1985–86 Alliance Premier League
The Alliance Premier League season of 1985–86 was the seventh season of the Alliance Premier League. This was the first year where a team from the Isthmian League had been promoted to the APL, and this was the last season of the league under this name - starting with the 1986–87 season, the league would be renamed to the Football Conference.
New teams in the league this season
Final league table
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | League | FA Cup | FA Trophy | League Cup | Total |
| 1 | Kim Casey | Kidderminster Harriers | 36 | ||||
| 2 | Carl Richards | Enfield | 28 | ||||
| 3 | Mike Doherty | Weymouth | 25 | ||||
| 4 | Mick Carter | Runcorn | 22 | ||||
| 5 | Paul Davies | Kidderminster Harriers | 21 | ||||
| 6 | Nicky Evans | Barnet | 20 | ||||
| = | Gary Hooley | Frickley Athletic / Scarborough | 20 | ||||
| 8 | Ken McKenna | Telford United | 18 | ||||
| = | Paul Wilson | Frickley Athletic | 18 | ||||
| 10 | Graham Bennett | Stafford Rangers | 17 | ||||
| 11 | Mark Boyland | Cheltenham Town | 16 | ||||
| = | Dave Gilbert | Boston United | 16 | ||||
| 13 | Colin Cowperthwaite | Barrow | 15 | ||||
| = | Frank Murphy | Nuneaton Borough | 15 | ||||
| 15 | Tony Burman | Dartford | 14 | ||||
| = | David Singleton | Bath City | 14 | ||||
| = | Tim Smithers | Nuneaton Borough | 14 | ||||
| = | Chris Townsend | Cheltenham Town | 14 | ||||
| 19 | Tony Agana | Weymouth | 13 | ||||
| = | Noel Ashford | Enfield | 13 | ||||
| 21 | Phil Derbyshire | Stafford Rangers | 12 | ||||
| 22 | Bob Mountain | Stafford Rangers | 11 | ||||
| 23 | Stephen Claridge | Weymouth | 10 |
Promotion and relegation
Promoted
Relegated
Election to the Football League
As winners of the Alliance Premier League, Enfield won the right to apply for election to the Football League to replace one of the four bottom sides in the 1985–86 Football League Fourth Division. The vote went as follows:| Club | Final Position | Votes |
| Exeter City | 21st | 64 |
| Preston North End | 23rd | 62.5 |
| Cambridge United | 22nd | 61 |
| Torquay United | 24th | 61 |
| Enfield | 1st | 7.5 |
As a result Enfield did not gain membership of the Football League. This was the final season in which the team who won the Conference National had to apply for election to the Football League, and from the 1986–87 season onward the winning team was automatically promoted, on the provision that they met the various conditions that the Football League set for all its members.