PROMOTION AND RELEGATION BETWEEN THE CONFERENCE NATIONAL AND LEAGUE TWO

That this House notes the great and growing disparity in funding between the upper and lower leagues of English football, at a time when promotion between the Conference and the Football League remains extremely difficult; further notes that the gap in the standard of play between League and non-League clubs is narrowing with many clubs in the Conference National now working on a professional level; sees that the current inadequate two-up, two-down system of promotion and relegation between the ConferenceNational and League Two has created a bottleneck; believes that greater promotion opportunities between the Conference and the Football League would promote a free market and fair play in English football, encourage greater redistribution of wealth between different levels of the game and ensure that relegated ex-League teams with strong and thriving fan bases are not left to wither and die; and calls on the Government to press the Football Association to introduce a three-up, three-down system of promotion and relegation between the Conference National and League Two of the Football League.