The Northern Premier Football League kicked off in 1968 and has since long enjoyed a successful record of producing a high-quality competition and infrastructure for its level within the National Game. The NPL has an excellent long-standing reputation within the football community and has, through its paid and voluntary officers, ensured that the traditional high standards have been maintained.
Ten former NPL clubs have progressed to the Football League since the league's formation, namely Wigan Athletic, Macclesfield Town, Boston United, Accrington Stanley, Burton Albion, Morecambe, Scarborough, Fleetwood Town, Salford City and Harrogate Town our last graduates in 2020. Wigan, of course, have since gone on to even greater things achieving Premier League status and appearing in the 2006 Football League Cup Final, before winning the FA Cup in 2013. Additionally, Gretna were elected into the Scottish Football League in 2002, going on to gain back to back promotions to reach the Scottish Premier Division, as well as just losing the 2006 Scottish FA Cup Final on penalties.
The Northern Premier has always had a tradition of causing FA Cup upsets going back virtually to its formation. In the competition's second season, South Shields knocked out not one but two Football League clubs in Bradford (Park Avenue), who were in their last season in the big time, and Oldham Athletic, the latter over two games. The following year Boston United accounted for Fourth Division Southport while Wigan Athletic beat Peterborough United to earn a crack at Manchester City, where they narrowly lost 1-0. Some bigger ties over the years saw Altrincham hold Everton away, Altrincham enjoy similar success at White Hart Lane against the mighty Spurs and Northwich Victoria reach the 4th Round in 1976-77. In more recent times, Emley were holding a star-studded West Ham United side until eight minutes from time and in 2010 Curzon Ashton and Eastwood Town beat Exeter City and Wycombe Wanderers, both of whom went on to gain automatic promotion to League One. In that same year FC United of Manchester beat Rochdale away at Spotland, before bowing out to Brighton & Hove Albion, after a replay.
The NPL dominated the early years of the FA Trophy through its inaugural winners Macclesfield Town in 1970, Stafford Rangers (1972, 1979), Scarborough (1973, 1976, 1977), Morecambe (1974), Matlock Town (1975) and Altrincham (1978). In 2003, village side Burscough brought off the mother of all shocks by winning the coveted silverware. With the election of Gretna into the League in 1992 the Northern Premier became the only football combination with member clubs in all three home nations of Great Britain.
From its formation in 1968 with just twenty clubs, the Northern Premier has more than quadrupled in size and now boast four divisions, having added a second tier in 1987, a third in 2007 and its fourth in 2021. In the coming season, its 57 th , with all Step divisions rising to 22 clubs, the NPL will have its highest ever complement of 88 member clubs. In turn, this brings the number of clubs to have ever graced the Northern Premier League to 221. Interestingly, with the formation of the Midlands Division in 2021 three new member clubs, Cambridge City, Histon and Soham Town Rangers, became the only clubs in the country to have played in all three Trident Leagues.
From 2020 onwards the three Step 3 and 4 Leagues, the Northern Premier League, the Southern League and the Isthmian League combined to gain joint sponsorship from Pitching In Foundation. Furthermore, a Pitching In Volunteer Hub has been created, which is an online portal that is a one-stop-shop connecting potential volunteers with all 264 Trident League clubs. This provides a web-based interface through which clubs can post volunteering vacancies, whilst fans are able to search for available opportunities at either a specific club or their location. The hub also enables prospective volunteers to offer their services to clubs.
