The NFNL Board has determined the structure of its senior men’s football competitions for the 2020 season.
Following a review of the current competition structure, the Board has endorsed a move to make Division 2 a ten-team competition from 2020.
To enable an additional side to be added to Division 2 next year, the Board has determined that no side will be relegated from Division 2 at the conclusion of the 2019 season.
Nine sides currently compete in Division 2, with the 2019 Division 3 premier to be promoted at season’s end.
The NFNL’s Division 1 and Division 2 senior men’s competitions will each consist of ten teams in 2020, with eight teams to compete in Division 3.
Division 2 will move to a top-five finals structure, using the same model adopted in Division 1.
NFNL chief executive Peter McDougall endorsed the competition restructure and said increasing the number of teams in Division 2 had been a priority for the Board for some time.
“The league has publicly declared in recent seasons a desire to increase the number of teams competing in Division 2,” McDougall said.
“The restructure provides our senior men’s competition a more cohesive model and will increase the depth in our second division.
“Having even numbers in each of our senior men’s competitions also removes the need to schedule a bye, which allows all clubs to compete in 18 home and away matches.”
The Board confirmed that a relegation and promotion model will continue in Division 1 in 2019, with the bottom-placed side in the top flight to be relegated at season’s end and the Division 2 premier to be promoted.
