Midland League Premier Division
The Midland Football League Premier Division is the top tier of the Midland Football League system, which is the ninth tier of the English football pyramid and Step 5 of the National League System.
The Premier Division typically comprises 18 teams and is the top tier of a four-tier system, which also includes Division One, Division Two, and Division Three.
More About The Midland Football League Premier Division
The league as a whole is a relatively new entrant to the non-league game. In fact, it was only founded in 2014, when the Midland Alliance and Midland Combination merged.
The Midlands Football Premier Division serves as a feeder league to the Northern Premier League, so the team that finishes as champions of the division is automatically promoted to either the Northern Premier League Division One West or the Midlands. Teams can also be promoted to the Southern League if there is an imbalance, such as an excessive number of teams from a particular geographical area.
A second promotion spot is also available via the play-offs, which involves the teams that finish between second and fifth place in the regular season campaign. The winners of the four-team play-offs join the champions in a Step 4 division. However, all promotions are reliant on the teams meeting the requirements of the higher league.
In normal circumstances, the teams that finish 17th and 18th place in the division are relegated to Division One. In some seasons, additional teams may be relegated based on their points-per-game (PPG) record compared to other Step 5 divisions. Specifically, the four teams with the lowest PPG from all 16 Step 5 divisions may also face relegation. However, this is contingent on the decisions made by the Football Association and any league restructuring.
Teams With Recent Success
| Season | Champions |
| 2015/16 | Hereford |
| 2016/17 | Alvechurch |
| 2017/18 | Bromsgrove Sporting |
| 2018/19 | Ilkeston Town |
| 2019/20 | No champions; season abandoned (COVID-19 pandemic) |
| 2020/21 | No champions; season curtailed (COVID-19 lockdowns) |
| 2021/22 | Hanley Town |
| 2022/23 | Walsall Wood |
| 2023/24 | Congleton Town |
| 2024/25 | Lichfield City |
As the league was only established in 2014, there hasn’t been time for any team to establish dominance in the league. In fact, no team has won the Premier Division or finished at the top of the table on multiple occasions.
The 2019/20 season was abandoned in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The following season, 2020/21, was also curtailed in February 2021.