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A financial package has been put in place offering some sort of protection for clubs in the bottom division. For the next five seasons clubs in Division Three will receive £50,000 each August whilst the two promoted clubs will receive £35,000 each. For those clubs relegated to the Conference there will be a one year parachute payment.
Two chairmen admitted the decision was a correct one despite their nervousness. Lincoln City finished just two places above relegated Halifax this time around but their chairman Rob Bradley said, "I know two down would have troubled us this year, but the principle is right. There are three or four teams going up and down in the other divisions, and I think there should be freedom of movement through the football pyramid.
"To have one team going up is not fair. You've got to stick with your principles, no matter how nervous you might be."
Cambridge United have just been relegated from the 2nd Division but their chairman agreed and added,
"I've always been in favour. If you have three-up and three-down between Division One and the Premiership, you can't have restrictive practices at the bottom.
"We're all frightened of being relegated, but two-up, two-down is the right thing for the good of football."
The rule does not mean though that the top two will go up from the Conference. As from next season they are introducing play offs into the league. The Champions will go into the Football League and the next four will play off for the second promotion place.
Had the system been introduced a year ago we would have seen Dagenham & Redbridge and Yeovil Town competing against former league clubs Barnet and Doncaster Rovers in the play offs.
And to cast your mind back fifteen years when the automatic promotion came in. As we know well Scarborough won promotion at the expense of Lincoln City. With the play off system in place then it would have seen Barnet, Maidstone United, Enfield and Altrincham battling it out to replace Torquay United.
One other major change today from the Football League will now allow clubs four short term and four long term loans from next season.
The Clarets haven't been heavy users of the loan system in recent seasons, last season there were just Marlon Beresford and David Johnson, but with clubs struggling to bring in players on a permanent basis it is likely that Stan will be making much more use of the system next season.