National League South

National League South
Founded2004
CountryEngland
Number of clubs24
Level on pyramid6 Step 2 (National League System)
Promotion toNational League
Relegation toIsthmian League Premier DivisionSouthern Football League Premier Division Central or South
Domestic cup(s)FA CupFA Trophy
International cup(s)Europa League (via FA Cup)
Current championsTruro City (1st title) (2024–25)
Most championships20 Teams (1 title)
Top scorerShaun Jeffers (129)
WebsiteNational League
Current: 2025–26 National League South

The National League South, officially known as Enterprise National League South[1] for sponsorship reasons, 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).[2] 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),[3] 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.[4]

In June 2025, the league was renamed the Enterprise National League South after the sponsorship deal with Vanarama ended upon completion of the 2024–25 season.[1]

Current member clubs, 2025–26

The current member clubs for the 2025–26 season are as follows:

Division of Level 6 teams by English Counties (2022–23)
Club Finishing position 2024–25
AFC Totton2nd in Southern League (promoted)
Bath City15th
Chelmsford City11th
Chesham United13th
Chippenham Town14th
Dagenham & Redbridge21st in National League (relegated)
Dorking Wanderers6th
Dover Athletic5th in Isthmian League (promoted)
Eastbourne Borough3rd
Ebbsfleet United24th in National League (relegated)
Enfield Town19th
Farnborough10th
Hampton & Richmond Borough18th
Hemel Hempstead Town12th
Hornchurch9th
Horsham1st in Isthmian League (promoted)
Maidenhead United22nd in National League (relegated)
Maidstone United7th
Salisbury20th
Slough Town16th
Tonbridge Angels17th
Torquay United2nd
Weston-super-Mare8th
Worthing4th

Current league stadiums 2025–26

class=notpageimage|
Locations of the National League South 2024–25 teams (Greater London and Essex shown in more detail below)
class=notpageimage|
Locations of the National League South 2025–26 teams (Greater London and environ clubs)

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 CityTwerton Park8,840
FarnboroughCherrywood Road7,000
Dover AthleticCrabble Athletic Ground6,500
Torquay UnitedPlainmoor6,500
Dagenham & RedbridgeChigwell Construction Stadium6,078
Chesham UnitedThe Meadow5,000
SalisburyRaymond McEnhill Stadium5,000
Ebbsfleet UnitedStonebridge Road4,800
Dorking WanderersMeadowbank Stadium4,250
Maidstone UnitedGallagher Stadium4,200
Eastbourne BoroughPriory Lane4,151
Maidenhead UnitedYork Road4,000
WorthingWoodside Road4,000
Hampton & Richmond BoroughBeveree Stadium3,500
HornchurchHornchurch Stadium3,500
Weston-super-MareWoodspring Stadium3,500
Hemel Hempstead TownVauxhall Road3,152
Chelmsford CityMelbourne Stadium3,502
Chippenham TownHardenhuish Park3,000
HorshamThe Fusion Aviation Community Stadium3,000
Tonbridge AngelsLongmead Stadium3,000
AFC TottonTestwood Stadium3,000
Enfield TownQueen Elizabeth II Stadium2,500
Slough TownArbour Park2,000

Past winners

SeasonWinnerPlayoff winner
2004–05Grays AthleticEastbourne Borough **
2005–06WeymouthSt Albans City
2006–07HistonSalisbury City
2007–08LewesEastbourne Borough
2008–09AFC WimbledonHayes & Yeading United
2009–10Newport CountyBath City
2010–11Braintree TownEbbsfleet United
2011–12WokingDartford
2012–13Welling UnitedSalisbury City
2013–14EastleighDover Athletic
2014–15BromleyBoreham Wood
2015–16Sutton UnitedMaidstone United
2016–17Maidenhead UnitedEbbsfleet United
2017–18Havant & WaterloovilleBraintree Town
2018–19Torquay UnitedWoking
2019–20WealdstoneWeymouth
2020–21None, season curtailed and voided
2021–22Maidstone UnitedDorking Wanderers
2022–23Ebbsfleet UnitedOxford City
2023–24Yeovil TownBraintree Town
2024–25Truro CityBoreham Wood

** 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.

Attendances

As of the end of the 2024–25 season, the record for the highest average league attendance is 1,226. Torquay United hold the record for the highest club average attendance with 3,943,[5] having previously broken the record in the 2018–19 season with 2,551.[6]

Average and highest attendances
  Attendance broke the previous National League South record
SeasonLeague average attendanceHighest average
ClubAttendance
2012–13487Salisbury City886[7]
2013–14461Ebbsfleet United1,090[8]
2014–15521Bromley1,081[9]
2015–16[a]653Maidstone United2,222[11]
2016–17586Ebbsfleet United1,350[12]
2017–18551Dartford1,053[13]
2018–19877Torquay United2,551[6]
2019–20855Dulwich Hamlet2,200[14]
2020–21No attendances due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021–221,002Dulwich Hamlet2,712[15]
2022–23899Dulwich Hamlet2,464[16]
2023–241,205Yeovil Town3,916[17]
2024–251,226 Torquay United3,943[5]
  1. ^Inaugural season of the National League South[10]

Records

Biggest home win8 – Maidenhead United 8–0 Truro City, 8 September 2012Ebbsfleet United 8–0 Bishop's Stortford, 21 March 2017,Dorking Wanderers 8-0 Havant and Waterlooville, 26 December 2021
Biggest away win7 – Dorchester Town 0–7 Grays Athletic, 23 October 2004
Highest scoring match11 – Bognor Regis Town 6–5 Welling United, 11 September 2004Bath City 7–4 Farnborough, 17 February 2015
Consecutive wins12 – Welling United, 2012–13
Consecutive games unbeaten25 – Sutton United, 2015–16
Most wins in a season32 – Newport County 2009–10
Fewest wins in a season4 – Dover Athletic 2023-24
Most defeats in a season34 – Fisher Athletic 2008–09
Fewest defeats in a season3 – Newport County 2009–10
Most draws in a season18 – Hampton & Richmond Borough 2017–18
Fewest draws in a season3 – Redbridge 2004–05Eastleigh 2005–06Fisher Athletic 2008–09
Most goals scored in a season118 – Grays Athletic, 2004–05
Fewest goals scored in a season22 – Fisher Athletic 2008–09
Most goals conceded in a season103 – Weymouth 2009–10
Fewest goals conceded in a season26 – Newport County, 2009–10
Most clean sheets in a season23 – Newport County 2009–10 and Alexis André Jr. (Maidstone United) 2024-2025
Most points in a season103 – Newport County 2009–10 & Ebbsfleet United 2022-23
Most individual goals in a season44 – Dave Tarpey (Maidenhead United), 2016–17
Top goalscorer129 – Shaun Jeffers (St Albans City, Chelmsford City, Hampton & Richmond Borough)[18]
Most individual goals in a game6 – Mitchell Bryant, Weymouth 0–6 Basingstoke Town, 13 February 2010
Highest attendance6,462 – Yeovil Town vs. Torquay United, 29 March 2024[19]
Highest average attendance3,943 – Torquay United, 2024–25[20]
Lowest home attendance52 out of 2,812 - Truro City vs. Torquay United, 1 January 2019
Highest away attendance2,760 out of 2,812 - Truro City vs. Torquay United, 1 January 2019

See also

References

  1. ^ ab"Enterprise becomes new sponsor of National League". BBC Sport. 23 June 2025. Archived from the original on 23 June 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  2. ^"National League South 2017-18 Season Preview". Vanarama National League. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  3. ^"Skrill announced as new Football Conference sponsor". Non-League Bets. 26 July 2013.
  4. ^"BBC Sport – Football Conference to be renamed as National League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  5. ^ ab"Vanarama National League South – Average Attendances – Home Matches – 2024-2025". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  6. ^ ab"National League South – Average Attendances – Home Matches – 2018-2019". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  7. ^"Blue Square Bet South – Average Attendances – Home Matches – 2012-2013". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  8. ^"Skrill South – Average Attendances – Home Matches – 2013-2014". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  9. ^"Vanarama Conference South – Average Attendances – Home Matches – 2014-2015". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  10. ^McVeigh, Niall (6 April 2015). "Football Conference to become National League in high-profile rebranding". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  11. ^"National League South – Average Attendances – Home Matches – 2015-2016". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  12. ^"National League South – Average Attendances – Home Matches – 2016-2017". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  13. ^"National League South – Average Attendances – Home Matches – 2017-2018". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  14. ^"Vanarama National League South – Average Attendances – Home Matches – 2019-2020". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  15. ^"Vanarama National League South – Average Attendances – Home Matches – 2021-2022". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  16. ^"Vanarama National League South – Average Attendances – Home Matches – 2022-2023". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  17. ^"Vanarama National League South – Average Attendances – Home Matches – 2023-2024". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  18. ^"Top goalscorers in National League South history". Be Soccer. 15 April 2024.
  19. ^Hughes, Richard (30 March 2024). "Torquay United disappointment after defeat at Yeovil Town". Devon Live. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  20. ^"Vanarama National League South | Average Attendances | Home Matches". Football Web Pages. 13 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_League_South&oldid=1334137318"