2019/20 club allocations confirmed

The EVO-STIK Northern Premier League can confirm a tweak to the boundary line in its step four divisions, as revealed at the recent chairman’s meeting.

The East/West Division split has been adjusted to North/West and South/East ahead of the 2019/20 season.

As a board, we have a responsibility to all 40 of our step four member clubs and something had to be done to address the balance to make the competition fair.

In the season just gone, teams in the East Division had to travel 20,000 more miles to complete their fixtures in comparison to their West Division counterparts.

The average journey in the East was 127 miles, compared to 84 in the West.

With the changes, the difference is reduced to around 7,000 miles, with an average of 126 in the South/East division and 110 in the North/West division.

This has resulted in a number of lateral movements in the FA’s club allocations for steps one to four, announced on Sunday morning, with the New League season ready to commence from the 17th August across all three divisions

Brighouse Town, Marske United, Ossett United, Pickering Town, Pontefract Collieries and Tadcaster Albion move across to the North/West division.

Chasetown, Glossop North End, Kidsgrove Athletic, Leek Town, Market Drayton Town, Newcastle Town and Sutton Coldfield Town move across to the South/East division.

Worksop Town and Ilkeston Town, both promoted from step five, join the South/East division, with City of Liverpool and Dunston going in to North/West.

Carlton Town are reprieved and stay in the Southeast division, with Kendal Town reprieved from relegation in North/West.

The two clubs relegated from the Premier Division, Marine and Workington, go in to the North/West division.

Departing the NPL are Hednesford Town, who have moved across to the Southern League Central.

Coming down from National League North to the Premier Division are FC United and Ashton United.

2019/20 NPL Premier Division: Ashton United, Atherton Collieries, Bamber Bridge, Basford United, Buxton, FC United, Gainsborough Trinity, Grantham Town, Hyde United, Lancaster City, Matlock Town, Mickleover Sports, Morpeth Town, Radcliffe, Scarborough Athletic, South Shields, Stafford Rangers, Stalybridge Celtic, Warrington Town, Whitby Town, Witton Albion.

2019/20 NPL North/West Division: Brighouse Town, City of Liverpool, Clitheroe, Colne, Droylsden, Dunston, Kendal Town, Marine, Marske United, MOSSLEY, Ossett United, Pickering Town, Pontefract Collieries, Prescot Cables, Ramsbottom United, Runcorn Linnets, Tadcaster Albion, Trafford, Widnes, Workington.

2019/20 NPL South/East Division: Belper Town, Carlton Town, Chasetown, Cleethorpes Town, Frickley Athletic, Glossop North End, Ilkeston Town, Kidsgrove Athletic, Leek Town, Lincoln United, Loughborough Dynamo, Market Drayton Town, Newcastle Town, Sheffield, Spalding United, Stamford, Stocksbridge Park Steels, Sutton Coldfield Town, Wisbech Town, Workshop Town.