National League clubs demand three promotion spots

National League clubs demand three promotion spots

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The EFL Board has received a letter from all 72 National League clubs asking for three promotion and relegation spots to be added to the two leagues starting next year.

Prior to 1987, automatic promotion was not possible, with the bottom four EFL clubs having to survive a member club’s election to take their place. A second promotion place was introduced in 2003 via the play-off system.

Although the National League and EFL had fruitful discussions about expanding that to three, negotiations have stalled. Once the soon-to-be-installed Independent Regulator has resolved the significant funding dispute between the EFL and the Premier League, the Football League say they will resolve the issue.

“The regulator will be set up in law this year, I am fairly certain of that”, Ives said.

“But by the time it is set up, started, staff trained and all the elements of the Bill are in place and then, potentially, the dispute between the Premier League and EFL has been aired with a backstop, that could be three years.

” Then we have the discussion on the three-up campaign, which will delay it by another year. That could be four seasons.

Because you can ascend from the bottom to the top purely on your sporting merit, the pyramid that we have is envy of nations all over the world. However, the transition between the National League and EFL is obstructed. Two-up, two-down is simply unfair.

” I would think the vast majority of fans, looking at it objectively, would see the unfairness. We want a fairer system. “

When Ives appeared at a reception held by the Premier League in the Houses of Parliament in April, the relationship between the EFL and the National League strained.

National League clubs are concerned that their legal costs would be lower if the regulator fought with them in expensive disputes.

The EFL believes that the National League’s position undermined their demands for more money from the Premier League.

There are 15 former EFL clubs in the National League. Over the past decade, eight out of the 19 teams relegated from League Two have been promoted.

Ives cannot see a reason why EFL clubs would reject the three-up, three-down concept.

Ives responded, “I’m frequently asked why League One and League Two clubs vote for it.” I’d rather look at it another way. You want to give yourself the best chance to advance if you accidentally enter that extremely narrow trap door and have to try to exit it.

Bromley defeated Solihull Moors in the play-off final to finish 16th in the standings, while Chesterfield won the National League last year and are currently 10th in League Two.

In the fifth tier, Sutton United and Forest Green Rovers are the two relegated clubs that are second and 10th.

The EFL stated in a statement that “the league has consistently emphasized that it should look both upward and downward when considering future changes.”

Related topics

  • Football
  • National League

Source: BBC

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