Non-League football matters to ...

S I G N S   D I R E C T  -  Signmakers

Vinyl lettering and graphics for vehicles, shops, windows

Moulded acrylic and Perspex lettering, point of sale products

Label and banner printing, magnetic signs and H & S signs

Illuminating lightboxes, fast food menus and A-boards

01723 500 425   +   07714 603 128

kevineade@btinternet.com

THE NATIONWIDE CONFERENCE

The competition began in 1979 when the top sides in the Northern Premier League and the Southern League combined to form the Alliance Premier League, made up of 20 clubs.   The major reason for the new league was to help the top sides make a stronger case to join the Football League Division 4.  Despite the success of recently-elected clubs such as Hereford United and Wimbledon, it was still difficult for the cream of the non-league game to take the step up which many of them clearly deserved.

The Alliance Premier league became the Gola League became the GM Vauxhall Conference.  The 1986-1987 kicked off with a major stride forward having been made.  The winners of the league would be automatically promoted to the Football League – provided that they passed the ‘ground grading test’.  Scarborough won the league, passed the ‘test’ and made history, therefore, by being the first non-league club in England to be automatically promoted into Division 4.  In 2002, one promotion place became two, with the champions + the winners of the play-offs between the sides finishing 2^nd to 5^th stepping up.  Ground grading tests still applied.

List of previous champions 1980-2009

Alliance Premier League Final Table 1979-1980

 

1	Altrincham	38	24	8	6	79	35	56
2	Weymouth	38	22	10	6	73	37	54
3	Worcester City	38	19	11	8	53	36	49
4	Boston United	38	16	13	9	52	43	45
5	Gravesend & Northfleet	38	17	10	11	49	44	44
6	Maidstone United	38	16	11	11	54	37	43
7	Kettering Town	38	15	13	10	55	50	43
8	Northwich Victoria	38	16	10	12	50	38	42
9	Bangor City	38	14	14	10	41	46	42
10	Nuneaton Borough	38	13	13	12	58	44	39
11	Scarborough	38	12	15	11	47	38	39
12	Yeovil Town	38	13	10	15	46	49	36
13	Telford United	38	13	8	17	52	60	34
14	Barrow	38	14	6	18	47	55	34
15	Wealdstone	38	9	15	14	42	54	33
16	Bath City	38	10	12	16	43	69	32
17	Barnet	38	10	10	18	32	48	30
18	AP Leamington	38	7	11	20	32	63	25
19	Stafford Rangers	38	6	10	22	41	57	22
20	Redditch United	38	5	8	25	26	69	18
		760	271	218	271	972	972	760