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Conference National
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Conference National (currently named the Blue Square Premier for sponsorship reasons)
is the top division of the Football Conference. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system. While all of the clubs in the top four tiers of English football are full-time professional, the Conference National has a mixture of full-time and semi-professional clubs. The Conference National is the lowest nationwide division in the English football pyramid.
league was formed as the Alliance Premier League in 1979, coming into force for the 1979-80 season.
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Encyclopedia
Conference National (currently named the Blue Square Premier for sponsorship reasons)
is the top division of the Football Conference. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system. While all of the clubs in the top four tiers of English football are full-time professional, the Conference National has a mixture of full-time and semi-professional clubs. The Conference National is the lowest nationwide division in the English football pyramid.
History
The league was formed as the Alliance Premier League in 1979, coming into force for the 1979-80 season. It was the first attempt to create a fully national league underneath the Football League, drawing its clubs from the Northern Premier League and the Southern 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 in 1986-87, when the Football League began accepting direct promotion and relegation between the Conference (which the league had been renamed by then) and the bottom division of the Football League which at that time was known as the Football League Fourth Division and is now Football League Two. The first team to be promoted by this method was Scarborough and the first team relegated was Lincoln City, who regained their Football League status a year later as Conference champions.
The league's first sponsors were Gola, who sponsored it during the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons. When Gola's sponsorship ceased, carmaker Vauxhall - the British subsidisary of American combine General Motors - took over and sponsored the league until the end of the 1997-98 season. The 1998-99 Conference campaign began without sponsors for the Conference, but just before the end of the season a sponsorship was agreed with Nationwide Building Society. This lasted until the end of the 2006-07 season, after which current sponsors Blue Square took over.
Since 2002-03, the league has been granted a second promotion place, with a play-off deciding who joins the champions in the Football League. Previously, no promotion from the Conference would occur if the winners did not have adequate stadium facilities. As of the start of the 2002-03 season, if a club achieves the automatic promotion or the play-off places but does not have an adequate stadium, their place will be re-allocated to the next highest placed club, that has the required facilities. In 2004-05, the Conference increased its size by adding two lower divisions, the Conference North and Conference South respectively. For the 2006-07 season, the Conference expanded from 22 to 24 teams by relegating two teams and promoting four teams, and also introduced a "four up and four down" system between the Conference National and the Conference North and Conference South. These two feeder divisions were created for the 2004-05 season.
In April 2007, it was announced all the Football Conference had agreed a three year sponsorship deal with online betting firm Blue Square. Under the deal, all three Conference leagues would be sponsored by Blue Square from the 2007-08 season. This would also lead to a renaming of the leagues with the Conference National becoming the Blue Square Premier, the Conference North becoming Blue Square North and the Conference South becoming Blue Square South.
Media coverage
In August 2006 Setanta Sports signed a five year deal with the Blue Square Premier. Under the deal, Setanta Sports started showing live matches in the 2007-08 season, with 79 live matches each season. Included in the deal were the annual Play Off matches as well as the Setanta Shield, a cup competition for the three Football Conference divisions. Setanta show two live matches a week, with one on Thursday evening and one at the weekend.
In Australia the English Conference is broadcast by Setanta Sports Australia.
Conference National clubs, 2008-09
1 Not relegated due to Halifax Town being demoted.
Past Conference National winners
1Not promoted due to stadium not being adequate for the Football League
2Boston United allowed to retain championship title and subsequent promotion to the Football League despite having been found guilty of serious financial misconduct during their title winning season. Following their later relegation back from the Football League, due to ongoing financial concerns and irregularities at the club, Boston United were passed straight back through the Conference National and placed into Conference North.
Conference National Play-Off Results
Conference National stadia 2008-09
| Home Club | Stadium Name | Capacity |
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| Wrexham | Racecourse Ground | 15,500 | | Oxford United | Kassam Stadium | 12,500 | | Mansfield Town | Field Mill | 9,990 | | Cambridge United | Abbey Stadium | 9,617 | | York City | KitKat Crescent | 9,034 | | Stevenage Borough | Broadhall Way | 7,100 | | Weymouth | The Wessex Stadium | 6,600 | | Burton Albion | Pirelli Stadium | 6,500 | | Rushden & Diamonds | Nene Park | 6,441 | | Kettering Town | Rockingham Road | 6,264 | | Kidderminster Harriers | Aggborough | 6,238 | | Altrincham | Moss Lane | 6,150 | | Woking | Kingfield | 6,036 | | Torquay United | Plainmoor | 6,000 | | Eastbourne Borough | Priory Lane Stadium | 5,664 | | Forest Green Rovers | The New Lawn | 5,147 | | Ebbsfleet United | Stonebridge Road | 5,011 | | Salisbury City | The Raymond McEnhill Stadium | 5,000 | | Crawley Town | Broadfield Stadium | 4,996 | | Northwich Victoria | Victoria Stadium | 4,500 | | Grays Athletic | New Recreation Ground | 4,500 | | Barrow | Holker Street | 4,256 | | Histon | Bridge Road | 3,250 | | Lewes | The Dripping Pan | 3,000 |
Records
External links
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