Non-league

How it is used

Non-league clubs still play in leagues; the label concerns their place in England's football structure.

Example sentences

1. A non-league club reached the cup's later rounds after beating two professional sides.

   The term identifies the club's level rather than the absence of fixtures.

2. He chose regular starts at a non-league club over a place on a bigger team's bench.

   Playing opportunities are compared across levels of the football structure.

Common collocations

• non-league club
• non-league football
• non-league side

Related terms

• leagueA competition in which teams play each other over a season, usually home and away, and are ranked in a table by points.
• promotionMoving up to a higher division at the end of the season by finishing in one of the top places or by winning a play-off.

More terms: Competitions & Results

• match
• draw
• clean sheet
• beat
• table
• penalty shootout
• relegation
• fixture
• goal difference
• away game
• dead rubber
• six-pointer