2021–22 National League
The 2021–22 National League season, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the seventh season as English football's National League, the nineteenth season consisting of three divisions, and the forty-third season overall.
| Season | 2021–22 |
|---|---|
| Goals scored | 344 |
← 2020–21 2022–23 → | |
Due to the curtailment of the preceding season for North and South and lower levels of competition in the English football pyramid, promotion and relegation between levels 5 and 6, and between level 6 and lower levels were suspended.[1] These, combined with the folding of Macclesfield Town in 2020–21 and the knock-on effects of Bury's collapse in 2019–20, mean that for the 2021–22 season the three divisions have the irregular complement of 23, 22 and 21 teams, respectively.
In 2019, prior to these COVID-19 related impacts, the league had intended the 2021–22 season to be the first using a new structure in which the number of teams in its North and South divisions would increase, resulting in three 24-team divisions. On 1 July 2021, the National League confirmed its intent to achieve this structure for the 2022–23 season; consequently the following adjustments to promotion and relegation are in effect for this season:[2][3]
- As before, two teams will be promoted from the National League to League Two and replaced by two teams relegated from it;
- Three teams will be relegated from the National League to the two level 6 divisions, and replaced by four teams (two from each of the National League North and South); and
- Two teams will be relegated from the two level 6 divisions (one from the National League North and one from the National League South) to the premier divisions of the Northern Premier League, Southern League Central or South, or Isthmian League, and replaced by eight teams (two from each division). The Football Association already clarified these relegations by November.[4]
National League
| Season | 2021–22 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 21 August 2021 - 21 May 2022 |
← 2020–21 2022–23 → | |
Team changes
Promoted from 2020–21 National League North
Promoted from 2020–21 National League South
Relegated from 2020–21 League Two |
Promoted to 2021–22 League Two Relegated to 2021–22 National League North
Relegated to 2021–22 National League South
|
Grimsby Town became the first former top-flight First Division club to be relegated to the National League twice, and their matches against Notts County will make them the second pairing of clubs to face each other across all top five tiers of English football (after the Luton Town vs Oxford United fixture).
Stadia and locations

Personnel and sponsoring
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solihull Moors | End of interim spell | 29 May 2021 | Pre-season | 14 June 2021 | ||
| Wrexham | End of contract | 30 May 2021 | 1 July 2021 | |||
| Barnet | Resigned | 3 June 2021 | 10 June 2021 | |||
| Aldershot Town | Sacked | 20 September 2021 | 21st | 20 September 2021 | ||
| Barnet | 22nd | 20 September 2021 | ||||
| Southend United | 9 October 2021 | 20th | 20 October 2021 | |||
| Stockport County | 27 October 2021 | 10th | 2 November 2021 | |||
| King's Lynn Town | 29 November 2021 | 22nd | 10 December 2021 |
National League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chesterfield | 18 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 36 | 15 | +21 | 39 | Promotion to EFL League Two |
| 2 | FC Halifax Town | 19 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 31 | 16 | +15 | 39 | Qualication for the National League play-off semi-finals |
| 3 | Boreham Wood | 18 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 28 | 13 | +15 | 38 | |
| 4 | Bromley | 19 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 22 | +13 | 37 | Qualification for the National League play-off quarter-finals |
| 5 | Wrexham | 20 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 35 | 20 | +15 | 36 | |
| 6 | Solihull Moors | 20 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 28 | 20 | +8 | 36 | |
| 7 | Notts County | 19 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 33 | 22 | +11 | 35 | |
| 8 | Grimsby Town | 19 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 31 | 21 | +10 | 32 | |
| 9 | Yeovil Town | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 20 | 15 | +5 | 31 | |
| 10 | Stockport County | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 29 | 22 | +7 | 30 | |
| 11 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 19 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 37 | 26 | +11 | 29 | |
| 12 | Altrincham | 19 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 33 | 29 | +4 | 25 | |
| 13 | Eastleigh | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 24 | −3 | 25 | |
| 14 | Barnet | 19 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 24 | 31 | −7 | 25 | |
| 15 | Woking | 19 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 30 | 30 | 0 | 24 | |
| 16 | Torquay United | 19 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 28 | 32 | −4 | 24 | |
| 17 | Wealdstone | 19 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 19 | 29 | −10 | 21 | |
| 18 | Aldershot Town | 19 | 6 | 2 | 11 | 23 | 32 | −9 | 20 | |
| 19 | Southend United | 18 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 15 | 30 | −15 | 15 | |
| 20 | Weymouth | 19 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 21 | 38 | −17 | 15 | |
| 21 | Maidenhead United | 18 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 19 | 38 | −19 | 15 | Relegation to National League North/National League South |
| 22 | King's Lynn Town | 19 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 17 | 40 | −23 | 11 | |
| 23 | Dover Athletic | 19 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 43 | −28 | −8[lower-alpha 1] |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results[23]
Notes:
- Dover Athletic deducted twelve points for failing to complete fixtures during the 2020–21 season.[22]
Results table
Top scorers
- As of match played 11 December 2021[24]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chesterfield | 18 | |
| 2 | Woking | 13 | |
| Bromley | |||
| 4 | FC Halifax Town | 11 | |
| Solihull Moors | |||
| 6 | Wrexham | 10 | |
| Notts County | |||
| 8 | Torquay United | 9 | |
| 9 | Notts County | 8 | |
| Wealdstone | |||
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chesterfield | Barnet | 4–2 | 14 September 2021 | |
| Chesterfield | Southend United | 0–4 | 9 October 2021 | |
| Chesterfield | Weymouth | 4–0 | 13 November 2021 |
Monthly awards
Each month the Vanarama National League announces their official Player of the Month and Manager of the Month.
| Month | Manager of the Month | Club | Player of the Month | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August/September 2021 | Dagenham & Redbridge | Chesterfield | ||
| October 2021 | Solihull Moors | Solihull Moors |
National League North
| Season | 2021–22 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 14 August 2021 - 7 May 2022 |
← 2020–21 2022–23 → | |
The National League North consists of 22 teams for the final time.
Team changes
Following the COVID-19 pandemic-related cancellation of the four Step 3 leagues' 2020–21 seasons, no teams were promoted to or relegated from the National League North.[27]
Relegated from 2020–21 National League
|
Promoted to 2021–22 National League
|
Stadiums and locations

Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gloucester City | Sacked | 25 September 2021 | 20th | 25 September 2021 | ||
| AFC Telford United | 5 October 2021 | 20th | 28 October 2021 | |||
| Curzon Ashton | 18 October 2021 | 6th | 28 October 2021 | |||
| York City | 13 November 2021 | 11th | 13 November 2021 | |||
| Blyth Spartans | 17 November 2021 | 22nd | 29 November 2021 | |||
| AFC Telford United | End of Interim Spell | 21 November 2021 | 22nd | 21 November 2021 | ||
| Chester | Sacked | 24 November 2021 | 16th | |||
| Spennymoor Town | 5 December 2021 | 13th | 13 December 2021 |
National League North table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brackley Town | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 22 | 8 | +14 | 37 | Promoted to National League |
| 2 | AFC Fylde | 17 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 32 | 16 | +16 | 36 | Qualified for the National League North play-off semi-finals |
| 3 | Gateshead | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 30 | 18 | +12 | 32 | |
| 4 | Kidderminster Harriers | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 35 | 16 | +19 | 31 | Qualified for the National League North play-off quarter-finals |
| 5 | Chorley | 17 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 29 | 14 | +15 | 30 | |
| 6 | Boston United | 17 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 26 | 27 | −1 | 28 | |
| 7 | Southport | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 29 | 20 | +9 | 26 | |
| 8 | Curzon Ashton | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 22 | 17 | +5 | 24 | |
| 9 | Alfreton Town | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 28 | 25 | +3 | 24 | |
| 10 | Leamington | 17 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 20 | 18 | +2 | 23 | |
| 11 | York City | 17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 23 | |
| 12 | Hereford | 17 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 19 | −1 | 23 | |
| 13 | Spennymoor Town | 17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 26 | 28 | −2 | 23 | |
| 14 | Darlington | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 29 | 26 | +3 | 22 | |
| 15 | Kettering Town | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 21 | 22 | −1 | 19 | |
| 16 | Chester | 17 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 28 | 31 | −3 | 19 | |
| 17 | Farsley Celtic | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 30 | −15 | 16 | |
| 18 | Gloucester City | 17 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 33 | −13 | 14 | |
| 19 | Bradford (Park Avenue) | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 15 | 29 | −14 | 14 | |
| 20 | Guiseley | 16 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 24 | −13 | 12 | |
| 21 | Blyth Spartans | 17 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 12 | 34 | −22 | 12 | |
| 22 | AFC Telford United | 15 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 28 | −13 | 10 | Relegated to Northern Premier League/Southern Football League |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results[23]
Results table
Top scorers
- As of match played 11 December 2021[42]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcus Carver | Southport | 12 |
| Nick Haughton | AFC Fylde | ||
| Glen Taylor | Spennymoor Town | ||
| 4 | Luke Charman | Darlington | 9 |
| Ashley Hemmings | Kidderminster Harriers | ||
| Macaulay Langstaff | Gateshead | ||
| Cedwyn Scott | Gateshead | ||
| 8 | Sam Austin | Kidderminster Harriers | 7 |
| Connor Hall | Chorley | ||
| Ollie Hulbert | Hereford / Gloucester City | ||
| Lee Ndlovu | Brackley Town | ||
| Callum Powell | Kettering Town | ||
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spennymoor Town | Farsley Celtic | 6–0 | 11 September 2021 |
Monthly awards
Each month the Vanarama National League announces their official Player of the Month and Manager of the Month.
| Month | Manager of the Month | Club | Player of the Month | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August/September 2021 | Curzon Ashton | AFC Fylde | ||
| October 2021 | York City | Kidderminster Harriers |
National League South
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 14 August 2021 - 7 May 2022 |
← 2020–21 2022–23 → | |
The National League South has consisted of 21 teams since the 2019–20 season and will do so for the final time.
Team changes
Following the COVID-19 pandemic-related cancellation of the four Step 3 leagues' 2020–21 seasons, no teams were promoted to or relegated from the National League South.[27]
Relegated from 2020–21 National League
|
Promoted to 2021–22 National League
|
Stadia and locations

Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welling United | Resigned | 20 September 2021 | 19th | 28 September 2021 | ||
| Hemel Hempstead Town | Sacked | 21st | 20 September 2021 | |||
| Billericay Town | Sacked | 5 October 2021 | 21st | 8 October 2021 |
National League South table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dartford | 17 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 29 | 15 | +14 | 32 | Promoted to National League |
| 2 | Oxford City | 17 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 32 | 18 | +14 | 31 | Qualified for the National League South play-off semi-finals |
| 3 | Dulwich Hamlet | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 37 | 23 | +14 | 29 | |
| 4 | Ebbsfleet United | 15 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 36 | 23 | +13 | 28 | Qualified for the National League South play-off quarter-finals |
| 5 | Maidstone United | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 26 | 17 | +9 | 28 | |
| 6 | Havant & Waterlooville | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 26 | 19 | +7 | 27 | |
| 7 | Dorking Wanderers | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 33 | 28 | +5 | 27 | |
| 8 | St Albans City | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 30 | 18 | +12 | 26 | |
| 9 | Hungerford Town | 16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 30 | 22 | +8 | 26 | |
| 10 | Hampton & Richmond Borough | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 27 | 20 | +7 | 22 | |
| 11 | Eastbourne Borough | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 35 | 31 | +4 | 22 | |
| 12 | Chippenham Town | 17 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 27 | 24 | +3 | 22 | |
| 13 | Slough Town | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 21 | 24 | −3 | 22 | |
| 14 | Concord Rangers | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 24 | 30 | −6 | 22 | |
| 15 | Hemel Hempstead Town | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 35 | −14 | 19 | |
| 16 | Bath City | 16 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 18 | 32 | −14 | 18 | |
| 17 | Welling United | 17 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 16 | 42 | −26 | 17 | |
| 18 | Tonbridge Angels | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 23 | −7 | 14 | |
| 19 | Chelmsford City | 15 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 23 | −7 | 12 | |
| 20 | Braintree Town | 15 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 27 | −13 | 11 | |
| 21 | Billericay Town | 15 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 33 | −20 | 7 | Relegated to Isthmian League/Southern Football League |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results[23]
Results table
Top scorers
- As of match played 11 December 2021[42]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shaun Jeffers | St. Albans City | 16 |
| 2 | Ryan Seager | Hungerford Town | 13 |
| 3 | Adebayo Azeez | Dartford | 10 |
| 4 | Joan Luque | Maidstone United | 9 |
| Dominic Poleon | Ebbsfleet United | ||
| 6 | Cody Cooke | Bath City | 8 |
| Danny Mills | Dulwich Hamlet | ||
| 8 | Rakish Bingham | Ebbsfleet United | 7 |
| Joe Iaciofano | Oxford City | ||
| Simeon Jackson | Chelmsford City | ||
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hungerford Town | Welling United | 1–4 | 14 August 2021 | |
| Ebbsfleet United | Tonbridge Angels | 5–1 | 14 August 2021 | |
| Braintree Town | Hemel Hempstead Town | 0–3 | 21 August 2021 | |
| St Albans City | Welling United | 5–0 | 28 August 2021 | |
| Ebbsfleet United | Chippenham Town | 2–5 | 28 September 2021 | |
| St Albans City | Billericay Town | 4–1 | 26 October 2021 | |
| Havant & Waterlooville | Chelmsford City | 2–3 | 30 October 2021 | |
| Hungerford Town | Maidstone United | 3–2 | 30 October 2021 |
Monthly awards
Each month the Vanarama National League announces their official Player of the Month and Manager of the Month.
| Month | Manager of the Month | Club | Player of the Month | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August/September 2021 | Dartford | Dartford | ||
| October 2021 | Ebbsfleet United | St Albans City | ||
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