It began as a single division, of 20 clubs, known as the Alliance Premier League, in 1979.  Today, there are 68 clubs in 'the Conference', with 24 at Level 1 and 44 at Level 2, which has Northern and Southern sections.

 

Variously known as the Gola League, the GM Vauxhall Conference and the Nationwide Conference, the organisation grew from one division to three in 2004.  The aim of all clubs involved is to earn promotion to the Football League, either automatically or via play-offs.  Provided that it has the right ground facilities, the theory is that any Conference side can make this leap, just as Scarborough F.C. did in 1987 when automatic promotion from Conference to League was achieved for the first-ever time. 

 

For this part of this website the plan is to look at the history of the Conference since 1979, providing the Final League Tables for each of the 3 competitions now involved, with brief notes on changes and movements. 

 

The 'search for glory' has not always been rewarding and Conference success has proved to be 'a poisoned chalice' for some.  A link is provided to the fascinating website that covers much about SCARBOROUGH F.C., the first Conference club to earn automatic promotion to the Football League.  The Seadogs were wound up in the High Court in Leeds on June 20th, 2007, ending 128 years of existence.  The club is 'Gone but not forgotten'.  Check it out, using the link button above.

 

July 23rd - More to follow.

 

There will be more Conference history put onto the site during the season.  Unlike other leagues on this website, the Conference gets a lot of coverage already. 

 

This site will not try to get bang up to date with events and developments for this season - it is primarily a non-league football history site.  Every now and again, however, there will be something topical for visitors.

 

Enjoy!