The National League may be the fifth tier of the English game, but with every season, the league seems to grow. Bigger crowds, better quality football, and more money are now in the division.
Some would even claim that the top tier of the non-league game can be compared to many of the top-level leagues in other countries.
The quality of the league
In recent years, the National League has grown in quality. This is due to more investment in better infrastructures within the clubs.
The fact that most clubs have moved away from the semi-professional to full-time professional model in the fifth tier has no doubt increased the quality of the teams.
One of the other factors in the increased quality has been former EFL clubs dropping down into the National League. One of those that has dropped down recently is Oldham Athletic, which is the only Premier League club ever to drop down from the Premier League to the National League.
These former EFL clubs have prestige that often attracts bigger sponsors and also bigger crowds.
It is hard to compare the National League like for like with other leagues around the world, as it isn’t very often that clubs from the league face foreign opposition.
However, it would be fair to say that the National League could be compared to many teams in some of European football’s smaller top divisions.
One of the most significant signs of the league’s improvement in recent years has been that the likes of Wrexham and Stockport County have not only been promoted to the EFL but have also won promotion to the third tier and are challenging for promotion to the second tier of English football.
The National League has higher attendance than other leagues
When it comes to attendance in season 2023/24, the National League’s average attendance was 2.773. The average was likely due to the aforementioned presence of former EFL clubs, such as Oldham Athletic, Chesterfield, Southend United, and York City, which helped bump up the average attendance for the season.
The average attendance was far greater, for instance than the Cymru Premier League, which has an average attendance of around 469. Meanwhile, the Northern Ireland Premiership has an average attendance of just 1602.
The National League’s average attendance is also higher than that of the top divisions in Belarus, Bosnia, Estonia, Iceland, Serbia, Slovenia and Slovakia.
What is the National League’s broadcasting deal?
In June 2024, television streaming company DAZN signed a seven-year deal to broadcast the National League, the National North and the National League South. The previous agreement was with TNT Sport, which was previously BT Sport.
The fact that media and streaming companies are showing a greater interest in the English fifth tier illustrates the growth of the league.
Not only are lots of people attending the National League games, but more people are watching the league on television. The fact that as of season 2023/24, the league was watched by people in over 50 countries shows that people are increasingly paying attention to the fifth tier.
This coverage was helped by the fact that Wrexham’s high-profile owner, Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds, highlighted the lack of television coverage of the league when the Dragons were in the fifth tier.
Some of Europe’s biggest leagues make a vast foreign from television rights. The exact figures for the latest television deal for the seven years are unclear. However, the clubs in the league are reportedly receiving more money from the latest deal than ever before.
They’ve picked up form at just the right time… can Boston complete the great escape? 👀📈#NationalLeagueOnDAZN | @bostonunited pic.twitter.com/9oRdrSsxAJ
— National League on DAZN (@DAZN_NationalLg) March 13, 2025
Whatever money was involved in the deal, at least the National League can say that they have a broadcasting deal. At the beginning of the 2024/25 season, the French top-flight Ligue One went through the unusual situation of not having a domestic broadcasting deal.
The LFP were struggling to find a deal that was anywhere near what they had hoped it would be. In the end, the French football authorities did find a broadcaster, and ironically, it was the same as the National League: DAZN.
It’s highly doubtful that DAZN is giving the National League anywhere near the same amount of money as the $436 million (£338m) eventually paid for five seasons. However, it illustrates that the National League is growing.
Italy’s Serie A also experienced a similar situation at the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign. In the end, a deal was struck with DAZN and Sky worth around $996 million. Once again, a figure that the National League could only dream about.
However, we are talking about the fifth tier of the English game here. Although the rights will have been vastly cheaper than those of the big five to acquire, it still shows that to have a stable broadcasting deal is not a given.
Higher revenue with increased interest but also more losses
According to football financial expert Kieran Maguire, in season 2022/23, Wrexham brought in a revenue of £10.5m. Meanwhile, Chesterfield and Southend had revenues of £4.5 million and £4 million respectively.
The lowest revenue brought in by a club in that particular season was Barnet, who brought in just £1.1m. Despite the relatively healthy revenues, the clubs in the fifth tier made a combined loss of £21m.
Only two clubs have made a profit in the National League and overall the losses for the season were over £21 million (Southend figures from 2021 and nothing for York ) pic.twitter.com/IlBxrPSnho
— Kieran Maguire (@KieranMaguire) March 28, 2024
The biggest money outlay was on wages. For example, Wrexham’s annual wage bill was £6.9m, while Chesterfield, who ended up losing in the play-off final, spent £3.9m over the year.
In the same year, French Ligue One club Clermont spent around €6,970,000 (£5,834,807), which shows the sort of money that ambitious teams in the English fifth-tier are willing to spend on wages compared to some clubs in Europe’s top divisions.
The National League is moving in the right direction
It is highly doubtful that anywhere in the world, there is a better fifth-tier of the game than in England. The fifth tier in the likes of Germany, France, Italy, and Spain are mostly semi-professional or regional leagues.
The fact that England’s fifth tier is thriving and moving in an exciting direction can only be good for non-league football and the game as a whole in the country.