Non-League National League want 3 up - from next season

[Northstandboy]

National League clubs are calling on the EFL to allow three teams to be promoted from the fifth tier from the end of next season. We know how hard it is to get out and that finishing 2nd is then a lottery.

National League clubs launch campaign for three promotion places to English Football League

National League chief executive calls for three clubs to go up to EFL every season to bring it in line with the rest of the game, adding it would be completely transformative.; EFL tells SSN it is open to change as part of a broader package of reforms to benefit all levels of the game.

www.skysports.com

 

[Steve Gilbert]

I would be amazed if it happens. EFL clubs would have to vote for it and it would be like Turkeys voting for Christmas.

 

[Twiggy85]

Should they allow it - yes, will they allow it - no.

 

[Left Wing Cross]

Increase the chances of Swindon being relegated?

Yes. Please.

 

[Basham Wonderland]

I like that only two come up or down. Makes it all feel pretty serious.

Will also make it harder for Swindon to come back when they inevitably drop off the map.

 

[Bicester Yellow]

EFL and premier league is a closed shop, won’t happen

 

[holdsteady]

Being in the football league should mean something, I know it did when we came back up so I like the fact that its harder to return. Plus we don't need more FGRs, Fleetwoods, Rushdens etc, if they earn it fair enough but don't need to make more of these these rich men's toys.

 

[SteMerritt]

I think it should, teams should be in the EFL by performance, and 3 up/down is a way to do this. I'd also change League 1 / League 2 to 3 up/down from the 4 - absolutely no reason for it to be 4.

 

[unification]

I think it should, teams should be in the EFL by performance, and 3 up/down is a way to do this. I'd also change League 1 / League 2 to 3 up/down from the 4 - absolutely no reason for it to be 4.

That would certainly be consistent across the PL and EFL, aside from relegation to the NL. Is there a reason why League 2 has four promotion spots?

The one upside to League 1 sides is they have seven new teams to play each year. It was one of the perks I enjoyed when we were at that level.

It won't happen soon since the EFL has enough on its plate with 72 clubs, but merging the NL into the EFL may well be a future step the pyramid sees in the future. It could see League 2 essentially become two regional divisions as well where the NLN and NLS see their promoted sides enter the EFL as well.

 

[Emilio]

I think it should, teams should be in the EFL by performance, and 3 up/down is a way to do this. I'd also change League 1 / League 2 to 3 up/down from the 4 - absolutely no reason for it to be 4.

Yeah, the disparity between League Two and League One promotions is a bit odd.

As for Non-League, it's a tricky one. There being only 2 teams going up did make 2010 all that more special, but it does also make it more if a closed loop, reducing the chance of fans of smaller clubs getting the chance to experience fixtures away at big stadia like Bradford (just think of how it is for us this season going to the likes of Elland Road and the Riverside). And if football is anything, it's for the fans.

 

[holdsteady]

That would certainly be consistent across the PL and EFL, aside from relegation to the NL. Is there a reason why League 2 has four promotion spots?

The one upside to League 1 sides is they have seven new teams to play each year. It was one of the perks I enjoyed when we were at that level.

It won't happen soon since the EFL has enough on its plate with 72 clubs, but merging the NL into the EFL may well be a future step the pyramid sees in the future. It could see League 2 essentially become two regional divisions as well where the NLN and NLS see their promoted sides enter the EFL as well.

Going to a fourth division south and north would be down grading that level while not gaining much, regionalisation isn't much of a gain when its only splitting the country in half, look at Oxford City and how much they travel.

 

[MarkG]

I suppose it depends how your team are doing at the time. Luton will claim they were only relegated to non-league because of points deductions. Tin pot teams like Rushden and Diamonds get into the league because a sugar daddy wants an EFL team then realise a village team will never get the crowds to support the club financially.

 

[Peterdev]

I think they should leave it be. We don’t want clubs coming from nowhere without the facilities and propped up with a rich benefactor.
If a club drops down they will have to fight hard to get back.
The National League is strong now and full of ex league clubs, and when they return they do their best to make sure they never drop down there again.
Maybe increase it to twelve this season to let Swindon drop and then change it back next season

 

[MarkG]

Also when i was a teeenager in the 80’s there was a division one “big five” or “big six”. It pleases me to see teams like Man United , Spurs , Everton all in the lower half of the EPL and hence not playing European football which is the cash cow.

 

[Osei Yaw]

National League needs 2 teams up automatically. It was a joke a couple of seasons ago when Notts County finished second on 107 points and entered the playoffs. They needed a 96th minute equaliser to get their semi final into extra time, which Jodi Jones won in the 120th minute to avoid penalties.

They then almost lost the final. They scored a late free kick to force extra time, before then going behind in extra time, only for Rodrigues to score an equaliser to force penalties, which they then won.

Fair play to them for coming back each time, but they finished over 20 points clear of Chesterfield (who finished third) and 36 points clear of the last playoff place. To not have gone up would've been a massive injustice.

 

[Osei Yaw]

I think they should leave it be. We don’t want clubs coming from nowhere without the facilities and propped up with a rich benefactor.

I know what you mean. Imagine if a club with an unfinished and badly maintained stadium entered our league because they were being bankrolled by a few billionaires.

 

[Stranger]

It makes me laugh to see all these people saying how they don't want clubs coming up thanks to rich benefactors. Presumably they are all part of a Thohir Out movement here

 

[Marked Ox]

Not sure going media heavy before even sending the letter to the EFL is the way to get them fully onboard. It does come over as quite an abrasive approach when reading other articles on it and the comments from Mark Ives.

Mark Ives also hilariously says there is no reason that the EFL clubs won't support this. I can think of a £m+ reasons amongst others (I'm not arguing the rights or wrongs of either position).

That article also misses out that the NL went to a PL reception at the House of Commons when the PL were mucking the EFL around over money distribution. Whether or not the NL were supporting the PL in that situation, the perception for the EFL seems to be that. Mark Ives seems somewhat dismissive of this in his comments (in other articles).

 

[WRox]

On footballing merit it should be three up and three down, but why would the EFL clubs ever approve it? I wonder if there is an eventual scenario where the NL becomes a fully professional League Three and part of the Sky TV deal.

There doesn’t seem at least to be the same number of bankrolled previously part time teams getting promoted, like Rushden and Diamonds, Fleetwood, Forest Green and Crawley.

 

[SteMerritt]

Is there a reason why League 2 has four promotion spots?

I'm guessing it is a hangover from the days when there was Division 3 North and Division 3 South. Maybe something to do with the change to 4 national divisions.

 

[OUFCGav]

I'm guessing it is a hangover from the days when there was Division 3 North and Division 3 South. Maybe something to do with the change to 4 national divisions.

this indeed.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

It seems slightly unfair that in the national league 4 teams can be relegated but only 2 go up. Saying that, you can finish as low as 7th to get into the play offs.
I still feel it should be 3 up and 3 down in all leagues, including League 1.

As for people saying they don't want clubs like FGR, Fleetwood etc coming into the league due to their rich owners, I don't see people having a problem with Birmingham, Stockport, Wrexham, Wycombe and slightly closer to home....Oxford United who have extremely wealthy owners. As long as they play by the financial rules then I don't see an issue. Saying that I do feel they need to tighten up the FFP rules in the lower leagues.

 

[tonyw]

National League needs 2 teams up automatically. It was a joke a couple of seasons ago when Notts County finished second on 107 points and entered the playoffs. They needed a 96th minute equaliser to get their semi final into extra time, which Jodi Jones won in the 120th minute to avoid penalties.

They then almost lost the final. They scored a late free kick to force extra time, before then going behind in extra time, only for Rodrigues to score an equaliser to force penalties, which they then won.

Fair play to them for coming back each time, but they finished over 20 points clear of Chesterfield (who finished third) and 36 points clear of the last playoff place. To not have gone up would've been a massive injustice.

They could just follow the lower league Italian model.

For instance, in Serie B, there's a playoff between the team that finishes 4th from bottom and the team that finishes 5th from bottom to determine who gets relegated.

However if there's a points gap of five or more between the two teams, they scrap the playoff and just relegate the 4th from bottom side.

Not the most financially lucrative system (because playoffs = $$s) but much fairer!

 

[Emilio]

On footballing merit it should be three up and three down, but why would the EFL clubs ever approve it? I wonder if there is an eventual scenario where the NL becomes a fully professional League Three and part of the Sky TV deal.

There doesn’t seem at least to be the same number of bankrolled previously part time teams getting promoted, like Rushden and Diamonds, Fleetwood, Forest Green and Crawley.

I don't think that will happen. Doubt there is enough demand for that many non-League matches. Not enough fans of those clubs, plus the standard is not going to be desirable to most neutral fans. Plus, it's not like Sky aren't struggling to fit fixtures into every second of every day already.

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

Two is already too many. Should be the absolute best of the rest that go up only to maintain integrity and quality of the football league.

 

[MarkG]

I can see the argument that we are being bankrolled into the Championship.
But we have a decent base level of support at around 7000 in league 1 or league 2.
This season we've sold out most home games at 10K +/- 500.
OK it's a lot fewer than the bigger grounds we've been to this season.
We sell around 30K for Wembley so the potential is there.

What I see as the tinpot teams are the village teams that will never get the followings. Wycombe, Burton, Crawley, Stevenage, Fleetwood, .

 

[SteMerritt]

Two is already too many. Should be the absolute best of the rest that go up only to maintain integrity and quality of the football league.

Given that more promoted teams get relegated back to The Championship from the EPL than go straight back down to The Conference, I guess you'd be in favour of fewer promotion places at this end of football as well then. If not, why not? Your argument is even more apparent at the top end of the game.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

What I see as the tinpot teams are the village teams that will never get the followings. Wycombe, Burton, Crawley, Stevenage, Fleetwood, .

But two of those have recently been in the Championship, and without being hugely bankrolled at the time. The whole point of the league ladder is that if the team is good enough, they can go through the divisions. No matter how many supporters they have, no matter what their history - and for me that's a good thing. I don't see why Torquay or Southend should be in the league instead of Harrogate or Bromley. So I'd say 'Yes' to three up, three down between L2 and the National League.

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

National League needs 2 teams up automatically. It was a joke a couple of seasons ago when Notts County finished second on 107 points and entered the playoffs. They needed a 96th minute equaliser to get their semi final into extra time, which Jodi Jones won in the 120th minute to avoid penalties.

They then almost lost the final. They scored a late free kick to force extra time, before then going behind in extra time, only for Rodrigues to score an equaliser to force penalties, which they then won.

Fair play to them for coming back each time, but they finished over 20 points clear of Chesterfield (who finished third) and 36 points clear of the last playoff place. To not have gone up would've been a massive injustice.

That scenario is not limited to divisions with two promotion places though, is it? That could just as easily happen to the team in 3rd (if that were the 'first' play-off spot) too?

What you've described is the potential 'injustice of the play-offs' (sic) - not a problem with the numbers promoted per se...

Correlation does not imply causation...

 

[holdsteady]

Isn’t the whole point of the football league that it’s a much higher level than non league? So why dilute that? Why have an unnecessary 5th division?

It should be such a glorious day when you go up to the football league that you get so drunk celebrating on a two day bender that you only realised it rained at Wembley 13 years later when someone says about it on here, it’s not just another promotion.