National League North
The National League North, formerly Conference North (named the Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons), is a division of the National League in England, taking its place immediately below the top division National League. Along with the National League South, it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of the English football league system. It consists of teams located in Northern England, Norfolk and the English Midlands. Since the start of the 2015–16 season, the league has been known as the National League North.[1] As part of a sponsorship deal with Vanarama, the National League North was renamed the Vanarama National League North.[1]
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| Founded | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Number of teams | 22 |
| Level on pyramid | 6 Step 2 (National League System) |
| Promotion to | National League |
| Relegation to | Northern Premier League Premier Division Southern Football League Premier Division |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Cup FA Trophy |
| International cup(s) | Europa League (via FA Cup) |
| Current champions | King's Lynn Town (2019–20 season) |
| Website | National League |
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History
The Conference North was introduced in 2004 as part of a major restructuring of English non-League football.[2] The champions are automatically promoted to the National League. A second promotion place goes to the winners of play-offs involving the teams finishing in second to seventh place (expanded from four to six teams in the 2017–18 season).[3] The three bottom clubs are relegated to Step 3 leagues. Teams from this division, as well as from the National League South, enter the FA Cup at the Second Qualifying Round.
For sponsorship reasons, the division was known as the Nationwide North from its formation in 2004 until 2007, when it was renamed the Blue Square North. In 2010 it was renamed the Blue Square Bet North. When the Blue Square sponsorship ended in 2013, it was renamed the Skrill North until the 2014–15 season, when it was renamed the Vanarama North. A further name change followed in 2015, when the division was renamed the Vanarama National League North.
The National League North will expand to 24 teams in 2021, when the bottom two clubs will be relegated and four promoted from Step 3 after the 2020–21 season. Four will be relegated starting in 2022.[4][5]
Member clubs for 2019–20
The member clubs for the 2019–20 season are as follows:
| Club | Finishing position 2018–19 |
|---|---|
| A.F.C. Telford United | 8th |
| Alfreton Town | 15th |
| Altrincham | 5th |
| Blyth Spartans | 6th |
| Boston United | 11th |
| Brackley Town | 3rd |
| Bradford (Park Avenue) | 7th |
| Chester | 9th |
| Curzon Ashton | 18th |
| Darlington | 16th |
| Farsley Celtic | 1st in Northern Premier League Premier Division |
| Gateshead | Demoted from National League Premier Division |
| Gloucester City | 17th in National League South (Transferred to National League North for 2019/20 season) |
| Guiseley | 19th |
| Hereford | 17th |
| Kettering Town | 1st in Southern League Central Premier Division |
| Kidderminster Harriers | 10th |
| King's Lynn | 2nd in Southern League Central Premier Division (Won playoffs) |
| Leamington | 13th |
| Southport | 14th |
| Spennymoor Town | 4th |
| York City | 12th |
League champions
The winners of the league title and the winners of the play-off final since the league's formation in 2004 are as follows:
League stadiums for 2019/20
The stadiums of all the teams in the league for the 2019/20 season are listed below:
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | Seated Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.F.C. Telford United | New Bucks Head | 6,300 | 2,200 |
| Alfreton Town | North Street | 3,600 | 1,500 |
| Altrincham | Moss Lane | 6,085 | 1,323 |
| Blyth Spartans | Croft Park | 4,435 | 560 |
| Boston United | York Street | 6,643 | 1,826 |
| Brackley Town | St. James Park | 3,500 | 600 |
| Bradford (Park Avenue) | Horsfall Stadium | 3,500 | 1,247 |
| Chester | Deva Stadium | 5,376 | 4,170 |
| Curzon Ashton | Tameside Stadium | 4,000 | 527 |
| Darlington | Blackwell Meadows | 3,299 | 588 |
| Farsley Celtic | The Citadel | 3,900 | 400 |
| Gateshead | Gateshead International Stadium | 11,800 | 11,800 |
| Gloucester City | Jubilee Stadium | 3,000 | 300 |
| Guiseley | Nethermoor Park | 4,000 | 500 |
| Hereford | Edgar Street | 4,913 | 2,750 |
| Kettering Town | Latimer Park | 3,000 | 584 |
| Kidderminster Harriers | Aggborough | 6,238 | 3,140 |
| King's Lynn | The Walks | 8,200 | 1,200 |
| Leamington | New Windmill Ground | 3,000 | 250 |
| Southport | Haig Avenue | 6,008 | 1,660 |
| Spennymoor Town | The Brewery Field | 6,000 | 300 |
| York City | Bootham Crescent | 8,256[6] | 3,409[6] |
League records
| Record home win | Fleetwood Town 8–0 Redditch United, 14 November 2009[7] Altrincham 8–0 Hinckley United, 17 November 2012[8] |
| Record away win | Redditch United 0–9 Boston United, 21 August 2010[9] |
| Highest-scoring game | A.F.C. Fylde 9–2 Boston United, 19 November 2016[10] |
| Most points in a season | 107 points – Chester (2012–13) |
| Most wins in a season | 34 – Chester (2012–13) |
| Fewest defeats in a season | 3 – Chester (2012–13) |
| Most goals scored in a season | 109 – A.F.C. Fylde (2016–17) |
| Largest positive goal difference | 71 – Chester (2012–13) |
| Most league titles | 2 – Southport (2004–05, 2009–10) |
| Most consecutive wins | 15 games (21 Feb 2006 to 22 April 2006) – Northwich Victoria |
| Most consecutive clean sheets | 10 games (30 Aug 2010 to 9 November 2010) – Boston United |
| Longest unbeaten run | 30 games (15 Sep 2012 to 6 April 2013) – Chester |
| Largest Attendance | 6311 (3 Mar 2019) – Stockport County |
References
- "BBC Sport – Football Conference to be renamed as National League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
- "Football Conference – History". Football Conference. Archived from the original on 16 September 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
- "National League North 2017-18 Season Preview - The Vanarama National League". www.thenationalleague.org.uk. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- Edkins, Matt (17 April 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: FA outline second phase of Non-League restructuring". The Non-League Football Paper (Interview).
- "Update on non-League, women's & grassroots football seasons". The Football Association. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- "York City: Bootham Crescent". Football Ground Guide. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- "Fleetwood Town 8-0 Redditch Utd". BBC Sport. 14 November 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
- "Altrincham vs. Hinckley United 8 - 0". Soccerway. 17 November 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
- "Redditch United 0-9 Boston United". BBC Sport. 21 August 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
- "AFC Fylde: 10 Things". F.C. Halifax Town. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2018.