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The FA[/url][url= ]@FA Our alliance and leagues committees have provided an update on proposed structural changes to the National League System:
AN UPDATE ON PROPOSED STRUCTURAL CHANGES TO THE NATIONAL LEAGUE SYSTEM
Monday 12 Apr 2021
The FA’s Alliance and Leagues Committees announced that they would consider the feasibility of undertaking the restructure at Steps 4-6 Following the curtailment of the 2020/21 league season for Steps 3-6 of the National League System (NLS), our Alliance and Leagues Committees announced that they would consider the feasibility of undertaking the restructure at Steps 4-6 (which was intended to take effect from the 20/21 season but has been delayed due to the impact of COVID-19).
The Committees have now met to consider this matter and will be recommending to FA Council that the structural changes to the number of divisions in the NLS be completed in order to address the imbalance that currently exists and achieve the ‘pure pyramid’ at Steps 1-6.
The planned and delayed restructure comprises of one additional division at Step 4, two additional divisions at Step 5 and a reduction of divisions, from 20 to 17, at Step 6.
As part of the proposals, 110 clubs would be upwardly moved within the pyramid at Steps 4-6 in order to facilitate the new divisions, protecting the integrity of the NLS whilst supporting clubs with a desire and ambition to progress, without undermining the stability of the system. The restructure will have a positive impact on a significant number of clubs, supporting them with reduced travel and costs and providing greater opportunities for generating income via localised fixtures.
FA Council will be considering the recommendations of the Committees in due course and Clubs and Leagues will continue to be kept updated on this process. Further information is below.
Last edited by Matchman (12/4/2021 6:56 PM)
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I am a bit surprised as they have not got much time to get everything in place for clubs to start at the beginning of August. I presume they know what they are doing!!
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Based on their results over the last two unfinished seasons, these are Step 5 teams who look to be in pole position for promotion to Step 4
North Western Counties League (3 teams) 1874 Northwich, Bootle, Charnock Richard
Northern Counties East league (3 teams) Staveley, Liversedge, Yorkshire Amateur
Northern League (3 teams) Stockton, Shildon, Hebburn
Combined Counties League (1 team) Ascot United
Eastern Counties League (1 team) Stowmarket
Essex Senior League (1 team) Hashtag United
Hellenic League (1 team) Binfield
Midland League (1 team) Sporting Khalsa
Southern Counties East League (1 team) Corinthian
Spartan South Midlands League (1 team) Colney Heath
Southern Combination (1 team) Lancing
United Counties League (1 team) Anstey Nomads
Wessex League (1 team) Christchurch
Western League (1 team) Plymouth Parkway
So there is a possibility of nine teams from the South of England having the opportunity to play at Step 4. Will they all go into the Northern Premier League? I don't think so.
It is more likely that the promoted Step 5 Southern teams are moved into one of the five Southern Step 4 Leagues ie :
Isthmian League North Division,
Isthmian South-Central Division
Isthmian South-East Division
Southern League Central Division or
Southern League South Division
and some of the more northerly teams currently in a Southern Step 4 league are moved into a Northern Premier Step 4 Division to accommodate them.
If this happens, the most likely teams to be moved to the Northern Premier are :
(1) From the Southern League Division One Central
Halesowen Town,
Coleshill Town,
Bedworth United,
Corby Town
Yaxley
Daventry Town
St Neots Town
Kempston Rovers
Bedford Town
(2) From the Isthmian League North Division
Dereham Town,
Soham Town Rangers
Histon
Last edited by Matchman (13/4/2021 5:21 AM)
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So by my reckoning, these are the likely new teams to come into the Northern Premier League at Step 4 :
Promoted from North Western Counties League :
1874 Northwich
Bootle
Charnock Richard
Promoted from Northern Counties East League :
Staveley MW
Liversedge
Yorkshire Amateur
Promoted from Northern League :
Stockton
Shildon
Hebburn
Promoted from Midland League :
Sporting Khalsa
Promoted from United Counties League :
Anstey Nomads
Teams moved sideways from Southern League Div One Central and Isthmian league North Division : Any 9 from these 12
Halesowen Town
Coleshill Town
Bedworth United
Corby Town
Daventry Town
St Neots Town
Kempston Rovers
Bedford Town
Yaxley
Dereham Town
Soham Town Rangers
Histon
Once it is known who the new teams will be, then the Northern Premier League then have the task of creating three geographical divisions with the objective of minimising travel distances for all clubs.
Which geographical division IlkestonTown finds itself in is impossible to predict without knowing the chosen geographical areas.
If the areas are North West, Central and East, then Ilkeston are unlikely to be in the North West Division but could be in the Central or East Division.
Last edited by Matchman (13/4/2021 5:16 AM)
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The previous post is just my attempt at producing an outcome of the non-league re-structuring.
The actual outcome may be very different.
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Ollie Bayliss[/url][url= ]@Ollie_Bayliss
The FA Alliance & Leagues committees have recommended that the non-league restructure takes place. Under the proposal 110 clubs at Steps 5-7 will be 'upwardly moved' (20 at Step 5, 60 at Step 6, 30 at Step 7). Here's the proposed timeline for the next stages of the process:
Last edited by Matchman (13/4/2021 7:37 AM)
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This could be the new line up or something pretty close. Long hikes to Cambridgeshire but is it an easier league to get out of?
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That list of teams looks quite possible if one of the geographical Divisions is “East”
It’s not just a matter of putting teams near each other together.
The league want the aggregate travelling in each of the three DIVISIONS to be as similar as possible.
Last edited by Matchman (13/4/2021 4:06 PM)
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This is the predicted Northern Premier League (Step 4), all three divisions as posted on Non-League Matters.
Northern Premier League One South East
1 Belper Town NPE
2 Cambridge City ILN
3 Carlton Town NPE
4 Cleethorpes Town NPE
5 Corby Town SLC
6 Histon ILN
7 Ilkeston Town NPE
8 Lincoln United NPE
9 Loughborough Dynamo NPE
10 Quorn UCP
11 Sheffield NPE
12 Shepshed Dynamo UCP
13 Soham Town Rangers ILN
14 Spalding United NPE
15 St. Neots Town SLC
16 Stamford NPE
17 Stocksbridge Park Steels NPE
18 Wisbech Town NPE
19 Worksop Town NPE
20 Yaxley SLC
Northern Premier League One North
1 Bridlington Town NEP
2 Brighouse Town NPW
3 Clitheroe NPW
4 Colne NPW
5 Dunston U.T.S. NPW
6 Frickley Athletic NPE
7 Glossop North End NPE
8 Hebburn Town NL1
9 Kendal Town NPW
10 Liversedge NEP
11 Marske United NPW
12 Mossley NPW
13 Ossett United NPW
14 Pickering Town NPW
15 Pontefract Collieries NPW
16 Ramsbottom United NPW
17 Shildon NL1
18 Stockton Town NL1
19 Tadcaster Albion NPW
20 Yorkshire Amateur NEP
Northern Premier League One South West
1 1874 Northwich NWP
2 Bedworth United SLC
3 Bootle NWP
4 Chasetown NPE
5 City of Liverpool NPW
6 Coleshill Town SLC
7 Daventry Town SLC
8 Evesham United SLS
9 Halesowen Town SLC
10 Kidsgrove Athletic NPE
11 Marine NPW
12 Market Drayton Town NPE
13 Newcastle Town NPE
14 Prescot Cables NPW
15 Runcorn Linnets NPW
16 Rylands NWP
17 Sporting Khalsa MLP
18 Sutton Coldfield Town NPE
19 Trafford NPW
20 Widnes NPW
According to this prediction, the teams from the NPL South East Division of last season who we won’t be playing against next season are :
Promoted
Leek Town
Moved to North Division :
Frickley Athletic
Glossop North End
Moved to South West Division
Chasetown
Kidsgrove Athletic
Market Drayton
Newcastle Town
Sutton Coldfield Town
Those 8 teams are replaced by :
Cambridge City
Corby Town
Histon
Quorn
Shepshed
Soham Town Rangers
St Neots Town
Yaxley
To me, that looks like more distances to travel, which in turn will result in an increase in away travel costs for fans.
Last edited by Matchman (14/4/2021 12:47 PM)
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Round trip distances - New teams versus teams from last season
Round trip mileage
Last season teams :
Leek Town 75 miles
Frickley Athletic 111 miles
Glossop North End 120 miles
Chasetown 95 miles
Kidsgrove Athletic 111 miles
Market Drayton 124 miles
Newcastle Town 102 miles
Sutton Coldfield Town 88 miles
___
Total round trip miles 826 miles
Predicted new teams ;
Cambridge City 196 miles
Corby Town 137 miles
Histon 196 miles
Quorn 41 miles
Shepshed 34 miles
Soham Town Rangers 204 miles
St Neots Town 187 miles
Yaxley 135 miles
____
Total round trip miles 1130 miles
Last edited by Matchman (14/4/2021 12:54 PM)
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Doesn't look good travel wise....
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WhiteBallProject wrote:
This could be the new line up or something pretty close. Long hikes to Cambridgeshire but is it an easier league to get out of?
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If this turns out to be the league we're in, then next season looks like being really tough. It looks a really competitive league.
The newly promoted teams (Shepshed and Quorn) will be confident.
The only weak side (based on last year) is Wisbech Town.
All of the other teams look capable of pulling off a surprise.
Ilkeston face several long distance away games. (Cleethorpes, Spalding, Wisbech, Cambridge, Histon, Soham, St Neots)
Stamford will be favourites for the one promotion spot.
Belper, Carlton, Cleethorpes, Loughborough and Worksop are expected to be promotion contenders.
Of the sideways moved teams, Corby Town have the best record over the last two seasons.
These are the records of each team over the last two unfinished seasons :
Played Points Points Avg.Home
per game Attendance
Corby Town 36 75 2.0833 419
Cambridge City 32 48 1.5000 185
Yaxley 35 52 1.4857 116
Histon 31 46 1.4839 206
Soham Town Rgrs 35 44 1.2571 154
St Neots Town 36 34 0.9444 195
Last edited by Matchman (17/4/2021 2:32 AM)
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Wouldnt be good for us but feel for for the likes of Cambridge city and Cleethorpes plus others for a 5 hour round trip games.
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Ollie Bayliss[/url][url= ]@Ollie_Bayliss·Apr 12
Clubs at Step 3-6 have been asked asked to provide any ‘observations’ on the proposal by 5pm on Friday 16th April.
Clubs at Step 5 & 6 have also been asked to declare if they do not wish to be considered for upward movement.
So clubs eligible for promotion from Step 5 to Step 4 have the opportunity to decline promotion if they want to. (According to the NonLeagueMatters prediction that would mean Shepshed and Quorn)
Don't think the sideways moved clubs have any choice.
Last edited by Matchman (16/4/2021 7:56 AM)
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I wonder if "any observations" means it still might not happen or we are doing it and if you don't like it tough!
Looking at the reorganisation I can never understand why the East Midland Counties League has been taken over by the United Counties League. In the projected formats it appears to have exactly the same teams but just a different name and I presume different people possibly in Northampton running it. I must however say I believe in the end it does not make any difference as any team winning the old East Midlands League do not now necessarily go into a league full of ex United Counties League based teams as they move up the pyramid.
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Ollie Bayliss[/url][url= ]@Ollie_Bayliss
I’ve spoken to FA Alliance Committee & FA Council member Anthony Hughes. We discussed: Plans to elevate 110 clubs in the restructure Why the Step 2 mini league was rejected Why 19/20 Non-League Finals Day won't have fans Plans for next season
Well worth a click below to listen :
The Non-League Show - Plans For The Non-League Restructure - BBC Sounds[/url][url= ]Ollie Bayliss spoke to the Southern League vice chairman Anthony Hughesbbc.co.uk
So this Thursday should see a decision on whether the Non League re-organiation plans go ahead.
Step 5 teams who qualify for promotion on a points per game basis also need to be licensed to play at Step 4.
The granting of such a licence is dependent on clubs meeting facility standards such as ground grading and security of tenure.
Clubs would then be invited to apply for promotion.
Last edited by Matchman (20/4/2021 8:12 AM)
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Looks like no promotion for Leek despite have the highest points per game across all Step 4 Divisions.
OPINION: FA Restructure Ignoring Issues Higher Up
The announcement from The FA Alliance and Leagues Committees – as covered by Outside The 92 – is a welcome one. The additional divisions at Steps 4 and 5 will help to alleviate longstanding issues around travel times and distances and correct some injustices caused by the rash decision to declare the 2019-20 season null and void. However, there’s an area of the National Leagues System that doesn’t seem to be covered by the plan:
The Trident Leagues.
Clubs in the Pitching In Isthmian, Northern Premier and Southern Leagues are not being considered for promotion using the unweighted points per game (PPG) calculations which be applied lower down and which were used in the National League last season. This is despite the fact that the National League does have vacancies; the top tier is a club short due to the demise of Macclesfield Town, while the South Division consisted of 21 clubs during 2019-20. If the National League was looking to run three divisions of 24 clubs next season, they would need five clubs from Step 3 to make up the numbers. Expanding the National League to 72 clubs would enable the leading team from each of the four Step 3 divisions to move up; specifically, Worthing, Truro City, Tamworth and South Shields. In this scenario, the fifth spot would go to Tiverton Town, whose PPG is higher than two of the clubs ahead of them in the queue, but a tenth of a point lower than that of Truro City. That, then, would create vacancies for clubs at Step 4 to fill and increase, slightly, the number of teams who could be moved up from Step 5. This would allow clubs such as Ascot United who, as it stands, would miss out on promotion from the Combined Counties League by 0.0082 points, to move up to Step 4. Imagine missing out on promotion by such a tiny margin!
Imagine, also, how the clubs at the top of their Step 4 divisions must feel. Over the course of two incomplete seasons, Workington AFC have played 40 matches in the North / West Division of the Northern Premier League and accumulated some 90 points. Leek Town did even better, amassing 91 points from 36 matches to achieve the highest PPG (2.5278) across all 7 divisions at their level.
Further south, Maldon & Tiptree combined two spectacular runs in the FA Cup with outstanding Isthmian League form; they won 76 points from 31 matches at an average of 2.45 points per game.Yet, as it stands, none of these clubs will get the chance to test themselves at a higher level next season and the question should be asked: why? Is it because of a realisation in the corridors of power that 24 teams in each division of the top two tiers of non-League football is too many? Is it because the Trident Leagues are concerned that promoting clubs whilst simultaneously reorganising their competitions is potentially overburdening their organisations? Either way – supporters and officials of clubs at Steps 3 and 4 deserve to be told why their divisions are being treated differently to the rest of the Pyramid.
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Ollie Bayliss[/url][url= ]@Ollie_Bayliss An extraordinary meeting of the FA Council will take place tomorrow. Members will consider the proposal to complete the non-league restructure by elevating 110 clubs at Steps 5-7. The plan (below) would see clubs at Steps 5&6 ranked based on PPG from the 19/20 & 20/21 seasons. [/url] [url= ]
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Non-League re-structure set to go ahead following today's approval of plans by FA
Ollie Bayliss[/url][url= ]@Ollie_Bayliss·2h
BREAKING: The FA Council has approved plans to 'upwardly move' 110 clubs at Steps 5-7. At Steps 5&6, the combined PPG from the 2019/20 & 2020/21 seasons will be used to select which clubs can apply. At Step 7, leagues will considered applicants on a more 'subjective basis'.
Eligible clubs at Step 5&6 will be invited to apply for 'upward movement' next week.
Last edited by Matchman (24/4/2021 2:14 AM)
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So it's travel to Cambridge for us then. But on the good side we get to see our good friends Shep Shed
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Ollie Bayliss[/url][url= ]@Ollie_Bayliss
The FA has invited clubs at Step 5 & 6 to apply for 'upward movement'. Clubs are asked to submit details of their ground grading, security of tenure & finances by Monday 3rd May. Here's the list of clubs invited to apply (clubs for initial/first consideration are in bold): [/url] [url= ]
So the teams in bold are in pole position for upward movement.
Re Promotion of local clubs from Step 5 to Step 4 (ie moving up to Ilkeston's level):
Sporting Khalsa will be the one club promoted from the Midland League providing they meet ground criteria with Coventry United then Romulus next in line if they fail.
Shepshed Dynamo will be the one club promoted from the United Counties League provided they meet ground criteria with Quorn then Rugby next in line if they fail
Re promotion of local clubs from Step 6 to Step 5, Heanor and Eastwood are in pole positions
Last edited by Matchman (27/4/2021 8:06 AM)
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I am surprised Long Eaton United are not invited to join step4
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I am surprised Long Eaton United are not invited to join step4
Long Eaton had the best points per game for season 2020-21 but unfortunately their 2019-20 record was not so good (38 points from 26 matches)
Last edited by Matchman (27/4/2021 3:52 PM)
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Ollie Bayliss@Ollie_Bayliss · 1h
The make up of next season’s step 3-6 leagues are due to be announced next week, with around 110 clubs elevated. This week the FA will address any issues with club’s applications for upward movement. FA Sub-Committees may be used to decide matters arising from the applications.
The Non League restructure and how Ilkeston may be affected has been my obsession for months and it is finally going to be resolved.
Last edited by Matchman (10/5/2021 8:25 AM)
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"finally resolved?" I love your optimism! I can see lots of moans and threats of court action etc. It will however be interesting to see how close all the guesses are to the final 22 or 24. I think we are more than likely to be travelling down the M1 rather than up it more often and those hikes through Derby and the southern hills of the Peak District might be a thing of the past. I did think in which season would we have done most travelling for league matches and decided on the time we were in the Southern League and we played teams like Dover and Newport IoW or is this another thing I have just imagined. I am no doubt that Matchman will have worked all this out by this evening!!!
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Personally I've only been an away regular for the last seven or eight seasons. I'm an absolute newby compared to many of our supporters who have loyally followed the club for decades.
During the time I've travelled away, Ilkeston have been in four different leagues enabling visits to many grounds:
Northern Premier League - Premier Division,
Midland Football League - Division One,
Midland Football League - Premier Division and
Northern Premier League - South East Division
The grounds of Blyth Spartans and Workington are the furthest ones I've travelled to.
Really looking forward to travelling to some new grounds next season following the non league re-structure.
Last edited by Matchman (10/5/2021 6:19 PM)
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Ollie Bayliss@Ollie_Bayliss · 47m
The make up of next season’s Step 3-6 leagues are due to be announced next week. Around 110 clubs will be elevated (20 from Step 5, 60 from Step 6 & 30 from Step 7).
Sideways movement is inevitable with a new division added at Step 4, 2 new divisions at Step 5 & 3 divisions removed at Step 6.
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BREAKING: The FA has published the 2021/22 Step 3-6 allocations. 20 clubs have been elevated to Step 4. 60 clubs have been elevated to Step 5. 27 clubs have been elevated to Step 6. Macclesfield FC will join at Step 5. Moneyfields have taken voluntary relegation to Step 5. [/url] [url= ]
[/url] [url= ]
So as you can clearly see, these are the teams in Ilkeston's league which is : NPL Midlands Division
1 Bedworth Utd
2 Belper Town
3 Cambridge City
4 Carlton Town
5 Chasetown
6 Coleshill Town
7 Corby Town
8 Daventry
9 Halesowen
10 Histon
11 Ilkeston
12 Loughborough Dynamo
13 Shepshed Dynamo
14 Soham Town Rangers
15 Spalding United
16 Sporting Khalsa
17 Stamford
18 Sutton Coldfield
19 Wisbech
18 Yaxley
It was widely predicted that Ilkeston would be in a south east division and this has proved to be incorrect.
Here is the new look @NorthernPremLge Midlands Division
Last edited by Matchman (18/5/2021 2:40 PM)