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The Elephant In The Stadium

The Elephant In The Stadium

Jay Taylor28 Mar 2017 - 11:54
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Article by Ian Clark.....

There is something we should all be talking about. It’s the most important thing in years. It’s going to be big; life-changing even. And it’s on its way in our direction at a rapid rate of knots. Yet almost nobody is even aware of it, let alone having any say in the planning for it… No. I’m not referring to Brexit, I’m sure you’re all relieved to hear! We’ve all heard enough of that to last a lifetime, haven’t we? No. It’s something far more important than that! The big issue I’m on about is the forthcoming reorganisation of the Non-league Pyramid!

So, what DO we know about the impending changes? Well, very little actually. Only the very eagle-eyed will have picked up on the paper released by the FA earlier this year. Steve Whitney of www.nonleague.pitchero.com wrote in an article dated 18th January 2017:

“The continuing complaints that there is too much travelling involved for some clubs at Steps 3 and 4 could well be answered in time for the 2018/9 season. The cost of long journeys has been suggested as a reason why so few clubs in the north-east are prepared to take promotion from Step 5.

The long contemplated solution of a new league to cover the Midlands has now found voice in a paper produced by the FA, the latest draft of which bears the date of January 2nd this year. The new league would have a division at each of Steps 3 and 4. Along with this comes a reduction in size for some divisions:-

Step 1 (National League): will remain at 24 clubs
Step 2 (National Leagues North & South): will remain at 22 clubs per division
Step 3: the current three divisions of 24 clubs will now be four divisions of 22 clubs
Step 4 (OUR LEVEL): the current four divisions of 22 clubs and two divisions of 24 will become seven divisions of 20.

In total the current 276 clubs in Steps 1 to 4 will increase by 20 to 296. This will be achieved by relegating only the bottom clubs from the six step 4 divisions at the end of 2017/8 and promoting 26 clubs from Step 5.”

The English Football Pyramid is a very upright one, in that it has 5 national divisions and it’s not until the sixth tier when regionalisation kicks in, with National Leagues North and South. Below that we have the 3 Premier Divisions of the Northern and Southern Premier Leagues and the Isthmian League respectively. And then, at the level we currently occupy, there are 6 regional divisions. Beneath us, sit 14 regional (county) leagues at level 9 (step 5) and a further 17 at level 10 (step 6). A progression of 1-1-1-1-1-2-3-6-14-17.

Contrast this with Spain’s much broader Pyramid. There, only the top 2 divisions (Primera & Segunda) are national ones and as early as the third tier (Segunda B, which is equivalent to League 1 in England) there are 4 regional groups. One level below (Tercera Division, equivalent to English League 2) has no fewer than 18 regional groups. Spanish Step 5 has over 50 provincial groups! A progression of 1-1-4-18-50+. Thus, The Brewers would effectively be sitting on the Step equivalent to League Two if we were a Spanish club – only three promotions away from the top flight!

Germany also has a Pyramid which more closely resembles the Spanish one than it does the English one. Such systems have the effect of dragging more clubs up to a better standard both on and off the field and it’s surely no coincidence that the international sides and now also the club sides of these two nations are the most successful in European football.

I’d like to see the English Pyramid given a complete once-and-for-all makeover to be perfectly pyramidal with 2-up and 4-down promotion/relegation throughout, as follows:

Level 1: Premier League (20 clubs nationwide)
Level 2: 2 regional divisions of 20 clubs in each (comprising clubs currently in The Championship and League 1)
Level 3: 4 regional divisions of 20 clubs in each (comprising clubs currently in League 2 and National Leagues National, North & South)
Level 4 (OUR LEVEL): 8 regional divisions of 20 clubs in each (comprising clubs currently in the Northern Premier League, Southern Premier League and Isthmian League)
Level 5: 16 regional divisions of 20 clubs in each (comprising clubs currently in the Premier divisions of the various Counties’ Leagues e.g. NCEL)
Level 6: 32 regional divisions of 20 clubs in each (comprising clubs currently in the First divisions of the various Counties’ Leagues e.g. NCEL plus the various “Step 7” leagues).

Come on you Brewers!

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