Who are you?

Many people who do not follow non-league football will wonder what level the Adders are at
compared to other teams that they may know of. Atherstone Town FC currently play in the Midland
Football Alliance. This is a step 5 league in the non-league football pyramid. To understand where
this fits into the scheme of English football leagues, we should start at the very top which is the
Premiership with the likes of Manchester Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa. Below this we
have the Championship and Leagues 1 and 2 - for those of you with longer memories the
Premiership was once Division 1 of the Football League and League 2 was Division 4.
Below these four leagues we have the Non-League Football Pyramid, so called because there is a
single league - the Football Conference National at the top step 1 (currently our closest team at this
level is Burton Albion), then gradually more leagues at each lower step. Step 2 consists of
Conference North (Nuneaton Borough, Tamworth and Hinckley fit in here) and Conference South.

Atherstone's progress since its rebirth in 2004 has been impressive. Starting in the Midland
Combination 1st Division (Now a step 7 league), they won the league in their first season and were
promoted to The Midland Combination Premier Division for season 2005/2006 which is now a step
6 league. Again they won this league at the first attempt and were promoted into the step 5 Midland
Football Alliance in which they will be undertaking a 2nd season's campaign in 2007/2008. Success
at this level can lead to promotion to a step 4 League - either the Southern League Midlands
Division (Leamington, Bedworth,Chasetown and Romulus) or the Unibond Northern Premier
League Division 1 South(Gresley, Quorn and Shepshed).

As well as the league the Adders play in a number of Cup competitions. In season 2007/2008 they
will be competing in the FA Cup starting in the Preliminary Round, The FA Vase, The Birmingham
FA Senior Cup and the Midland Football Alliance League Cup. The FA Cup can provide some great
ties at this level with the teams all vying for a place in the later rounds when the League clubs enter
the draw. The FA Vase is for clubs up to and including Step 5 from all over England. The
Birmingham Senior Cup is for all clubs affiliated to the Birmingham County FA and includes
Coventry City, Birmingham City, Nuneaton Borough, Tamworth and Hednesford.