacific, and Old Esthameians, with Onyx joining the league for the 2025/26 season, and Sporting Hackney, who were relegated from the Senior Division, also joining this division.

A very good Newham Wanderers side who finished two points off of Saint City in this division last season, will most probably be up there competing for promotion to the Senior Division, come the end of the 2025/26 season. North East Lions, who face FC Baresi Reserves in an interesting opening day fixture of this season, will also be competing near the top end of the table, in my opinion, after a good 2024/25. Also staying in the Premier Division West for this season, are London Cranes, Vallance (I reckon that they’ll improve further this season), Unitey, Priory Park Rangers, and Stratford East, who had a solid first season in Saturday football, last season.

Just like with the Premier Division East, the Premier Division West will also be very competitive, and it will also be very difficult to predict how it will go. But, Newham Wanderers and North East Lions (who I’d previously mentioned), Sporting Hackney, and newly promoted side Ocean Pacific, who I’ve heard some really good things about, could all in my opinion, potentially be up there challenging for a top two finish. However, they are all good teams, in both divisions, and I wish all of the Premier Division sides all the very best for the 2025/26 season.