New play-off system set to shake up Maidenhead's league

For the first time at this level, there will be play-off matches for promotion and relegation in Maidenhead’s league next season, and it promises to throw up plenty more drama and excitement for the teams competing at the top and bottom of the division.

The structure for this has only just been confirmed and it will all play out after the season has finished, offering teams in second and third a shot at promotion and opening a potential trap door to the sides finishing ninth and 10th.

The teams in first and last and second bottom will be promoted and relegated as usual. The play-off matches will replace the now defunct Papa John’s Cup and Plate competitions which head coach David Mobbs-Smith felt was dying on its feet due to lack of interest from clubs across the country in all of the various tiers of the competition.

So, from next year, the regular Regional 1 South Central Division season will finish on April 11 with Maidenhead finishing as they started, against CS Stags at Braywick Park.

From there the teams finishing second and third and those in ninth and 10th will enter promotion and relegation play-offs. The highest placed or seeded team will always be at home, and those matches are scheduled for April 25.

The teams finishing second and third in Maidenhead’s Regional 1 South Central Division will have a job on their hands to gain promotion. First, they’ll have to win the play-off match for their division on April 25, and then they’ll have to play-off in another match at their level against the play-off winners from the Regional 1 South West Division.

Should they come through those two matches they’ll advance to the final on May 9 against one of the three 12th placed sides from the leagues at National 2. The winner of that game will be promoted to National 2 for the 2026/27 campaign and the loser demoted to Regional 1 (South Central or South West).

The teams finishing ninth and 10th in Maidenhead’s league will play-off to avoid the possibility of relegation on April 25 and the winners will get to remain in the Regional 1 South Central Division.

The losers of that match will then be at home to one of six Regional 2 play-off winners on May 9.

Reflecting on the changes, Maidenhead chairman Steve Bough said: “The bottom placed sides get automatically relegated and then the two above that play-off against each other.

“Whoever loses that plays off against a team from the lower division.

“I think in our league, we know we’ve got a few clubs we can’t get near, financially and player payments wise.

“Historically, there has been one or two clubs running away with the top spot.

“This keeps that interest for other clubs, even if you have runaway winners at the top. It’s the same at the bottom, if you have a weak side that’s struggling for whatever reason, it still means there is jeopardy for the clubs above them.

“In general, I think it’s good and it adds to the excitement. I’d quite like mid-table anonymity and I don’t want to be fighting in the play-offs for relegation, but if we do, we’ll go at it, have some fun and see what happens.”