From Part-Time to Full-Time: How Step 2 Could Shape the Future of English Football

From Part-Time to Full-Time: How Step 2 Could Shape the Future of English Football

Money is taking over football. Prices for players are becoming astronomical, those who would once have been sold for £15m are now unlikely to go for less than £40m.

We are seeing more and more the effect that money can have on a clubs success with bankrolled organisations taking over and rising to glory left, right and centre.

In the Premier League, models such as Chelsea's which prioritise high turnover and mass spending have come to the fore. In the lower leagues, clubs like Wrexham and Birmingham City have seen rises backed by major funding.

Money spent over the last 5 years:

1️⃣ Chelsea – £1.83B
2️⃣ Man Utd – £954M
3️⃣ Arsenal – £911M

But somehow Arsenal are the only ones who have to win trophies… others? No one rates.

When you're you're big. pic.twitter.com/DGxiZTJ1CY

— Mo (@bareejeste) August 22, 2025

But it isn't just English football's traditional professional pyramid which is seeing money take hold.

Non-league has also seen a shift, competition is becoming tougher, and more and more clubs are becoming full-time.

This is no more evident than in the National League North & South, also known as Step 2 of the English pyramid, where there has been an influx of clubs turning professional in recent years.

But just how could this shape the future of English Football?

The Importance of Non-League

The English football pyramid stretches all the way from the Premier League elite level, to the lowly amateur leagues you see in your local park.

And, despite the top four divisions being the one's taking up the media spotlight, there is an argument to say that clubs situated outside of that scope are the most important to our society.

These clubs, often driven purely by the passion for football, are at the heart of communities across England. They provide an intimate togetherness and sense of identity that often isn't applicable to those sitting at the pinnacle of the pyramid.

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Here is why Non-League and grassroots is the heartbeat of English football🤝 pic.twitter.com/mJGRpuqpQZ

— Zac Neal (@NonLeagueZac) February 27, 2024

Not only that, but without the intricacies and breadth of clubs in non-league, the professional game would struggle to exist.

Non-league is vital in the production of young talent, as these clubs are rooted in grassroots. Without them, the introduction to football would be eradicated, and a vital step between youth football and the professional game would be absent.

The Professionalisation of Non-League

Traditionally, it is the top four tiers of the English pyramid which are home to the professional football clubs, but in the modern era, that has begun to change.

The National League, which is considered Step 1, is now almost an entirely full-time league. There is only a handful of sides who fall into the 'semi-professional' bracket, namely Maidenhead, Wealdstone, Tamworth and Braintree.

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DOWN: Carlisle & Morecambe

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And with some of those sides, such as Boston United, employing a full-time system imminently- it would be naive to not believe the whole division will be professional in the very near future.

This changing tide has reared its head as a result of a growing difficulty to compete with League Two sides and the need to be a professional outfit to enter the EFL.

It has been inhibited by a growing interest by fans, broadcast deals being struck- such as the current one with TNT Sports, and investors now seeing the league as a much more viable place to put their cash.

This in itself has shown the growing importance of money throughout football and how it has already begun to swing the pendulum toward needing funds to compete.

But what accentuates this change, perhaps more than anything else, is how this influx of full-time status has already filtered its way past the National League, and down even further, into Step 2.

Step 2 Stepping Up

This season more than any other, the National League North and National League South (Step 2) are inundated with clubs advocating a full-time, professional system.

In the National League North- Buxton, Kidderminster, South Shields, Kings Lynn and Scunthorpe all fall into the full-time bracket.

In the South- Dagenham & Redbridge, Ebsfleet, Chelmsford, Maidstone, Torquay, and the social media sensation Dorking Wanderers make up the professional cohort.

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— Dorking Wanderers FC (@DorkingWDRS) December 1, 2024

There is also an increasing group of clubs in both divisions employing a hybrid model which, if they continue to progress, will likely see them develop into full-time models in the coming years.

This has led to many involved in the industry believing the divisions could be entirely full-time in as little as five years, if the current trajectory continues.

Even more-so than the professionalisation of Step 1, what we are beginning to see filter down through the National League North & South is a shocking reminder of just how quickly English football is progressing, and how important the financial side of the game has become in such a turbulent period of time.

It not only signals that the new age of football is upon us, but also provides an insight as to just how impressive the English Football Pyramid actually is.

To have even four fully professional divisions to the standard of the Premier League to League Two is almost unheard of across Europe, never-mind three further divisions below that harnessing professional football clubs.

This newfound professionalisation infiltrating Step 2 also appears to be a massive indicator of what is to come going forward.

The Way Forward For Grassroots

There is a growing ambition among clubs and owners to climb their way up into the EFL, this is an ambition which will continue to see the lower league game grow and thrive, as the clubs who aren't currently full-time will have to become so to compete.

In turn, this will continue to filter down through the divisions, both improving the standard of football and players that are being produced, but also have unfathomable positives all the way down to the grassroots level.

Grassroots football has been crying out for attention for a long time. Pitches are becoming unkept, the funding for equipment is drying out, and there has been an overall lack of care taken.

However, if the professionalisation of Step 2 is anything to go by, it will not be long before the improvements to facilities, equipment, and services such as coaching begin to reap massive rewards for the next generation of footballers too.

There is undoubtedly a debate to be had about whether what we are seeing unfold is entirely positive.

If this trajectory is to continue more must be done to see money spread fairly otherwise we will continue to see historic clubs struggling to merely stay afloat.

But whether your stance is one of optimism or pessimism, there is no doubt that the current shift in step 2 could shape the future of English Football.