National League North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, taking its place immediately below the top division National League. Along with the National League South, it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of the English football league system. It consists of teams located in Northern England, Norfolk and the English Midlands. Since the start of the 2015–16 season, the league has been known as the National League North. As part of a sponsorship deal with Vanarama, the National League North was renamed the Vanarama National League North.
History
The Conference North was introduced in 2004 as part of a major restructuring of English non-League football. The champions are automatically promoted to the National League. A second promotion place goes to the winners of play-offs involving the teams finishing in second to seventh place. The three bottom clubs are relegated to Step 3 leagues. Teams from this division, as well as from the National League South, enter the FA Cup at the Second Qualifying Round.For sponsorship reasons, the division was known as the Nationwide North from its formation in 2004 until 2007, when it was renamed the Blue Square North. In 2010 it was renamed the Blue Square Bet North. When the Blue Square sponsorship ended in 2013, it was renamed the Skrill North until the 2014–15 season, when it was renamed the Vanarama North. A further name change followed in 2015, when the division was renamed the Vanarama National League North.
The National League North will expand to 24 teams in 2021, when the bottom two clubs will be relegated and four promoted from Step 3 after the 2020–21 season. Four will be relegated starting in 2022.
Member clubs for 2019–20
The member clubs for the 2019–20 season are as follows:| Club | Finishing position 2018–19 |
| A.F.C. Telford United | 8th |
| Alfreton Town | 15th |
| Altrincham | 5th |
| Blyth Spartans | 6th |
| Boston United | 11th |
| Brackley Town | 3rd |
| Bradford | 7th |
| Chester | 9th |
| Curzon Ashton | 18th |
| Darlington | 16th |
| Farsley Celtic | 1st in Northern Premier League Premier Division |
| Gateshead | Demoted from National League Premier Division |
| Gloucester City | 17th in National League South |
| Guiseley | 19th |
| Hereford | 17th |
| Kettering Town | 1st in Southern League Central Premier Division |
| Kidderminster Harriers | 10th |
| King's Lynn | 2nd in Southern League Central Premier Division |
| Leamington | 13th |
| Southport | 14th |
| Spennymoor Town | 4th |
| York City | 12th |
League champions
The winners of the league title and the winners of the play-off final since the league's formation in 2004 are as follows:| Season | Winner | Play-off Winner |
| 2004–05 | Southport | Altrincham |
| 2005–06 | Northwich Victoria | Stafford Rangers |
| 2006–07 | Droylsden | Farsley Celtic |
| 2007–08 | Kettering Town | Barrow |
| 2008–09 | Tamworth | Gateshead |
| 2009–10 | Southport | Fleetwood Town |
| 2010–11 | Alfreton Town | A.F.C. Telford United |
| 2011–12 | Hyde | Nuneaton Town |
| 2012–13 | Chester | F.C. Halifax Town |
| 2013–14 | A.F.C. Telford United | Altrincham |
| 2014–15 | Barrow | Guiseley |
| 2015–16 | Solihull Moors | North Ferriby United |
| 2016–17 | A.F.C. Fylde | F.C. Halifax Town |
| 2017–18 | Salford City | Harrogate Town |
| 2018–19 | Stockport County | Chorley |
| 2019–20 | King's Lynn Town |
League stadiums for 2019/20
The stadiums of all the teams in the league for the 2019/20 season are listed below:| Team | Stadium | Capacity | Seated Capacity |
| A.F.C. Telford United | New Bucks Head | 6,300 | 2,200 |
| Alfreton Town | North Street | 3,600 | 1,500 |
| Altrincham | Moss Lane | 6,085 | 1,323 |
| Blyth Spartans | Croft Park | 4,435 | 560 |
| Boston United | York Street | 6,643 | 1,826 |
| Brackley Town | St. James Park | 3,500 | 600 |
| Bradford | Horsfall Stadium | 3,500 | 1,247 |
| Chester | Deva Stadium | 5,376 | 4,170 |
| Curzon Ashton | Tameside Stadium | 4,000 | 527 |
| Darlington | Blackwell Meadows | 3,299 | 588 |
| Farsley Celtic | The Citadel | 3,900 | 400 |
| Gateshead | Gateshead International Stadium | 11,800 | 11,800 |
| Gloucester City | Jubilee Stadium | 3,000 | 300 |
| Guiseley | Nethermoor Park | 4,000 | 500 |
| Hereford | Edgar Street | 4,913 | 2,750 |
| Kettering Town | Latimer Park | 3,211 | 584 |
| Kidderminster Harriers | Aggborough | 6,238 | 3,140 |
| King's Lynn | The Walks | 8,200 | 1,200 |
| Leamington | New Windmill Ground | 3,000 | 250 |
| Southport | Haig Avenue | 6,008 | 1,660 |
| Spennymoor Town | The Brewery Field | 6,000 | 300 |
| York City | Bootham Crescent | 8,256 | 3,409 |
League records
| Record home win | Fleetwood Town 8–0 Redditch United, 14 November 2009 Altrincham 8–0 Hinckley United, 17 November 2012 |
| Record away win | Redditch United 0–9 Boston United, 21 August 2010 |
| Highest-scoring game | A.F.C. Fylde 9–2 Boston United, 19 November 2016 |
| Most points in a season | 107 points – Chester |
| Most wins in a season | 34 – Chester |
| Fewest defeats in a season | 3 – Chester |
| Most goals scored in a season | 109 – A.F.C. Fylde |
| Largest positive goal difference | 71 – Chester |
| Most league titles | 2 – Southport |
| Most consecutive wins | 15 games – Northwich Victoria |
| Most consecutive clean sheets | 10 games – Boston United |
| Longest unbeaten run | 30 games – Chester |
| Largest Attendance | 6311 – Stockport County |