What Happened At The Celtic Manor AGM & Gala Night?

Annual General Meeting

News was broken to clubs of an extension to Vanarama’s title sponsorship with the competition. This follows shortly after the announcement of a new three-year broadcast deal with BT Sport. We are grateful of their support, and look forward to continuing our partnerships with both Vanarama and BT Sport over the coming years.

Information was also presented to the clubs on the participation of Boreham Wood and Sutton United in the IRN-BRU Cup during the 2018/19 season.

In review of 2017/18, attendances for the competition were higher than any season over the past ten years- both in average and aggregate total. The total surpassed 1.9 million.

Viewing figures from live Vanarama National League matches on BT Sport are on the rise as well. There has been a 55% increase to average viewing figures compared to two seasons ago. This includes a record audience for the Vanarama National League Promotion Final between Boreham Wood and Tranmere Rovers.

As we look ahead to the upcoming campaign, fixtures in The National League will be released on Wednesday 4th July. The season will get underway on Saturday 4th August.

Gala Awards Evening

All six promoted clubs from the three divisions took to the stage to collect their trophies, and share their experiences of a memorable season across the competition.

In the Manager of the Year category, the four league championship-winning managers, John Askey (Macclesfield Town), Bernard Morley and Anthony Johnson (Salford City) and Lee Bradbury (Havant & Waterlooville), claimed prizes for their achievements during the campaign.

Elsewhere, Sutton United’s Tony Henderson-Smith became the first winner of the Volunteer of the Year, an award created to help recognise those unsung heroes helping clubs within The National League.

Awards were also presented to Torquay United, Brackley Town and St. Albans City to mark their efforts towards fair play and respect with The National League.

Finally, Eastbourne Borough won The National League Trust’s Best Community Project award.