Our FA Trophy game at FC United on Saturday is going to be part of the National League’s 3Up campaign, and will therefore be kicking off at 3.03pm. Here’s the background

3UP: Why the wait? Saturday’s match kicks off at 3.03pm – three minutes later than usual – as clubs across the country unite for the 3UP Day of Action, a campaign calling for fairness, opportunity and sporting merit in English football.

When the National League was founded in 1979, then known as the Alliance Premier League, it was created to give ambitious clubs a national platform and a genuine pathway into the Football League. But for those early pioneers, it didn’t quite work out that way. For the first seven seasons, even the champions were denied entry. Promotion depended on a vote by existing League clubs, and year after year they voted to keep things exactly as they were. It wasn’t until 1986 that automatic promotion was finally introduced — and even then, just one place.

It took another 16 years, in 2002, before a second route was added through the play-offs. That means 23 years passed between the league’s formation and two promotion places being offered. And now, 23 years later, we’re still waiting for the third. Across the EFL and the Premier League, every other nationwide division already has three up, three down. It’s a simple, fair system based on what happens on the pitch. But between League Two and the National League, the door remains half closed — two up, two down — despite the quality of football and the professionalism at this level.

Look at the evidence. Since 2003, newly promoted clubs from the National League have finished, on average, around 11th place in League Two the following season – top half. Eight clubs have even achieved back-to-back promotions, going straight into League One. That’s not luck or novelty – that’s proof of strength.

So on Saturday, those three extra minutes before kick-off stand for something bigger. They symbolise the 23 years and counting that clubs, players and supporters have been waiting for fairer movement in our game. The message is simple: football should reward success, not protect status. It’s time for 3UP. Why the wait? It’s time to put football first.