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Glite Dictionary
⚽ Not professional 🏟️ An amateur team 📊 Lower divisions
non-league

non-league

4.9
A team that does not play in the main professional league
  • noun
  • /nɒnˈliːɡ/
  • UK
translation icon : equipo no profesional
  • He started his career playing for a non-league team before moving to the professional division.

Examples

  • The small non-league club surprised everyone by reaching the third round of the tournament.

  • Many non-league sides dream of facing top clubs in the national cup competition.

  • The non-league team played an impressive match last night.

  • Many fans support their local non-league clubs.

  • The small non-league club surprised everyone by reaching the third round of the tournament.

  • He started his career playing for a non-league team before moving to the professional division.

  • Many non-league sides dream of facing top clubs in the national cup competition.

Antonyms

league
567 2.4

A group of teams that play each other in a competition

How High-Level

top-flight
9 6.2
semipro
  • Informal
4.4
non-league
  • UK
4.9

Surface Forms

non-league singular
non-leagues plural

Morphology

non-league = league (transparent) = non + league

The meaning is directly compositional: something that is outside or not part of a league.

Etymology

Non-league is made of non- ('not') and league ('a group of teams'), so as a noun it names 'a team that is not in the main professional league'.