Non-league is known for its competitiveness and is not for the faint-hearted. Many of the players are youngsters attempting to earn a big move or older pros who have been around the football block.
Some former non-league players have gone on to higher leagues in recent decades. The 2023/24 season was a good one for former non-league players for winning promotion to the Premier League.
Here are some of those players who could be plying their trade in the top flight in season 2024/25 after promotion from the Championship:
Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
The striker’s story is now a legendary tale of perseverance and success. He scored an impressive 31 goals in the fifth tier, a feat that helped Fleetwood Town to promotion to the EFL.
Vardy’s journey took a historic turn when he became the first, and to this day, the only non-league player to move for a £1m fee.
This landmark move saw him join the then Championship outfit Leicester City in 2012, which would redefine his career and the perception of non-league players in the football world.
Vardy’s journey didn’t end with the move to Leicester City. It was just the beginning for the forward, who was released as a youngster by Sheffield Wednesday.
Following the club’s promotion, he became a prolific scorer in the Premier League, helping the Foxes achieve the unbelievable feat of winning the English top-flight title in 2016.
Vardy also won the Premier League Golden Boot in season 2019/20, proving that talent can come from the most unexpected places.
Not to mention the 26 caps for England at international level, in which he scored seven goals.
In the summer of 2024, Vardy signed a one-year contract extension after the Foxes won promotion back to the English top flight from the Championship.
Jack Taylor (Ipswich Town)
The midfielder who started his career with Chelsea’s youth team is the player who left the National League for the EFL for the second biggest fee when he left Barnet to join Championship Peterborough in 2019.
Taylor established himself as a key player for Barnet before enjoying a solid three seasons with the Posh. In 2023, the former Republic of Ireland under-21 international moved to Ipswich Town for an undisclosed fee.
In season 2023/24, Taylor played 33 games in the Championship, as the Tractor Boys earned automatic promotion to the Premier League. Like Vardy, the midfielder will be playing top-flight football next season.
Danny Ward (Leicester City)
The goalkeeper started his career at his hometown club, Wrexham. He never made a first-team appearance for the Red Dragons, with his only professional appearance during his time with the club for fellow fifth-tier team Tamworth during a loan spell.
Despite the scarcity of his appearances for his parent club, Premier League giants Liverpool paid a fee of around £100,000 to sign the then-18-year-old in 2012.
The stopper was with the Merseyside club for six years, making just two Premier League appearances. However, while with the Reds, he had loan spells at Morecambe, Aberdeen and, most mostly notably, Huddersfield Town.
Ward played 43 Championship games with the Terriers and established himself as a competent goalkeeper. He helped his temporary employers win promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs. His performances with Town earned him a £12.5m move to Leicester City in 2018.
The Welshman struggled for game time with the Foxes until the 2022/23 season, when he made 26 Premier League appearances, having been the Midlands club’s number one for much of the season.
Unfortunately for Ward, Leicester suffered relegation from the Premier League in the same season. In the 2023/24 season, he failed to make an appearance in the Championship, as the Foxes won automatic promotion.
However, he is still at the Midlands club and could feature in season 2024/25’s top-flight campaign.
Despite a lack of first-team football at times down the years, Ward has earned a respectable 41 caps for Wales at international level.
Luke Woolfenden (Ipswich Town)
The defender has been with Ipswich since he was 11. However, in season 2017/18, the centre-back was just a teenager when he made 20 appearances for Bromley, who were then in the National League.
Two seasons later, he became a regular in the Ipswich team, who were then in League One. However, he has since helped Town to two promotions, having made 32 appearances in last season’s successful promotion-winning campaign in the Championship.
Joe Aribo (Southampton)
The Nigerian international midfielder will play top-flight football with the Saints in season 2024/25. However, Aribo’s path to the English top flight was not easy.
In fact, Aribo didn’t even start his career in the National League, he started his professional career in the National League South with Staines Town in 2013. He won the club’s Academy Player of the Year Award in April 2014.
The midfielder’s displays impressed scouts from Championship Charlton Athletic, and he signed for the Addicks in September 2015.
He spent four seasons with the London outfit before a move to Scottish giants Rangers in 2019. While with the Gers’ he won both the SPL title and Scottish Cup.
In 2022, he joined Premier League Southampton. Unfortunately, the Saints suffered relegation in his debut season with the club. However, they earned an instant return to the top flight via the play-offs.
Che Adams (Southampton)
Aribo’s clubmate at Southampton, Che Adams, started his career in the United Counties League Division One with Oadby Town before a move to Ilkeston in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.
However, he impressed at Ilkeston and in November 2014, League One Sheffield United paid an undisclosed fee to sign the forward.
Adams spent three seasons with the Blades and another three at Birmingham City. He joined Southampton in 2019, where he enjoyed his first taste of top-flight football.
The Scotland international scored 16 Championship goals in season 2023/24 to help the Saints make the play-offs and win promotion after a play-off final victory over Leeds United.
Which former non-league players are you looking to watch in the Premier League in season 2024/25?