Step 7 of the National League System (Abolished)
Step 7 was the lowest level in the National League system. However, in season 2012/13, the FA decided to restructure step 7. Step seven was split into three separate categories: Step 7, Step 7A and Step 7B.
The leagues that clubs were put into depended on the club’s facilities at their grounds.
On March 31st, clubs that met 100 per cent of the stadium grading requirements were allocated to a Step 7 league. Meanwhile, clubs that only met 75 per cent of the requirements for grounds facilities were put into Step 7A, while clubs that only met 50 per cent of the grounds grading requirements were allocated a place in Step 7B.
In season 2016/17, the sub-categories and criteria were removed. In season 2020/21, step 7 was abolished. The former leagues that were once part of step 7 then became designated NLS Feeder Leagues, which are now run by the county FA’s. They are local regional leagues.
As of May 2024, there were a total of 787 clubs playing in 49 Regional Feeder Leagues.
The Regional Feeder Leagues are the 11th tier of English football, and teams who win promotion will only enter step six if their grounds and facilities meet specific FA standards.
The clubs in the National League Feeder Leagues are all amateur, unlike some of the clubs higher up the pyramid. Some clubs may also put in an application for step six status, depending on their own circumstances.
The decision to abolish step 7 came on the back of a restructuring of the whole National League System that took place in March 2018. The representatives of the NLS agreed that a pure pyramid of 1-2-4-8-16 was their ultimate goal.
To achieve this, an eighth division was introduced in step 4, followed by two more divisions in step 5. This was just before a fourth division was introduced in step 3 and a seventh in step 4.
In April 2019, it was decided that there would be 17 divisions in step 6, which was two fewer than in season 2018/19. Also, it was confirmed that the two new divisions would be in the Midlands and the west London/Thames Valley areas.
Later in the month, the Northern Premier League were awarded the operation of the eighth division of step 4. This was initially planned to take place in time for the 2020/21 season.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK brought an early end to the 2019/20 season for leagues Steps 3 to 6 on 26th March 2020. That led to the FA postponing it until the 2020/21 campaign when football leagues from Step 2 saw their seasons stopped once again due to COVID-19 lockdowns on 24th February 2021.
The Combined Counties and United Counties leagues run the two new Step 5 divisions.