'Promote three teams from National League next season' - League Two chairman

A League Two chairman has suggested three teams should be promoted from the National League next season.
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League Two’s bottom club Stevenage could be sent down to the fifth tier this season if EFL clubs vote to keep promotions and relegations and decide league positions using the points per game (PPG) method.

But Stevenage chairman, Phil Wallace, has said “there is absolutely no integrity whatsoever in using a mathematical formula to expel a club from the EFL.”

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Instead he believes only one team should be promoted from the National League this season to return the EFL to 72 clubs following Bury’s demise but promote three next year.

Stevenage chairman Phil Wallace has suggested three teams be promoted from the National League next season.Stevenage chairman Phil Wallace has suggested three teams be promoted from the National League next season.
Stevenage chairman Phil Wallace has suggested three teams be promoted from the National League next season.

Wallace said his “simple solution with integrity “ to bring more teams into the EFL from the National League “should have happened long ago.”

"A long time ago, as vice chairman of the Conference, I fought relentlessly, along with our board, for two up two down,” he said. “We finally achieved that in 2003, with a view to moving to three up three down within a reasonable timeframe. But 17 years on, it has still not materialised. So perhaps now is the time to use this turmoil to deliver more fluidity between the EFL and National League with three up three down.

"Since the National League season wasn’t completed in the way it was intended, one option is to leave League Two as it is, with no relegation, and promote one club from the National League this season instead of two, to bring the EFL back to 72 teams, but with three up three down established and in place for next season. No lawsuits, no clubs bankrupted and something created for the National League that appears to be impossible to achieve.”

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He added: "There is no financial penalty for any League Two club with this option either, as the budgeted relegation savings from League 2 this season can be applied to the third relegated team. Funding was always the main problem to 3U3D, in that there wasn’t any. If we don’t relegate this season, there will be around £2million of EFL relegation savings over the next two seasons to make three up three down happen.”