Farsley Celtic dumped in step five after National League North relegation

Farsley had been forced to play their home games 70 miles away at Buxton, including for the Hereford game

Farsley Celtic have taken a stunning tumble down the English football pyramid, dropping three divisions after their relegation from National League North.

Instead of kicking off next season in the Northern Premier League as expected, Farsley will now compete in step five's Northern Counties East League Premier Division.

It comes off the back of a mix of financial chaos, pitch problems, and behind-the-scenes instability. The FA refused to grant Farsley a licence to play at step three or step four due to ongoing issues off the pitch. That includes mounting debts, delays in installing a new surface at the pitchless Citadel, and the toll of a nightmare season - with home games largely played 70 miles away at Buxton - that ended in relegation from step two.

In a statement on the West Yorkshire club’s website, the board called it a “gutting” decision but insisted it was the only way to safeguard the long-term future of the club. Playing in a more regional league will slash travel costs and, they hope, give them some breathing room to get things in order.

It added: "It’s not what we wanted. But sometimes you need to take a step backwards in order to move forwards, and pragmatically we believe this move to be necessary to protect the long-term financial future of our club.

"As you know, our initial aims were to complete last season in order to preserve the integrity of the competition and to give the club the best chance of success into the future.

"At the end of the last season we said our efforts would be concentrated around ensuring the financial stability of the club. A season playing all our games away from The Citadel was always going to leave us with a financially challenging summer.

"The debts facing the club have continued to mount in recent weeks."

They’re now banking on a Football Foundation grant to sort the pitch and have plans in motion for new floodlights and a potential ground share. The board also confirmed they’re working on securing a lease at The Citadel.

Despite everything, Farsley’s leadership says they’re still fighting and strive for survival and stability.