Although there was never any doubt that Boro would again be playing Essex Senior League football, the identity of the clubs joining the league was a source of some speculation and although most of the clubs coming in are those you would expect, a notable exception is Thurlow Nunn League Division One South champions Harlow Town, who have been placed in the Spartan South Midlands League. Joining them in a lateral move from the ESL are Sawbridgeworth Town.

The new clubs in the ESL next season are:

Basildon United and Sporting Bengal United, who were both relegated from the Isthmian League South, Hackney Wick who won the Thurlow Nunn League Division One South Play-Off, Harwich & Parkeston who won the Thurlow Nunn League Division One North Play-Off, and SOUL Tower Hamlets, who won the Play-Off in the Southern Counties East League Division One.

SOUL Tower Hamlets groundshare with Sporting Bengal United at the Mile End Stadium, while Hackney Wick groundshare at Witham Town.

The full constitution for the Essex Senior League next season is as follows:

The full list of allocations from Step 2 to Step 6 can be found on The FA website at https://www.thefa.com/news/2025/may/15/nls-allocations

These allocations are subject to change, either due to the inevitable appeals – although very few have succeeded over the years – and the correction of errors; Stanway Pegasus for instance, do not appear in the allocations at all despite having finished second in Thurlow Nunn League Division One North last season (they lost to Harwich & Parkeston in the Play-Off Final).

In addition, the Combined Counties League Premier Division South champions have yet to be determined and the Play-Offs have yet to be played leaving two places at Step 4 to be confirmed.

In the coming weeks we’ll be publishing pieces about the new clubs joining the league for next season.