In this blog, I share some of my recent research and offer tips to help players tackle some challenges they face in non-league football. The research used in this blog is based on interviews with 10 semi-professional football players (from steps 2 to 6 of the National League System)
Introduction
“You get a bacon butty off the van and get back to work”
Semi-professional football occupies a vast and unique space within the English football pyramid, bridging the gap between amateur and professional levels. The National League System (NLS) comprises six levels that operate directly below the professional game. The NLS has 991 clubs across steps 1 to 6 (or levels 5 to 10 of the football pyramid). Therefore, based on an average squad size of 23, there are just shy of 23,000 players competing in the NLS compared to just under 2,400 players from the 92 clubs across the four professional leagues (based on an average squad size of 26).
