RUSHALL Olympic say they are ‘shocked’ to have been placed in the Northern Premier League next season.
The Pics were relegated from the National League North last season.
But instead of dropping into the Southern League Central – which is packed with Midlands-based teams, they have moved into the Northern Premier.
Here, the only other West Midlands team is Hednesford, Leek in north Staffordshire and Ilkeston in Derbyshire.
🟠ALLOCATIONS | The National League System Club Allocations for the 2025/26 season have been announced, subject to any appeals
We have been placed in the Northern Premier League Premier Division…#ShareThePicsPassion pic.twitter.com/IB0WJyXh9m
— Rushall Olympic FC (@ROFCOfficial) May 15, 2025
Other than that, there are several teams in the North East along with Workington in Cumbria and Lancaster City also providing lengthy trips.
By contrast, the Southern Central has six West Midlands teams and several in the East Midlands.
One fan has already pointed out on social media that Rushall is south of Barwell in the Southern Central.
Rushall vice-chaiman, Nick Allen, posted: “Shocked, but nothing surprises you in football.
“We’ve always had to be resilient and been shunted before, but missing out on a plethora of Midland derbies hardly seems fair and appropriate.
“We’ll gather our thoughts on this one.”
