National League South
 Conference South Trophy | |
| Founded | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Number of clubs | 24 |
| Level on pyramid | 6 Step 2 (National League System) |
| Promotion to | National League |
| Relegation to | Isthmian League Premier Division Southern League Premier Division South |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Cup FA Trophy Conference League Cup (defunct) |
| International cup(s) | Europa League (via FA Cup) |
| Current champions | Truro City (1st title) (2024–25) |
| Most championships | Several (1 title) |
| Top goalscorer | Shaun Jeffers (129) |
| Website | National League |
| Current: 2025–26 National League South | |
The National League South, officially Vanarama National League South, is a professional Association football league in England. National League South is the second division of the National Leagues and step 2 of the NLS and sixth-highest tier overall in the English football league system, after the Premier League, the EFL leagues and the National League and is contested by 24 clubs.
National League South includes teams from the South East, London, and the South West, as well as teams from Essex. The National League South was introduced in 2004 as part of a major restructuring of the National League System. Each year the champion of the league is automatically promoted to the National League. A second promotion place goes to the winner of a play-off involving the teams finishing in second to seventh place (expanded from four to six teams in the 2017–18 season).[1] The three bottom clubs were relegated to Step 3 leagues.
For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Blue Square South (2007–2010), Blue Square Bet South (2010–2013), Skrill South (2013–2014),[2] the Vanarama Conference South (2014–2015), the Vanarama National League South (2015–2019) and the Motorama National League South following a three-year sponsorship deal announced in January 2019. Since the start of the 2015–16 season, the league is known as the National League South.[3]
Current member clubs, 2025–26
[edit]The current member clubs for the 2025–26 season are as follows:
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| Club | Finishing position 2024–25 |
|---|---|
| AFC Totton | 2nd in Southern League (promoted) |
| Bath City | 15th |
| Chelmsford City | 11th |
| Chesham United | 13th |
| Chippenham Town | 14th |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 21st in National League (relegated) |
| Dorking Wanderers | 6th |
| Dover Athletic | 5th in Isthmian League (promoted) |
| Eastbourne Borough | 3rd |
| Ebbsfleet United | 24th in National League (relegated) |
| Enfield Town | 19th |
| Farnborough | 10th |
| Hampton & Richmond Borough | 18th |
| Hemel Hempstead Town | 12th |
| Hornchurch | 9th |
| Horsham | 1st in Isthmian League (promoted) |
| Maidenhead United | 22nd in National League (relegated) |
| Maidstone United | 7th |
| Salisbury | 20th |
| Slough Town | 16th |
| Tonbridge Angels | 17th |
| Torquay United | 2nd |
| Weston-super-Mare | 8th |
| Worthing | 4th |
Current league stadiums 2025–26
[edit]
The stadiums of all teams in the league for the 2025–26 season are listed below in capacity order:
| Home club | Stadium name | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Bath City | Twerton Park | 8,840 |
| Farnborough | Cherrywood Road | 7,000 |
| Dover Athletic | Crabble Athletic Ground | 6,500 |
| Torquay United | Plainmoor | 6,500 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | Chigwell Construction Stadium | 6,078 |
| Chesham United | The Meadow | 5,000 |
| Salisbury | Raymond McEnhill Stadium | 5,000 |
| Ebbsfleet United | Stonebridge Road | 4,800 |
| Dorking Wanderers | Meadowbank Stadium | 4,250 |
| Maidstone United | Gallagher Stadium | 4,200 |
| Eastbourne Borough | Priory Lane | 4,151 |
| Maidenhead United | York Road | 4,000 |
| Worthing | Woodside Road | 4,000 |
| Hampton & Richmond Borough | Beveree Stadium | 3,500 |
| Hornchurch | Hornchurch Stadium | 3,500 |
| Weston-super-Mare | Woodspring Stadium | 3,500 |
| Hemel Hempstead Town | Vauxhall Road | 3,152 |
| Chelmsford City | Melbourne Stadium | 3,000 |
| Chippenham Town | Hardenhuish Park | 3,000 |
| Horsham | The Camping World Community Stadium | 3,000 |
| Tonbridge Angels | Longmead Stadium | 3,000 |
| AFC Totton | Testwood Stadium | 3,000 |
| Enfield Town | Queen Elizabeth II Stadium | 2,500 |
| Slough Town | Arbour Park | 2,000 |
Past winners
[edit]** Not promoted. In 2004–05 only three promotion places were available to the Conference National. The third place was decided in a Playoff at Stoke City's Britannia Stadium, which Eastbourne lost 2–1 to the Conference North playoff winners, Altrincham.
Records
[edit] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2024) |
| Biggest home win | 8 – Maidenhead United 8–0 Truro City, 8 September 2012 Ebbsfleet United 8–0 Bishop's Stortford, 21 March 2017, Dorking Wanderers 8-0 Havant and Waterlooville, 26 December 2021 |
| Biggest away win | 7 – Dorchester Town 0–7 Grays Athletic, 23 October 2004 |
| Highest scoring match | 11 – Bognor Regis Town 6–5 Welling United, 11 September 2004 Bath City 7–4 Farnborough, 17 February 2015 |
| Consecutive wins | 12 – Welling United, 2012–13 |
| Consecutive games unbeaten | 25 – Sutton United, 2015–16 |
| Most wins in a season | 32 – Newport County 2009–10 |
| Fewest wins in a season | 4 – Dover Athletic 2023-24 |
| Most defeats in a season | 34 – Fisher Athletic 2008–09 |
| Fewest defeats in a season | 3 – Newport County 2009–10 |
| Most draws in a season | 18 – Hampton & Richmond Borough 2017–18 |
| Fewest draws in a season | 3 – Redbridge 2004–05 Eastleigh 2005–06 Fisher Athletic 2008–09 |
| Most goals scored in a season | 118 – Grays Athletic, 2004–05 |
| Fewest goals scored in a season | 22 – Fisher Athletic 2008–09 |
| Most goals conceded in a season | 103 – Weymouth 2009–10 |
| Fewest goals conceded in a season | 26 – Newport County, 2009–10 |
| Most clean sheets in a season | 23 – Newport County 2009–10 and Alexis André Jr. (Maidstone United) 2024-2025 |
| Most points in a season | 103 – Newport County 2009–10 & Ebbsfleet United 2022-23 |
| Most individual goals in a season | 44 – Dave Tarpey (Maidenhead United), 2016–17 |
| Top goalscorer | 129 – Shaun Jeffers (St Albans City, Chelmsford City, Hampton & Richmond Borough)[4] |
| Most individual goals in a game | 6 – Mitchell Bryant, Weymouth 0–6 Basingstoke Town, 13 February 2010 |
| Highest attendance | 6,462 – Yeovil Town vs. Torquay United, 29 March 2024[5] |
| Highest average attendance | 3,943 – Torquay United, 2024–25[6] |
| Lowest home attendance | 52 out of 2,812 - Truro City vs. Torquay United, 1 January 2019 |
| Highest away attendance | 2,760 out of 2,812 - Truro City vs. Torquay United, 1 January 2019 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "National League South 2017-18 Season Preview". Vanarama National League. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ "Skrill announced as new Football Conference sponsor". Non-League Bets. 26 July 2013.
- ^ "BBC Sport – Football Conference to be renamed as National League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
- ^ "Top goalscorers in National League South history". Be Soccer. 15 April 2024.
- ^ Hughes, Richard (30 March 2024). "Torquay United disappointment after defeat at Yeovil Town". Devon Live. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ "Vanarama National League South | Average Attendances | Home Matches". Football Web Pages. 13 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
External links
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