KSI’s investment in Dagenham & Redbridge has brought renewed attention to the structure of the English football pyramid.
The YouTuber and entrepreneur recently purchased a minority stake in the East London club, which competes in the National League South.
His ambition of eventually reaching the Premier League has also revived memories of the FIFA series that helped establish his online career, as it resembles a real-life version of his famous Road to Division One challenge.
How the English football pyramid works
English football operates through a pyramid structure that links leagues together through promotion and relegation. Clubs move up or down divisions depending on their results at the end of each season.
The system begins with the Premier League at the top and continues through multiple professional and semi-professional levels before reaching numerous regional competitions.
The Premier League contains 20 teams, with the bottom three relegated to the Championship each season.
The Championship promotes its top two teams automatically, while clubs finishing third through sixth compete in playoffs for the final promotion position.
League One and League Two complete the English Football League structure beneath the Championship. The bottom two clubs in League Two drop into the National League, which represents the highest tier of non-league football.
The sixth tier of the pyramid is split into two regional competitions, the National League North and National League South. Dagenham & Redbridge currently compete in the National League South.
Clubs relegated from the National League North and National League South drop into regional divisions that sit between the seventh and tenth tiers.
These competitions include the Northern Premier League Premier Division, Southern League Central Division, Southern League South Division, and the Isthmian League Premier Division.
KSI’s real life ‘Road to Division One’ journey
KSI, whose real name is Olajide Olatunji, first gained global recognition through FIFA videos on YouTube. One of his earliest breakout series was called Road to Division One.
The series launched in 2012 and followed his attempt to climb the divisions in FIFA Ultimate Team after starting in Division 10.
Each division required players to earn a specific number of points across several matches to secure promotion. Only the strongest players could eventually reach Division One at the top of the ladder.
The concept quickly became one of the defining FIFA series on YouTube and played a major role in building KSI’s audience. Within a few years, he had developed into one of the platform’s most recognizable creators.
Now the challenge exists in real football. After acquiring a stake in Dagenham & Redbridge, KSI has outlined ambitions to push the club up the English football pyramid.
Progressing from the sixth tier would require several promotions to reach the top levels of the sport. The storyline closely mirrors the idea behind his original series, except that the Road to Division One is now taking place on an actual pitch.
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