The 2013–14 Football Conference season was the tenth season with the Conference consisting of three divisions and the thirty-fourth season overall. The Conference covers the top two levels of Non-League football in England. The Conference Premier is the fifth highest level of the overall pyramid, whilst the Conference North and Conference South exist at the sixth level. The top team and the winner of the playoff of the Premier division will be promoted to Football League Two, while the bottom four are relegated to the North or South divisions. The champions of the North and South divisions will be promoted to the Premier division, alongside the play-off winners from each division. The bottom three in each of the North and South divisions are relegated to the premier divisions of the Northern Premier League, Isthmian League or Southern League.
Skrill sponsored the Conference for this season and the divisions were known as the Skrill Premier, the Skrill North and the Skrill South. Skrill terminated the sponsorship deal early, meaning a new title sponsor must be found for next season.
Conference Premier
A total of 24 teams contest the division, including 18 sides from last season, two relegated from the Football League Two, two promoted from the Conference North and two promoted from the Conference South. Of the 24 clubs, 14 employed their players as full-time professionals, namely Aldershot, Barnet, Cambridge, Forest Green, Gateshead, Grimsby, Hereford, Kidderminster, Lincoln, Luton, Macclesfield, Salisbury, Tamworth and Wrexham. The remainder were semi-professional, training two or three times a week.
Promotion and relegation Teams promoted from 2012–13 Conference North Chester (League Champions) FC Halifax Town (Playoff Winners)
Teams promoted from 2012–13 Conference South Welling United (League Champions) Salisbury City (Playoff Winners)
Teams relegated from 2012–13 Football League Two Barnet Aldershot Town
League table
Play-offs
First leg
Second leg
Final
Stadia and locations
Team Stadium Capacity Wrexham Racecourse Ground 15,500 FC Halifax Town The Shay 14,061 Gateshead Gateshead International Stadium 11,800 Luton Town Kenilworth Road 10,226 Lincoln City Sincil Bank 10,120 Cambridge United Abbey Stadium 9,617 Grimsby Town Blundell Park 9,546 Aldershot Town EBB Stadium 7,100 Macclesfield Town Moss Rose 6,355 Kidderminster Harriers Aggborough 6,238 Woking Kingfield Stadium 6,036 Southport Haig Avenue 6,008 Chester Deva Stadium 6,000 Hereford United Edgar Street 5,966 Forest Green Rovers The New Lawn 5,147 Barnet The Hive Stadium 5,100 Salisbury City The Raymond McEnhill Stadium 5,000 Nuneaton Town Liberty Way 4,314 Hyde Ewen Fields 4,250 Braintree Town Cressing Road 4,145 Dartford Princes Park 4,100 Tamworth The Lamb Ground 4,000 Welling United Park View Road 4,000 Alfreton Town North Street 3,600
Results
Top scorers
RankPlayerClubGoals1 Andre GrayLuton Town302 Lee GregoryFC Halifax Town293 Brett WilliamsAldershot Town244 James NorwoodForest Green Rovers18 John AkindeAlfreton Town Scott BodenMacclesfield Town Ben TomlinsonLincoln City8 Paul Benson Luton Town17 Louis Moult Nuneaton Town Scott RendellWoking
Conference North
Promotion and relegation Teams promoted from 2012–13 Northern Premier League Premier Division North Ferriby United (League Champions) Hednesford Town (Playoff Winners)
Teams promoted from 2012–13 Southern League Premier Division Leamington
Teams relegated from 2012–13 Conference Premier Stockport County Barrow AFC Telford United
On 4 April 2014, the Football Conference confirmed that they had accepted the resignation of Vauxhall Motors from the league and that, as a result, only the bottom two clubs would be relegated.
This season proved to be the lowest league position Stockport County have been in their history
League table
Play-offs
First leg
Second leg
Final
Stadia and locations
Team Stadium Capacity AFC Telford United New Bucks Head 6,300 Altrincham Moss Lane 6,085 Barrow Holker Street 5,000 Boston United York Street 6,643 Brackley Town St. James Park 3,500 Bradford Park Avenue Horsfall Stadium 3,500 Colwyn Bay Llanelian Road 2,500 Gainsborough Trinity The Northolme 4,304 Gloucester City Whaddon Road 7,066 Guiseley Nethermoor Park 3,000 Harrogate Town Wetherby Road 3,800 Hednesford Town Keys Park 6,500 Histon Bridge Road 4,300 Leamington New Windmill Ground 2,300 North Ferriby United Grange Lane 2,700 Oxford City Court Place Farm 2,000 Solihull Moors Damson Park 3,050 Stalybridge Celtic Bower Fold 6,500 Stockport County Edgeley Park 10,841 Vauxhall Motors Rivacre Park 3,300 Worcester City Aggborough 6,302 Workington Borough Park 3,101
Results
Conference South
Promotion and relegation Teams promoted from 2012–13 Isthmian League Premier Division Whitehawk Concord Rangers
Teams promoted from 2012–13 Southern League Premier Division Gosport Borough
Teams relegated from 2012–13 Conference Premier Ebbsfleet United
Teams transferred from 2012–13 Conference North Bishop's Stortford
League table
Play-offs
First leg
Second leg
Final
Stadia and locations
Team Stadium Capacity Basingstoke Town The Camrose 6,000 Bath City Twerton Park 8,840 Bishop's Stortford ProKit UK Stadium 4,525 Boreham Wood Meadow Park 4,502 Bromley Courage Stadium 6,000 Chelmsford City Melbourne Stadium 3,019 Concord Rangers Thames Road 1,500 Dorchester Town The Avenue Stadium 5,009 Dover Athletic Crabble Athletic Ground 6,500 Eastbourne Borough Langney Sports Club 4,134 Eastleigh Silverlake Stadium 3,500 Ebbsfleet United Stonebridge Road 4,100 Farnborough Cherrywood Stadium 4,000 Gosport Borough Privett Park 4,500 Havant & Waterlooville West Leigh Park 5,250 Hayes & Yeading United Kingfield Stadium 6,036 Maidenhead United York Road 3,000 Staines Town Wheatsheaf Park 3,009 Sutton United Gander Green Lane 7,032 Tonbridge Angels Longmead Stadium 3,000 Weston-super-Mare Woodspring Stadium 3,500 Whitehawk The Enclosed Ground 2,000
Results
References