National League (division)
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|
| Country |
 England
|
|---|---|
| Other club(s) from |
 Wales
|
| Founded | 1979 (as Alliance Premier League) |
| Number of teams | 24 |
| Level on pyramid | 5 Step 1 (National League System) |
| Promotion to | League Two |
| Relegation to |
National League North National League South |
| Domestic cup(s) |
FA Cup FA Trophy |
| International cup(s) |
Europa League (via FA Cup) |
| Current champions |
Cheltenham Town (2015–16) |
| Most championships | Barnet (3 titles) |
| TV partners |
BT Sport NLTV |
| Website | National League |
 2016–17 National League
|
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The National League, formerly the Conference National (currently named the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons), is the top division of the National League in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. While all of the clubs in the top four tiers of English football are full-time professional, the National League has a mixture of full-time and semi-professional clubs. The National League is the lowest nationwide division in the English football pyramid. Beginning with the 2015–16 season, the league was renamed as the National League.
The league was formed as the Alliance Premier League in 1979, coming into force for the 1979–80 season. It was the first attempt to create a fully national league underneath the Football League since the Football Alliance was absorbed as Football League Second Division in 1892, drawing its clubs from the Northern Premier League and the Southern League. It greatly improved the quality of football at this lower level, as well as improving the financial status of the top clubs. This was reflected in 1986–87, when the Football League began accepting direct promotion and relegation between the GM Vauxhall Conference (which the league had been rebranded for sponsorship purposes by then) and the bottom division of the Football League which at that time was known as the Football League Fourth Division and is now Football League Two. The first team to be promoted by this method was Scarborough and the first team relegated was Lincoln City, who regained their Football League status a year later as GM Vauxhall Conference champions.
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