Step 5 play-offs to be introduced from 2023-24

The Football Association have today revealed traditional four-team play-offs will be introduced for all Step 5 leagues from next season to replace the current Inter-Step play-offs.

The move, subject to FA Council approval, will guarantee two clubs are promoted into Step 4 each season from the 16 Step 5 divisions – one as champion and a second through the play-offs.

At the end of the 2023-24 season, two clubs will be relegated from each of the eight Step 4 divisions in order to increase league sizes to 22 clubs. There will be one relegation spot from each Step 5 division.

From 2024-25, four teams will be relegated from every Step 4 division, while Step 5 will revert to two relegation places.

The Inter-Step play-offs were introduced last season with clubs finishing third and fourth bottom of Step 4 at risk of relegation through one-off winner-takes-all matches against Step 5 runners-up.

An FA statement read: “Subject to FA Council approval, the Inter-Step Play-Offs currently in place at Steps 4 and 5 of the National League System (NLS) are to be replaced after the 2022/23 season.

“The change will see the introduction of a traditional four-team Play-Off in each of the sixteen Step 5 divisions – thus guaranteeing a second promotion place from Step 5 to Step 4, subject to Clubs meeting the eligibility criteria which includes an independent ground grading assessment. 

“At the end of the 2023/24 season, this will mean that an additional 16 Clubs will be guaranteed promotion from Step 5 to Step 4 (32 Clubs in total), with the number of Clubs automatically relegated from each of the eight Step 4 divisions to remain as two in order to increase the divisional size at Step 4 to 22 Clubs per division. The resulting 16 vacancies at Step 5 will be filled by only relegating one Club per Step 5 division, as opposed to two.

“From the 2024/25 season, it is intended that the number of Clubs automatically relegated from each of the eight Step 4 divisions to Step 5 will increase from two to four, two Clubs from each of the sixteen Step 5 divisions will continue to be promoted to Step 4 (one automatic and one via the Play-Off) and the number of clubs automatically relegated from each Step 5 division will revert to two.

“These changes reflect a long-term aim of The FA to create consistency at each Step level of the NLS pyramid.”