As expected, Stourbridge will remain in the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League Premier Division for next season, with six new clubs joining the competition to replace those promoted or relegated at the end of 2015/16.

Evo-Stik NPL Premier Division - Full 2016/17 Line-Up

Ashton United
Barwell
Blyth Spartans
Buxton
Coalville Town
Corby Town
Frickley Athletic
Grantham Town
Halesowen Town
Hednesford Town
Ilkeston
Marine
Matlock Town
Mickleover Sports
Nantwich Town
Rushall Olympic
Skelmersdale United
Spennymoor Town
Stafford Rangers
STOURBRIDGE
Sutton Coldfield Town
Warrington Town
Whitby Town
Workington

The constitution is provisional until the League AGM in June, and may be subject to change should clubs at Step 3 or above resign or go out of business.

Below, we take an in-depth look at the departures and new arrivals...

Departing from the Premier Division are:

Darlington & Salford City - promoted to the Vanarama National League North.
Colwyn Bay, Hyde United & Ramsbottom - relegated to the Evo-Stik NPL Division 1 North.
Stamford - relegated to the Evo-Stik NPL Division 1 South.

Replacing those teams are:

Coalville Town

Promoted as Play-Off Winners from Division 1 South, the Ravens will be familiar to Glassboys fans of a few years' standing, having been opponents in the Midland Football Alliance for three seasons between 2003/04 and 2005/06.

Coalville were MFA champions in 2010/11, thereby gaining promotion to the NPL Division 1 South, and also reached the FA Vase Final that season, where they were defeated 3-2 at Wembley by Whitley Bay.

After finishing third last season in Division 1 South, they beat Basford United 5-0 in their play-off semi-final before pulling off a mild shock in winning 3-1 at runners-up Shaw Lane Aquaforce in the final.

Website - http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/coalvilletown

Twitter - https://twitter.com/CoalvilleTownFC

Corby Town

Another club that will be no strangers to the Glassboys, having met in the Southern League Premier Division as recently as the 2013/14 season, when Stourbridge won both fixtures, 3-1 at home and 4-3 away.

Corby were promoted for a second spell in the National League North as champions of the Southern League in 2014/15 but suffered relegation last season at the first time of asking, and will be plying their trade in the NPL for the first time in their history, having spent all bar five seasons since 1958 in the Southern League, where they were regular opponents for the Glassboys.

Most memorably, the two teams battled it out for the Southern League Midland Division Title in 1990/91, with Stourbridge eventually prevailing, although the Steelmen had the final say as they were promoted whilst the Glassboys fell foul of ground grading.

Website - http://www.corbytownfc.co.uk/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/corbytownfc

Hednesford Town

Relegated along with Corby from the National League North, the Pitmen will be returning to the NPL Premier Division after two seasons at Non-League's Step 2.

They were members of the then Conference for six seasons from 1995/96 to 2000/01, but since then have spent most of their time in either the Southern or Northern Premier League Premier Divisions, with two spells totalling four seasons all told in what is now the National League North.

Stourbridge and Hednesford last met in 2010/11, when both matches ended in away wins, 3-2 to Stourbridge at Keys Park, and 2-1 to Hednesford at the War Memorial Ground. The Pitmen finished runners-up to champions Truro City that season, before losing the play-off final to Salisbury City, and were then transferred to the NPL that summer, from where they were promoted as play-off winners in 2012/13.

Website - http://www.hednesfordtownfc.com/home

Twitter - https://twitter.com/Hednesford_Town

Spennymoor Town

The Moors were visitors to the War Memorial Ground only last November, when Stourbridge won an entertaining FA Trophy Third Qualifying Round tie 4-2, the only previous encounter between the teams. The County Durham outfit's Brewery Field will be one of just two new grounds for the Glassboys to visit in the League in 2016/17.

At the time of that tie, Spennymoor were well-placed to mount a serious challenge for the play-offs, and so it proved as a tremendous second half of the campaign secured second place in the table before play-off wins at home to Burscough (3-1) and Northwich Victoria (2-0) cemented their place in the Premier Division.

Town were formed as recently as 2004 from the ashes of Spennymoor United and neighbouring Evenwood Town. The club gained promotion from the Northern League in 2014, and missed out on consecutive promotions when they went down to Darlington in the Division 1 North play-offs twelve months ago.

During their time in the Northern League Spennymoor were also FA Vase winners in 2012/13.

Website - http://www.spennymoortownfc.co.uk/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/SpennymoorTown?lang=en-gb

Stafford Rangers

Despite being pushed all the way by Shaw Lane, Rangers held on to take the Division 1 South Title last season under the management of ex-Glassboy Neil Kitching, and will be hoping it is the start of a long road back to the top of the Non-League Pyramid.

Stafford were founder members of the Alliance Premier League (now the National League) in 1979 and remained there until relegation in 1996. They then dropped down to the third tier of Non-League football with successive relegations, but fought their way back up to the Conference by 2006, only to be relegated again two years later.

Relegation from Conference North followed in 2011, and then from the NPL Premier Division in 2014. Last season's Title triumph brought an end to two seasons at Step 4.

Perhaps surprisingly, Stourbridge and Stafford Rangers have not met since our Southern League relegation season in 1999/2000 when Rangers won both encounters, 7-2 at Marston Road and 2-0 at Amblecote.

Website - http://www.staffordrangersfc.co.uk/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/SRFCofficial?lang=en-gb

Warrington Town

Warrington are the only one of the six new clubs that Stourbridge have never previously met. Promoted as runaway champions of Division 1 North with 106 points, and 34 wins from their 42 games, they may well be considered by many as dark horses for the campaign to come, particularly after the exploits of Darlington and Salford City following promotion from the same Division.

The Cheshire team, whose Cantilever Park ground sits almost on the northern bank of the Manchester Ship Canal, initially joined the NPL in Division 1 (there was only one lower Division at the time) in 1990, but were relegated back to the North West Counties League in 1997. They returned to the NPL in 2004 but rarely knocked on the door of promotion until 3rd place in 2013/14 saw them lose to Bamber Bridge in the play-offs.

Their most recent claim to fame was a 1-0 FA Cup First Round win over Exeter City in front of the BBC cameras in November 2014 under the management of Shaun Reid, brother of former England and Everton midfielder Pete, although they can also boast an FA Vase final at Wembley in 1987 when they lost 3-2 to St Helens Town.

Website - http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/warringtontown

Twitter - https://twitter.com/theyellows?lang=en-gb