The FA has reportedly shelved plans to increase the number of divisions from 17 to 24 at step 6 of the National League System from the start of the 2027/28 season.

Football's governing body was proposing to introduce seven new divisions at level 10 of the English Football League Pyramid to reduce the number of teams and travelling burden for most clubs, some of who currently travel across three counties to play a league match.

The proposed plans, which were first mooted in 2024, would have paved the way for a new South London / Surrey-based division of 18 clubs at step 6, potentially administered by the Combined Counties Football League, to create two divisions at step 6 of equal status feeding into a premier division (step 5).

However, DialSquareFC.com understands that the move to have 24 divisions operating at step 6 has not been approved by The FA's National Leagues Pyramid Board. It comes after the Board considered concerns, among others, raised by the National League System's feeder leagues (step 7), which operate under the jurisdiction of the various county football associations in England.

Had the proposal been sanctioned, Dial would almost certainly have been switched from division one of the Southern Combination Football League to division one (South London / Surrey division) of the Combined Counties Football League if the club retained its step 6 status at the end of the 2026/27 season.

The matter has now been referred back to The FA's Operational Committee for steps 5 and 6 to consider other options and undertake further consultation with the feeder leagues to help identify a workable solution for all concerned, coupled with perhaps a longer implementation timeframe to help clubs plan.