Non-League football
Non -League football is the area in English football below the professional leagues the Premier League and the Football League, ie, from the fifth division (now the Conference National ) on down. The term "non -League " limited before 1992 - ie before the introduction of the Premier League - primarily the section below the Football League Association from which even then still housed all the top clubs in English professional football. All clubs who did not play in the Football League, were therefore "non- League clubs ."
Discussion of the concept
The word " League " in "Non -League football" refers since its inception on the " Football League" and not generally on an organized league competition - the most non -league clubs play in leagues against each other. There exist lots of leagues below the Football League, a few, such as the Northern League, almost as old as the Football League itself of those. The Divisions of the seven highest tiers below the Football League are managed also by the English Football Association ( FA) in the so-called National League System ( NLS). The MCB includes over 50 different leagues, many of which are still divided into several divisions.
No automatic exchange of an up and down regulation took place between the Football League and the Non -League game classes before 1987. The clubs who had completed a season in the lowest places in the Football League, their re- admittance to the Federation had to apply ( "apply for re - election" ) and the approval of that desire was in most cases only a formality. Therefore, the Football League system for many years was very static and non -league clubs were almost no chance to ascend into professional football.
In 1987, for the first time reached a new ascent and descent rule between the lowest Football League and the highest non -league division - under the condition that the best non -league club had the general financial conditions and an application complying with professional football stadium possessed sufficient. At the end of the season 1986/87 was therefore Lincoln City the first club who lost his membership in the Football League this innovation, and Scarborough FC, the first non- league club, which was recorded for it in the Football League Association. Since 2003, rising to the Master and the play-off winners even two clubs at the end of the season from the Football Conference.
A common misconception is that the non- League football is assigned to the predicate of amateur football, due to its position below the Football League. A strict demarcation to professional football does not exist here and many clubs within the Football Conference to work in a professional or at least semi-professional conditions.
"Non -League " in other countries
The term "non -League " is also in use in Scotland and is used for the sport of football below the top four leagues. The Non- League football is there divided into Junior and Senior Leagues Leagues, the "Junior " designation has grown historically and is not usually means that clubs compete in the junior leagues with youth teams and young players.
In other European countries is the term Non -League not uncommon.
Significance in women's football
In the English women's football, the term non -League clubs for all the uses that operate below the two Regional Director visions of the FA Women's Premier League.