Play-offs are a different game

ARTICLES and letters in recent editions of The Non-League Paper show that many fail to fully comprehend the structure of football in 2025.

- DR STEPHEN K DONOVAN

I remember the old days, when the top two or three or four teams, depending upon division or league, would automatically be promoted as a right.

Then someone invented the play-offs in their various geometries and the path to promotion changed, perhaps for the worse, but changed nonetheless.

Let us consider the National League 2024-25. Barnet are champions and are promoted back to the Football League by right.