Football fans further up the pyramid will more than likely know the ins and out of the Premier League and Football League, as well as the domestic cup competitions like the FA Cup, EFL Cup and EFL Trophy.

For some, they will also get to enjoy watching their side travel around the continent in the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League.

Those coming to watch the men's side at Champion Hill for the first time may wish to know the competitions we play in, so we have provided a (hopefully) handy guide:

Isthmian League Premier Division

We are back in this league following relegation at the end of last season, having previously been members of this league from 1907 to 2018.

The Premier Division is at the seventh tier overall of English football, three leagues below the Football League, and six below the Premier League, running parallel with three other divisions, the Northern Premier League Premier Division, and both the Premier Central and Premier South Divisions of the Southern League. Sides play each other home and away during the season.

For the 2023-24 season, there are 22 member clubs, with one side automatically promoted as champions, and a second promotion place going to the winners of the playoffs at the end of the season, which involves teams finishing between second and fifth position. The bottom four sides after 42 games will be relegated to the level below. The league is known as the Pitching In Isthmian League commercially. We have won the Isthmian League four times, in 1920, 1926, 1933 and 1949, and been runners-up eight times.

FA Cup

Famous across the land, and indeed globally, as it is the oldest national football competition in world football, having first been played during the 1871-72 season. Clubs from the top nine tiers of the English league system are eligible to enter, with some from Level 10 also being added should there be any non-entries from the levels above.

A series of byes based on the level of the league means that lower-ranked sides begin their FA Cup run earlier than those in the professional game. Before Round One, there are two preliminary rounds and a further four qualifying rounds, with 32 non-league sides reaching the proper stages of the competition each season. Should there a be a drawn result after the first meeting, there will be a replay, played at the venue of the away side. Should that match be a draw after normal time, extra time will be played to determine the winner, and if required, a penalty shootout. From the Fifth Round onwards, there are no replays.

The Hamlet, along with the other sides at Tier 7 in the pyramid, enter the competition at the First Qualifying Round stage, which takes place during September each year. We have reached the First Round on 14 occasions, but as of yet have failed to go further, which is a record for the competition. Since the 1948-49 season, we have only reached the First Round twice, once in 1998, and again in 2019, when we lost 4-1 to Carlisle United, a game that was televised on BBC to the nation. The competition is currently sponsored by Emirates.

FA Trophy

Non-league football's top cup competition, which has been in existence since 1969. Clubs from the top four levels of non-league football are eligible to take part in this competition, with that number currently standing at 320 sides.

Similar to the FA Cup, the competition has a series of qualifying rounds and proper rounds, three and eight respectively. However, unlike the FA Cup, all drawn games are settled immediately via a penalty shootout. The Hamlet will enter the competition in the Third Qualifying Round, which takes place in October, and would need to win nine matches to win the competition.

Our best run in the competition has been reaching the Quarter Finals, in 1979-80 and again in 2016-17. The competition is currently sponsored by Buildbase.

Isthmian League Cup

As we have returned to the Isthmian League this season, we will also be entering the Isthmian League Cup. This is open to all teams from the Isthmian League, from the Premier Division to its three feeder leagues. No replays are used for this competition, with drawn games going straight to penalties after 90 minutes.

The Hamlet will enter this year's competition at the last-32 stage, or Round Three. We have previously only reached the final twice, losing on both occasions, 2-0 to Wingate & Finchley in 2011 and 3-2 after extra time to Concord Rangers in 2013. The cup is sponsored by Velocity, and is also known as the Alan Turvey Trophy

London Senior Cup

The third cup competition we play each year is the County Senior Cup of the London Football Association, which has been in existence since 1882.

The competition is open to sides from the Step Five of the non-league game and above, although the leading professional sides in London no longer choose to take part in it, with the exception of Leyton Orient, AFC Wimbledon, Brentford and Charlton Athletic, who play 'B' teams or Under 23 squads.

We have won this competition on five occasions, in 1924–25, 1938–39, 1949–50, 1983–84 and 2003–04, and have also lost a further six finals. The 2004 final was our last journey to that stage of the competition. Games are also settled on the day of the tie, with no replays being used. This year's competition is sponsored by Veo.