North West Counties Premier Division
The North West Counties Premier Division is step 5 of the National League system and the ninth level over all of the English football pyramid.
The league contains 24 teams from the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern Shropshire, the far west of West Yorkshire, and the High Peak area of Derbyshire.
The league is part of the Joint Liaison Council that oversees the Northern section of England’s National Football System.
History of the league
The North West Counties League was established in 1982 when the Cheshire County League and the Lancashire Combination merged. Initially, the league featured three separate divisions, but it was reduced to two in 1987 due to the establishment of the Northern Premier League (NPL).
It was at that time that relegation and promotion between the two divisions was introduced. In 2008, Division One became the Premier Division, with Division Two being changed to First Division.
Clubs in the league also enter the League Challenge Cup. Four clubs have won the double of Premier Division title and Challenge Cup: Ashton United, Kidsgrove Athletic, F.C. United of Manchester, and Glossop North End. The latter achieved the most recent double in 2015.
The league was interrupted in season 2019/20 and eventually abandoned by the FA due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. The following season also suffered due to the pandemic, as lockdown regulations curtailed the season.
Promotion and relegation
Teams achieve automatic promotion to the Northern Premier League Division One West by finishing top of the Premier Division table.
Play-offs decide the second promotion spot between the teams that finished from second place to fifth in the regular season. Whoever wins the four-team play-off will join the champions in step 4 of the National League system.
The bottom two clubs in the Premier Division suffer relegation to the First Division North or South. One team from Division One earns automatic promotion to the Premier Division.
The other promotion berth is decided by a play-off tournament between the teams that finished in second, third, fourth, and fifth place in the regular league campaign. The winner of the play-off will move to step 5, as long as their grounds facility meets the league’s standards.
Past winners of the Premier Division
| Season | Champions |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | Wythenshawe |
| 2022/23 | Vauxhall Motors |
| 2021/22 | Macclesfield |
| 2020/21 | Season curtailed due to lockdown regulations |
| 2019/20 | Season abandoned due to coronavirus pandemic |
| 2018/19 | City of Liverpool |
| 2017/18 | Runcorn Linnets |
| 2016/17 | Atherton Collieries |
| 2015/16 | Colne |
| 2014/15 | Glossop North End |
Records and stats
Newcastle Town is the holder of many of the records in the Premier Division. In season 1992/93, the Staffordshire outfit recorded an impressive 27 consecutive victories while winning the title by 24 points, also a record.
The 2006/07 season also saw Town produce another record campaign. They claimed a record 114 points, beating the previous record of F.C. United by a point. In the same campaign, they also recorded 37 wins, one more than F.C. United who also held that particular honour previously.
More than 35 clubs have reached the English Football League from the Premier Division. The list includes Fleetwood Town, Accrington Stanley and Salford City, the latter were in the league as recently as 2008.
The current attendance record for the Premier Division is 4,720 for Macclesfield FC’s home game with AFC Liverpool in 2022. The record crowd were no doubt tempted by the fact that Macclesfield were lifting their title-winning trophy. The north West outfit had only been in the division for one season and claimed the title by a margin of 15 points.