The Nationwide League, English soccer’s fifth tier, will delay all fixture kick-off instances by three minutes on 15 November as a part of a marketing campaign to extend the variety of promotion locations within the division.
At present, two golf equipment are granted promotion to the English Soccer League (EFL), with one place given to the league’s champions and one to the workforce that triumphs within the play-offs.
Nonetheless, the Nationwide League, with backing from the groups within the Nationwide League North and South, is now pushing for an extra spot to be granted – one thing the EFL has to this point resisted – and can, as a symbolic protest, push again the beginning instances of all 12 fixtures on 15 November to three.03pm.
Nationwide League chair Jack Pearce stated the membership’s “gained’t settle for the present circumstances blocking them from parity and equity” and claimed numerous EFL golf equipment have privately supported the marketing campaign, known as 3UP, which started in February 2025.
Pearce stated: “Our 72 golf equipment, nearly all of whom are over a century previous and family names, merely gained’t settle for the present circumstances blocking them from parity and equity with all the opposite skilled groups in England.
“Since launching 3UP, we’ve been contacted by a outstanding variety of EFL golf equipment who’re privately supportive of the change however haven’t even been given the possibility as a bunch of golf equipment to formally focus on it.
“EFL chair Rick Parry said almost two years’ in the past that the EFL ‘must look downwards in addition to upwards’ and that 3UP is a ‘completely logical argument’. We stay grateful for this broad outlook, however sadly no significant motion has been forthcoming from the league since then.”
Any change within the promotion and relegation construction between the Nationwide League and League Two, the EFL stated, would should be a part of a broader package deal of reforms throughout all ranges of the sport.
The regulation change would require a majority of the 72 EFL golf equipment to vote in favour, plus a majority amongst Championship golf equipment.
Nonetheless, response to the 3UP marketing campaign seems to be largely constructive amongst soccer followers. A latest ballot commissioned by the Soccer Supporters’ Affiliation discovered that 93% of followers surveyed throughout all divisions backed the push for an additional promotion place, with 83% of followers who comply with EFL golf equipment supportive.
The affected fixtures on 15 November are:
Altrincham v Brackley City
Boreham Wooden v Tamworth
Braintree City v Truro
Carlisle United v Eastleigh
Forest Inexperienced Rovers v Gateshead
Hartlepool United v Wealdstone
Rochdale v Aldershot City
Solihull Moors v Scunthorpe United
Sutton United v FC Halifax City
Woking v Boston United
Yeovil City v Southend United
York Metropolis v Morecambe
