The English football pyramid ranges from the financial power of the Premier League to Step 11 – deep within non-league.
Promotion and relegation decide how teams move between the leagues.
Teams enter the FA Cup depending on what step of the football pyramid they play at, with nothing theoretically stopping a non-league team from reaching Wembley.
The English football pyramid is famous around the world for its depth and history. Ranging from the Premier League to regional football in Step 11, it symbolises England’s love for football. Whatever the level and whatever the skill, people will flock from their homes to watch the beautiful game.
By definition, the English football league system is a series of connected leagues for men’s football in England – including five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isle of Man. The system has a format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, allowing even the smallest club the theoretical possibility of ultimately rising to the very top of the system, the Premier League.
Each level is well-supported. In the Premier League, teams sell out every match with tickets hard to buy. But, even in the National League, the average attendance is over 2,500, whilst even some teams in Step Seven – mainly Dulwich Hamlet – average over 2,000 each week. It’s a very rare sight in football, yet England has the love and passion for the game to replicate it each week. Here’s everything you need to know about this magical meritocracy, how relegation and promotion are decided and, finally, how places in European football are confirmed.
