Most people in locai non league football should now be aware this is the last season that the West Midlands (Regional) League (WMRL) will host and manage a Division (Premier Division) playing at Step 6 of the National League Structure. The FA for the past few seasons has totally reorganised the non-League structure starting at the top and working their way down the new pyramid. This close season sees arguably the biggest change of all a reorganisation of the pyramid at Steps 4, 5 and 6. In creating the new Divisions at Steps 4, 5 and 6 there will be a new Step 4 Division in the Northern Premier League, two new Step 5 Divisions run by the United Counties and Combined Counties Leagues. Two leagues the West Midlands (Regional) and East Midlands Counties lose their Step 6 status.

At the end of this current playing season when promotion and relegation places have been filled the FA will look to reorganise every single Step 5 and Step 6 League in the country. It so happens the WMRL Premier Division clubs are going to be one of the most affected group of clubs in the country because every team will be playing their football in a different League depending on the geographic location of their ground. Many of the WMRL Premier Division teams will move to the Midlands League Division One, but some will move to North West Counties (South) or the Hellenic Leagues.

In preparation for the huge change a meeting of all Leagues at this level in the country was held on Sunday 2nd February when the FA revealed their first simulation of which League all of the Step 5 and 6 clubs nationally will be playing their football from the start of next season. The FA produced a map for every League in the country containing unnamed map pins. If you have the time or inclination you can apply most pins to a club.

In creating the map and simulation the FA made several assumptions and used the following criteria as follows :

Promotions to Step 5 were based on the tables as they were at the 31st of December 2019

All clubs nationally have been ranked on their points per match average which is a fair way of doing working out clubs current positions given that clubs nationally have certainly not played exactly the same number of games

The FA have also applied promotion and relegations so the Divisions have been arranged in groups of 20 at Step 5 and between 18 and 20 at Step 6.

Step 7 promotions have not been included. However clubs who have applied for promotion from Step 7 have been denoted by a red circle with a ? symbol

This is only an initial projection and in no way should be considered the final allocation. In March the FA will repeat the same process and present this to the clubs sometime in the middle of April. As the season will finish in mid April this mapping projection will subject to any appeals show the league which clubs have been allocated and will play their football in 2020/21.

The timetable published by the FA is as follows

Further mapping simulation	During March 2020
Circulation of second mapping simulation to Leagues and Clubs – including lateral movement notice	No later than 17 April (this date may change because of the lateral movement notices that will be given to some clubs)
SEASONS END
The FA agree to draft Step5 & 6 allocations	12 May 2020
Clubs proposed for lateral movement will be informed and any club wishing to lodge its views to the lateral movement have 7 days to do so	Clubs informed on 12 May and have until 19th May to lodge views
FA will consider the views of clubs as and when they arrive with the final views being considered on the evening of 19th May	12 to 19 May
Final Step 5 & 6 allocations released	21 May 2020

All dates in the above table are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances

Every club at Step 5 & 6 nationally will know where they will be playing their football next season on 21st May giving the clubs and Leagues time to prepare for the 2020/21 season.

The WMRL Premier Division currently has 18 clubs, 4 will be promoted, 2 could possibly be relegated leaving 12 clubs. The League covers an area from North Shropshire into South Worcestershire through the West Midlands conurbation, so not every club will move to the Midland Football League (MFL) Division One, some will move into either the Hellenic League or the North West Counties (South) League.Existing MFL Division One clubs will also be subject to lateral moves into other Leagues as well.

The FA have found the Step 6 mapping simulation extremely challenging because they are unaware as to what clubs currently are going to be promoted from Step 7 because of the application process and the need to comply with Ground Grading requirements (other than floodlights) having to be met before 31st March 2020, and floodlights erected by 30th September 2020. These clubs shown on the maps have a question mark withing a circle.

Step 6 clubs promoted to Step 5 will need to meet Step 5 criteria by 31 March 2021.
THE FA have published mapping simulations for all Step 5 and Step 6 Leagues in the Country. Below are the three projected mapping simulations prepared by the FA which affect current WMRL Premier Division clubs. WE MUST STRESS THIS IS ONLY AN INITIAL SIMULATION and will more than likely change.

The maps show clubs outside of the League area and located within a buffer zone between different Leagues, these are the clubs whose fate has not been decided as of yet because of the uncertainty surrounding which clubs will be promoted or relegated.

Once further news is made available, we will keep our supporters and follows informed by updating our website and social media feeds.

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