Football Conference
From Free net encyclopedia
The Football Conference is a football league at the top of the National League System of so-called non-league football in England. Conference National is the highest of the three divisions within The Football Conference, and Conference North and Conference South serve as regional feeders one step down. The Football Conference consisted of only one division up until 2004, but expanded as part of an extensive restructuring of the National League System which took effect beginning with the 2004-05 season.
Contents |
Organisation
The Football Conference stands at the top of the National League System (NLS), a comprehensive structure linking together over 50 different leagues under the auspices of The Football Association (FA). Conference National is at Step 1 of the NLS, and Conference North and Conference South make up Step 2. Above the Conference are the 92 clubs which together make up the highest levels of English football, the FA Premier League and The Football League; below the Conference are the Step 3 and lower leagues of the NLS.
Each division in The Football Conference has 22 clubs. Each club plays the others in its division twice during a season, once at home and once away, for a total of 42 games played. Clubs earn three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss.
At the end of each season two clubs are promoted from Conference National to the Football League Two and two teams from League Two are relegated to Conference National to take their place. The two promotion places are awarded to the Conference National champions and to the winners of a playoff between those clubs finishing second to fifth in the standings. At the other end of the table, the bottom three clubs in Conference National are relegated to either Conference North or Conference South. The decision as to which division the relegated club joins is made by the FA's NLS Committee, but is largely determined by geography.
The three relegated clubs are replaced by clubs from Conference North and Conference South. These clubs are the champions of their respective divisions, plus the winner of a match between the winners of a playoff between the second to fifth place clubs in Conference North and their counterparts in Conference South.
This arrangement has changed for the 2005-2006 season. In order to increase the Conference National from 22 to 24 teams, there will only be two relegation places this season. Four teams will be promoted; the champions and playoff winners from both Conference North and Conference South. Starting from season 2006-2007, there will be a permanent arrangement of the bottom four teams in Conference National being relegated to be replaced by two promoted teams from each of the two feeder divisions.
At the bottom of Conference North and Conference South, three clubs from each division are relegated and these six clubs are divided among the Step 3 leagues of the NLS, the Northern Premier League, the Southern League, and the Isthmian League. Each of these Step 3 leagues promotes their respective champions and second to fifth place playoff winners. The NLS Committee determines which Step 3 leagues the relegated clubs will join, and whether the promoted clubs will join Conference North or Conference South.
For promotion to proceed, whether from The Football Conference to The Football League, within the Conference, or between the various leagues of the NLS, certain conditions concerning finances and facilities must be met. Failure to meet the requirements of the league concerned will prevent the eligible club from being promoted.
History
The Football Conference was formed in 1979 from teams in the Northern Premier League and Southern League and was originally known as the Alliance Premier League. Since 1984 it has been publicly known by the names of a succession of official title sponsors. The name was officially changed to the Football Conference in 1986. Below is a list of sponsors and what they chose to call the league:
- 1984-1986: Gola (Gola League)
- 1986-1998: General Motors (GM Vauxhall Conference)
- 1998-2007: Nationwide Building Society (Nationwide Conference)
Automatic promotion and relegation between the Conference and The Football League was first introduced for one club in 1987, and increased to two in 2003.
The Football Conference had a single division for the first 25 years of its existence, but beginning with the 2004-05 season expanded to three divisions. The original division was renamed Conference National and two new regional divisions one level down were introduced, Conference North and Conference South. The new clubs were drawn from the Northern Premier League, Southern League, and Isthmian League according to guidelines developed by the NLS Committee.
Only six teams have had the honour of winning the Conference on two occasions; Altrincham (1980, 1981), Barnet (1991, 2005), Enfield (1983, 1986), Kidderminster Harriers (1994, 2000) Macclesfield Town (1995, 1997) and Maidstone United (1984, 1989). Kidderminster also finished 2nd in 1997. Altrincham are the only team in history to retain the title, mainly due to the fact that in the era of the first success in 1980, there was no automatic promotion to the Football League.
Conference clubs, 2005-2006
Teams in bold have played in the Football League.
Past Conference winners
| Season | Conference National | Conference North | Conference South |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-80 | Altrincham | ||
| 1980-81 | Altrincham | ||
| 1981-82 | Runcorn | ||
| 1982-83 | Enfield | ||
| 1983-84 | Maidstone United | ||
| 1984-85 | Wealdstone | ||
| 1985-86 | Enfield | ||
| 1986-87 | Scarborough* | ||
| 1987-88 | Lincoln City* | ||
| 1988-89 | Maidstone United* | ||
| 1989-90 | Darlington* | ||
| 1990-91 | Barnet* | ||
| 1991-92 | Colchester United* | ||
| 1992-93 | Wycombe Wanderers* | ||
| 1993-94 | Kidderminster Harriers | ||
| 1994-95 | Macclesfield Town | ||
| 1995-96 | Stevenage Borough | ||
| 1996-97 | Macclesfield Town* | ||
| 1997-98 | Halifax Town* | ||
| 1998-99 | Cheltenham Town* | ||
| 1999-2000 | Kidderminster Harriers* | ||
| 2000-01 | Rushden & Diamonds* | ||
| 2001-02 | Boston United* | ||
| 2002-03 | Yeovil Town* | ||
| 2003-04 | Chester City* | ||
| 2004-05 | Barnet* | Southport | Grays Athletic |
| 2005-06 | Accrington Stanley* | - | - |
| * Promoted to The Football League (Fourth Division until 1991, Third Division from 1992 until 2003 and League Two since) | |||
Former Conference clubs now in The Football League
| Club | Years in the Conference |
|---|---|
| Barnet | 1979-1991; 2001-2005 |
| Boston United | 1979-1993; 2000-2002 |
| Carlisle United | 2004-2005 |
| Cheltenham Town | 1985-1992; 1997-1999 |
| Chester City | 1999-2004 |
| Colchester United | 1990-1992 |
| Darlington | 1989-1990 |
| Doncaster Rovers | 1998-2003 |
| Lincoln City | 1987-1988 |
| Macclesfield Town | 1987-1997 |
| Rushden & Diamonds | 1996-2001 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 2003-2004 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 1985-1986; 1987-1993 |
| Yeovil Town | 1979-1985; 1988-1995; 1997-2003 |
See also
External links
| Football in England (Women's) | ||
|---|---|---|
| League competitions | The FA | Cup competitions |
| FA Premier League | England (men) | FA Cup (Women's) |
| The Football League (Champ, 1, 2) | (women) | League Cup |
| Football Conference (Nat, N, S) | List of clubs | FA Community Shield |
| Northern Premier League (Prem, 1) | List of venues | Football League Trophy |
| Southern League (Prem, 1W, 1E) | (by capacity) | FA Trophy |
| Isthmian League (Prem, 1, 2) | List of leagues | FA Vase |
| English football league system | Records | FA NLS Cup |
fr:Football Conférence it:Football Conference nl:Football Conference simple:Football Conference