The 1972–73 Southern Football League season was the 70th in the history of the league, an English football competition.
Kettering Town won the championship, winning their third Southern League title, whilst Atherstone Town, Grantham, Maidstone United and Tonbridge were all promoted to the Premier Division. Eight Southern League clubs applied to join the Football League at the end of the season, but none were successful.
Premier Division The Premier Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 18 clubs from the previous season and four new clubs: Two clubs promoted from Division One North: Burton Albion Kettering Town
Two clubs promoted from Division One South: Ramsgate Athletic, who were renamed Ramsgate at the end of the previous season Waterlooville
League table
Division One North Division One North consisted of 22 clubs, including 13 clubs from the previous season and nine new clubs: Six clubs joined from the West Midlands (Regional) League: Atherstone Town Bedworth United Bromsgrove Rovers Kidderminster Harriers Redditch United Tamworth
Plus: Enderby Town, joined from the Leicestershire Senior League Grantham, joined from the Midland League Merthyr Tydfil, relegated from the Premier Division
At the end of the season Lockheed Leamington was renamed AP Leamington.
League table
Division One South Division One South consisted of 22 clubs, including 13 clubs from the previous season and nine new clubs: Two clubs relegated from the Premier Division: Bath City Gravesend & Northfleet
Three clubs transferred from Division One North: Bletchley Town Dunstable Town Wealdstone
Three clubs joined from the Western League Bideford Dorchester Town Minehead
Plus: Bognor Regis Town, joined from the Sussex County League
League table
Football League elections Alongside the four League clubs facing re-election, a total of 10 non-League clubs applied for election, eight of which were Southern League clubs. All the League clubs were re-elected.
ClubLeagueVotesColchester UnitedFootball League48Northampton TownFootball League43Crewe AlexandraFootball League36DarlingtonFootball League26Yeovil TownSouthern League14Kettering TownSouthern League12Wigan AthleticNorthern Premier League10Chelmsford CitySouthern League4Cambridge CitySouthern League1Nuneaton BoroughSouthern League1Telford UnitedSouthern League1Bedford TownSouthern League0Boston UnitedNorthern Premier League0WimbledonSouthern League0
See also Southern Football League 1972–73 Northern Premier League
References RSSF – Southern Football League archive