11 Ex-EFL Clubs are Trapped in Non-League - Here's Why 3Up Must Be Installed

EFL Clubs are Trapped in Non-League, 3Up Must Be Installed

"The National League is a League Three" were the words of Forest Green Rovers manager and BBC 5 Live radio presenter, Robbie Savage.

His club are joined by names such as Rochdale, Hartlepool, Carlisle and Scunthorpe as teams who have all traditionally been part of the Football League, but have now become stuck in the fifth tier.

This is largely in part due to the fact that only two clubs get promoted from the division to League Two, which is the side that finishes first and then the play-off winner.

As such, it has created a big issue not only in the National League, but also for League Two and even the National League North/South.

What are the Problems?

When a team from the fourth tier are relegated into non-league, their financial muscle, personnel and large fanbase are expected to finish in a play-off place and fight for instant promotion in a league that has clubs who had only recently turned professional.

However, them having to win the league to guarantee an instant route back to the Football League has made this much harder to achieve.

Unsurprisingly, this resulted in a number of clubs failing to achieve promotion year after year, and remain locked in the National League to this day.

Rochdale - a Football League club for 102 years - were demoted to the fifth tier in 2023 and haven't been back in two seasons of trying.

Three years ago.

Today, Rochdale are relegated to Non League. We sit a point outside the Championship play offs. Unbelievable to think how quickly things can change in Football. For good and bad! pic.twitter.com/2QFXv8gfHk

— Matt C (@MattCrighton) April 22, 2023

Hartlepool United had been a constant Football League side from 2006 through to 2017, and despite two seasons back in the EFL, have seen six National League seasons ever since, and currently languish in mid-table.

Yeovil Town, Scunthorpe United and currently Dagenham & Redbridge have even experienced campaigns down in the sixth tier, not too long after being relegated from League Two.

Yeovil had been a Championship club in 2013/14, and despite suffering immediate relegation, were in non-league just three years later, bringing their financial muscle with it.

How Is This an Issue?

With a clutter of ex-Football League teams taking up ranks in the National League, it makes it harder every year for those promoted from the sixth tier to compete.

In the last two out of three seasons, the team who has finished bottom of the National League were only promoted from National League South the season prior.

Yet, the more worrying statistic is the points tally that they finish on - Oxford City had 33 (20 from safety) and Maidstone were on 25 (25 from safety).

Congratulations to Ebbsfleet United on winning the National League South! 🏆

Commiserations to Maidstone United who have already been relegated from the National League. ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/vCo3MGyg5k

— Robert Wheeler (@IAmRobWheeler) April 7, 2023

Currently, Truro City - who finished top of the National League south last season on goal difference - sit on just 12 points after 19 games.

It's clear to see that the gap between not only the fifth and sixth tier is growing, but also that of the top and bottom half of the National League.

10 points is already the gap between Boreham Wood in fifth and Tamworth in ninth, meaning that the teams set for the play-offs is already looking decided, even before the halfway stage of the campaign.

Of the top 10 clubs in the league as of writing, seven of them have been Football League clubs at some point within the last decade, proving how ex-EFL teams are starting to dominate the division and brush the natural non-league clubs aside.

What is the 3Up Campaign?

All 72 National League clubs wrote to the EFL board demanding the introduction of three promotion/relegation spots between the fourth and fifth tier back in February.

Still, nothing has been done to resolve the issue, despite National League vice-chairman, Steve Thompson, claiming that an "awful lot" of EFL clubs support 3Up but "won't put their heads up above the parapet".

The EFL's previous stance on the subject was that it wanted to address the "competitive balance" of the whole pyramid.

"Obviously we are not going to vote for it." ❌

"Should we not look after our own teams?" 🤷

Shrewsbury Town manager Gareth Ainsworth on the National League's 3UP campaign ↕️#BBCFootball #Salop #BBCEFL pic.twitter.com/Jw27rCBkAD

— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) February 6, 2025

The campaign has gathered mass attention, with even the Prime Minister weighing in on the debate, and the overwhelming majority of supporters are in sympathy with the National League.

🗣️ PM Keir Starmer has commended the National League’s 3UP Campaign at today’s PMQs

👇 pic.twitter.com/1waqTfF8yt

— The Non-League Paper (@NonLeaguePaper) October 29, 2025

All National League games on the 15 November kicked off at 15:03 GMT - three minutes later than usual - in a symbol of their bid.

Why Should 3Up be Installed?

History proves that clubs promoted from the fifth tier more than hold their own against League Two opposition; Only four of the 19 teams that have gone up in the last decade aren't in the EFL today.

Of the 15 teams that remain in the Football League, four of them (Wrexham, Lincoln City, Leyton Orient and Stockport County) are either in the Championship or League One.

No team that has won the National League title since the introduction of the current promotion format in 2003 has ever suffered instant relegation back to non-league.

It's no wonder that Savage also claimed:

"If you combined League Two and the National League, I'm sure there would be seven, eight, nine, 10 clubs who could compete in that, no doubt about it".

Shockingly, 12 of the 20 clubs that have been relegated from League Two have still failed to return to the EFL, with some being in financial trouble as a result.

However, this only adds more weight behind 3Up's argument, as two automatic spots plus a play-off spot would increase their chances of returning quickly to the EFL.

Therefore, they would be less likely to stagnate in the National League, a better prospect for both themselves and the other traditional non-league clubs trying to make a name for themselves in the division.