NFNL confirms senior men’s competition structure for 2020


Published on Thursday, February 21, 2019

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.

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