AFC Fylde Support #PutFootballFirst Campaign

As part of a new campaign created by the Vanarama National League, AFC Fylde would like to offer their support to the initiative, urging the English Football League to change their policy resulting in three promotions and three relegation being created between the National League and League Two.

Below is a press release from the National League which is available to read:

All 72 football clubs in the National League today took the unprecedented step of supporting a letter to the English Football League (EFL)Board requesting a vote to create three promotion places into their league.

Specifically, the National League is calling for an amendment to the regulations to allow“two-up” to become “three-up”inline with the rest of the football pyramid. They are asking for this change in time for the forthcoming 2025-26 season.This marks the start of a new, nationwide 3UP campaign which has been launched by the National League to help secure the future of the English football pyramid for generations to come.

At present the National League is the only ‘Step’ in the higher echelons of the football pyramid that doesn’t have at least three promotion places. During an Extraordinary General Meeting of National League clubs last week (Thursday 30 January 2025) senior representatives from across the three divisions (National League, National League North and National League South) unanimously agreed to collectively approach the EFL and launch a   will Put Football First.

The EFL alone has the ability to facilitate this change, and the National League hopes that they will respond to 3UP by scheduling a vote of their clubs at theirAnnual General Meeting in June this year. It was also decided by all 72 National League clubs that the timing is right for the game to Put Football First and it has to be immediate, given that 2025 is the year that the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) is scheduled to come into force.

Whilst the IFR’s scope does not cover promotion and relegation matters, its overall remit does encompass the National League and EFL. National League ChairJack Pearce MBE said: “This Summer, the Independent Football Regulator is scheduled to be introduced. Their overall stated objectives include providing financial sustainability, economic resilience and preserving the heritage of the sport.

“In terms of heritage, National League clubs are at the heart of towns and cities across the whole country. The majority of these clubs are over a century old and part of the fabric of their communities. An extra promotion place for these Clubs into the EFL would create an invaluable aspiration for all these club sand supporters-plus clubs in the leagues below.We simply can’t wait any longer for parity within the game.

“As well as increased financial stability, 3UP would mean a fluid football pyramid where teams can win promotion from the bottom to the top fairly. It will give more opportunity to clubs relegated from EFL League 2 to ‘bounce back’. We have consulted with the leagues below ours in Step 3 who are also supportive of this change-as their clubs could benefit from this change in the long term.

“We have been consistently told that the EFL support our 3UP position in principle but are reluctant to progress any changes whilst they are consulting with the IFR and Premier League (PL) regarding their own redistribution of football income.“However, we believe the 3UP campaign goal is vital to the overall health of the game and the government’s objectives -therefore it should be as high on the agenda as any other matter this year. Otherwise, the National League’s needs are being overlooked during the IFR process, not least because the specific issues between the EFL and PL could potentially take years to reach a conclusion.”

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