Non-League football - Citizendia

Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Football is the National sport of England and plays a significant role in English culture. The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs The Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons is a league competition featuring professional football clubs The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football League were therefore non-League clubs. This is a list of football clubs located in England and the leagues and divisions they play in (though note that not all play in the English football league system

In Scotland, football outside the top four divisions consists of the Junior leagues together with a number of Senior Leagues, although the term non-League is also commonly used. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. History Junior football as distinguished from senior football has existed since the early 1880s It is also used throughout Europe.

The "League" of "non-League football" refers to the Football League, rather than leagues in general - "non-League" clubs play most of their football in league competitions. There are many leagues below the level of The Football League, and some, such as the Northern League, are almost as old as the League itself. History The Northern League ran as one of two major amateur competitions (with the Isthmian League) in tandem with the professional Football League Southern League The most senior of these leagues are loosely organised by The Football Association, the sport's governing body in England, into a National League System (NLS). The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey The National League System comprises the seven levels of the English football league system immediately below the level of the FA Premier League and The Football The NLS has seven levels or steps, and includes over 50 separate leagues, many with more than one division.

Prior to 1987 there was no automatic promotion and relegation between The Football League and the leagues of non-League football. The bottom clubs of The Football League were required to apply for re-election to the League at the end of the season, but this was in most cases a mere formality. The system ensured that Football League membership remained relatively static, with non-League clubs having almost no chance of joining.

However major change came in 1987 when automatic promotion and relegation of one club between The Football League and The Football Conference, the top league in non-League football, was introduced, subject to the eligible club meeting the required facility and financial standards. 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 Scarborough became the first non-League club to win automatic promotion to The Football League, and Lincoln City became the first League club to be relegated to the ranks of non-League football. Scarborough Football Club was an English football team based in the seaside resort of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Lincoln City FC are an English football team currently playing in Football League Two (the fourth tier of the English football league system Since 2003 two clubs from the Conference (the champions and the winners of a playoff) have been promoted at the end of each season.

The entire English football league system includes the Premier League, The Football League, the NLS leagues, and any local leagues that have feeder relationships with an NLS league. The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in England (although

In women's football, the non-League term is used for those clubs in the divisions below the FA Women's Premier League's two regional second divisions. The FA Women's Premier League is the major Women's football Competition in England.

See also