| Countries | England, Wales |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1979 (National) 2004 (North & South) |
| Number of teams | 24 National 22 North & 22 South |
| Levels on pyramid | 5 (National) 6 (North and South) |
| Promotion to | Football League Two |
| Relegation to | Northern Premier League Premier Division Isthmian League Premier Division Southern League Premier Division |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Cup FA Trophy Conference League Cup |
| Current champions | Crawley Town (National) Alfreton Town (North) Braintree Town (South) (2010–11) |
| Website | Conference |
| 2011–12 Football Conference | |
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional (see full listing of clubs below). Conference National is the fifth and lowest of the five nationwide football divisions in England, below the Premier League and the three divisions of the Football League, and the top tier of the National League System of non-League football. Conference North and Conference South form the sixth tier of English football. The Football Conference consisted of only one division up until 2004, but expanded as part of an extensive restructuring of the National League System which took effect beginning with the 2004–05 season.
As part of a sponsorship deal with Blue Square Bet, Conference National is known as the Blue Square Bet Premier and the tiers below as Blue Square Bet North and Blue Square Bet South.[1]
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The Football Conference stands at the top of the National League System (NLS), a comprehensive structure linking together over 50 different leagues under the auspices of The Football Association (FA). Conference National is at Step 1 of the NLS, and Conference North and Conference South make up Step 2. Above the Conference are the 92 clubs which together make up the highest levels of English football, the Premier League and The Football League; below the Conference are the Step 3 and lower leagues of the NLS.
The Conference National has 24 clubs and the North and South divisions have 22 clubs each. Each club plays the others in its division twice during a season, once at home and once away. Clubs earn three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss.
At the end of each season two clubs are promoted from Conference National to Football League Two and two teams from League Two are relegated to Conference National to take their place. The two promotion places are awarded to the Conference National champions and to the winners of a playoff between those clubs finishing second to fifth in the standings.
At the other end of the table, the bottom four clubs in Conference National are relegated to either Conference North or Conference South. The decision as to which division the relegated club joins is made by the FA's NLS Committee, but is largely determined by geography. The four relegated teams are replaced by four promoted teams, two from Conference North and two from Conference South. For each of these two leagues this will be the champions and the winners of playoffs between the second to fifth place clubs.
At the bottom of Conference North and Conference South, three clubs from each division are relegated and these six clubs are divided among the Step 3 leagues of the NLS, the Northern Premier League, the Southern League, and the Isthmian League. Each of these Step 3 leagues promotes their respective champions and second to fifth place playoff winners. The NLS Committee determines which Step 3 leagues the relegated clubs will join, and whether the promoted clubs will join Conference North or Conference South.
Of course, clubs are not always relegated from the national division in a geographically balanced manner. Thus, should it be deemed necessary the NLS Committee will order one or more Midlands or East Anglian-based clubs in the sixth tier to switch divisions (to move "horizontally" through the leagues so to speak) so as to maintain numerical balance between North and South. The most recent example of this sort of movement came in 2008 when the clubs relegated from the National division were all based in northerly locales and the Southern League was won by one of its northernmost clubs, compelling Worcester City to play the following season in the South to make way for them. Redditch United was also to be transferred to the South but this move was cancelled due to the expulsion of Halifax Town and Boston United.
Due to financial constraints at this level of football, some clubs have escaped relegation despite finishing in a relegation position, due to the misfortune of others. For promotion to proceed, whether from The Football Conference to The Football League, within the Conference, or between the various leagues of the NLS, certain conditions concerning finances and facilities must be met. Failure to meet the requirements of the league concerned will prevent the eligible club from being promoted.
The Football Conference was formed in 1979 from leading teams in the Northern Premier League and Southern League and was originally known as the Alliance Premier League. The founding members were:
Barrow and Northwich had previously been members of The Football League. Barrow failed re-election in 1972, while Northwich resigned from the league in 1894. Barnet and Yeovil are currently members of the Football League, while Scarborough, Maidstone (both now in new incarnations) and Boston have also tasted league football since the formation of the Football Conference, but are now back in non-league football.
Bangor City has since moved to the Welsh football league system, while AP Leamington, Maidstone, Nuneaton, Scarborough and Telford later collapsed and had to be reconstituted in lower English leagues. Gravesend & Northfleet changed its name to Ebbsfleet United in 2007.
Since 1984, the Conference has been publicly known by the names of a succession of official title sponsors. The name was officially changed from Alliance Premier to the Football Conference in 1986. Below is a list of sponsors and what they chose to call the league:
The Football Conference had a single division for the first 25 years of its existence, but since the 2004–05 season has consisted of three divisions. The original division was renamed Conference National and two new regional divisions one level down were introduced, Conference North and Conference South. The new clubs were drawn from the Northern Premier League, Southern League, and Isthmian League according to guidelines developed by the NLS Committee.
Only seven teams have had the honour of winning the Conference on two occasions; Altrincham (1980, 1981), Barnet (1991, 2005), Enfield (1983, 1986), Kidderminster Harriers (1994, 2000), Macclesfield Town (1995, 1997), Maidstone United, (1984, 1989) and Stevenage Borough (1996, 2010). Kidderminster also finished second in 1997. Of those sides only one, Barnet, was promoted to the Football League on both occasions; Maidstone's first title came before the era of automatic promotion, while Kidderminster Harriers, Macclesfield Town and Stevenage Borough were denied promotion because their grounds were not up to the required standard at the time of their first win. However, all three were promoted when they took their second title. Altrincham are the only team in history to retain the title, as at the time there was no automatic promotion to the Football League.
No former Conference club has yet reached the Premier League, although four clubs did compete in its predecessor, the Football League First Division: Carlisle United, Oxford United, Luton Town and Grimsby Town. Carlisle and Oxford have since returned to the League, albeit both by winning the promotion playoffs. Additionally, Luton and Oxford are the only clubs to play league matches against each other on all top five tiers of English football.
Prior to 1987, in order for Conference clubs to enter The Football League, they had to be elected by League members. As a consequence, there was no guarantee that winning the Football Conference would result in promotion, and none of the league's first eight champions were promoted. This changed in 1987, when automatic promotion and relegation between the Football League Fourth Division and the Conference was agreed. The first clubs to be affected by the new system were Lincoln City, who were relegated and replaced by Scarborough. However, although the champions of the Conference were entitled to a place in the Football League, this was dependent on their stadium meeting the set criteria for membership. For three successive years in the mid 1990s, the Conference champions had been denied promotion to the Football League on these grounds since the 1978/79 season. Since 1997, when Macclesfield Town won the title for the second time in three years, every champion has been promoted.
Since 2003, the Conference has been awarded a second promotion place, which has been decided by a play-off system similar to that of the Football League. The four teams below the Conference champions play against each other over two legs, with second playing fifth and third playing fourth. The winners of these ties then play a single final game, with the winner gaining the second promotion place. Doncaster Rovers were the first team to win the Conference play-offs.
Prior to 2004, relegation from the Conference meant dropping to one of the three feeder leagues below. After Chester City failed to avoid expulsion, 3 teams were relegated instead of 4, to either the Northern Premier League, Southern League or Isthmian League, based on geographical criteria. In turn, the champions of these three leagues would be promoted to the Conference. In 2004, a restructuring of the National Football Pyramid saw the creation of a new level immediately below the Football Conference; two regional divisions named Conference North and Conference South were created, with the feeder leagues dropping below them. There are two promotion places to the Conference National from each regional division — the champions are promoted automatically, while the remaining place is again decided by play-offs. The four teams relegated from the Conference National are then allocated to one or other of the regional divisions dependent on their geographical location.
Teams in bold have played in The Football League (1 as a previous incarnation).
| Season | Conference National champions | Playoff winners |
|---|---|---|
| 1979–80 | Altrincham** | |
| 1980–81 | Altrincham** | |
| 1981–82 | Runcorn** | |
| 1982–83 | Enfield** | |
| 1983–84 | Maidstone United** | |
| 1984–85 | Wealdstone** | |
| 1985–86 | Enfield** | |
| 1986–87 | Scarborough* | |
| 1987–88 | Lincoln City* | |
| 1988–89 | Maidstone United* | |
| 1989–90 | Darlington* | |
| 1990–91 | Barnet* | |
| 1991–92 | Colchester United* | |
| 1992–93 | Wycombe Wanderers* | |
| 1993–94 | Kidderminster Harriers** | |
| 1994–95 | Macclesfield Town** | |
| 1995–96 | Stevenage Borough** | |
| 1996–97 | Macclesfield Town* | |
| 1997–98 | Halifax Town* | |
| 1998–99 | Cheltenham Town* | |
| 1999–00 | Kidderminster Harriers* | |
| 2000–01 | Rushden & Diamonds* | |
| 2001–02 | Boston United* | |
| 2002–03 | Yeovil Town* | Doncaster Rovers* (Match Report) |
| 2003–04 | Chester City* | Shrewsbury Town* (Match Report) |
| 2004–05 | Barnet* | Carlisle United* (Match Report) |
| 2005–06 | Accrington Stanley* | Hereford United* (Match Report) |
| 2006–07 | Dagenham & Redbridge* | Morecambe* (Match Report) |
| 2007–08 | Aldershot Town* | Exeter City* (Match Report) |
| 2008–09 | Burton Albion* | Torquay United* (Match Report) |
| 2009–10 | Stevenage Borough* | Oxford United* (Match Report) |
| 2010–11 | Crawley Town* | AFC Wimbledon* (Match Report) |
* Promoted to The Football League (Fourth Division until 1992, Third Division from 1992 until 2004 and League Two from 2004)
** Not promoted
| Season | Conference North champions | Playoff winners |
|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Southport | Altrincham |
| 2005–06 | Northwich Victoria | Stafford Rangers |
| 2006–07 | Droylsden | Farsley Celtic |
| 2007–08 | Kettering Town | Barrow |
| 2008–09 | Tamworth | Gateshead |
| 2009–10 | Southport | Fleetwood Town |
| 2010–11 | Alfreton Town | A.F.C. Telford United |
| Season | Conference South champions | Playoff winners |
|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Grays Athletic | Eastbourne Borough ** |
| 2005–06 | Weymouth | St Albans City |
| 2006–07 | Histon | Salisbury City |
| 2007–08 | Lewes | Eastbourne Borough |
| 2008–09 | AFC Wimbledon | Hayes & Yeading United |
| 2009–10 | Newport County | Bath City |
| 2010–11 | Braintree Town | Ebbsfleet United |
** Not promoted. In 2004–05 only three promotion places were available to the Conference National. The third place was decided in a Playoff at Stoke's Britannia Stadium, which Eastbourne lost 2–1 to the Conference North Playoff winners, Altrincham.
The Conference has organised a cup competition for its teams throughout its history, with occasional breaks when sponsors were not available. Known initially as the Bob Lord Trophy and then the Spalding Cup from 1995–96 until 2000–01, the League cup competition was reinstated in 2007–08 as the Conference League Cup , sponsored by Setanta. Very much like the Football League Cup and Football League Trophy at the professional levels, it has not always proved popular with fans and is generally viewed as of secondary importance to the FA Trophy.
| Season | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1979–80 | Northwich Victoria | Altrincham |
| 1980–81 | Altrincham | Kettering Town |
| 1981–82 | Weymouth | Enfield |
| 1982–83 | Runcorn | Scarborough |
| 1983–84 | Scarborough | Barnet |
| 1984–85 | Runcorn | Maidstone United |
| 1985–86 | Stafford Rangers | Barnet |
| 1986–87 | Kettering Town | Hendon |
| 1987–88 | Horwich RMI | Weymouth |
| 1988–89 | Yeovil Town | Kidderminster Harriers |
| 1989–90 | Yeading | Stamford |
| 1990–91 | Sutton United | Barrow |
| 1991–92 | Wycombe Wanderers | Runcorn |
| 1992–93 | Northwich Victoria | Wycombe Wanderers |
| 1993–94 | Macclesfield Town | Yeovil Town |
| 1994–95 | Bromsgrove Rovers | Kettering Town |
| 1995–96 | Bromsgrove Rovers | Macclesfield Town |
| 1996–97 | Kidderminster Harriers | Macclesfield Town |
| 1997–98 | Morecambe | Woking |
| 1998–99 | Doncaster Rovers | Farnborough Town |
| 1999–2000 | Doncaster Rovers | Kingstonian |
| 2000–01 | Chester City | Kingstonian |
| 2001–02 | not held | |
| 2002–03 | not held | |
| 2003–04 | not held | |
| 2004–05 | Woking | Stalybridge Celtic |
| 2005–06 | not held | |
| 2006–07 | not held | |
| 2007–08 | Aldershot Town | Rushden & Diamonds |
| 2008–09 | AFC Telford United | Forest Green Rovers |
| 2009–10 | not held | |
| Club | Years in the Conference | Currently Play in (2011–12) |
|---|---|---|
| Accrington Stanley | 2003–2006 | League Two |
| AFC Wimbledon | 2009–2011 | League Two |
| Aldershot Town | 2003–2008 | League Two |
| Barnet | 1979–1991; 2001–2005 | League Two |
| Burton Albion | 2002–2009 | League Two |
| Carlisle United | 2004–2005 | League One |
| Cheltenham Town | 1985–1992; 1997–1999 | League Two |
| Colchester United | 1990–1992 | League One |
| Crawley Town | 2004–2011 | League Two |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 1992–1996; 2000–2007 | League Two |
| Doncaster Rovers | 1998–2003 | Championship |
| Exeter City | 2003–2008 | League One |
| Hereford United | 1997–2006 | League Two |
| Macclesfield Town | 1987–1997 | League Two |
| Morecambe | 1995–2007 | League Two |
| Oxford United | 2006–2010 | League Two |
| Shrewsbury Town | 2003–2004 | League Two |
| Stevenage Borough | 1994–2010 | League One |
| Torquay United | 2007–2009 | League Two |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 1985–1986; 1987–1993 | League One |
| Yeovil Town | 1979–1985; 1988–1995; 1997–2003 | League One |
The Football Conference was available on Setanta Sports. The channel showed 79 matches each season. It also showed the Conference League Cup. The FA Trophy Final was also shown on Setanta Sports (after being shown on Sky Sports until 2008).
On 19 August 2010, Premier Sports announced that it had bought the live and exclusive UK television rights to thirty matches per season from the Conference National for a total of three seasons.[2] The thirty matches selected for broadcast will include all five Conference National play-offs.[3] The deal with the Football Conference is a revenue sharing arrangement whereby clubs receive 50% of revenue from subscriptions, on top of the normal rights fee paid by the broadcaster, once the costs of production have been met. The Conference will also earn 50% from all internet revenue associated with the deal and allow them to retain advertising rights allied to those adverts shown with their matches. During the 2010-11 season, Premier Sports failed to attract enough viewers to its Conference football broadcasts to share any revenue with the clubs beyond the £5,000 broadcast fee paid to home clubs and £1,000 to away clubs.
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