National League take new action in push for three promotion places as part of campaign

Games in the National League will kick off three minutes later next month as part of the 3UP Day of Action in the league’s bid to gain three promotion places to the EFL

National League bosses are changing all their kick-off times next month in support of a 3UP Day of Action. They will kick-off three minutes later at 3.03pm on Saturday, November 15, to make a push for three promotions rather than the current two into the EFL.

National League chiefs are calling on fans, players, managers and politicians to support the campaign to try and persuade the EFL to change its stance. The 24 National League teams playing that day will all kick-off at 3.03pm and the 48 teams from the North and South divisions will show support even if they are playing in the Second Round qualifying round of the FA Trophy.

That comes in the middle of an international break and could get extra traction for the 3UP campaign which has already gained widespread support in non-league and across the grassroots game.

READ MORE: National League bosses launch bid to get extra promotion place to the EFLREAD MORE: National League suffer blow in bid for extra promotion spot as EFL make feelings clear

National League chair Jack Pearce MBE says: “Our 72 clubs – the majority of whom are over a century old and household names – simply won’t accept the current circumstances blocking them from parity and fairness with all the other professional teams in England.

“In response to the 3UP campaign launch, the EFL stated their understandable concerns over the

‘competitive balance’ across all leagues within the football pyramid and cited this as an underlying reason for delaying the matter of 3UP. But we don’t believe this should be the reason preventing progression on the matter.

“The ‘competitive balance’ issue simply doesn’t apply between the National League and EFL. For example, since two promotions were introduced to the National League in 2003, no title-winning club has ever been relegated from the EFL the following season.

“And almost half the clubs currently in the EFL’s three leagues have competed in the National League at one time or other.

“Since launching 3UP, we have been contacted by a remarkable number of EFL clubs who are privately supportive of the change but haven’t even been given the chance as a group of clubs to formerly discuss it.

“EFL chair Rick Parry stated two years’ ago that the EFL ‘needs to look downwards as well as upwards’ and that 3UP is a ‘perfectly logical argument’. We remain grateful for this broad outlook, but unfortunately no meaningful action has been forthcoming from the league since then.

“We therefore don’t think it is too much to ask the EFL to take some unconditional and supportive action to help all National League clubs up and down the country attain another promotion place.

“They have been waiting for 23 years for this moment. The forthcoming 3UP Day of Action on Saturday 15 November will be a great chance for everyone who cares about the national game to get involved and show their support to our clubs and fans. Together we can put football first.”

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