Country England Website Official website Current champion Stafford Rangers F.C. Domestic cups FA Cup, FA Trophy | Level on pyramid 8 Number of teams 22 Levels on pyramid 8 | |
Relegation to NWCL Premier Division
NCEL Premier Division
Midland Football League Current champions Stafford Rangers F.C
(2015–16) Promotion to Northern Premier League Premier Division Founded 2007, England, United Kingdom Teams Sheffield FC, Leek Town FC, Stamford AFC, Stafford Rangers FC, Newcastle Town FC | ||
Division One South is one of the two second-tier divisions of the Northern Premier League. It is at Step 4 of the National League System, placing it at the eighth level of the overall English football league system, seven divisions below the Premier League. For sponsorship reasons, it is also referred to as the Evo-Stik League Division One South.
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The split of the Northern Premier League First Division resulted in the creation of the Division One South and the Division One North. The division began play at the start of the 2007–08 season, initially with 18 teams but increased to 22 teams from the 2009–10 season.
At the end of the season, the champion of the league is promoted to the Northern Premier Division. The teams placed 2nd to 5th engage in a playoff to determine which team is also promoted. The teams placed 21st and 22nd are relegated to level 9.
League system
The league operates a double round robin system, where each team plays each other team twice, once at home and once away. After 42 games, the team that are placed top of the league will automatically promote to the Northern Premier League Premier Division and the two teams at the bottom of the league relegate to one of the feeder leagues (usually either the North West Counties, Northern Counties East, United Counties League or Midland Alliance). Teams placed 2nd to fifth will play off for the final promotion spot.
In the 2007-08 season, when the league originally split from its traditional one division into a North and South, the league operated with 18 teams, leading to splitting the league into two separate groups of 9 teams each. Each team would play each team in their own group three times (once at home, once away then an extra game where each team received an extra four home games) and play the teams in the other group home and away once each.
This changed back to the traditional format in 2008–09 when more teams entered the league.
Past champions
From 1987 until 2007, the division was united and just known as the Northern Premier League First Division, before being split into North and South subsections. Here are the champions from when the league was just the NPL First Division.
League summaries
* Retford United not promoted due to ground grading in 2007–08.
# Relegated for Ground Standards.
† Voluntarily asked for relegation.