English National League

association football division in England
(Redirected from Football Conference)

The National League is a league for Association football teams in England (though some teams come from Wales). It is the fifth highest division of Football in England. The league is made up of professional and non professional clubs.

English National League
Founded1977 (as The Football Conference) (45 years)
Country
Number of teams24
Level on pyramid5
Promotion to
Relegation to
  • National League North
  • National League South
League cup(s)

History

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The league was created in 1979 from the Northern Premier League and the Southern League. In 1987, teams began to be promoted to Football League Two, and since 2003, a second team was also promoted. The league was renamed from the Conference National to the National League in 2015.[1] Vanarama also announced their sponsorship the same year, so the league became the Vanarama National League.

In 2004, two divisions were created below the main league, known as the National League North and National League South. In 2006, the league expanded from 22 to 24 teams.

Champions

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Season Champions
2013–14 Luton Town
2014–15 Barnet
2015–16 Cheltenham Town
2016–17 Lincoln City
2017–18 Macclesfield Town
2018–19 Leyton Orient
2019–20 Barrow
2020–21 Sutton United
2021–22 Stockport County
2022–23 Wrexham

References

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  1. "Football Conference to be renamed as National League". BBC Sport. 6 April 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2020.