The secretary of a non-league football club says a move into the Midland Football League has had a big impact on the club.
Northwich Victoria, based in the northwest of England, were placed in the Midland Football League Premier Division for the 2023/24 season.
But the switch now means that they must travel a total of 1013 miles and will spend over 23 hours on the road across the season.
The figure is far higher than many others in the same league. Darlaston Town’s journeys will see them cover around 462 miles and travel for 11 hours over the campaign.
Brian Turner, Northwich Victoria club secretary said: “We can’t afford coaches anymore.
“We have less fans making the journey, it’s affecting our home attendances too.”
Not only is the league shift affecting club finances and supporters, but it is also having an impact on the pitch.
Northwich currently sit towards the wrong end of the table with only a slender gap to the drop zone.
“It’s harder to get players in because they don’t want to travel,” Mr Turner said.
Clubs who find themselves in this position can appeal against a league move, but as Northwich Victoria found out the process does not guarantee a change will be reversed.
Mr Turner said that it was unlikely the switch would be reversed any time soon.
“I think it’s definitely for the long haul,” he said. “The only way for us to get out of this league is to get promoted.”
Northwich Victoria are not alone. Many other clubs have been moved between divisions.
Even as high up as the fifth tier of the English football pyramid, Bishops Stortford, a team located near Luton competes in the National League North.
An FA spokesperson said: “We make every effort each season to allocate National League System [NLS] clubs to the most geographically suitable league possible.
“The clubs are allocated to a league based on the step in the NLS that they will be playing in, and their location in the country.
“While there were possible arguments for leaving the club in the North West Counties League Premier division, placing them in the Midland League Premier division was not perverse, irrational or wrong.”