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The FA has confirmed the league allocations for the 2021/22 season.
The Northern Premier League will operate the new eighth division at step 4, which was delayed from last summer due to COVID.
That means 59 clubs have been split across three divisions for the NPL at step 4 - 19 in NPL East, 20 in NPL Midlands, and 20 in NPL West. The same 22 clubs remain in the NPL Premier Division as the past two seasons. It means a total of 20 new clubs joining the NPL for 2021/22, including some familiar faces and some new ones. Coming up from step 5 as a result of the re-structure are 1874 Northwich, Bootle and Warrington Rylands (NPL West), Shepshed Dynamo and Sporting Khalsa (NPL Midlands) and Bridlington Town, Hebburn Town, Liversedge, Shildon, Stockton Town and Yorkshire Amateur (NPL East). A further nine clubs join the NPL as a result of lateral movement in the pyramid - Bedworth United, Cambridge City, Coleshill Town, Corby Town, Daventry Town, Halesowen Town, Histon, Soham Town Rangers and Yaxley.

NPL Premier Division (22 teams) - Ashton United, Atherton Collieries, Bamber Bridge, Basford United, Buxton, FC United, Gainsborough Trinity, Grantham Town, Hyde United, Lancaster City, Matlock Town, Mickleover Sports, Morpeth Town, Nantwich Town, Radcliffe, Scarborough Athletic, South Shields, Stafford Rangers, Stalybridge Celtic, Warrington Town, Whitby Town, Witton Albion.

NPL East (19 teams) - Bridlington Town, Brighouse Town, Cleethorpes Town, Dunston, Frickley Athletic, Hebburn Town, Lincoln United, Liversedge, Marske United, Ossett United, Pickering Town, Pontefract Collieries, Sheffield, Shildon, Stocksbridge Park Steels, Stockton Town, Tadcaster Albion, Worksop Town, Yorkshire Amateur.

NPL West (20 teams)- 1874 Northwich, Bootle, City of Liverpool, Clitheroe, Colne, Glossop North End, Kendal Town, Kidsgrove Athletic, Leek Town, Marine, Market Drayton Town, Mossley, Newcastle Town, Prescot Cables, Ramsbottom United, Runcorn Linnets, Trafford, Warrington Rylands, Widnes, Workington.

NPL Midlands (20 teams) - Bedworth United, Belper Town, Cambridge City, Carlton Town, Chasetown, Coleshill Town, Corby Town, Daventry Town, Halesowen Town, Histon, Ilkeston Town, Loughborough Dynamo, Shepshed Dynamo, Soham Town Rangers, Spalding United, Sporting Khalsa, Stamford, Sutton Coldfield Town, Wisbech Town, Yaxley.

                                                                           **********************


As it’s turned out, the “Non League Matters” predictions have proved to be incorrect.
No one anticipated the newly created  “Midlands Division” that Ilkeston find themselves in.  

Our 19 opponents comprise : 

8 from last season : 
Belper, 
Carlton, 
Chasetown, 
Loughborough Dynamo, 
Spalding United, 
Stamford, 
Sutton Coldfield,
Wisbech

 2 promoted from Step 5 :  
Shepshed Dynamo  
Sporting Khalsa 

9 sideways moved teams  : 
Bedworth United
Cambridge City, 
Coleshill
Corby
Daventry 
Halesowen
Histon, 
Soham Town Rangers, 
Yaxley


With so many new teams that we know very little about, it's difficult to predict who the leading teams will be.

However from the teams we know, I would expect the following teams to be in the top half :
                Stamford, Ilkeston, Belper, Loughborough, Carlton, Spalding

Of the other teams,  Corby, Halesowen and Bedworth United look the strongest



 

Last edited by Matchman (19/5/2021 7:22 AM)

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Should clubs wish to appeal their placement, they are asked to do so within 7 days. Clubs will be charged £100.00 to appeal.  




Some sideways moved clubs are not happy with the league they have been moved to.  The most common grounds for complaint are where the change of league involves greater travelling costs putting club finances under strain.


 

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FROM CHASETOWN WEBSITE

LEAGUE ALLOCATIONS 2021-22 SEASON 
BY PAUL MULLINS   1 DAY AGO

The leagues for next season have been announced this afternoon.The information we had reads, "Now that the National League System restructure at Steps 4 to 6 has been completed, we are writing to confirm the Club allocations for the 2021-22 season. 
"As a result of the restructure and the expansion from 7 to 8 divisions at Step 4 (2 to 3 divisions in the Northern Premier League) it has been necessary to ‘re-draw’ the boundary lines within the League.
For clarity, the three NPL divisions are listed below:"  
NPL Div 1 North West       NPL Div 1 North East           NPL Div 1 Central 
1    1874 Northwich              Bridlington Town                  Bedworth United   
2     Bootle                            Brighouse Town                  Belper Town
3     City of Liverpool            Cleethorpes Town               Cambridge City 
4     Clitheroe                        Dunston                              Carlton Town
5     Colne                             Frickley Athletic                  Chasetown    
6     Glossop North End        Hebburn Town                    Coleshill Town
7     Kendal Town                  Lincoln United                    Corby Town 
8     Kidsgrove Athletic          Liversedge                         Daventry Town  
9     Leek Town                      Marske United                   Halesowen Town 
10   Marine                            Ossett United                     Histon 
11   Market Drayton Town      Pickering Town                  Ilkeston Town 
12   Mossley                           Pontefract Collieries          Loughborough D 
13    Newcastle Town             Sheffield                            Shepshed Dynamo 
14    Prescot Cables              Shildon                               Soham Tn Rangers 
15    Ramsbottom United       Stocksbridge P Steels        Spalding United 
16    Runcorn Linnets             Stockton Town                   Sporting Khalsa 
17    Trafford                           Tadcaster Albion                Stamford 
18    Warrington Rylands        Worksop Town                   Sutton Coldfield T 
19    Widnes                           Yorkshire Amateur              Wisbech Town 
20    Workington                                                                Yaxley     
 

Last edited by Matchman (21/5/2021 12:07 PM)

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FROM LOUGHBOROUGH DYNAMO WEBSITE




A CLOSER LOOK AT THE NEW SIDES AHEAD OF 2021-22
By Sam Allen and Kieran King

Cambridge City (ILN)Based currently in Impington, Cambridgeshire, Cambridge City reached the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup last season, which means they only managed four league games in the Isthmian League North last season, winning and losing two each.Managed by former player Robbie Nightingale, The Lilywhites currently ground share with Histon FC but are poised to move to a new stadium in Sawston.They have played as high as the Conference South division; however, amid the legal disputes over the sale of their stadium Milton Road, City were demoted to the Southern League in 2008. The club failed to meet a ground grading requirement.Whilst ground sharing, they suffered another relegation when they lost their place in the Premier Division of the Southern League on the last day of the 2016/17 season.

Daventry Town (SPL1C)Daventry are a community-based Football Club operating as a Not-for-Profit Organisation since June 2016; they finished last season in sixth place after eight games in the Southern League Central Division.The club’s previous owner, Iain Humphrey, handed all control of the Football Club to a small group of supporters in 2016, and Daventry have made notable progress on and off the field since.On the pitch, the club has made a triumphant return to the Southern League after winning two league titles in just three seasons, doing the UCL Premier Division and UCL Knock Out Cup double in the 2018/19 season under manager Arron Parkinson.

Histon (ILN)Histon Football Club are based in the village of Histon and Impington, Cambridgeshire, joining us from the Isthmian League North Division along with Cambridge City.On 14 April 2007, Histon, now popularly known as the Stutes, beat Welling United 1–0 at Bridge Road to go 19 points clear at the top of the Conference South in the final table.Two days previously, officials from the Conference had passed Bridge Road as fit for Conference National football, paving the way for promotion - the club’s fourth in 7 years - to the highest point in the non-league pyramid.They managed four seasons in the Conference Premier before financial issues saw them fall back down to Step Four, where they find themselves now.After spending much of the 2019/20 season in the top half of the league’s North division, a mid-table finish looked to be on the cards before the season was curtailed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. They were in sixth after six games in the 2020/21 campaign.

Yaxley (SPL1C) Hailing from the same division as the aforementioned Daventry Town, Yaxley also derive from Cambridgeshire and play their home football at Leading Drove.In 2017–18 they won the United Counties League Premier Division, earning promotion to Division One Central of the Southern League, where they have remained since.They also played just six league games in the 2020/21 campaign, winning two, drawing two and losing two to finish off in 15th.Step 4 is the highest they have been as a club in the non-league pyramid since they were established in 1962.

Bedworth United (SPL1C) Bedworth United, who play at the Oval in Bedford, Warwickshire, made a successful start to the 2020/21 campaign ending up in second spot from eight games level on points with Corby Town.After WWII, the club were reformed as Bedworth Town. However, after several seasons struggling in the league, finishing bottom in 1959–60 and then finishing in the bottom five every season between 1962–63 and 1967–68, the club folded in 1968. A replacement club was formed under the name Bedworth United, which took over from Town in the West Midlands (Regional) League.Bedworth finished fourth in Division One South in 2017–18, qualifying for the play-offs. After beating Chasetown 2–1 in the semi-finals, they defeated Stamford 2–1 after extra time in the final to earn promotion to the Southern League Premier South Division, where they remained up to this point.

Corby Town (SPL1C)Corby Town Football Club were formed in 1948 and are the second club to represent the town, following Stewarts & Lloyds Corby, who were created 13 years earlier in 1935. The club’s nickname ‘The Steelmen’ derives from the old steelworks that were in Corby.They have played as high as the Conference North – for four seasons between 2009 and 2013 – and made the third round proper of the FA Cup back in 1966.As previously mentioned, along with Bedworth, The Steelman reached 15 points from their first eight games to take them to the top of the table last season.Their current manager Gary Mills played 200 times for Leicester City in the early 90s and has managed the likes of York City, Wrexham and Notts County before taking the reigns at Steel Park.

Halesowen Town (SPL1C)Based in the West Midlands, Halesowen may have found themselves a tad unfortunate to have not won promotion to Step 3 yet after being near the top of the Southern Premier League Division One Central within the previous two seasons.After reaching the semi-final of the Buildbase FA Trophy in 2019-20, The Yeltz were also sitting top based on their PPG in the league, but the curtailment of the season meant there was going to be no promotion.Paul Smith, however, managed to galvanise his side as they started last season well, with seven wins from their opening 12 matches and looked in good shape to challenge again. Halesowen are very well-supported, having averaged an attendance of 400 and will no doubt be near the top of the division come May 2022.

Coleshill Town (SPL1C)Despite never playing in the same division, Coleshill will be a familiar face to Dynamo supporters, having played the Warwickshire outfit in the previous two pre-seasons. Cameron Stuart’s side were promoted to Step 4 in 2017-18 after nine campaigns in the ninth tier of English football and have settled well to life at the level since.They finished ninth in their maiden season, before ending in 14th before 2019-20 was curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The two teams last played back in September just before the most recent season, as The Moes ran out 3-2 winners at Nanpantan Sports Ground and its poised to be a close encounter when they face off next term.

Shepshed Dynamo (UCL)Having missed out on promotion due to the coronavirus pandemic, Shepshed are back into Step 4 for the first time since 2012, courtesy of their PPG total accumulated since the start of 2019-20.Dynamo were the runaway leaders in the United Counties League that season as they climbed eight points clear of second-place Quorn. They also won their opening 11 matches, without conceding a goal in the process and continued that into the most recent season.Having lost just once in their first 10 last term, Damion Beckford-Quailey’s side were the only team from that division to be promoted into the Northern Premier League. Their last meeting with Dynamo came in 2018 as The Moes ran out 4-1 victors in the Westerby Cup semi-final.

Sporting Khalsa (MFL)Ian Rowe’s men celebrated promotion to the eighth tier for the first time in their history after coming close on a number of different occasions.Based in Willenhall, Khalsa were at the summit of the Midland Football League before the suspension of the season and deservedly were moved up a division for their efforts. The Lions, captained by St Kitts and Nevis international Tesfa Robinson, had the best PPG record in the league as they sat top before the curtailment of both seasons. Jake Gosling also sat at the top of the goalscoring charts, having netted 15 in 11 league matches.

 

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FROM BEDWORTH UNITED WEBSITE

League Restructure 18th May 2021  Club News, First Team   /by Stuart Roe

With the Leagues restructuring which was announced today Bedworth United have been entered into the NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE – MIDLANDS DIVISION where we will be joined by: Belper Town, Cambridge City, Carlton Town, Chasetown, Coleshill Town, Corby Town, Daventry Town, Halesowen Town, Histon, Ilkeston Town, Loughborough Town, Shepshed Dynamo, Soham Town Rangers, Spalding, Sporting Khalsa, Stamford, Sutton Coldfield Town, Wisbech Town and Yaxley

For most of the teams in this league this is a sideways movement with only Shepshed Dynamo and Sporting Khalsa having an upward movement into step 4

Chairman Neill Rayson-Randle said after the announcement “This is good news for the club we are happy with the teams around us and with less travelling it will be better economically for all the clubs within this new league reducing travelling costs over the season.  Hopefully it will encourage more supporters from all teams to travel to away games and therefore raise the footprint of non league football across the midlands region”

Manager Stu Storer stated “As the new league announcements have just been revealed at 3 pm today I was so pleased that we have been placed into the new Northern Premier League Midlands Division. This is great news for all connected with the football club in so many differing ways.

This decision is a relief as there could have been quite a bit of travelling in the North West Division, but fortunately being placed in the new league has reduced this time-consuming travel prospect massively. Obviously, we are moving from the Southern section to the Northern section but I am delighted we have been placed in a Midland Division with many tasty games against more local clubs. It is going to be a tough and challenging league but I am thoroughly looking forward to the up-and-coming season now the restructuring of the leagues has been sorted, as we can forge forward with our plans.”

On the whole there is positivity around the announcement and planning for the 2021-22 season can start now.


 

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Next season we have 8 away journeys of around 70 miles or more (see below)


                                           Miles to 
                                           Ground

Soham  Town Rangers           102
Cambridge  City                       98
Histon                                       98  
Wisbech Town                          90
Halesowen Town                      69
Corby Town                              69
Spalding United                        68
Yaxley                                       67


Last season we had only 4 similar long journeys 

Cleethorpes                              96
Wisbech                                    90
Spalding                                    68
Glossop                                     69




 

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Northern Premier League  -  early betting odds from #jeffbet

Northern Premier League : Midlands Division:
Belper Town 4/1
Spalding United  6/1
Stamford  7/1
Ilkeston Town 8/1
Cambridge City  10/1
Histon 14/1
Carlton Town 16/1  


Northern Premier League :  East Division:
Worksop Town 6/1
Cleethorpes Town 13/2
Hebburn Town  8/1
Marske United  10/1
Frickley Athletic  14/1
Ossett United  16/1
Pontefract Collieries 18/1 


Northern Premier League :  West Division 
Marine  3/1
Leek Town  5/1
Workington  8/1
Prescot Cables  10/1
Warrington Rylands 16/1
Kidsgrove Athletic  18/1
City of Liverpool  20/1



Not surprised that Marine have the shortest odds after the shed load of money they made from their FA Cup run.

Last edited by Matchman (22/5/2021 6:20 AM)

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 Of the 20 teams promoted from Step 5 to Step 4: 

6 went into Northern Premier League East
      Bridlington Town
      Hebburn Town
      Liversedge
      Shildon
      Stockton Town
      Yorkshire Amateur 

3 went into Northern Premier League West
      Bootle
      Warrington Rylands 

2 went into Northern Premier League Midlands
      Shepshed Dynamo
      Sporting Khalsa 

2 went into Southern League South
      Leamington Town
      Plymouth Parkway  

1 went into Southern League Central
      Colney Heath

 2 went into Isthmian League South Central
      Binfield 
    Sutton Common Rovers 

2 went into Isthmian League North
      Hashtag United
      Stowmarket Town 

2 went into Isthmian League South East
      Corinthian
      Lancing   



More information here :

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16_EZ88puNicbotEQPMzkyh_eBmJ3pu40CjI69h4LceU/edit#gid=2083375159  


It' a great pity Guernsey weren't laterally moved into Northern Premier League Midlands Division. That would have made up for the loss of our Cleethorpes seaside trip.

Last edited by Matchman (25/5/2021 7:41 AM)

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SHEPSHED DYNAMO AND SPORTING KHALSA ON NPL SHOW


 

BECKFORD QUAILEY SPEAKS TO NPL SHOW     
BY SHEPSHED NEWSDESK


This evening Dynamo Manager Damion Beckford Quailey speaks to The NPL Radio showThe whole show can be heard here -

 NPL SHOW 

 

Last edited by Matchman (27/5/2021 8:51 AM)

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According to the Cambridge Independent, Histon have also lodged an appeal against their placement in the Northern Premier Midland Division    


"Cambridge City and Histon lodge appeals after being placed in Northern Premier League Duo have been placed in Division One Midlands which will mean increased travel"


https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/sport/football/



                                                        **************************************************


I think that their chances of a move back to the Isthmian League are slim. They do have legitimate grounds for their appeal but there will always be teams on the geographical boundaries of their proposed league who face more travelling.  
 
The number of clubs in each league is unlikely to change so if any changes were to be granted, it could then bring about further appeals from the clubs who have had to be moved as a consequence.
 
There could never be a solution where every club’s travel is similar and there was always going to be winners and losers following the restructure.  For that reason, I think it unlikely that any appeals will be successful.


 

Last edited by Matchman (29/5/2021 4:28 AM)

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So Cambridge and Histon have made their appeals public.

Not sure if Soham Town Rangers have also appealed.  Maybe they have not.

The three clubs are geographically close and were moved laterally together so I can't see Cambridge and Histon being moved without Soham so it may be a case of all three being moved or none at all.

Personally I was looking forward to visiting these grounds (especially Cambridge's new ground when completed)

​

 

I can't see the FA granting any appeals as do to so for the few would open the floodgates for the many! I may be wrong but I would be very surprised.

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Step 4 (Ilkeston’s level) 

Promotion from Step 4 looks straight forward :

Two teams get promoted  :  Champions go up automatically plus the winner of the four team playoffs.
 


Relegation looks not so straight forward 

Bear in mind there are 8 leagues at step 4 and 16 leagues at Step 5 

This is my interpretation of how relegation from Step 4 works 

Four teams from the each of the eight step 4 leagues are at risk of relegation 

The bottom two in each Step 4 league are automatically relegated to Step 5

The teams finishing 3rd and 4th bottom in each of the eight Step 4 leagues (ie 16 teams) play off against the 16 teams from Step 5 who finish runners up. ( a one off game with the Step 4 clubs having home advantage)

 In other words the teams finishing 3rd and 4th bottom have a chance to avoid relegation by beating one of the 16 teams finishing runner up from step 5.  

Looking at it from a Step 5 point of view 
The Champions in each of the sixteen Step 5 leagues are automatically promoted.  The runners up in each of the sixteen Step 5 leagues will be promoted if they can beat one of the Step 4 teams who finished 3rd or 4th bottom in a one off away game). 
Who plays who in the these playoffs will be decided on a geographical basis once the competing teams are known with the aim of avoiding excessive travelling.

Where a club finishing top does not meet the minimum criteria for promotion to the next step, the club finishing second shall be promoted with the third placed club becoming eligible to play in the step 5/4 playoffs


The following applies at all Steps :
If a club becomes eligible to take part in a playoff match and refuses to take part or if a club qualifies for promotion and refuses to be promoted then that club shall be relegated from that division 




 

Last edited by Matchman (14/6/2021 8:06 AM)

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It's over two weeks since Cambridge and Histon submitted appeals against being placed in the NPL Midlands Division.

With this length of time it seems like the FA are giving serious consideration to the concerns of both clubs. 



Ollie Bayliss[/url][url=https://twitter.com/Ollie_Bayliss]@Ollie_Bayliss[/url]·Jun 12 FC Isle of Man will be moved from the Division One North to the Division One South of the North West Counties League for the 2021/22 season. The move follows a request from the club.  [url=https://twitter.com/Ollie_Bayliss/status/1403807347168980995/photo/1]

Strange one this. Why would Isle of Man want to move Divisions?
North West Counties League Division One North had 20 teams and Division One South had 19 teams so moving them from the North Division to the South Division didn't cause another club to move in the opposite direction.

 

Last edited by Matchman (14/6/2021 7:40 AM)

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We're still waiting for the result of Cambridge and Histon's appeals. This is how the local Cambridge newspaper reported their predicament.

Cambridge City and Histon lodge appeals after being placed in Northern Premier League 

Cambridge City and Histon are appealing the decision to move them into the Northern Premier League, Division One Midlands amid fears that it could increase the financial burden on the clubs.Both sides, along with Soham Town Rangers locally, have been switched from the Isthmian League, North Division to the Midlands as part of the new National League Structure announced by the FA last week.
It means they face trips to the likes of Belper Town, Coleshill Town, Chasetown and Ilkeston Town, and both clubs are concerned about the subsequent implications. It is the second new league for City in three years, having been in the Southern League Central in 2018.
“From Cambridge to Halesowen, Sutton Coldfield, all of those Midland clubs, we will probably end up needing to take coaches and when you break that down, it’s probably another £6,000 or £7,000 on top of the running costs,” said City manager Robbie Nightingale. “We’re coming from the Isthmian North League where we haven’t had one coach. People will say you don’t need to have coaches but we don’t expect people to travel from the other side of Cambridge for two-and-half, three hours to games without supplying some sort of transport. “We’ve been moved twice in three years so there is a league ruling that you can oppose that decision with valid reasons. I think we probably do have pretty good reasons to seek an appeal if we so wish, just purely because we’re actually moving into a new ground that is on the M11 heading towards London within three or four months.” 

Histon boss Lance Key felt it was vital that supporters knew the club were trying to do something about the FA’s decision, echoing many of Nightingale’s thoughts. “I don’t think it’s acceptable that ourselves, Cambridge City and Soham get put into this league with all the extra mileage that there will be,” he said.  
“I think Howard (Wilkin) our secretary along with the chairman have come up with statistics that it is something like 38 per cent more mileage, more hours in the car, bigger round trips in general, and the finances for the club would be hit massively because of a lack of local derbies.
“I’m not sure the powers that be have really thought this through, or how geographically it works for them. “You’ve got teams like St Neots in the Southern Central, and they are on the A1 - I’m not saying they should be in that league either, but they are closer to it than we are. “I don’t know how they work it, or where these lines cross on the grid but we are going to appeal because we feel if we don’t then we’ve let our fans down. Also, it’s in the best interest of the football club. I’m not saying we will win, but if we don’t ask the question then we will never know.”

At present, City are groundsharing with Histon but they hope to be in their new home at Sawston by December and that would give them direct access to the M11 and a quicker route south for the Ryman League.They are also conscious that when they were switched from the Southern League to the Ryman League it led to a lot of squad upheaval as players took into account the change in travel demands, which could be a big factor again.
“It has a big knock-on effect to everything really," said Nightingale. “We spoke how hard it was before moving from the Southern League to the Ryman League."Having lost 10 players overnight with that decision, we don’t want to be in the same position where we are getting phone calls with five, six, seven or eight players saying it’s not for me any more, I can’t commit to that travelling.  “We have to bear that in mind.
We also have to bear in mind our fans, volunteers and people that follow us away from home - it’s a long way to go to some of those games. "It means they have not looked at possible opponents or started forward planning. “Before we start looking at the teams and groups of players we will come up against, it’s a question of whether it fits for us logistically as a football club and the costs we’re going to incur are so much greater than the ones we’ve incurred for the last two years," added Nightingale.“They are very much big decisions and financial decisions which come down to have we got £6,000/ £7,000 sitting there for coach travel. It’s the things we have to weigh up and process."Histon would have to weigh up the cost of hiring coaches, or buying or leasing a minibus. They have already lost two players for a combination of the travel and their jobs, and have at least a further three sharing their concerns. “This then causes another problem for the club because I know Cambridge City went through this about three or four years ago when they went through this [being moved leagues] once before,” said Key. “Players have jobs and the football side of it is just an added token to what they do; it’s a hobby they love to do but then you have to address the length of travel you have to do.“I go back to my days at Histon [as a player] but that was a bit different because I was used to it, as such. These guys, their job comes first and that is the most important thing. “When you start adding in 300-mile trips on a Saturday afternoon or possibly a Tuesday night with postponements, it then becomes a different ball game. “I don’t think it’s very fair from the FA that we, like Cambridge City and Soham, have been put in this league.”To rub salt into the wound, the clubs have to pay to appeal the decision. 
 

Last edited by Matchman (18/6/2021 3:34 PM)