Play-off plans are five alive

FA reveal promotion change at Step 5

By Neil Harvey

WE’RE UP: Skelmersdale United won promotion through the Inter-Step play-offs but they are now to be scrapped

PICTURE: Ric Mellis

TRADITIONAL four-team playoffs are set to be launched at Step 5 from next season to replace the current Inter-Step play-offs between Step 4 and Step 5.

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 on 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 the oneoff winner-takes-all matches against Step 5 runners-up and will be replaced after this campaign.

An FA statement read: “The change will see the introduction of a traditional four-team playoff 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.

Increase

“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 automati- cally 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 16 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 longterm aim of The FA to create consistency at each Step level of the NLS pyramid.”

Plans to introduce a second Step 5 division in the southwest are on hold after talks between the Western League and South West Peninsula broke down.