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National League games to start late as part of 3-team promotion campaign

All National League fixtures will kick off three minutes late on Nov. 15 as part of a campaign to grant fifth-tier clubs a third promotion place to League Two.

The EFL has so far resisted calls for an extra promotion berth, but the National League is continuing to push for change and will highlight the issue again next month with all 12 fixtures on Nov. 15 kicking off at 3.03 p.m.

The campaign also has the support of the 48 clubs in National Leagues North and South, who are in FA Trophy action that day.

National League chair Jack Pearce said: "Our 72 clubs -- the majority of whom are over a century old and household names -- simply won't accept the current circumstances blocking them from parity and fairness with all the other professional teams in England.

"Since launching 3UP, we have been contacted by a remarkable number of EFL clubs who are privately supportive of the change but haven't even been given the chance as a group of clubs to formally discuss it."

- National League table

The change appears to have strong support among fans, with a Football Supporters' Association poll commissioned earlier this year finding 93% of fans surveyed across all divisions backed an extra promotion place from the National League to League Two, with 83% of fans who follow EFL clubs supportive.

In February, the EFL said changing the number of promotion and relegation places between the fourth and fifth tiers needed to be part of a broader package of reforms across all levels of the game.

The change in regulation would require a majority of the 72 EFL clubs to vote in favour, plus a majority among Championship clubs.