The video discusses potential improvements to the English football pyramid, proposing a restructuring to enhance its competitiveness, appeal, and easing fixture congestion

EFL Expansion: The EFL’s 72 teams would expand to 80, forming four divisions of 20 teams each (EFL Division 1 to 4), with the Premier League making it 100 teams total.

EFL Division 1 (Tier 2)
EFL Division 2 (Tier 3)
EFL Division 3 (Tier 4)
EFL Division 4 (Tier 5)
National League (Tier 6)

Promotion/Relegation: Uniform structure with 2 automatic promotions, 4 playoff spots, and 3 relegations per division (National League: 2 up, 1 playoff, 4 down).

EFL Trophy

60 teams (Divisions 2–4), regionalised into five groups of 12, with four games per team, top two advancing, plus a knockout round for 3rd/4th/5th-placed teams, leading to a Wembley final.

Round 1: 40 teams (Divisions 3–4).

Round 2: Adds Division 2 teams.

Round 3: 36-team knockout with 16 Division 1 teams.

Round 4: Adds remaining Division 1 teams, recent Premier League promotions (e.g., Leeds, Burnley), and mid-table Premier League teams (11th–17th, adjusted for European commitments).

Straight knockout thereafter, with two-legged semi-finals.

Round 1: 232 teams (192 preliminary winners + 40 Division 3/4 teams).

Round 2: Adds Division 2 teams.

Round 3: Adds Division 1 teams.

Round 4: Adds Premier League teams.

Semi-finals at neutral venues to preserve Wembley’s final exclusivity.

The restructuring aims for a tidier, uniform system, reducing game loads (e.g., 65–70 games for lower divisions, 51–67 for Premier League teams, depending on European commitments) and enhancing cup competitions’ appeal by adjusting team entries and formats.

Interesting video

My alternative for restructuring would be to include The National League into The Football League as League Three, with 4 up and 4 down between L2 & L3

National League North and National League South would become the top division's in non league football

— Lee Clifton (@FOM_BLOG) June 15, 2025

“Can we improve the English football pyramid? Let’s find out.

“So guys, welcome to this video. Something a bit different in the close season. Many conversations have happened around the English football pyramid and is it good enough? Can it be changed? Can it be tweaked to make things better?

“Well, we had this conversation at work, me and the lads, and as things often do with this sort of conversation, a little seedling of an idea has grown into a video.

“So, this is where we’re at. So, I’m going to go through kind of what discussions we had, what sort of ideas we thought would look good and possibly improve the English pyramid, and it’s an opportunity for you guys to get in the comments and and let us know your thoughts and let us know if this is a ridiculous idea.

“But yeah, it did get out of hand while we were talking about it at work. But before I do get into it, I do just want to say that I think we have got the best footballing pyramid in the world in terms of being able to to grow, improve, get promoted, and become a professional club. I think the English pyramid does it superbly. I think the grassroots is fantastic, but maybe a few tweaks could be done.

“So, we’re going to start with the tables, how they ended at the 2024-25 season. The idea that we’ve had to try and mix things up, shake it up a little bit, how the tables would look at the start of the 25-26 season obviously, and then that will have an impact on the cup competition.

“So, we’ve even had a look at those as well. So, buckle yourself in, strap in. We’ll try and get through it as quickly as possible, but this is our thoughts on improving the English pyramid.

“So, starting with the 2024-25 season Championship tier 2 in English football, Leeds, Burnley, Sunderland all promoted, Sheffield United, Coventry, and Bristol City unfortunately didn’t make it through the playoffs. And then we’ve got all of the midtable who survived in the Championship. And then Luton, Plymouth, and Cardiff dropped down to tier three. So that is tier two.

“Tier three, Birmingham, Wrexham, Charlton all went up. Charlton through the playoffs. Stockport County Wycombe and Leyton Orient failed in the playoffs and it’s four down from tier three to tier four. Crawley, Bristol, Rovers, Cambridge, and Shrewsbury ended up facing the drop.

“But yeah, in this idea, the 72 would actually become the 80 and it would make 100 with the Premier League.

“So, that’s a little insight into what we’re thinking here. Tier four, it’s four up from League Two to League One and my team, Doncaster Rovers, won the championship Port Vale, Bradford joined us. AFC Wimbledon followed us in the playoffs with Waldall not counting Chesterfield missing out and Carlisle and Morecambe ended up going through the trap door into non-league which takes us to tier five.

Barnet and Oldham are back in the league with York City, Forest Green, Rochdale, Halifax and Southend missing out in the playoffs. Dagenham & Redbridge Maidenhead, Fylde, and Ebbsfleet all facing the drop into their more regional um non-league tables.

“So that is Championship, League One, League 2 and National League. Tier two to tier five. We do also have um tier six which is the National League North and National League South.

“So Brackley Town and Scunny both came up from the National League North. Truro City and Boreham Wood both came up from the National League South. On the screen now is a playoff picture.

“So, looking at this, how do you explain this to somebody who doesn’t know English football?

“You’ve got three up, three down from the Championship, three up, four down from League One, four up, two down from League Two, and two up, four down from the National League.

“Now, I’ve seen York City post in the close season about how unfair it feels to to miss out because it’s only two up, and I see both sides of the coin really.

“I think you want the EFL to be an exclusive club that is difficult to get into. So two up does make sense, but at the same time I think the budgets that the National League teams have got now.

“It’s very close to being a second league too, just like the Championship is very close to being a second Premier League.

“Although the the gap is is clear with with teams going up and coming straight back down.

“But you look at League Two and the National League, there’s teams that have done so well from coming up. Notts County, Wrexham both came up.

“Stockport who were now in League One.

“hesterfield got playoffs last season.

“Bromley did really well finishing mid-table.

“So, I don’t think there’s that big a gulf in class.

“So, that got us to looking at four divisions of 20 rather than 24, which would mean a lot of restructuring.

“So, let’s have a look at that. starting in the old Championship which will become the EFL division one remains as tier two um no changes as such other than the relegated and and promoted teams so that’s the 20 Birmingham, Blackburn, Bristol City, Charlton, Coventry, Ipswich, Leicester, Ipswich and Leicester both coming down from the Premier League, Middlesborough, Millwall, Norwich, Oxford, Preston, QPR, Sheffield United, Sheff Wednesday, Southampton, Swansea, Watford, West Brom and Wrexham makeup division division one.

“Division two, unfortunately, if you follow a club which is in yellow, you’re hit by the restructuring. So although you survive the championship, you would end up dropping down to tier three because of the restructuring of 20 teams per division, but I’ve kept relegation and promoted teams in there.

“So division two would be Wimbledon, Barnsley, Blackpool, Bolton, Bradford, Cardiff, Derby, Donny, Huddersfield, Hull, Leyton Orient, Lincoln, Luton, Plymouth, Port Vale, Portsmouth, Reading, Stockport, Stoke and Wycombe.

“As we go down the divisions, unfortunately restructuring becomes a lot more um because of the introduction of the fourth division.

“So division three, uh Barnet obviously getting promoted from non-league into the EFL. this would mean that they jump a couple of divisions and so would all them.

“Some teams have really benefited, some teams have not. But yeah, Bristol Rovers, Burton, Cambridge, Chesterfield, Colchester, Crawley, Exeter, Grimsby, Mansfield, Northampton, Notts County, Peterborough, Rotherham, Salford, Shrewsbury, Stevenage, Walsall, and Wigan are the other teams that make up division three.

“And once again, if the teams are in yellow, the restructuring means that they’ve just dropped down a tier.

“And then division four, we’ve got a couple of different restructuring teams. So obviously it’s a newly introduced division to make it 80 teams across the EFL, 100 if you include the Premier League.

“But if you’re in the dark yellow and you follow one of those teams, unfortunately, the restructuring has dropped you down.

“If you’re a fan of a team in light yellow, the restructuring has bumped you up.

“So congratulations to Forest Green, Gateshead, Halifax, Rochdale, Southend, and York, who although he missed out in the playoffs because of the restructuring, you’ve been bumped up to the still in fifth tier, but it’s the EFL division 4.

“Carlisle, Morecambe effectively get a reprieve from going into the non-league, although it is still dropping a division. and the rest of the teams that make up this division. Accrington, Barrow, Bromley, Cheltenham, Crewe, Fleetwood, Gillingham, Harrogate, MK Dons, Newport, Swindon, and Tranmere.

“And then finally, we’ve got the National League which are now tier six. the promoteD teams are in there in Boreham Wood, Brackley, Scunthorpe, and Truro.

“A couple of teams have been bumped up due to restructuring. Chester, Eastbourne, Kidderminster and Torquay.

“The relegated teams from the national league this season would like Morecambe and Carlisle face a bit of a reprieve.

“So Dagenham, Ebbsfleet, Fylde and Maidenhead remain in the National League.

“And the rest of the teams are Aldershot, Altrincham, Boston Braintree Eastleigh, Hartlepool, Solihull, Sutton, Tamworth, Wealdstone, Woking and Yeovil.

“Now, the non-league pyramid is an absolute minefield. My head fell off having a look at it.

“So, I think that is potentially another video or it just stays as it is because it seems to work.

“It gets regionalised so more teams have to go down so that the right teams can come up and stuff.

“So yeah, probably leave that as it is. Moving to what the divisions would look like at the start of the 25 26 season or the following season if this was ever implemented.

“It just looks a lot neater, a lot tidier, and uniformed. Every single division from division one to division four.

“We have two teams up, four teams fighting out on the playoffs. I don’t think we can get rid of the playoffs. The jeopardy around it is fantastic. And if you well, if you’re a Sheff United fan, you’re probably going to disagree with this, but I think when you do win one, the feeling is just you can’t compare it to anything.

“Obviously being a Donny fan, I’ve seen us win leagues, which is fantastic, feels great, but it doesn’t quite touch winning the playoffs. So yeah, the playoffs have got to stay for me.

“And then it’s three down from every division as well. And then in the National League, it’s two up automatically, one up through the playoffs, but still four down because of the regional split after that. So that’s what we’re thinking with the divisions.

“Moving on to the cups now. So, the Virtu Trophy, I don’t really like the way that it’s set up at the minute and this could reinvent the trophy.

“So I think for me, 60 teams from division 2 to division 4 should be entered. That regionalised into five different groups consisting of 12 teams and then games picked two home, two away.

“Everybody plays four games within that group. The top two go through to the round of 16. So that’s 10 teams through.

“There is a knockout round in between the uh group stage and round 16.

“So 12 team single knockout round and that will consist of the third and fourth best place teams in each group. Then the two best fifth place teams.

“The winners of those games would make up the final six. And then it’s a straight knockout from there. uh round of 16, then into the quarterfinals, semi-finals, and then the final at Wembley.

“No Premier League teams in there. Happy days. Reinvents the trophy and probably makes it a better, more supported, more watched, more accepted trophy than it is now.”

“Onto the Carabao Cup. So, slight difference with this one. Round one, I think the Premier League teams just come in a little bit later.

“Obviously the preliminary round has been brought in this season because there’s so many teams in Europe.
“It it annoys me that the EFL fold to the Premier League so so often.

“So for me, if they don’t want it, don’t be in it or restructure it so that teams aren’t impacted negatively lower down the pyramid.

“So for me, round one, 40 teams, division four and division three teams straight knockout going into round two where division two teams are added. So that would be um another 40 teams in there.

“Round three would be a 36 team single game knockout. So the 20 winners from round two plus 16 EFL1, division one teams added via a draw.

“So the draw could be number one gets pulled out and that’s Doncaster Rovers. And then a ball gets pulled out that says division one.

“And then out of a third pot is all 20 division one teams. That gets drawn and it’s 16 random division one teams. Round four would make it a 32 team single game knockout. The 18 winners from round three.

“And then the four remaining division one teams are added at this point along with the three most recently promoted teams.

“So that would be Leeds, Burnley, and Sunderland. And then the team the Premier League teams ranked 11th to 17th in the previous season with one caveat to that if one of those teams is in Europe then the 10th place team replaces them so this season it would be Brentford rather than Crystal Palace and then they haven’t got anything to worry about in terms of overplaying and a full fixture list and then it’s a straight knockout round 16 quarterfinal semi-final two-legged knockout as it as it currently is in the Carabao Cup and then the final at the very end.

Then finally the FA Cup. So we’ve gone with a 232 team single game knockout for round one. The pre preliminary rounds winners 192 of those. So there’s hundreds and hundreds of teams that that join the FA Cup every single year. And that’s why it’s a a competition that in my opinion should be protected um and celebrated as well.

“But in round one 40 division three and division four teams are added.

“Round two, all of the winners plus the 20 division two teams are added.

“Round three, 68 winners from round two, plus the 20 division one teams.

“Round four, the big boys enter rather than in round three. So the 44 winners from round three plus 20 Premier League teams are added and then straight knockout.

“Round five, round 16, quarterfinal. For me, the semi-final should be returned back to a neutral venue to make the final at Wembley a special occasion for the teams that make it.

“So yeah, that’s one change I make to the FA Cup and then the final at Wembley. So, with all that being said, does this improve the English football pyramid?

“I’ve worked it out. EFL, if you are in the bottom division and you win everything which is never going to happen, but you’ve got a 46 game season and then all the cup games you play around 70 games with this new I don’t know with this new format if you were in the knockout round of the EFL Trophy you play 65 so it’s reducing by five games, if you progress straight away it’s reducing by six for the Premier League if you’re not in Europe play around 51 games if you were to win every competition that you were in with Europe, there’s like 17 or 15 games if you go through all of the Champions League, Europa League, or the Conference League.

“So yeah, you’re up at about 67-65 games depending which European competition you’re in with this new format. You would be one game better off in the Premier League if you’re not in Europe, whereas you’d be six games better off if you are in Europe.

“So potentially it’s an answer. I don’t know. Let me know. But it’s just been a little something a little bit different.”