Eve of the season, some facts
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2026 5:45 pm
Some eye opening facts on what it takes to be National League Champions. (Chat GPT generated):
It’s getting harder to win this league as Carlisle found out last season
Winning figures and PPG show how the National League has evolved significantly over the last 15 years. Barrow winning by PPG in COVID curtailment season was heading for lower than average points total to win the league. That season should be seen as an outlier compared with other winning points totals since 2010
Winning the league is getting harder
- From 2010–2022, five eventual champions reached 100 points.
- In the last four completed seasons, three have exceeded 100 points:
* Wrexham – 111
* Barnet – 102
* York – 108
- A points total that would have comfortably won the league ten years ago may now only be enough for second place.
- The benchmark has moved for winning the league:
Historically:
* 90–95 points often won the title.
* 95–100 was an excellent season.
Now it feels more like:
* 100+ points is becoming the target if you want automatic promotion.
3. Winning is far more important than avoiding defeat
Compare:
* Leyton Orient (2018–19): 25 wins, 14 draws = 89 points
* York (2025–26): 33 wins, 9 draws = 108 points
Every extra win instead of a draw is worth 2 additional points, so teams are increasingly set up to win games rather than simply avoid defeat.
4. Goals win leagues
The recent champions all score huge numbers.
Recent champions:
* Wrexham – 116
* Chesterfield – 106
* York – 105
* Barnet – 97
Earlier champions often scored in the 70s or low 80s.
Modern title-winning teams are much more attacking.
5. Defence still matters
Although scoring has increased, most champions concede relatively few.
Typical champions concede:
* 30–40 goals.
York conceded just 36.
Barnet 38.
Luton 35.
Cheltenham 30.
The exception is Chesterfield, who conceded 65 but simply outscored everybody.
6. Consistency beats streakiness
The top champions rarely lose.
Examples:
* Wrexham lost 3
* York lost 4
* Crawley lost 3
* Luton lost 5
You’re looking at losing only one game every two months.
7. There are now fewer easy games
Years ago there was often a significant gap between the top clubs and the rest.
Now the division regularly contains former Football League clubs with League One or League Two-sized budgets, such as:
* Wrexham
* Chesterfield
* Oldham
* York
* Southend
* Rochdale
* Hartlepool
* Carlisle (from 2026–27)
That depth makes the league stronger than it has ever been.
8. The title race has become exceptional
Recent champions have produced seasons that would almost always have won the league in previous years.
York’s 108 points would have won every National League title since at least 2010 except Wrexham’s extraordinary 111-point season.
What does this mean for teams if they are aiming to be Champions?
The data suggests a realistic target would be:
* 90–95 points: Almost certainly in the play-offs.
* 95–100 points: Strong chance of challenging for the title.
* 100+ points: Increasingly what it takes to secure automatic promotion.
A team averaging around 2.2 points per game over a 46-game season (about 101 points) is now performing at the level typically needed to win the National League. That’s a noticeably higher bar than it was a decade ago.
It’s getting harder to win this league as Carlisle found out last season
Winning figures and PPG show how the National League has evolved significantly over the last 15 years. Barrow winning by PPG in COVID curtailment season was heading for lower than average points total to win the league. That season should be seen as an outlier compared with other winning points totals since 2010
Winning the league is getting harder
- From 2010–2022, five eventual champions reached 100 points.
- In the last four completed seasons, three have exceeded 100 points:
* Wrexham – 111
* Barnet – 102
* York – 108
- A points total that would have comfortably won the league ten years ago may now only be enough for second place.
- The benchmark has moved for winning the league:
Historically:
* 90–95 points often won the title.
* 95–100 was an excellent season.
Now it feels more like:
* 100+ points is becoming the target if you want automatic promotion.
3. Winning is far more important than avoiding defeat
Compare:
* Leyton Orient (2018–19): 25 wins, 14 draws = 89 points
* York (2025–26): 33 wins, 9 draws = 108 points
Every extra win instead of a draw is worth 2 additional points, so teams are increasingly set up to win games rather than simply avoid defeat.
4. Goals win leagues
The recent champions all score huge numbers.
Recent champions:
* Wrexham – 116
* Chesterfield – 106
* York – 105
* Barnet – 97
Earlier champions often scored in the 70s or low 80s.
Modern title-winning teams are much more attacking.
5. Defence still matters
Although scoring has increased, most champions concede relatively few.
Typical champions concede:
* 30–40 goals.
York conceded just 36.
Barnet 38.
Luton 35.
Cheltenham 30.
The exception is Chesterfield, who conceded 65 but simply outscored everybody.
6. Consistency beats streakiness
The top champions rarely lose.
Examples:
* Wrexham lost 3
* York lost 4
* Crawley lost 3
* Luton lost 5
You’re looking at losing only one game every two months.
7. There are now fewer easy games
Years ago there was often a significant gap between the top clubs and the rest.
Now the division regularly contains former Football League clubs with League One or League Two-sized budgets, such as:
* Wrexham
* Chesterfield
* Oldham
* York
* Southend
* Rochdale
* Hartlepool
* Carlisle (from 2026–27)
That depth makes the league stronger than it has ever been.
8. The title race has become exceptional
Recent champions have produced seasons that would almost always have won the league in previous years.
York’s 108 points would have won every National League title since at least 2010 except Wrexham’s extraordinary 111-point season.
What does this mean for teams if they are aiming to be Champions?
The data suggests a realistic target would be:
* 90–95 points: Almost certainly in the play-offs.
* 95–100 points: Strong chance of challenging for the title.
* 100+ points: Increasingly what it takes to secure automatic promotion.
A team averaging around 2.2 points per game over a 46-game season (about 101 points) is now performing at the level typically needed to win the National League. That’s a noticeably higher bar than it was a decade ago.