Skip to main content
The Football Conference, the highest level of the English non-league football pyramid, is to undergo a major rebrand, and will be known from next season as the National League.
The change, which will also affect the regional second tiers known as Conference North and South, was announced live on BT Sport, who have confirmed a three-year TV deal to show live matches and highlights.
A statement on the Football Conference website read: “The Football Conference is proud to announce The Vanarama National League is coming to a ground near you!”
“The new league will officially take its place in the football family on June 6th and the changes will include a new look logo … a new broadcasting company, NLTV, which will be the first fully dedicated broadcasting channel focusing solely on the 68 member clubs … and lastly, in yet another first, the competition will create the all new NLTV Broadcasting Academy,” the statement continued.
Brian Barwick, the former FA chief executive and incoming chairman of the new National League, said: “I am delighted to be joining at this vibrant time with this exciting new branding. I look forward to steering this great competition to new levels of awareness and visibility.”
The rebranding was announced in tandem with a TV deal with BT Sport, who will extend their live coverage of matches and host a weekly highlights show. The NLTV online broadcast platform has also been launched, with the aim of offering a subscription service in the future.
Tony Kleanthous, the Conference board director responsible for broadcasting, said: “NLTV’s aim is to launch a very affordable internet subscriber portal in 2016. The NLTV daily show will include short clips, podcasts and updates from clubs around the country and our new digital platform will also feature highlights from every game every week so you never need miss the action.”
BT Sport and competition sponsors Vanarama will also provide financial support to the NLTV Broadcasting Academy, an initiative which will provide media students with training, equipment and work experience.
“[The Academy] will provide students with the best teaching, using the best equipment in the best environment, real on the job training and I just can’t wait to see the smiles on the faces of the graduates who receive the first diplomas we will be handing out next year,” Kleanthous added.
The Football Conference was formed in 1979, in a merger between the Northern Premier League and Southern League, to create a national top tier within non-league football. Automatic promotion for the Conference champions to the fourth tier of the Football League began in 1987, with a second play-off promotion place awarded from 2003 onwards.
(07 Apr 2015, 3:31 pm)MrFozz wrote This may be of interest to Gateshead Fans(Lee, Adam and Andreos)...
The Football Conference is being re-branded next season...
Football Conference to become National League in high-profile rebranding
![[Image: arrow-10x10.png]](http://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png){kind=icon}
as new managers normally have a good record against the skunks...playing it safe and going for a draw) 0
(07 Apr 2015, 6:44 pm)Adam wrote I really can't see why they can't just leave things alone. Everyone knows it at the Conference, and I suspect many people will still call it the Conference after the "rebranding" of the league.I could not agree more fella...
I'm actually fed up with football becoming more "business-y", with companies sponsoring leagues and competitions to the extent whereby presenters and pundits have to refer to them with the sponsor's names, such as "The FA Cup with Budwiser", or the "Barclays Premier League". Furthermore, I also detest it how companies are now changing established stadium names. I could go on, but I rather wouldn't as I'd annoy myself even more, and it would mean my post would be longer.
All in all, it just goes to show that money is infecting the game that we know and love on an epidemic level. I prefer to take a prescriptivist stance on the matter, preserving the traditional side of the game before the viral epidemic ruins football for all of us.
...(07 Apr 2015, 8:46 pm)Tom wrote Predictions game results:
Davie
Saturday :
Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool 0
Everton 1-2 Southampton 0
Leicester 1-3 West Ham 0
Manchester United 2-0 Aston Villa 1
Swansea 2-1 Hull 1
West Bromwich 2-0 QPR 0
Chelsea 3-1 Stoke 1
Sunday:
Burnley 0-2 Tottenham 0
Sunderland 0-2 Newcastle 0
Monday
Crystal Palace 0-3 Manchester City 0
Total for the gameweek – 3
Overall total – 10
Michael
Saturday :
Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool 1
Everton 1-3 Southampton 0
Leicester 1-1 West Ham 0
Manchester United 3-0 Aston Villa 1
Swansea 2-1 Hull 1
West Bromwich 2-0 QPR 0
Chelsea 3-1 Stoke 1
Sunday:
Burnley 0-3 Tottenham 0
Sunderland 1-0 Newcastle 3
Monday
Crystal Palace 0-4 Manchester City 0
Total for the gameweek – 7
Overall total – 18
Mr Fozz:
Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool 1
Everton 1-1 Southampton 0
Leicester 0-1 West Ham 0
Manchester United 3-1 Aston Villa 3
Swansea 1-1 Hull 0
West Bromwich 2-1 QPR 0
Chelsea 3-0 Stoke 1
Sunday:
Burnley 0-2 Tottenham 0
Sunderland 1-1 Newcastle(I was gonna predict a Sunderland win
Monday
Crystal Palace 2-3 Manchester City 0
Total for the gameweek – 5
Overall total – 17
Mb134:
Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool 1
Everton 0-1 Southampton 0
Leicester 0-0 West Ham 0
Man Utd 2-0 Aston Villa 1
Swansea 2-1 Hull 1
West Brom 2-0 QPR 0
Chelsea 4-0 Stoke 1
Burnley 1-0 Tottenham 0
Sunderland 1-2 Newcastle 0
Crystal Palace 0-1 Man City 0
Total for the gameweek – 4
Overall total – 10
Tom:
Mine are:
Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool 1
Everton 0-2 Southampton 0
Leicester 1-0 West Ham 1
Man United 3-0 Aston Villa 1
Swansea 1-0 Hull 1
West Brom 1-0 QPR 0
Chelsea 2-0 Stoke 1
Burnley 2-1 Tottenham 0
Sunderland 2-0 Newcastle 1
Crystal Palace 1-3 Man City 0
Total for the gameweek – 6
Overall total – 12
Lee:
Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool 0
Everton 1-2 Southampton 0
Leicester 1-2 West Ham 0
Manchester United 3-0 Aston Villa 1
Swansea 2-1 Hull 1
West Brom 2-0 QPR 0
Chelsea 3-1 Stoke 1
Burnley 1-0 Spurs 0
Sunderland 1-1 Newcastle 0
Crystal Palace 0-2 Man City 0
Total for the gameweek – 3
Overall total – 16
LEADERBOARD:
1. Michael – 18pts
2. Mr Fozz – 17pts
3. Lee – 16pts
4. Tom – 12pts
5. Davie – 10pts
6. mb134 – 10pts
Get your predictions in for next week
(08 Apr 2015, 10:11 am)mb134 wrote My predictions for this week:
Swansea 1-1 Everton
Southampton 2-0 Hull
Sunderland 0-2 Crystal Palace
Tottenham 2-0 Aston Villa
West Brom 1-0 Leicester
West Ham 1-0 Stoke
Burnley 1-2 Arsenal
QPR 0-3 Chelsea
Man Utd 0-2 Man City
Liverpool 6-0 Newcastle
(10 Apr 2015, 11:46 am)Andreos1 wrote http://www.theguardian.com/football/pict...-newcastle
Sums things up nicely.
The sad thing is, a lot of teams could have been the subject matter and not just NUFC.
(10 Apr 2015, 11:47 am)Michael wrote Lmao, tbh that's Mike Ashley all over... wanna bet the boycott doesn't happen this week?
(10 Apr 2015, 11:52 am)Andreos1 wrote It will happen.
I have no idea whether it will be just a handful of people who miss the game or if it will be a few thousand mind.
(10 Apr 2015, 11:53 am)Michael wrote Wow, that's gonna hit Mike Ashley in the pocket... no one should turn up.....
(10 Apr 2015, 11:53 am)Michael wrote Wow, that's gonna hit Mike Ashley in the pocket... no one should turn up.....What's the alternative, Michael? Surely it's better to lose a fight fighting, rather than to go down without a fight?
