 | |
| Founded | 1979; 46 years ago (1979) (as Alliance Premier League) |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Number of clubs | 24 |
| Level on pyramid | 5 Step 1 (National League System) |
| Promotion to | EFL League Two |
| Relegation to | |
| Domestic cup(s) | |
| League cup(s) | National League Cup |
| International cup(s) |
|
| Current champions | Barnet (4th title) |
| Most championships |
|
| Broadcaster(s) | DAZN |
| Website | thenationalleague.org.uk |
| Current:2025–26 National League | |
TheNational League, officially known as theEnterprise National League[1] for sponsorship reasons, is a professionalassociation football league inEngland. The National League is the first division of theNational Leagues and step 1 of theNational League System and fifth-highest tier overall in theEnglish football league system, after thePremier League and theEFL leagues and is contested by 24 clubs. Through the National League, clubs get promoted to theEFL League Two, one of the divisions of the English Football League.[2] Formerly the Conference National, the league was renamed the National League from the2015–16 season.[3]
Notable former English Football League clubs that compete in the National League include:FGR,Morecambe,Carlisle United,Rochdale,Yeovil Town,Hartlepool United,Southend United,Scunthorpe United,Boston United,Sutton United and York City. The longest tenured team currently competing in the National League isEastleigh, who have been competing in the National League since2014–15.
The league was formed as the Alliance Premier League in 1979, coming into force for the1979–80 season. The league drew its clubs from theNorthern Premier League and theSouthern League.
It greatly improved the quality of football at this lower level, as well as improving the financial status of the top clubs. This was reflected in1986–87, when the Football League began accepting direct promotion and relegation between the Conference and the bottom division of the Football League, which at that time was known as theFootball League Fourth Division and is nowEFL League Two. The first team to be promoted by this method wasScarborough, and the first team relegated wasLincoln City, who regained their Football League status a year later as Conference champions.
Since2002–03, the league has been granted a second promotion place, with a play-off deciding who joins the champions in League Two. Previously, no promotion from the Conference would occur if the winners did not have adequate stadium facilities. If a club wins the division, but does not qualify for promotion, the next highest eligible club will be promoted in its place. If a club finishes in the play-off places but does not have an adequate stadium they will not be able to take part in the play-off competition. In that event such club shall not be replaced and the play-off structure and draw shall be adjusted as necessary by the National League Board on the basis of the remaining clubs' final league positions.[4]
In2004–05, the Conference increased its size by adding two lower divisions, theConference North andConference South respectively, with the original division being renamed Conference National. For the2006–07 season, the Conference National expanded from 22 to 24 teams by promoting four teams while relegating two teams and introduced a "four up and four down" system between itself and the Conference North and Conference South.
The league's first sponsor wasGola during the1984–85 and1985–86 seasons. When Gola's sponsorship ceased, carmakerVauxhall Motors—then the British subsidiary ofGeneral Motors—took over and sponsored the league until the end of the1997–98 season.
The1998–99 Conference campaign began without sponsors for the Conference, but just before the end of the season a sponsorship was agreed withNationwide Building Society.[5] This lasted until the end of the2006–07 season, after whichBlue Square took over. This would also prompt the leagues being renamed, with the Conference National becoming the Blue Square Premier, the Conference North becoming Blue Square North and the Conference South becoming Blue Square South.[6] In April 2010, Blue Square announced a further three-year sponsorship deal. From the start of the2010–11 season the names were changed slightly, with "Blue Square" becoming "Blue Square Bet".
In July 2013 the Conference agreed another sponsorship deal with online payment firmSkrill.[7] This lasted for only one year and the following July the Conference announced a brand-new three-year deal with Vanarama,[8] later extended by two more years.
In 2015, the Football Conference was renamed the National League. The top division was also officially renamed the National League and the lower divisions renamed as National League North and National League South. In January 2019 the League signed a three-year deal with Motorama,[9] Vanarama's sister company. It was extended to three more years in March 2021.[10]
On 23 June 2025, it was announced that vehicle rental companyEnterprise Rent-A-Car was to become the title sponsor and the league renamed to the Enterprise National League.[11][1]
| Period | Sponsor | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1984–1986 | Gola | Gola League |
| 1986–1998 | General Motors | GM Vauxhall Conference |
| 1998–2007 | Nationwide Building Society | Nationwide Conference[5] |
| 2007–2010 | Blue Square | Blue Square Premier[6] |
| 2010–2013 | Blue Square Bet Premier | |
| 2013–2014 | Skrill | Skrill Premier[7] |
| 2014–2015 | Vanarama | Vanarama Conference |
| 2015–2025 | Vanarama National League | |
| 2025– | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | Enterprise National League |
Coverage of this league began in the mid-1990s when cable channelsWire TV, and laterL!VE TV, broadcast weekly highlights and live matches. However, the closure ofL!VE TV in 1999 saw coverage switch to Sky Sports. In August 2006,Setanta Sports signed a five-year deal with the Conference and Setanta Sports began showing live matches in the 2007–08 season, with 79 live games each season. Included in the deal were the annual play-off matches as well as theConference League Cup, a cup competition for the three Football Conference divisions.[12] Setanta showed two live matches a week, with one on Thursday evening and one at the weekend.[13]In Australia the Conference National was broadcast bySetanta Sports Australia. Setanta Sports suffered financial problems and ceased broadcasting in the United Kingdom on 23 June 2009.[14] Sky Sports broadcast the Conference play-off final 2010 atWembley Stadium.
On 19 August 2010,Premier Sports announced that it bought the live and exclusive UK television rights to 30 matches per season from the Conference Premier for a total of three seasons.[15] The 30 matches selected for broadcast included all five Conference Premier play-offs.[16] The deal with the Football Conference was a revenue sharing arrangement whereby clubs received 50% of revenue from subscriptions, on top of the normal rights fee paid by the broadcaster, once the costs of production were met. The Conference also earned 50% from all internet revenue associated with the deal, which allowed them to retain advertising rights allied to those adverts shown with their matches. During the 2010–11 season, Premier Sports failed to attract enough viewers to its Conference football broadcasts to share any revenue with the clubs beyond the £5,000 broadcast fee paid to home clubs and £1,000 to away clubs.
In July 2013,BT Sport announced a two-year deal to broadcast 30 live games per season including all five play-off matches.[17] In 2015 the National League announced that it renewed a three-year deal with BT Sport.[3]
In December 2022, the National League announced a new streaming service, named National League TV, to stream all games that BT Sport was not showing, on a two week trial phase. Two weeks later, the National League announced that National League TV would make a full launch on boxing day of 2022 (26/12/22).
The following 24 clubs compete in the National League during the2025–26 season.
Numbers in parentheses indicate wins up to that date.
The highest average league attendance was in the 2022–23 season, when 1.7 million fans attended National League matches, at an average of 3,378 per game. The lowest average league attendance came in the 2014–15 season, when 1 million spectators watched at an average of 1,853 per game. The highest seasonal average for a club was 9,973 forWrexham in the 2022–23 season.[18]
| Season | League average attendance | Highest average | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Attendance | |||
| 2010–11 | 2,146 | Unknown | ||
| 2011–12 | 2,034 | Unknown | ||
| 2012–13 | 1,885 | Luton Town | 5,882[19] | |
| 2013–14 | 1,864 | Luton Town | 7,387[20] | |
| 2014–15 | 1,853 | Bristol Rovers | 8,402[21] | |
| 2015–16 | 1,901 | Tranmere Rovers | 5,229[22] | |
| 2016–17 | 1,872 | Tranmere Rovers | 5,741[23] | |
| 2017–18 | 2,045 | Tranmere Rovers | 5,293[24] | |
| 2018–19 | 1,971 | Leyton Orient | 5,444[25] | |
| 2019–20 | 1,971 | Notts County | 5,210[26] | |
| 2020–21 | No attendances due topandemic | |||
| 2021–22 | 3,084 | Wrexham | 8,692[27] | |
| 2022–23 | 3,378 | Wrexham | 9,973[28] | |
| 2023–24 | 2,774 | Chesterfield | 7,893[29] | |
| 2024–25 | 2,568 | Southend United | 7,339[30] | |
| Most wins in a season | 34 | Wrexham (2022–23) |
| Fewest defeats in a season | 3 | |
| Most consecutive wins | 12 | |
| Longest unbeaten run in a season | 30 | Crawley Town (2010–11) |
| Most points in a season | 111 | Wrexham (2022–23) |
| Fewest points in a season | 1 | Dover Athletic (2021–22)[a] |
| Smallest points gap between champions and 2nd place | 0 | Colchester United (1991-92) (94 points) overWycombe Wanderers by +9 goal difference |
| Largest points gap between champions and 2nd place | 19 | Luton Town (2013–14) (101 points) overCambridge United (82 points) |
| Most goals in a season | 117 | Notts County (2022-23) |
| Fewest goals conceded in a season | 24 | |
| Highest goal difference | 75 | Notts County (2022–23) |
| Biggest win | 9–0 |
|
| Record attendance (play-offs) | 52,115 | Oldham Athletic vsSouthend United atWembley Stadium (play-off final, 1 June 2025)[31] |
| Record attendance (league game) | 16,511 | Notts County vsYeovil Town atMeadow Lane (19 November 2022)[32] |
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| Cup competitions |
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