National League North includes teams from the South East, London, and the South West, as well as teams from Essex.
The National League South was introduced in 2004 as part of a major restructuring of the National League System. Each year the champion of the league is automatically promoted to the National League. A second promotion place goes to the winner of a play-off involving the teams finishing in second to seventh place (expanded from four to six teams in the 2017–18 season).[1] The three bottom clubs were relegated to Step 3 leagues.
For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Blue Square South (2007–2010), Blue Square Bet South (2010–2013), Skrill South (2013–2014),[2] the Vanarama Conference South (2014–2015), the Vanarama National League South (2015–2019) and the Motorama National League South following a three-year sponsorship deal announced in January 2019. Since the start of the 2015–16 season, the league is known as the National League South.[3]
The National League South was reduced to 21 clubs for 2020–21[4] and was expected to expand to 24 teams in 2021–22.[5][6] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the 2020–21 National League South season was curtailed and voided after written resolutions were put to a vote. No teams were relegated.[7] Expansion would be implemented before the 2022–23 season, when the bottom club was relegated and four were promoted from Step 3.[8] There are four relegations from the South since 2023.
Current member clubs, 2024–25
The current member clubs for the 2024–25 season are as follows:
Division of Level 6 teams by English Counties (2022–23)
** 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 City's Britannia Stadium, which Eastbourne lost 2–1 to the Conference North playoff winners, Altrincham.
Attendances
Since the 2015–16 season,[3] the highest average National League South attendance was in the 2021–22 season with 1,002 per game, this was also the season for the highest average for a club with 2,712 for Dulwich Hamlet.[9] The lowest average league attendance was in the 2017–18 season with an average of 551 per game.[10] As of January 2024, the league average is at 1,154, with the highest average for Yeovil Town at 3,660.[11]
Average attendances
Attendance broke the previous National League South record
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