Football-loving MPs for Rochdale and York have joined forces to call for two automatic promotion spots from the National League – as they ribbed each other over which club will end up top this season.
Lifelong Dale fan and season ticket holder Paul Waugh teamed up with York City’s MP Luke Charters to back the ‘3 UP’ campaign to give non-league clubs the chance of two automatic elevations to the English Football League and one from play-offs.
At present, only one club goes up automatically from the National League – a fact that left York City last season losing out as they failed to go up despite ending up 20 points higher than eventual play-off winners Oldham Athletic.
Right now, Rochdale and York are the stand-out two teams at the top of the National League, breaking away from the rest of the pack – but only one of them is guaranteed promotion.
In a light hearted video, Mr Waugh and Mr Charters can be heard claiming that their team will top the league.
Rochdale’s MP jokes that by the time the two teams meet on the last day of the season on April 25th, it’ll “be too late by then” for York City to top the league.
Their friendly rivalry comes as the campaign for three promotion places gathers significant momentum in Westminster.
Dozens of cross-party MPs gathered in Westminster Hall this week to support the National League’s popular 3UP campaign, which seeks a third promotion place in line with the rest of the professional football pyramid. Politicians from all parties united behind the campaign and called on English Football League executives to facilitate an urgent change to its rules.
Significantly, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy, attended the event and photo opportunity to show her support for the campaign, despite the Government and the new Independent Football Regulator maintaining a neutral position on matters of promotion and relegation.
The 3UP campaign already has widespread backing from fans, clubs and media after a year-long push that has seen 93 per cent of supporters endorse the proposal and a national Day of Action, with 200 clubs kicking off at 3.03pm to highlight the inconsistency between the leagues.
The English Football League recently confirmed it will formally discuss the matter next month by tabling 3UP as an agenda item for its all-club meetings. However, a vote has not yet been scheduled.
National League Chair Jack Pearce welcomed the discussions and reiterated the league’s willingness to work with the EFL to make 3UP a reality for next season. He said the response to the campaign over the past 12 months had been “nothing short of remarkable” and noted that even the EFL had conceded the current arrangements are “indefensible” in the long term.
He added that while the EFL has suggested changes should form part of wider financial reform, the National League believes 3UP is a straightforward fix that could be implemented quickly. It has now been 23 years since the league gained a second promotion place.
The Westminster event was coordinated by Dr Beccy Cooper, MP for Worthing West, whose local club competes in the National League South. She said she was proud to support the campaign, arguing that it would help secure the financial stability of community-based clubs and protect the unique heritage of the football pyramid.
The growing political pressure comes ahead of Macclesfield FC’s FA Cup Fourth Round tie against Brentford, highlighting once again the strength and competitiveness of clubs in the National League system, including those in the National League North and South.
The National League, currently branded as the Enterprise National League, comprises 72 clubs across three divisions: the National League, National League North and National League South. The top division sits at Step 5 of the English football pyramid, directly below the English Football League, with North and South forming the sixth tier.
With EFL clubs set to meet in the week beginning 2 March to debate the proposal, campaigners say the pressure is now firmly on to Put Football First and ensure that the two best teams in the National League are rewarded with automatic promotion next season.