SOCCER: Macclesfield Town are supporting a proposal to increase the number of Nationwide Conference clubs going up into the Football League.
The Football Association has agreed a £6m five-year package with Third Division clubs as part of a plan to introduce a 'two-up, two-down' promotion and relegation system between the Football League and the Conference.
And although the details of how the money will be distributed have still to be finalised, the proposal is expected to be approved at the Football League's AGM next month.
Macclesfield are one of the clubs to have benefited since automatic promotion from the Conference to the Football League was introduced in 1987.
The club went up in 1997, having been denied promotion on winning the Conference two years earlier because the Moss Rose was not up to Football League standards in time.
Chairman Colin Garlick said: "There's no doubt that the Conference is one of the hardest leagues to win.
"This is a natural progression for football. One of the problems that the Conference has at the moment is that everybody between second and 18th place is playing most of the season for nothing.
"We were vigorous campaigners for this when we were in the Conference. It's progress."
Garlick added: "I think there has been a relaxation of the criteria required to get into the Football League since we were denied promotion in 1995.
"The deadline for ground improvements has been moved from December 31 back to April, and the requirement to lodge a £100,000 bond with the League has been removed."
The Conference is expected to introduce a play-off system if it gets the second promotion place, with the clubs finishing second to fifth fighting it out to join the champions.
Football League chairman David Burns said: "The Conference has grown stronger and stronger over recent years and teams like Wycombe Wanderers, Macclesfield Town, Cheltenham Town, Kidderminster Harriers and Rushden have clearly demonstrated that strength.
"This proposal is clearly in the best interests of our national game."
