This
weekend, The National League celebrates it’s 40th anniversary,
since the first fixtures took place in the then-called Alliance
Premier League.
An
allocation of 20 Clubs made up the fifth tier, with Altrincham
claiming the title in the inaugural season.
The Noel Kelly trophy- named after the former Nuneaton Borough Chairman- remained at Moss Lane at the end of the first two campaigns.
The
pyramid shaped trophy represented a transition to the structure of
Non-League football, which has been integral in shaping the game in
this country.
With
automatic promotion introduced from 1987, even the smallest Clubs
could dream of a meteoric rise into the Football League and beyond.
Football
power-brokers Jim Thompson and Noel White, who sadly passed away
recently, were just two of a number of key people who influenced this
ground-breaking change- and many others, like the influential Bill
King, Peter Hunter and current President Brian Lee, have tirelessly
steered the League through its many adventures over the past four
decades.
The
addition of the play-offs in 2003, then the North and South divisions
a year later, has added a new dimension to the competition and
created more wonderful memories.
Not
only has the league had three titles, with the Football Conference in
use for nearly 30 years, there has also been a total of six title
sponsors. All of which have helped create an identity for the
competition, as we know it today.
From
a football perspective, there has been a huge number of significant
moments throughout The National League’s history.
Wealdstone
became the first Club to win the “Non-League double” of league
title and FA Trophy success back in 1985. Colchester United matched
this achievement in 1992, then Martin O’Neill’s Wycombe Wanderers
the following season.
Many
managers and players have gone onto have hugely successful careers in
the game. Similar to O’Neill, the likes of Neil Warnock, Jamie
Vardy and Joe Hart have made their mark at the top level.
And
who can forget the more recent FA Cup runs of Lincoln City and Sutton
United just over two years ago? Managers Danny Cowley and Paul
Doswell performed heroics with their respective sides, showcasing
their efforts in front of global audiences.
Our
current commercial partnerships with Vanarama, LV Bet and BT Sport
are flourishing, and the estimated money generated by the season-long
competition is now at over £80 million.
From
small acorns, The National League has become a well-established part
of English football- and its profile is growing season-by-season.
Extensive live matchday TV coverage on BT Sport and a greater
awareness of our three divisions across the breadth of both
traditional and modern media continues to grow.
Last
season, over two million spectators attended our matches. It’s
incredibly encouraging to see so many people coming through the
turnstiles at our Football Clubs, the heartbeats of their
communities. The figure is substantially larger than a decade ago.
Most
importantly our competition remains friendly, welcoming and open to
all. It is a National League but with wonderful Local Values.
Happy Birthday! And here’s to the next forty years.
Picture by Shane Healey.
