Here is BBC Sport's guide to the National League System - also commonly known as the "Pyramid".
The senior non-league divisions in England administered by the Football Association, are often known as Football's "Pyramid" - as each level (or "Step") below the Football League comprises an increasing number of divisions and clubs.
Promotion at all levels within the National League System is subject to FA Ground Grading requirements as well as other rules and requirements of the various leagues.
The FA's Leagues Committee announced on 15 May 2008 that there would be a review of the current geographical boundaries during the course of the 2008/09 season with a view to recommending changes, if any, for 2009/10.
(Details of leagues, including numbers of clubs, relate to the 2007/08 season) FA OFFICIAL WEBSITE: FA Ground Grading requirements
STEP ONE
Blue Square Premier (aka Conference National) - 24 clubs Full coverage including club-by-club indexes
| Live scores | |
Table | |
Results | |
Fixtures | |
Top scorers |
Official league sites:
| Blue Square Football | |
Football Conference |
Promotion: Champions automatically promoted to Football League Two. Next four teams play off for the second promotion place.
Relegation: Bottom four clubs automatically relegated to Blue Square North or South (can be either depending on geographic spread of clubs).
STEP TWO
(FA Ground Grading Category B is required)
Blue Square North (aka Conference North) - 22 clubs Search for more stories involving this division
| Full table | |
Results | |
Fixtures |
Official league sites:
| Blue Square Football | |
Football Conference |
Promotion: Champions automatically promoted to Blue Square Premier. Next four teams play off for the second promotion place.
Relegation: Bottom three clubs automatically relegated to Step Three leagues.
Blue Square South (aka Conference South) - 22 clubs Search for more stories involving this division
| Full table | |
Results | |
Fixtures |
Official league sites:
| Blue Square Football | |
Football Conference |
Promotion: Champions automatically promoted to Blue Square Premier. Next four teams play off for the second promotion place.
Relegation: Bottom three clubs automatically relegated to Step Three leagues.
STEP THREE
(FA Ground Grading Category C is required)
British Gas Business League Premier Division
(aka Southern League Premier Division)
- 22 clubs
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Official league site
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites
Promotion: Champions automatically promoted to Step Two leagues. Next four teams play off for the second promotion place.
Relegation: Bottom four clubs automatically relegated to Step Four leagues.
Ryman Premier Division (aka Isthmian Premier Division) - 22 clubs Search for more stories involving this division Official league site The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites
Promotion: Champions automatically promoted to Step Two leagues. Next four teams play off for the second promotion place.
Relegation: Bottom four clubs automatically relegated to Step Four leagues.
Unibond Premier Division
(aka Northern Premier Division)
- 21 clubs
(This division is normally 22 clubs, but had one fewer for the 2007/08 season because of the demise of Scarborough in 2007. With three clubs relegated at the end of the season rather than four, it will return to 22 clubs for 2008/09)
Search for more stories involving this division
Official league site
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites
Promotion: Champions automatically promoted to Step Two leagues. Next four teams play off for the second promotion place.
Relegation: Bottom three clubs automatically relegated to Step Four leagues (will be bottom four clubs in 2008/09).
STEP FOUR
(FA Ground Grading Category E is required for clubs seeking promotion from Step Five. Clubs have to achieve Category D no later than 31 March in the season following promotion)
British Gas Business League Division One Midlands
(aka Southern League Division One Midlands)
- 21 clubs
(Reverting to 22 clubs for 2008/09 season)
Promotion: Champions automatically promoted to Step Three leagues. Next four teams play off for the second promotion place.
Relegation: Bottom club automatically relegated to Step Five leagues.
British Gas Business League Division One South & West
(aka Southern League Division One South & West)
- 22 clubs
Promotion: Champions automatically promoted to Step Three leagues. Next four teams play off for the second promotion place.
Relegation: Bottom two clubs automatically relegated to Step Five leagues.
Ryman Division One North (aka Isthmian Division One North) - 22 clubs
Promotion: Champions automatically promoted to Step Three leagues. Next four teams play off for the second promotion place.
Relegation: Bottom two clubs automatically relegated to Step Five leagues (NB Edgware Town have resigned from the league at the end of the 2007/08 season, thus reprieving Ilford from relegation).
Ryman Division One South (aka Isthmian Division One South) - 22 clubs
Promotion: Champions automatically promoted to Step Three leagues. Next four teams play off for the second promotion place.
Relegation: Bottom two clubs automatically relegated to Step Five leagues.
Unibond Division One North
(aka Northern Premier Division One North)
- 18 clubs
(Expanding to 20 clubs for 2008/09 season)
Promotion: Champions automatically promoted to Step Three leagues. Next four teams play off for the second promotion place.
Relegation: Bottom club automatically relegated to Step Five leagues (NB Newcastle Blue Star originally announced that they were set to take voluntary relegation at the end of the 2007/08 season - but have since reversed that decision).
Unibond Division One South
(aka Northern Premier Division One South)
- 18 clubs
(Expanding to 20 clubs for 2008/09 season)
Promotion: Champions automatically promoted to Step Three leagues. Next four teams play off for the second promotion place.
Relegation: Bottom club automatically relegated to Step Five leagues.
STEP FIVE
(FA Ground Grading Category F is required)
Arngrove Northern League Division One (22 clubs)
Cherry Red Records Combined Counties League Premier Division (22 clubs)
Eagle Bitter United Counties League Premier Division (21 clubs)
Essex Senior League (17 clubs)
Kent Football League Premier Division (17 clubs)
Molten Spartan South Midlands Premier Division (22 clubs)
Northern Counties East League Premier Division (20 clubs)
Polymac Services Ltd Midland Football Alliance (22 clubs)
Ridgeons (Eastern Counties) League Premier Division (22 clubs)
Sport Italia Hellenic League Premier Division (22 clubs)
Sussex County League Division One (20 clubs)
Sydenhams Wessex League Premier Division (23 clubs)
Toolstation Western League Premier Division (21 clubs)
Vodkat (North West Counties) League Division One (20 clubs)
Promotion: Clubs must have applied to the Football Association for promotion to Step Four for the 2008/09 season by 31 December 2008, must then pass ground grading requirements, and must finish in the top two places in their league to be eligible for promotion. FA OFFICIAL WEBSITE: List of teams applying for promotion to Step Four for 2007/08
Relegation: Subject to agreements beween Step Five and Step Six leagues, as approved by the FA.
STEP SIX
(FA Ground Grading Category G is required)
Arngrove Northern League Division Two (20 clubs)
Carlsberg South West Peninsula Football League Premier (18 clubs)
Cherry Red Records Combined Counties League Division One (20 clubs)
Eagle Bitter United Counties League Division One (16 clubs)
Midland Football Combination Premier Division (22 clubs)
Molten Spartan South Midlands Division One (19 clubs)
Northern Counties East League Division One (17 clubs)
Ridgeons (Eastern Counties) League Division One (19 clubs)
Sport Italia Hellenic League Division One East (17 clubs)
Sport Italia Hellenic League Division One West (18 clubs)
Sport Italia West Midlands Regional League Premier Division (21 clubs)
Sussex County League Division Two (18 clubs)
Sydenhams Wessex League Division One (21 clubs)
Toolstation Western League Division One (21 clubs)
Vodkat (North West Counties) League Division Two (18 clubs)
Promotion: Subject to agreements between Step Five and Step Six leagues, as approved by the FA, and subject to ground grading.
Relegation: Subject to agreements between Step Six and Step Seven leagues, as approved by the FA.
The FA's Leagues Committee announced on 15 May 2008 that there will be a new competition at Step Six in 2008/09 - the East Midlands Counties Football League, comprising clubs from the Central Midlands, Leicestershire Senior and Northern Counties East Leagues.
STEP SEVEN
Abacus Lighting Central Midlands League Supreme Division (20 clubs)
Bedfordshire Football League Premier Division (15 clubs)
Bridgewater Office Supplies Manchester Football League Premier Division (19 clubs)
Brighton, Hove & District Football League Premier Division (9 clubs)
British Energy Kent County Football League Premier Division (14 clubs)
Cambridgeshire County League Premier Division (16 teams)
Carlsberg South West Peninsula Football League Division One East (17 clubs)
Carlsberg South West Peninsula Football League Division One West (16 clubs)
Carlsberg West Cheshire Amateur Football League Division One (17 clubs)
Cherry Red Books Middlesex County Football League Premier Division (14 clubs)
Cheshire Building Society Cheshire Football League Division One (17 clubs)
Crawley & District Premier Division (10 clubs)
Dolphin Autos Anglian Combination Premier (16 clubs)
Dorset Premier Football League (15 clubs)
East Berkshire Football League Premier Division (10 clubs)
East Sussex Football League Premier Division (11 clubs)
Essex & Suffolk Border Football League Premier Division (16 clubs)
Everards Brewery Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division (18 clubs)
Gray Hooper Holt LLP Mid-Sussex Football League Premier Division (13 clubs)
Hertfordshire Senior County League Premier Division (16 clubs)
Ian Hart Funeral Service Worthing & District Football League Premier Division (8 clubs)
LFC Insurance Group Essex Olympian Football League (13 clubs)
Liverpool County Premier League Premier Division (16 clubs)
Metalec Suffolk & Ipswich Football League Senior Division (16 clubs)
Midland Football Combination Division One (17 clubs)
Molten Spartan South Midlands Division Two (15 clubs)
North Berkshire Football League Division One (12 clubs)
Northamptonshire Combination Premier Division (13 clubs)
Oxfordshire Senior Football League Premier Division (13 clubs)
Peter Smith Recruitment Northampton Town Football League Premier Division (8 clubs)
Peterborough & District Football League Premier Division (16 clubs)
Reading Football League Senior Division (11 clubs)
Somerset County League Premier Division (18 clubs)
Sport Italia West Midlands Regional League Division One (19 clubs)
Staffordshire County Senior League Premier Division (17 clubs)
Surridge Gloucestershire County Football League (16 clubs)
Sussex County League Division Three (13 clubs)
Wade Associates Northern Football Alliance Premier Division (16 clubs)
Wearside Football League (20 clubs)
West Lancashire Football League Premier Division (16 clubs)
West Sussex Football League Premier Division (10 clubs)
Wiltshire Football League Premier Division (18 clubs)
Promotion: Subject to agreements between Step Six and Step Seven leagues, as approved by the FA, and subject to ground grading.
Relegation: Subject to agreements between Step Seven leagues and their feeder leagues within county associations, as approved by the FA.
The FA's Leagues Committee announced on 15 May 2008 that the Hampshire Premier League will compete at Step Seven in 2008/09 - and may be joined by the Surrey Elite Intermediate League, although this is yet to be confirmed..
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