At the moment only two teams are relegated from League Division Two allowing two teams to be promoted from The National League. This does not compare favourably with the promotion and relegation numbers above this level:
- 3 teams relegated from The Premier League.
- 3 teams promoted from The Championship and 3 relegated.
- 3 teams promoted from League Division 1 with 4 relegated.
- 4 teams promoted from League Division 2 with 2 relegated.
The feeling is that this is an unfair situation and that there is a case for 3 teams to be relegated from Division 2 and 3 teams promoted from The National League. This may well be true but who is making the case for a change? Is the feeling of unfairness enough? How strong is the feeling among The National League clubs that there needs to be change? Has there been any sort of concerted effort from The National League itself, it's member clubs or the fans of those clubs to try and achieve a change? Has there been a case made along the lines of the closeness in standard between Division 2 and the National League? Is that actually the case? In my view, with very few exceptions, there are very few clubs that would be able to hold their own in the Football League. As far as I can see there has been no real effort to achieve change. So, it would appear, much talk but little action? Or is that unfair?
If there was to be real concerted action, what would be the chances of succeeding in achieving the change? I would suggest very little. There is no representation from The National League on the Football League and it is the clubs that make up the Football League that would make any decision. Why on earth would any club in the Football League want to make it more likely that they could be relegated out of the Football League? What case could be put to them that would make them want to vote in that way? It took many years, probably decades, to move away from the old "Seeking re-election" balloting system to automatic promotion and relegation for one team only. Nearly another two decades to move to a two up and two down system. So it is not looking good on that score.
In addition to the natural resistance to any change we should keep in mind that the "parachute payment" received by clubs falling through the trapdoor into "non-league football" has just been hugely increased by The Football League. Financially, those clubs would be big-hitters in the world of non-league football and we all know just how money talks in football!
So it would seem to me that The Football League clubs, far from being of a mind to make it more likely that any of them would be relegated, have tried to ensure that any club that is unfortunate enough to be relegated have a much better chance of gaining promotion back into the Football League! Does that look like a group that is willing to listen to change?
There may be much talk amongst the non-league clubs that the present system is unfair and needs changing but in my view there is a million miles to travel to change the system and there appears very little wish amongst the league clubs to see it changed.
Those clubs now languishing in the National League are just going to have to get on with it and any club with pretensions of achieving promotion need to do so quickly because as hard as it is now to make it to the promised land of League football it is only going to get harder!
Good luck all.
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