[Devongone]

Tomorrow the National League will vote on a proposal to relegate only Chorley and promote only one side from each of the regional North and South divisions below. The plan is to run the play offs as normal and allow the winners to join Barrow in promotion to the EFL.

The EFL is threatening to block the second promotion place in response and is even suggesting that if the motion passes it will return promotion to one place only on a permanent basis. The EFL is aggrieved the National League is not following the sporting integrity apparently demonstrated by the EFL (sporting integrity being defined by the EFL itself).

The National League is, however, closer to the decision by the rest of non-league football to void the entire season. By making its current proposal the National League is attempting to plough a middle furrow between the EFL decisions to finish the season and the non-league to abandon it.

If the EFL forces the National League to mimic League 1 and 2 then four sides will be promoted from National North and South, which will then obviously cause uproar from every League below especially where many sides were already clear on points.

If the National League pursues its own path and the EFL retaliates our chances of promotion will receded into the distance irrespective of ownership. There are plenty of clubs at our level capable of producing a side good enough to challenge for the place we'd love back in the EFL.

[spireitematt]

Tomorrow the  National League will vote on a proposal to relegate only Chorley and promote only one side from each of the regional North and South divisions below. The plan is to run the play offs as normal and allow the winners to join Barrow in promotion to the EFL.

The EFL is threatening to block the second promotion place in response and is even suggesting that if the motion passes it will return promotion to one place only on a permanent basis. The EFL is aggrieved the National League is not following the sporting integrity apparently demonstrated by the EFL (sporting integrity being defined by the EFL itself).

The National League is, however, closer to the decision by the rest of non-league football to void the entire season. By making its current proposal the National League is attempting to plough a middle furrow between the EFL decisions to finish the season and the non-league to abandon it.

If the EFL forces the National League to mimic League 1 and 2 then four sides will be promoted from National North and South, which will then obviously cause uproar from every League below especially where many sides were already clear on points.

If the National League pursues its own path and the EFL retaliates our chances of promotion will receded into the distance irrespective of ownership. There are plenty of clubs at our level capable of producing a side good enough to challenge for the place we'd love back in the EFL.

Where did you read this? I read that Barrow are going up and that Chorley will be relegated and that Kings Lynn and Wealdstone will be promoted to the National League from the North/South league which has upset York as they haven't lost a game all season and they believe if the season carried on they would have gone on to win the NLN as Kings Lynn form was starting to faulter.

If the EFL block the 2nd promotion place for the foreseeble future and go back to how it used to be with 1 promoted then there will be an uproar by teams in the National League but the EFL teams in L2 will be overjoyed with that as only 1 will go down.

[Devongone]

Sunday Mail, but I'd heard about it somewhere else earlier in the week.

Personally I think if a season has been declared void then that is what it should be, no-one should be going up. However, I do think as the feeder to the EFL we should keep it topped up with teams. So if L2 wants 24 teams and it is promoting 4 but only 3 are being relegated from L1, it will only have 23 teams if it wants to relegate its own bottom team. In that light the top National team should go up, Barrow.

Unfortunately the EFL seems determined to relegate Macclesfield which can only happen if they relegate 2 sides, or they deduct more points from them and put them below Stevenage. In that case then National League play-offs should take place I suppose, despite most of the contracts having run out before that happens ………... Bizarre!

[Dancingwilldoit]

If its in any Mail publication its bound to be true isn't it?
Add into the mix the number of League clubs who are on the verge of failing financially, especially if they are talking about no Lge 1&2 football for 6 months. Without ST money coming in, when the furlough scheme endeth, I can see several clubs going under unless the owners do some lucrative drug deals.
There could be as many as 6 clubs going up next season.
The National League have their hands tied on things. How can you have play offs when most players throughout the season are out of contract and loanees have returned to their clubs? The whole season should just be cancelled and lets have teams promoted in alphabetical order. If only 1 goes up who is it now let me see, why its AFC Fylde.

[Devongone]

I buy a different paper almost every day since my partner died. They do have to contain something very worthwhile if they cost over £2 though. The Mail is bollocks, but so are the rest and it is cheaper.

I haven't seen any reference to this meeting having taken place yesterday, but then everyone seems interested only in the pointless Premiership.

Why the EFL sees its job as policing the rest of football I've no idea. Can't see why the Mail would run the story if it has no basis because it was tucked away. It certainly wasn't sensationalised. All they're bothered about is Madeleine McCann, the Virus and Britain's glorious imperial heritage.

Apparently Boreham Wood's chairman has re-mortgaged his house to keep the club going ……. and if there are play-offs they'd be in them wouldn't they? Certainly they grabbed Tshimanga from Oxford City last season, who I kept saying we should go for. By contrast we are going to ignore all the 22 year-olds and probably give Nathan Tyson a contract at 38!

By the way St Albans City in National South are quite ambitious with Ian Allison in charge. He's already setting up for next season. They've lost Sam Merson (son of Paul) but they've already signed five new players. So it is possible to steal a march on your rivals, but obviously not if you're down to your last £15,000 in the coffers.

[spireitematt]

This is a summary I found on social media.

Leagues will be decided using unweighted PPG
Champion clubs promoted
Clubs promoted via playoffs (if they are able to take place under government coronavirus guidance)
Once other promotions and relegations have taken place, the National League will then relegate the number of clubs required to keep the National league at 24 clubs

Step 2 playoffs for National League North/South may go ahead but it all depends on the outcome of the vote.

32 votes in total. The 24 National League clubs get 1 vote each but the National League North/South teams share 4 votes (so technically it's 8 votes, 4 votes for each league) and 17 votes are required for a pass. So the majority vote from National League North/South provides the 4 votes. They have to vote by 5pm on Wednesday. It's more confusing than Eurovision.

So if playoffs go ahead in the National League North/South then 3 teams from the National league will be relegated and they will be Chorley, AFC Fylde and Ebbsfleet United. Under the proposals Barrow would be promoted to the Football League. Kings Lynn and Wealdstone would be promoted to the National League.

The National League playoffs will be:
Harrogate
Notts County
Yeovil Town
Boreham Wood
FC Halifax Town
Barnet

National League North Playoffs will be:
York City
Boston United
Brackley Town
Altrincham
Chester
Gateshead

National League South Playoffs will be:
Havant & Waterlooville
Weymouth
Bath City
Slough Town
Dartford
Dorking

Biggest Problem is where do Macclesfield go if they get relegated? If Macclesfield get relegated will they be put in the National League North like Boston United were in 2007 when they had financial problems?

[Devongone]

Brilliant research Matt. Even I could not be arsed to do all that. Thank you very much.

So basically if the EFL want to fiddle around in what the National does, the current 24 National League clubs get to dominate the North and South ….. no wonder we think football needs to be reformed.

I'm voting for Slovenia. Do I have a vote ……….?

[spireitematt]

Brilliant research Matt. Even I could not be arsed to do all that. Thank you very much.

So basically if the EFL want to fiddle around in what the National does, the current 24 National League clubs get to dominate the North and South ….. no wonder we think football needs to be reformed.

I'm voting for Slovenia. Do I have a vote ……….?

No worries Dev.

So the vote went through. Barrow are promoted to League 2 but the FA Council will get the final decision on that. Wealdstone and Kings Lynn are promoted to the National League and the playoffs for all 3 of the National League divisions will go ahead. There will be no relegation from National League North or South after Step 3-7 decided to call the season null and void. Chorley will be relegated to National League North though.