{{Short description|English football league}} {{redirect|Conference North|other topics|North Conference (disambiguation)}} {{distinguish|text=MLB's National League's divisions}} {{Use British English|date=November 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}} {{Infobox football league | logo = Enterprise-National-League-North-Colour-Badged.png | pixels = | country = England | other countries = Wales | founded = 2004 | teams = 24 | promotion = National League | relegation = Northern Premier League Premier Division<br>Southern Football League Premier Division Central or South | levels = 6<br>Step 2 (National League System) | domest_cup = FA Cup<br>FA Trophy | confed_cup = Europa League <br> (via FA Cup) | champions = AFC Fylde (3rd title) | season = 2025–26 | most_champs = {{ubl|AFC Fylde|(3 titles)}} | current = 2025–26 National League North | website = [http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk National League] }} The '''National League North''' is a professional association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National Leagues and step 2 of the NLS and sixth-highest tier overall in the English football league system, after the Premier League, the EFL leagues and the National League and is contested by 24 clubs.
National League North consists of teams mostly located in Northern England, the English Midlands and East Anglia. In addition, it can include a small number of teams from the northern-most parts of the South West and South East, as well as currently containing a team from Wales. Since the start of the 2015–16 season, the league has been known as the National League North.<ref name="name change">{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/32194854 | title=Football Conference to be renamed as National League | work=BBC Sport | access-date=11 May 2015}}</ref>
==History== The Conference North was introduced in 2004 as part of a major restructuring of English non-League football.<ref name="Football Conference - History">{{cite web |title=Football Conference – History |url=http://www.footballconference.co.uk/history.php |publisher=Football Conference |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100916192508/http://www.footballconference.co.uk/history.php |archive-date=16 September 2010 |url-status=dead |access-date=26 October 2012}}</ref> The champions are automatically promoted to the National League. A second promotion place goes to the winners of play-offs involving the teams finishing in second to seventh place (expanded from four to six teams in the 2017–18 season).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/national-league-north-2017-18-season-preview-38067 |title=National League North 2017-18 Season Preview |website=Vanarama National League |date=5 August 2017 |access-date=11 September 2017}}</ref> The three bottom clubs are relegated to Step 3 leagues. Teams from this division, as well as from the National League South, enter the FA Cup at the Second Qualifying Round.
The National League North was scheduled to expand to 24 teams in 2021.<ref name=non-league>{{cite interview |last1=Edkins |first1=Matt |title=EXCLUSIVE: FA outline second phase of Non-League restructuring |url=https://www.thenonleaguefootballpaper.com/features/26633/fa-second-phase-non-league-restructuring/ |work=The Non-League Football Paper |date=17 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Update on non-League, women's & grassroots football seasons |url=http://www.thefa.com/news/2020/mar/26/national-league-system-womens-football-pyramid-grassroots-covid-19-update-260320 |access-date=27 March 2020 |publisher=The Football Association |date=26 March 2020}}</ref> Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the 2020–21 National League North season was curtailed and voided after written resolutions were put to a vote. No teams were relegated.<ref name=statement>{{cite news|url=https://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/national-league-statement-outcome-of-written-resol-65151|title=National League Statement {{!}} Outcome Of Written Resolutions|last=Osborn|first=Oliver|website=Vanarama National League|date=18 February 2021|access-date=12 April 2021}}</ref> Expansion was implemented before the 2022–23 season, when the bottom club was relegated and four promoted from Step 3.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/59136223|title=National League: Football Association confirms promotion and relegation for 2021-22|website=BBC Sport|date=2 November 2021|access-date=20 November 2021}}</ref>
==Member clubs for 2026–27== The member clubs for the 2026–27 season are as follows: 250px|thumb|Division of Level 6 teams by English Counties (2022–23) {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- !Club !Finishing position 2025–26 |- |style="text-align:left;"|AFC Telford United||11th |- |style="text-align:left;"|Bedford Town||18th |- |style="text-align:left;"|Brackley Town||21st (National League) |- |style="text-align:left;"|Buxton||5th |- |style="text-align:left;"|Chester||7th |- |style="text-align:left;"|Chorley||15th |- |style="text-align:left;"|Darlington||9th |- |style="text-align:left;"|Harborough Town||1st (Southern League Central) |- |style="text-align:left;"|Hebburn Town||1st (Northern Premier League) |- |style="text-align:left;"|Hednesford Town||2nd (Northern Premier League) |- |style="text-align:left;"|Hereford||20th |- |style="text-align:left;"|King's Lynn Town||19th |- |style="text-align:left;"|Macclesfield||4th |- |style="text-align:left;"|Marine||12th |- |style="text-align:left;"|Merthyr Town||8th |- |style="text-align:left;"|Morecambe||22nd (National League) |- |style="text-align:left;"|Oxford City||17th |- |style="text-align:left;"|Radcliffe||13th |- |style="text-align:left;"|Scarborough Athletic||6th |- |style="text-align:left;"|Southport||14th |- |style="text-align:left;"|South Shields||2nd |- |style="text-align:left;"|Spalding United||2nd (Southern League Central) |- |style="text-align:left;"|Spennymoor Town||10th |- |style="text-align:left;"|Worksop Town||16th |}
==League champions== [[File:Blue Square North Trophy.JPG|upright|thumb|Conference North Trophy awarded to Southport, 2009–10 season.]]
The winners of the league title and the winners of the play-off final since the league's formation in 2004 are as follows:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- !Season!!Winner!!Play-off winner |- | 2004–05 || Southport ||Altrincham |- | 2005–06 || Northwich Victoria || Stafford Rangers |- | 2006–07 || Droylsden ||Farsley Celtic |- | 2007–08 || Kettering Town || Barrow |- | 2008–09 || Tamworth || Gateshead |- | 2009–10 || Southport (2) || Fleetwood Town |- | 2010–11 || Alfreton Town || AFC Telford United |- | 2011–12 || Hyde United || Nuneaton Town |- | 2012–13 || Chester || FC Halifax Town |- | 2013–14 || AFC Telford United || Altrincham |- | 2014–15 || Barrow || Guiseley |- | 2015–16 || Solihull Moors || North Ferriby United |- | 2016–17 || AFC Fylde || FC Halifax Town |- | 2017–18 || Salford City || Harrogate Town |- | 2018–19 || Stockport County || Chorley |- | 2019–20 || King's Lynn Town || Altrincham |- | 2020–21 || colspan=2|''None, season curtailed and voided'' |- | 2021–22 || Gateshead || York City |- | 2022–23 || AFC Fylde (2) || Kidderminster Harriers |- | 2023–24 || Tamworth (2) || Boston United |- | 2024–25 || Brackley Town || Scunthorpe United |- | 2025–26 || AFC Fylde (3) || TBC |}
==League stadiums for 2025–26== The home stadiums for all of the teams in the league for the 2025–26 season are listed below:
{{location map+ |England|float=right |width=600 |caption=Locations of the National League North 2024–25 teams|places= {{location map~ |England |lat=53.7582 |long=-2.9018 |label=AFC Fylde|label_size=85 |position=left}} {{location map~ |England |lat=52.697272 |long=-2.501336|label=AFC Telford United|label_size=85 |position=left}} {{location map~ |England |lat=53.094500 |long=-1.381300|label={{nowrap|Alfreton Town}}|label_size=85 |position=bottom}} {{location map~ |England |lat=52.1288 |long=-0.4139 |label=Bedford Town |label_size=85 |position=right}} {{location map~ |England |lat=53.2566 |long=-1.9066 |label=Buxton |label_size=85 |position=right}} {{location map~ |England |lat=53.189200 |long=-2.923800|label=Chester|label_size=85 |position=left}} {{location map~ |England |lat=53.6456 |long=-2.6292 |label=Chorley|label_size=85 |position=right}} {{location map~ |England |lat=53.493072 |long=-2.115608|label={{nowrap|Curzon Ashton}}|label_size=85 |position=right}} {{location map~ |England |lat=54.509444 |long=-1.564167|label=Darlington|label_size=85 |position=right}} {{location map~ |England |lat=52.060719 |long=-2.717711|label=Hereford|label_size=85 |position=left}} {{location map~ |England |lat=52.380472 |long=-2.242653|label={{nowrap|Kidderminster Harriers}}|label_size=85 |position=left}} {{location map~ |England |lat=52.7517 |long=0.4023 |label={{nowrap|King's Lynn Town}}|label_size=85 |position=right}} {{location map~ |England |lat=52.244275 |long=-1.502864|label=Leamington|label_size=85 |position=bottom}} {{location map~ |England |lat=53.2427 |long=-2.1272 |label= Macclesfield |label_size=85 |position=bottom}} {{location map~ |England |lat=53.485157 |long=-3.03363 |label=Marine |label_size=85 |position=left}} {{location map~ |England |lat=51.7512 |long=-3.3776 |label=Merthyr Town |label_size=85 |position=left}} {{location map~ |England |lat=51.7793 |long=-1.2277 |label=Oxford City | label_size=85 | position=bottom}} {{location map~ |England |lat=52.5647 |long=-0.2402 |label={{nowrap|Peterborough Sports}}|label_size=85 |position=right}} {{location map~ |England |lat=53.5676 |long=-2.3407 |label= Radcliffe |label_size=85 |position=right}} {{location map~ |England |lat=54.2695 |long=-0.4137 |label={{nowrap|Scarborough Athletic}} |label_size=85 |position=left}} {{location map~ |England |lat=54.9745 |long=-1.4700 |label= {{nowrap|South Shields}} |label_size=85 |position=left}} {{location map~ |England |lat=53.638506 |long=-2.979183|label=Southport|label_size=85 |position=left}} {{location map~ |England |lat=54.704525 |long=-1.599131|label={{nowrap|Spennymoor Town}}|label_size=85 |position=left}} {{location map~ |England |lat=53.3118 |long=-1.1321 |label= Worksop Town |label_size=85 |position=right}} }} {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Team ! Location ! Stadium ! Capacity |- |AFC Fylde |Wesham||Mill Farm Sports Village|| align="center" | 6,000 |- |AFC Telford United |Telford || New Bucks Head || align="center" | 6,300 |- |Alfreton Town |Alfreton||North Street|| align="center" | 3,600 |- |Bedford Town |Bedford || The Eyrie ||align="center"| 3,000 |- |Buxton || Buxton |The Silverlands || align="center" | 5,200 |- |Chester |Chester||Deva Stadium|| align="center" | 6,500 |- |Chorley |Chorley||Victory Park|| align="center" | 4,100 |- |Curzon Ashton |Ashton-under-Lyne|| Tameside Stadium || align="center" | 4,000 |- |Darlington |Darlington|| Blackwell Meadows || align="center" | 3,300 |- |Hereford |Hereford||Edgar Street|| align="center" | 5,250 |- |Kidderminster Harriers |Kidderminster||Aggborough|| align="center" | 6,238 |- |King's Lynn Town |King's Lynn||The Walks|| align="center" | 8,200 |- |Leamington |Leamington || New Windmill Ground || align="center" | 3,050 |- |Macclesfield |Macclesfield || Moss Rose || align="center"| 5,350 |- |Marine |Crosby || Rossett Park || align="center"| 2,300 |- |Merthyr Town |Merthyr Tydfil || Penydarren Park ||align="center" | 4,000 |- |Oxford City ||Oxford {{small|(Marston)}} ||Marsh Lane || align="center" | 3,500 |- |Peterborough Sports |Peterborough|| Lincoln Road || align="center" | 2,300 |- |Radcliffe |Radcliffe || Stainton Park || align="center" | 3,500 |- |Scarborough Athletic |Scarborough || Scarborough Sports Village|| align="center" | 2,833 |- |South Shields |South Shields||Mariners Park|| align="center" | 4,000 |- |Southport |Southport||Haig Avenue|| align="center" | 6,008 |- |Spennymoor Town |Spennymoor|| The Brewery Field || align="center" | 4,300 |- |Worksop Town |Worksop||Sandy Lane|| align="center"| 2,500 |}
{{Clear}}
==League records== {{More citations needed|section|date=January 2018}}
{| class="wikitable" |- | Record home win | Chorley 9-0 Gloucester City, 4 September 2021 |- | Record away win | Redditch United 0–9 Boston United, 21 August 2010<ref>{{cite web |title=Redditch United 0-9 Boston United |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_conf/8934136.stm |publisher=BBC Sport |date=21 August 2010 |access-date=26 October 2012}}</ref> |- | Highest-scoring game | AFC Fylde 9–2 Boston United, 19 November 2016<ref>{{cite web |title=AFC Fylde: 10 Things |url=https://fchalifaxtown.com/news/afc-fylde-10-things-5/ |publisher=FC Halifax Town |date=1 September 2017 |access-date=20 August 2018}}</ref> |- | Most points in a season | 107 points – Chester (2012–13) |- | Most wins in a season | 34 – Chester (2012–13) |- | Fewest defeats in a season | 3 – Chester (2012–13) |- | Most goals scored in a season | 112 – AFC Fylde (2025–26) |- | Largest positive goal difference | 71 – Chester (2012–13) |- | Most league titles | 3 – AFC Fylde (2016–17, 2022–23, 2025-26) |- | Most consecutive wins | 15 games (21 February 2006 to 22 April 2006) – Northwich Victoria |- | Most consecutive clean sheets | 10 games (30 August 2010 to 9 November 2010) – Boston United |- | Most clean sheets in a season | 28 (2021/22) - Brackley Town |- | Longest unbeaten run | 30 games (15 September 2012 to 6 April 2013) – Chester |- | Largest attendance | 9,086 (18 May 2025) – Scunthorpe United (vs Chester)<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=1924427107251163567 |user=SUFCOfficial |title=👏 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 ✅ 𝗔 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱 ✅ 𝘼 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙑𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙖 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙜𝙪𝙚 𝙉𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙}}</ref> |}
==Sponsorship== In June 2025, the league was renamed to the Enterprise National League North after the sponsorship deal with Vanarama ended upon completion of the 2024–25 season.<ref name="enterprise-bbc">{{Cite news |date=23 June 2025 |title=Enterprise becomes new sponsor of National League |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c4gdlg1m3edo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250623110848/https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c4gdlg1m3edo |archive-date=23 June 2025 |access-date=23 June 2025 |work=BBC Sport}}</ref>
==See also== *National League *National League South
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk The National League official site]
{{National League (English football)}} {{Football in England table cells}} {{UEFA sixth level leagues}}
2 Category:2004 establishments in England Category:Sports leagues established in 2004 Category:Northern England Eng