National League North

The National League North, formerly the Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League System, and at the sixth tier overall of the English football league system. It consists of teams mostly located in Northern England and the English Midlands, as well as two teams from East Anglia. Since the start of the 2015–16 season, the league has been known as the National League North[1] (Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons[1]).

"Conference North" redirects here. For other topics, see North Conference (disambiguation).

National League North
Founded2004
CountryEngland
Number of teams24
Level on pyramid6
Step 2 (National League System)
Promotion toNational League
Relegation toNorthern Premier League Premier Division
Southern Football League Premier Division Central
Domestic cup(s)FA Cup
FA Trophy
International cup(s)Europa League
(via FA Cup)
Current championsAFC Fylde (2nd title)
(2022–23)
Most championships
WebsiteNational League
Current: 2022–23 National League North

The longest tenured team currently competing in the National League North is Gloucester City, having been in the National League North since the 2009–10 season.

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 was scheduled to expand to 24 teams in 2021.[4][5] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the 2020–21 National League North season was curtailed and voided after written resolutions were put to a vote. No teams were relegated.[6] Expansion would be at last implemented before the 2022–23 season when the bottom club was relegated and four promoted from Step 3.[7]

Member clubs for 2022–23

The member clubs for the 2022–23 season are as follows:

Division of Level 6 teams by English Counties (2022–23)
Club Finishing position 2021–22
AFC Fylde3rd
AFC Telford United20th
Alfreton Town9th
Banbury United1st (Southern League)
Blyth Spartans19th
Boston United7th
Brackley Town2nd
Bradford (Park Avenue)18th
Buxton1st (Northern Premier League)
Chester16th
Chorley6th
Curzon Ashton14th
Darlington13th
Farsley Celtic21st
Gloucester City17th
Hereford12th
Kettering Town8th
Kidderminster Harriers4th
King's Lynn Town21st (National League)
Leamington15th
Peterborough Sports2nd (Southern League)
Scarborough Athletic3rd (Northern Premier League)
Southport11th
Spennymoor Town10th

League champions
Conference North Trophy awarded to Southport, 2009–10 season.

The winners of the league title and the winners of the play-off final since the league's formation in 2004 are as follows:

SeasonWinnerPlay-off winner
2004–05SouthportAltrincham
2005–06Northwich VictoriaStafford Rangers
2006–07DroylsdenFarsley Celtic
2007–08Kettering TownBarrow
2008–09TamworthGateshead
2009–10Southport (2)Fleetwood Town
2010–11Alfreton TownAFC Telford United
2011–12HydeNuneaton Town
2012–13ChesterFC Halifax Town
2013–14AFC Telford UnitedAltrincham
2014–15BarrowGuiseley
2015–16Solihull MoorsNorth Ferriby United
2016–17AFC FyldeFC Halifax Town
2017–18Salford CityHarrogate Town
2018–19Stockport CountyChorley
2019–20King's Lynn TownAltrincham
2020–21None, season curtailed and voided
2021–22GatesheadYork City
2022–23AFC Fylde (2)Kidderminster Harriers FC

League stadiums for 2022–23

The home stadiums for all of the teams in the league for the 2022–23 season are listed below:

Locations of the National League North 2022–23 teams
Team Location Stadium Capacity
AFC Fylde WeshamMill Farm6,000
AFC Telford United TelfordNew Bucks Head6,300
Alfreton Town AlfretonNorth Street3,600
Banbury United BanburySpencer Stadium6,500[8]
Blyth Spartans BlythCroft Park4,435
Boston United BostonBoston Community Stadium5,000
Brackley Town BrackleySt. James Park3,500
Bradford (Park Avenue) BradfordHorsfall Stadium3,500
BuxtonBuxton The Silverlands5,200
Chester ChesterDeva Stadium6,500
Chorley ChorleyVictory Park4,100
Curzon Ashton Ashton-under-LyneTameside Stadium4,000
Darlington DarlingtonBlackwell Meadows3,300
Farsley Celtic FarsleyThe Citadel3,900
Gloucester City GloucesterMeadow Park4,000
Hereford HerefordEdgar Street5,213
Kettering Town KetteringLatimer Park (groundshare with Burton Park Wanderers)3,269
Kidderminster Harriers KidderminsterAggborough7,000
King's Lynn Town King's LynnThe Walks8,200
Leamington LeamingtonNew Windmill Ground3,050
Peterborough Sports PeterboroughLincoln Road2,300
Scarborough Athletic ScarboroughFlamingo Land Stadium2,833
Southport SouthportHaig Avenue6,008
Spennymoor Town SpennymoorThe Brewery Field6,000

League records
Record home win Chorley 9-0 Gloucester City, 4 September 2021
Record away win Redditch United 0–9 Boston United, 21 August 2010[9]
Highest-scoring game AFC 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 – AFC Fylde (2016–17)
Largest positive goal difference 71 – Chester (2012–13)
Most league titles 2 – AFC Fylde (2016–17, 2022–23) and Southport (2004–05, 2009–10)
Most consecutive wins 15 games (21 February 2006 to 22 April 2006) – Northwich Victoria
Most consecutive clean sheets 10 games (30 August 2010 to 9 November 2010) – Boston United
Longest unbeaten run 30 games (15 September 2012 to 6 April 2013) – Chester
Largest attendance 7,488 (21 May 2022) – York City (vs Boston United)

See also

References
  1. "Football Conference to be renamed as National League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  2. "Football Conference – History". Football Conference. Archived from the original on 16 September 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  3. "National League North 2017-18 Season Preview". Vanarama National League. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  4. Edkins, Matt (17 April 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: FA outline second phase of Non-League restructuring". The Non-League Football Paper (Interview).
  5. "Update on non-League, women's & grassroots football seasons". The Football Association. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  6. Osborn, Oliver (18 February 2021). "National League Statement | Outcome Of Written Resolutions". Vanarama National League. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  7. "National League: Football Association confirms promotion and relegation for 2021-22". BBC Sport. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  8. "Banbury United". Non-League Club Directory. Archived from the original on 2 July 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  9. "Redditch United 0-9 Boston United". BBC Sport. 21 August 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  10. "AFC Fylde: 10 Things". FC Halifax Town. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.