Recently the system has undergone a two phase rearrangement. Phase One went into operation in 2004-05 . At the start of the 2006-07 season, Phase Two should be introduced.
At the top of the National League System pyramid is the Football Conference . Its top division, the Conference National (currently called the Nationwide Conference), is the only division in the System which is organised on a national rather than regional basis. Although the Conference is the top level of the non-league pyramid, it is not the highest level of English football. The FA Premier League and The Football League comprise the top 92 clubs in the English game, and two teams from the Conference are able to achieve promotion to the lowest division of The Football League each season.
Below the Conference, the layers have progressively more leagues and cover ever smaller geographic areas. Some leagues have more than one division. At the lower levels the existence of leagues becomes intermittent, although in some areas there are as many as twenty layers.
All the leagues are bound together by the principle of promotion and relegation. Clubs that are successful in their league can rise higher in the pyramid, whilst those that finish at the bottom can find themselves sinking further down. In theory it is possible for a lowly local amateur club to rise to the pinnacle of the English game and become champions of the FA Premier League. While this may be unlikely in practice, there certainly is significant movement within the pyramid. The number of teams promoted between leagues or divisions varies, and promotion is usually contingent on meeting criteria set by the higher league, especially concerning appropriate facilities and finances.
Under the direction of The Football Association, the National League System evolved over many years. Today's pyramid can be said to be barely twenty years old. Leagues have formed and dissolved over the years and reorganisations have taken place every few years as a result. Beginning with the 2004 - 05 season, Phase One of the latest change was introduced with the formation of a Conference North and Conference South immediately below the ''Nationwide'' Football Conference, renamed Conference National, forcing the top divisions of the ''Dr Martens'' Southern League , ''Ryman'' Isthmian League , and ''UniBond'' Northern Premier League down one level.
This table includes the seven steps of the National League System (NLS). Above the NLS are the FA Premier League and The Football League . Two teams from the Football Conference can be promoted to Football League Two at the end of each season. This structure was the result of changes made before the 2004-05 season..
The official name is given for all the leagues listed, and the sponsorship name is also provided for the leagues in the top four steps. All divisions in the top four steps have 22 clubs each. The FA's National League System Committee determine promotion and relegation between leagues shown, mainly based on location.
Step |
League/Division |
|---|
1 |
Conference National
(''Nationwide Conference'') |
Promoted, to League Two of The Football League: ''Champion and winner of 2nd-5th playoff''.
Relegated, to either Conference North or Conference South: ''3 clubs''. |
2 |
Conference North
(''Nationwide North'') |
Conference South
(''Nationwide South'') |
Promoted, to Conference National: ''Champions of each division;
the winners of a 2nd-5th playoff in each division will play each other to determine the third promotion place''.
Relegated, to Step 3 leagues: ''3 clubs from each division''. |
3 |
Northern Premier League
(''UniBond League'')
Premier Division |
Southern League
(''Dr Martens League'')
Premier Division |
Isthmian League
(''Ryman League'')
Premier Division |
Promoted, to Conference North or South: ''Champion and winner of 2nd-5th playoff for each league''.
Relegated, to Step 4 leagues: ''4 clubs from each league''. |
4 |
Northern Premier League
(''UniBond League'')
Division One |
Southern League
(''Dr Martens League'')
Division One West |
Southern League
(''Dr Martens League'')
Division One East |
Isthmian League
(''Ryman League'')
Division One |
Promoted, to Step 3 leagues: ''Champion, 2nd, and winner of 3rd-6th playoff for each league''.
Relegated, to Step 5 leagues determined by NLS Committee: ''2 clubs from each league''. |
5 |
| |
6><small> Combined Counties League Division One Eastern Counties League Division One Hellenic League Division One East Hellenic League Division One West Northern Counties East Division One Northern League Division Two North West Counties League Division Two Spartan South Midlands League Division One Sussex County League Division Two United Counties League Division One Wessex League Division Two Western League Division One </small></td>
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6><small> Anglian Combination Premier Division Bedford And District League Premier Division Brighton Hove And District League Premier Division Cambridgeshire League Premier Division Central Midlands League Supreme Division Crawley And District League Premier Division Devon County League Dorset Premier League East Berkshire League Premier Division East Sussex Football League Premier Division Essex And Suffolk Border League Premier Division Essex Olympian Football League Division One Gloucestershire County League Premier Division Hertfordshire County League Premier Division Kent County League Premier Division Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division Liverpool County Football Combination Division One Manchester Football League Premier Division Mid Cheshire Football League Division One Mid Sussex Football League Premier Division Middlesex County Football League Premier Division Midland Football Combination Premier Division Midland Football League North Berks Football League Division One Northamptonshire Football Combination Premier Division Northampton Town Football League Premier Division Northern Football Alliance Premier Division Oxfordshire Senior Football League Premier Division Peterborough And District Football League Premier Division Reading Football League Senior Division Somerset County Football League Premier Division South Western Football League Spartan South Midlands League Division Two Suffolk And Ipswich Football League Senior Division Sussex County League Division Three Wearside Football League Wessex League Division Three West Cheshire Amateur Football League Division One West Lancashire Football League Premier Division West Midlands Regional League Premier Division West Sussex Football League Wiltshire Football League Premier Division Worthing And District Football League </small></td>
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Phase Two of the current ammendments to the system will take place before the
2006-07 season. The Conference National will be increased to 24 clubs and steps 2 and 3 will remain unchanged. Either one or two new leagues will be arranged at step 4, to reduce the travel requriements of smaller teams. The
Isthmian League Division One will be split into the
Isthmian League Division One North and the
Isthmian League Division One South . It has also been proposed that the
Northern Premier League Division One be split into the
Northern Premier League Division One North and the
Northern Premier League Division One Midlands , though this remains undecided.
At step 5, the number of leagues will be reduced from fifteen to twelve. It has been confirmed that the
Isthmian League Division Two will be removed, along with two other leagues. In addition to this, all leagues at step five will have to contain between 18-20 clubs. This will require further restructuring to be done on a local basis within steps six and seven.
Whether the restructuring will take place as planned is now in doubt, following the legal action being brought by the
Unibond League , who are seeking a review.
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