Does the pyramid system change much?

[Kevin Hogg]

The pyramid system certainly makes football more exciting and gives non-league clubs hope of the Football League dream.
HOWEVER, it changes very little. Non league clubs remain non league style clubs playing in the Football League..in general.
Look at the lowest attendances in League 2 last season.
[TABLE="width: 519"]
[TR]
[TD] Newport County AFC[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3.213[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]23[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]-7,0%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]5.020[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]19[/TD]
[TD]Stevenage FC[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3.191[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]23[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]7,7%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]5.236[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]20[/TD]
[TD]Mansfield Town FC[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3.064[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]23[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]-9,5%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4.614[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]21[/TD]
[TD]Cheltenham Town[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]2.864[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]23[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]-4,2%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]5.117[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]22[/TD]
[TD]Dagenham & Redbridge FC[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]2.077[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]23[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]8,2%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3.393[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]23[/TD]
[TD]Morecambe FC[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1.998[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]23[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3,0%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4.165[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]24[/TD]
[TD]Accrington Stanley FC[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1.611[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]23[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0,3%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4.607[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


Stanley, Morecambe, Daggers, Cheltenham Town, Stevenage- all non league clubs that achieved FL status.
Newport County are a traditional FL club that had to rise back up the pyramid. Mansfield Town a FL club that dropped into non league.
Two of the three lowest attendances in League 1 last season? You guessed it - non leagers Crawley Town and Fleetwood Town.
There are some clubs such as Wycombe Wanderers and Yeovil Town who are non league clubs that have achieved FL status through the pyramid and become FL clubs. It can happen.
However, most non league clubs remain non league style once in the FL - see Scarborough, Boston United, Maidstone Utd etc.
The fact is that very few non league clubs have the support base to ever truly be Football League clubs.