It seems as though we hear the same arguments every season. The ever-improving standard of football in the National League only strengthens the case that there should be another promotion place up to League Two.
The competition for the title has never been fiercer. The profile of the National League has never been higher. Wrexham‘s owners have ensured that the club is now included in the FIFA 22 video game and the fixtures are now a regular feature on all the Vegas betting sites. But escaping non-league for the ‘promised land’ is still the main priority.
It has only been just under 20 years that the National League was deemed worthy of a second promotion spot. Before the advent of the play off system it was only the league champions that progressed. These days the next six clubs in the division get to fight it out for the one remaining promotion place.
The arguments may well have been heard before – but they need to be repeated. The level of football played in the upper reaches of the National League is readily accepted by most to be better than in the lower half of League Two. The budgets of the top teams are bigger and there are simply better players earning a wage in non-league than in the level above.
Wrexham being taken over by Hollywood stars probably alters the picture a little, but big name players and managers have been willing to drop down to the National League for their football, knowing that they will be part of a more forward-thinking club in a more progressive division.
The sticking point has traditionally been that for the decision to be made it would need the blessing of the EFL – and that would be a little like turkeys voting for Christmas. But the EFL should look at the case of an extra promotion place as a positive for its members too.
Almost half the clubs in the National League at the current time have EFL experience. But many, like the aforementioned Wrexham, find it very difficult to get back out of the National League after relegation from League Two. With bigger clubs at non-league level there is a bottleneck situation at the top. Creating a third promotion place would make it easier to bounce straight back up again, allowing the possibility for a relegated club to spend as little time as possible in non-league.
Surely it is only a matter of time, then, before more promotion places are granted to the National League. But what is the best way to determine who goes up? It seems as though the play offs are here to stay, so it would be the top two gaining automatic promotion and then the next four (or six) suffering the lottery of the play offs.
But many proponents of a shake up of the EFL and the National League point to the fact that League One and Two swap four clubs each year. Although that could be just as applicable to the National League and League Two, it seems unlikely that the EFL would agree to such a revolutionary move so quickly when they are dragging their feet over a third spot.
Another argument is to take the National League out of non-league altogether and rebrand it as League Three. This would actually seem like a better idea, considering the minute differences between the divisions. Traditionalists will be placated by the fact that just about everybody would still refer to League Three as ‘non-league’ for a while anyway.
Whichever way is chosen, it must surely only be a matter of time before the league exchange three sides each year. There is simply no practical reason why that won’t be the case. The only good news is that until then we will continue to enjoy the closest league title races in the entire football pyramid.
