The numbers expose a broken system, consider Bromley FC, a club that only reached League Two for the first time in its history in 2024, yet in a division stacked with established sides, they are the only team to be currently managing a points per game average above 2.0. Compare that to the National League, where a staggering SIX clubs are smashing that same threshold. The quality coming from the fifth tier of English football is undeniable, yet the door to dream remains stubbornly shut. Perhaps the most damning statistic of all is this: \u2018<\/span>Since automatic promotion was introduced in 1987, not a single team promoted from the National League has been relegated in their first season.\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n This proves the undeniable fact that National League clubs aren\u2019t just ready for the Football League but they are often better than most teams in there already. The two-up, two-down rule isn’t just a hindrance, it is an unfair and blatant violation of fair competition, favoring financial security of higher, more established clubs at the expense of true sporting integrity.<\/span><\/p>\n The fundamental issue lies in a bizarre structural inconsistency. Look anywhere else in the pyramid and the flow of teams is fluid and consistent. Three teams drop from the Premier League, three go up from the Championship. Between League One and League Two, four teams trade places. Yet at the gateway to the EFL, the most crucial step for a non-league club, the bridge is abruptly narrowed down to a tightrope.<\/span><\/p>\n Why does the door slam shut here? The gap between League Two and the National League is no longer a chasm of quality, there is now barely a difference. The National League is effectively \u2018League Three\u2019 in all but its name, filled with full time professional squads, historic fanbases and serious investment. By keeping the promotion cap at two spots creates an artificial obstruction. It treats the National League like a semi-pro feeder system rather than what it has actually become, an elite, extremely competitive division where earning 90 points won’t even guarantee promotion. As seen in the past two seasons, Bromley finished on 91 points in the 23\/24 season and York City finished on 95 points in the 24\/25 season and neither moved up to League Two.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The human and financial cost of this obstacle is that we are effectively punishing ambition to protect stagnation. Under this current regime of two down, two up, League Two clubs can afford to be mediocre. A team can limp through a season, underinvest, play poor football and survive simply because the door to relegation has only two places. It creates a safety net for poorly run EFL clubs, allowing them to coast on their status rather than fighting for their survival.<\/span> Meanwhile in the National League, excellence is routinely unrewarded. We have seen historic clubs like York, Stockport, Chesterfield, Notts County trap themselves in non-league for years not because they weren\u2019t good enough but because the margin for error is microscopic. Take Scunthorpe United, a historic club currently sitting in sixth place, newly promoted from the National League North. They are averaging over two points per game, a form that would usually guarantee a title charge, yet they remain five places off the summit. If they maintain this pace, they will finish on over 92 points and still not even crack the top three. It creates a ludicrous reality where a team can earn a near-perfect record points tally and still be left behind, simply down to a systematic failure which refuses to widen the gate.<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019re probably wondering why it hasn\u2019t happened yet, but the resistance is predictable. League Two clubs are simply acting out of self-preservation and owners would argue that an increased spot of being relegated from the EFL is a \u2018financial cliff edge\u2019 that will destroy clubs and that this current system offers necessary stability, clinging onto the status quo out of fear and viewing the National League as a graveyard rather than a competition.<\/span><\/p>\n But this argument collapses under scrutiny. If the National League is truly such a financial wasteland, why are its top clubs currently outspending and outperforming half of the league above? And if it were to be such a graveyard why are there so many talented players in the National League who end up much higher up the pyramid. Ultimately, the fear of relegation should be a motivator for better management, not an excuse for protectionism. By shielding failing clubs from the drop, the EFL isn\u2019t protecting the pyramid, they are holding it hostage. You cannot claim to run a meritocracy while rigging the rules to protect the weak.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In my opinion, the solution is simple, obvious and long overdue. Implement the \u2018three up, three down\u2019 immediately. Increasing the promotion spots to three would align the National League with the rest of the pyramid and restore sporting integrity to the English game. It would force League Two clubs to raise their standards and give ambitious non-league sides a fair crack at the whip. English football prides itself on being an open, competitive ecosystem. It is time the rulebook reflected that.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s no secret that the English football pyramid is the best in the world, yet it contains a glaring structural failure that undermines its integrity. Throughout the leagues, three or four teams are routinely relegated and promoted, keeping the competition fresh, but the moment you reach the drop from League Two to the National League, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":420,"featured_media":77008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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