The final ground inspection has been carried out by the FA and Bracknell Town have been awarded an E grade which would allow them to be promoted if they are able to do so.
The E grade is needed for clubs seeking promotion from step 5 to step 4 and the E grade will remain in place for three years.
Only the Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division winners will earn the one promotion spot and that looks likely to be Thame United but the Robins could yet seal the title.
However, even a second place finish may be enough to earn promotion as a one-off this season.
New division?
The FA NLS (National League System) proposed in January that a new division is created at step 3 and a new division at step 4 for next season onwards so that could see 26 teams go up from step 5 instead of the usual fourteen teams.
No decision has been made yet though so this proposal is in the air and not certain to happen but it’s certainly widely discussed on various non-league forums.
It’s important to note that should Bracknell Town get promoted to step 4, they would need to be awarded a D grade by 31st March the year following promotion to remain at step 4.
Related: Bracknell open their new turnstile block
Stadium capacity
The biggest difference between the two grades is stadium capacity.
Grade E requires a capacity of 1000 people whilst minimum covered spectator accommodation must be for 250 people with 150 people seated.
Grade D required a capacity of 1500 people but with the potential to increase to 2000 whilst minimum covered spectator accommodation must be for 300 people with 150 people seated.
For now, let’s congratulate the team at Bracknell Town for getting an E grade and they can worry about the D grade if they get promoted.
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