The Kent Senior Cup is an English football knock-out competition played between senior clubs in the county of Kent. It is administered by the Kent County Football Association (KCFA).
Maidstone United are the current champions, defeating Tonbridge Angels 2–0 in the 2025–26 final.
History Now known as the Kent Senior Cup it was originally named, until the 1897–98 season, as the Kent Cup with the first competition played during the 1888–89 season. The cup itself, engraved as the "Kent County Football Association Challenge Cup", cost £33 and is made of 62 ounces of silver and surmounted by the rampant horse of Kent. (2018 Photograph). The Kent Cup competition was preceded as the KCFA's County knock-out tournament by the Kent County Badge: this was first competed for in 1886 and won for each of its three seasons by Chatham – who were also the first winners of the Kent Cup.
Following the founding of the Kent League in 1894 for the three seasons from 1894–95 until 1896–97 the Kent Cup was awarded to the champions of the League. The knock-out competition for the cup resumed from the 1897–98 season when it was renamed the Kent Senior Cup, with Gravesend United the winners. For the 1919–1920 season only a trophy presented as a gift to the KCFA named as the Victory Cup replaced the Kent Senior Cup trophy. The competition was suspended for four seasons between 1914 and 1918 owing to the World War I and there have been two other seasons in which the Kent Senior Cup has not been competed for: in 1940–1941 owing to World War II; and 2020–2021 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Initially the final of the competition was played at a venue pre-selected by the KCFA: for the first six seasons this was at Chatham, then after taking place at New Brompton, Ashford, Tunbridge Wells and returning to Chatham for one season the final was held at Faversham for the next six years. For a long spell between 1908 until 1950 the venue for the final was the Athletic Ground, Maidstone (except 1942 at Belvedere). Thereafter the final was held mostly at the Priestfield Stadium, Gillingham until 1965 after which for the next eight seasons it was contested (as it had been in the 1961–62 season) over two legs held at each of the finalists ground with the aggregate score determining the winner. The venue for the final then reverted to Maidstone then to Gillingham for fourteen seasons. Then following playing the final at Sittingbourne and for the first time outside Kent at Millwall, since 1998 (with several exceptions) the winner of a coin toss between the final protagonists decided which would have the choice to host the final match. The semi–finals were played on neutral grounds until the mid-1950s.
From 1902 until 1961 the final took place on Easter Monday and into the 1950s would attract in excess of ten thousand spectators – 13,119 were at the 1951–1952 final between Kent League club Dover and Southern League club Dartford. Between 1983 until 2002 the final was held on the early May bank holiday however since then the final has struggled for a set date owing to end of season promotion and relegation play-off matches and in the 2007–08 season was even deferred until the 2008–09 pre–season.
The 2013–14 Kent Senior Cup competition marked the 125th anniversary since its inception in the 1888–89 season; to celebrate the landmark the final took place at Priestfield Stadium, home of Gillingham FC. The match was won by Ebbsfleet United who beat Dover Athletic 4–0 – the winning club being a descendant of Northfleet United who in the 1920s achieved an enduring record of five consecutive season Kent Senior Cup wins.
Past winners of the Kent Senior Cup include Royal Arsenal (now Arsenal) in 1889–90, and Gillingham in 1945–46 and 1947–48; the two sides went on to become members of the Premier League and Football League respectively. Both Charlton Athletic and Maidstone United won the cup whilst members of the Football league and Gillingham have continued to compete. The Football League clubs field a development team rather than their full league side in the competition. Sponsorship For the following periods the Kent Senior Cup has been sponsored by: 1980–1986: the Chatham Reliance Building Society 1986–1997: Facit, the Rochester based Swedish office business machine company 2001–?: Bose 2003–2007: John Ullman, named after the Kent football patron 2010–2014: portablefoodlights.com 2014–2018: Kent Reliance Building society who revived their sponsorship from thirty years previously 2022–2025: DFDS, the ferry operator (who sponsored all the Kent County Cups) 2025–present: GoCardless, the payment platform provider (who sponsored all the Kent County Cups)
Cup Final Matches Season Score Runner-up Chatham3–1South Eastern RangersChatham8–0Chatham VictoriaChatham0–0South Eastern Rangers6–1 (KENT CUP 1889–1897)Chatham3–1South Eastern RangersRoyal Arsenal3–0Thanet WanderersLincoln Regiment2–1South Eastern RangersHighland Light Infantry11–0GravesendAshford United2–0ChathamRoyal Ordnance Factories4–2DartfordChatham Cup awarded to the Kent League championsNorthfleetGravesend United3–1DartfordMaidstone United1–0FolkestoneGravesend United1–1Maidstone United4–1Maidstone United3–0Cray WanderersSittingbourne2–2Ashford United4–1Maidstone United2–1Ashford UnitedEltham4–1SittingbourneChatham3–1SittingbourneEltham1–0BromleyMaidstone United1–0SittingbourneTunbridge Wells Rangers1–0SittingbourneMaidstone United4–2Northfleet UnitedNorthfleet United2–0ChathamChatham2–1Sittingbourne3–0ChathamNorthfleet United2–1Gravesend UnitedMaidstone United1–0Northfleet United Competition suspended for 4 seasons owing to World War IChatham3–0Maidstone UnitedMaidstone United2–1Northfleet UnitedNorthfleet United1–0RamsgateMaidstone United1–0FolkestoneMaidstone United3–2SittingbourneNorthfleet United1–0DartfordNorthfleet United8–2SittingbourneNorthfleet United1–0FolkestoneNorthfleet United1–0Sheppey UnitedNorthfleet United3–1SittingbourneSittingbourne1–1Sheppey United1–0Sittingbourne3–0MargateDartford2–2Folkestone5–2Dartford2–0Sheppey UnitedDartford0–0Tunbridge Wells Rangers2–0Folkestone3–0MargateDartford3–2FolkestoneMargate2–1Tunbridge Wells RangersMargate3–2Tunbridge Wells RangersNorthfleet United2–1DoverTunbridge Wells Rangers4–0GillinghamShorts Sports6–1Dartford Competition suspended owing to World War IIErith & Belvedere2–1Shorts Sports1–0Shorts Sports5–3Gravesend United5–1LloydsGillingham5–112th ITC (Canterbury)Dartford3–2BromleyGillingham1–0Gravesend & NorthfleetGravesend & Northfleet2–2Gillingham1–12–0Bromley1–1Gillingham5–3Snowdown Colliery Welfare0–0Bromley2–1Dover2–0DartfordGravesend & Northfleet2–1DartfordCanterbury City1–0Tunbridge Wells UnitedTunbridge Wells United2–1DartfordSnowdown Colliery Welfare1–1Dartford2–0Folkestone Town2–0TonbridgeSittingbourne1–0Ramsgate AthleticAshford Town2–1TonbridgeDover0–0Margate1–0Bexleyheath & Welling3–0SittingbourneDover1–1Ashford Town1–12–24–1Ashford Town1–0MargateRamsgate Athletic3–1Maidstone United Tonbridge3–0Bexley UnitedMaidstone United1–1Ramsgate Athletic3–14–2Dover5–0Margate1–06–0Dover1–2Bexley United/3–04–2Folkestone4–0Margate0–24–2Dartford1–0Margate4–15–1Dover1–0Dartford2–23–2Dover2–0Dartford1–23–2Dartford6–2Folkestone4–210–4Margate2–0Maidstone UnitedTonbridge2–1Maidstone UnitedMaidstone United1–0Canterbury CityBromley1–0Gravesend & NorthfleetFolkestone and Shepway1–0Maidstone United/Maidstone United2–1DartfordMaidstone United1–0DartfordGravesend & Northfleet2–0Ashford TownMaidstone United3–0Ashford TownFolkestone4–0DoverFisher Athletic1–0Maidstone United1984–85Folkestone4–2Welling UnitedWelling United2–0Dover AthleticDartford2–0Maidstone UnitedDartford1–0Maidstone UnitedMaidstone United1–0Welling UnitedMaidstone United1–0GillinghamDover Athletic1–0Gravesend & NorthfleetBromley3–1Hythe TownAshford Town3–2BromleyMargate2–1Dover AthleticCharlton Athletic4–2GillinghamAshford Town3–0Charlton AthleticBromley4–1Dover AthleticMargate1–0Gravesend & NorthfleetWelling United1–0Folkestone InvictaGravesend & Northfleet3–0Folkestone InvictaGravesend & Northfleet4–0Dover AthleticGravesend & Northfleet5–0MargateMargate2–1Welling UnitedMargate2–1Folkestone InvictaMargate2–1Dover AthleticBromley3–2Gravesend & NorthfleetBromley3–1Tonbridge AngelsEbbsfleet United4–0Cray WanderersWelling United6–1Whitstable TownSittingbourne3–1Folkestone InvictaDartford4–1BromleyHythe Town1–0DartfordCharlton Athletic7–1Tonbridge AngelsEbbsfleet United 4–0Dover AthleticCharlton Athletic1–0GillinghamDartford3–1Charlton AthleticDover Athletic2–0Welling UnitedMaidstone United0–0Folkestone InvictaMaidstone United1–1BromleyDartford6–1Whitstable Town Competition suspended owing to the COVID-19 pandemicDartford6–2Folkestone InvictaMargate 1–1Chatham TownMaidstone United 4–0Ebbsfleet UnitedWelling United1–0Ebbsfleet UnitedMaidstone United2–0Tonbridge Angels
Record by Club
(As of matches played 22 April 2026}
There have been 32 clubs (including follow-on clubs) who have won the Kent Senior Cup; a further seven clubs have competed in the final without winning; and an additional 14 clubs reached the semi-final stage but didn't progress to the final match.
( † ) Club ( ‡ ) 1Maidstone United: (1897–1992) & (1992 >) 20 9 29 7 36 2 Dartford 13 13 26 19 45 3 Dover / Dover Athletic 9 8 17 17 34 4 Margate / Margate Town / Thanet United 9 8 17 12 29 5 Northfleet United 9 3 12 6 18 6 Ebbsfleet United / Gravesend & Northfleet 8 7 15 12 27 7 6 12 18 21 39 8 Bromley 6 6 12 17 29 9 Sittingbourne 5 9 14 10 24 10 Ashford United / Ashford Town / Ashford Railway Works 5 5 10 11 21 11 Chatham Town / Chatham / Chatham Amateurs 4 4 8 14 22 12 Welling United 4 4 8 6 14 13 Tunbridge Wells Rangers / Tunbridge Wells United 3 4 7 6 13 14 Charlton Athletic 3 2 5 4 9 15 Royal Artillery Depot Woolwich 3 0 3 0 3 16 Gillingham / New Brompton 2 6 8 9 17 17 Tonbridge / Tonbridge Angels 2 5 7 7 14 18 Gravesend / Gravesend United 2 3 5 5 10 19 Eltham 2 0 2 3 5 20 Snowdown Colliery Welfare 2 0 2 1 3 21 Ramsgate / Ramsgate Athletic 1 3 4 9 13 22 Bexleyheath & Welling / Bexley United 1 2 3 5 8 23 Shorts Sports 1 2 3 0 3 24 Canterbury Waverley / Canterbury City 1 1 2 6 8 25 Hythe Town 1 1 2 1 3 26 Fisher Athletic / Fisher 1 0 1 7 8 27 Erith & Belvedere 1 0 1 4 5 28 Royal Arsenal 1 0 1 1 2 29 Catford Southend 1 0 1 0 1 30 Royal Ordnance Factory 1 0 1 0 1 31 Highland Light Infantry 1 0 1 0 1 32 Lincoln Regiment 1 0 1 0 1 33 Sheppey United 0 3 3 14 17 34 Cray Wanderers 0 2 2 5 7 35 Whitstable Town 0 2 2 1 3 36 South Eastern Rangers 0 2 2 1 3 37 12th ITC (Canterbury) 0 1 1 1 2 38 Lloyds 0 1 1 1 2 39 Thanet Wanderers 0 1 1 0 1 40 Royal Naval Depot (Chatham) 0 0 0 2 2 41 Phoenix Sports 0 0 0 1 1 42 Greenwich Borough 0 0 0 1 1 43 Thamesmead 0 0 0 1 1 44 Herne Bay 0 0 0 1 1 45 Aylesford PM 0 0 0 1 1 46 Ramsgate Press United 0 0 0 1 1 47 Grays Thurrock United 0 0 0 1 1 48 Royal Marines (Deal) 0 0 0 1 1 49 Royal Ordnance (Woolwich) 0 0 0 1 1 50 Southern United 0 0 0 1 1 51 Swanscombe 0 0 0 1 1 52 Royal Engineers United 0 0 0 1 1 53 West Kent Regiment 0 0 0 1 1Notes†: "Rank" calculated by wins, then runner-up, then semi-finals, then latest year (of the deciding factor).‡: "Club" allows for follow-on of disbanded clubs (as indicated) and excludes significant club amalgamations.
Winning / Losing Sequences
(As of matches played 22 April 2026}
Consecutive Final wins: 5: Northfleet United 1924 to 1928. 3: Dartford, 1931 to 1933; Royal Artillery Depot (Woolwich) 1943 to 1945; Gravesend & Northfleet 2000 to 2002; Margate 2003 to 2005.
Consecutive Final losses: