The league structure with in English football is built up in to a kind of pyramid system. This is where the Premiership is step one, the Championship is step two and leagues one and two are steps three and four respectively. The Football Conference which is known as step one of the non-league pyramid is also known as step five of the National Pyramid. There are various divisions and leagues which form part of the Non-League Pyramid where different teams compete against each other in an effort to reach the Football League.
The North-West Counties Football League which was formed in 1982 forms part of step five of the Non-League Pyramid. It was formed as part of a combination between the Cheshire County League and the Lancashire League. It covers areas from Cumbria in the North, through Lancashire, Cheshire, Liverpool and parts of Derbyshire down to Staffordshire in the South. Clubs from North Wales and the West Riding have also competed in the league in the past. The league takes part in tournaments where clubs can win trophies and recognition for how well they play.
In 2008/09 the leagues two divisions were renamed The Premier Division and Division One.
AFC Liverpool is a community football club which was founded by fans of Liverpool Football Club in 2008. They aim to provide affordable football to people across the Merseyside area. Their first team play in the North West Counties Premier Division which is step five of the Non-League Pyramid. At the moment they take part in a ground share with Marine FC who are based in Crosby. They also have a reserve team who will play in the West Cheshire League next season. They also have multiple youth teams who play in various leagues across the Liverpool area. Their long term aim is to obtain a ground of their own with in the Liverpool city boundary. They would also like to create a not for profit community facility which could be used to host various sporting events.
At the moment the club has a ground share scheme in place which is contracted up to the end of the 2015/16 season. They have had regular meetings with Liverpool City Council in the hope that they can be assigned some land which can be developed for a community purpose or leased at low cost for the long term. Once an adequate location has been chosen for their new stadium, they can begin the process of raising funds to help with the construction and maintenance of the ground. This can be done through various sources e.g. lottery money etc. They are also a member of Supporters Direct who can provide support and advice on money that is available. This year AFC Liverpool will be fielding four youth teams in the Under 8’s to 11’s age range. There will also be an Under 18’s Academy team that will enter the FA Youth Cup and a reserve team playing in the West Cheshire League. They plan to create more teams every year until they have a full progression from youth to the first team.
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