English Football League

The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England
and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such
English Football League
competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in England from its foundation
until 1992, when the top 22 clubs split from it to form the Premier League.

The EFL is divided into the Championship, League One and League Two, with 24 clubs in
each division, 72 in total, with promotion and relegation between them; the top Championship
clubs change places with the lowest-placed clubs in the Premier League, and the bottom clubs
of League Two with the top clubs of the National League. Although primarily an English
competition, a small number of clubs from Wales – currently Cardiff City, Swansea City and
Newport County  – also take part.

The Football League had a sponsor from the 1983–84 season, and thus was known by various
names.[1] For the 2016–17 season, the league rebranded itself as the English Football League
(EFL).[2][3] Founded 17 April 1888
Country England (69 teams)
The English Football League also organises two knock-out cup competitions, the EFL Cup
and the EFL Trophy. The operations centre of the Football League is in Preston, while its Other club(s) Wales (3 teams)
commercial office is in London.[4][5] from
Confederation UEFA
Divisions EFL Championship
Contents EFL League One
Overview EFL League Two
Competition Number of 72
League teams
Cup
Level on 2–4
History pyramid
Addition of the Second Division Promotion to Premier League
Early 20th century
Relegation to National League
Post-First World War
Post-Second World War Domestic FA Cup
1970s cup(s)

1980s League cup(s) EFL Cup

1992: Foundation of the Premier League EFL Trophy[NB1]
1992–2004: Three divisions
Current Fulham
2004 Football League rebranding champions (2021–22)
2016 rebranding
TV partners Sky Sports
2019 review of EFL financial regulations
Project Big Picture ITV Sport (highlights)

Records Website EFL.com (https://www.efl.

com/)
Current member clubs
Championship Current: 2022–23 English Football League
League One
League Two
Past League winners
1888–1892
1892–1920
1920–1921
1921–1958
1958–1992
1992–2004
2004–present
Titles by club
Football League titles
Play-offs
 Play-off winners
League sponsorship
Media rights
United Kingdom and Ireland
Live matches
Highlights
International broadcasters
Governance and management
Board
Senior management
Former presidents
See also
Notes
References
External links

Overview
The Football League consists of 69 professional association football clubs in England and 3 in Wales. It runs the oldest professional football
league competition in the world. It also organises two knockout cup competitions, the EFL Cup and EFL Trophy. The Football League was
founded in 1888 by Aston Villa director William McGregor, originally with 12 member clubs. Steady growth and the addition of more divisions
meant that by 1950 the League had 92 clubs. Financial considerations led to a major shake-up in 1992, when in a step to maximise their
revenue the leading members of the Football League broke away to form their own competition, the FA Premier League, which was renamed
the Premier League in 2007.[6] The Football League therefore no longer includes the top 20 clubs who belong to this group, although
promotion and relegation between the Football League and the Premier League continues. In total, 136 teams have played in the Football
League[7] up to 2013 (including those in the Premier League, since clubs must pass through the Football League before reaching the former).

Competition

League

The EFL's 72 member clubs are grouped into three divisions: the EFL Championship, EFL League One, and EFL League Two (previously the
Football League First Division, Football League Second Division and Football League Third Division respectively; they were renamed for
sponsorship reasons). Each division has 24 clubs, and in any given season a club plays each of the others in the same division twice, once at
their home stadium and once at that of their opponent's. This makes for a total of 46 games played each season.

Clubs gain three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a defeat. At the end of the season, clubs at the top of their division may win
promotion to the next higher division, while those at the bottom may be relegated to the next lower one. At the top end of the competition, three
Championship clubs win promotion from the Football League to the Premier League, with the bottom three Premier League clubs taking their
places. At the lower end, two League Two clubs lose their Football League status with relegation to the National division of the National
League, while two teams from that division join League Two of The Football League in their stead.

Division Promoted directly Promoted via playoffs Relegated

EFL Championship Top 2 clubs One from 3rd to 6th-place finishers Bottom 3 clubs
EFL League One Top 2 clubs One from 3rd to 6th-place finishers Bottom 4 clubs
EFL League Two Top 3 clubs One from 4th to 7th-place finishers Bottom 2 clubs

Promotion and relegation are determined by final league positions, but to sustain interest for more clubs over the length of the season one
promotion place from each division is decided according to a playoff between four clubs, which takes place at the end of the season. It is
possible for a team finishing sixth in the Championship or League One, or seventh in League Two, to be promoted rather than the clubs
finishing immediately above them in the standings.

Since the 2004–05 season, penalties have existed for clubs entering financial administration during the season. If a club enters administration
before 31 March of any given season, they will immediately be deducted 12 points; entering administration from 1 April onward will see the
points deduction either held over until the end of the season (if the club finishes outside the relegation places) or applied the following season (if
the club was relegated anyway). Also, it is required that a club exiting administration agrees to a Creditor's Voluntary Agreement, and pays in
full any other footballing creditors. Failure to do either of these will result in a second, potentially unlimited (though in practice usually between
15 and 20) points deduction.

The other main situation in which is a club may lose points is by fielding an improperly registered or otherwise ineligible player. If a club is
found to have done this, then any points earned from any match that player participated in will be deducted; the opposing club(s) do not earn
any points from this, however.
Cup

The EFL organises two knock-out cup competitions: the EFL Cup (officially called the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons) and the EFL
Trophy (officially called the Papa John's Trophy also for sponsorship reasons). The EFL Cup was established in 1960 and is open to all EFL
and Premier League clubs, with the winner eligible to participate in the UEFA Europa Conference League. The EFL Trophy, established in
1983, is for clubs belonging to EFL League One and EFL League Two. The organisation celebrated its 100th birthday in 1988 with a
Centenary Tournament at Wembley between 16 of its member clubs.

History
After four years of debate, the Football Association finally permitted professionalism on 20 July 1885. Before
that date many clubs made payments to "professional" players to boost the competitiveness of their teams,
breaking FA rules and arousing the contempt of those clubs abiding by the laws of the amateur Football
Association code. As more and more clubs became professional the ad-hoc fixture list of FA Cup, inter-county,
and ordinary matches was seen by many as an unreliable stream of revenue, and ways were considered of
ensuring a consistent income.[8][9]

A Scottish director of Birmingham-based Aston Villa, William McGregor, was the first to set out to bring some
order to a chaotic world where clubs arranged their own fixtures, along with various cup competitions.[8] On 22
March 1888, he wrote to the committee of his own club, Aston Villa, as well as to those of Blackburn Rovers,
Bolton Wanderers, Preston North End, Stoke and West Bromwich Albion; suggesting the creation of a league
competition that would provide a number of guaranteed fixtures for its member clubs each season. His idea
might have been based upon a description of a proposal for an early American college football league, William McGregor, founder
publicised in the English media in 1887 which stated: "measures would be taken to form a new football of The Football League
league  ... [consisting of] a schedule containing two championship games between every two colleges
composing the league".[10][11]

The first meeting was held at Anderton's Hotel in London on 23 March 1888 on the eve of the FA
Cup Final.[12] The Football League was formally created and named in Manchester at a further
meeting on 17 April at the Royal Hotel.[12] The name "Association Football Union" was proposed
by McGregor but this was felt too close to "Rugby Football Union". Instead, "The Football
League" was proposed by Major William Sudell, representing Preston, and quickly agreed upon.[8]
Although the Royal Hotel is long gone, the site is marked with a commemorative red plaque on the
Royal Buildings in Market Street. The first season of the Football League began a few months later
on 8 September with 12 member clubs from the Midlands and north of England: Accrington,
Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Derby County, Everton, Notts
County, Preston North End, Stoke (renamed Stoke City in 1926),[13] West Bromwich Albion and
Preston North End FC, the first Wolverhampton Wanderers.
champions in 1888
Each club played the others twice, once at home and once away, and two points were awarded for
a win and one for a draw. This points system was not agreed upon until after the season had
started; the alternative proposal was one point for a win only. Preston won the first league title without losing a game, and completed the first
league–cup double by also taking the FA Cup.

In 1890, Stoke was not re-elected to the league and was replaced for the 1890–91 season by Sunderland, who won it in their second, third, and
fifth year. Stoke was re-elected for the 1891–92 season, along with Darwen, to take the league to 14 clubs.

Preston North End, Aston Villa, and Sunderland dominated the early years of the game. In the first ten seasons, the only other clubs to win
(single) league titles were Everton & Sheffield United.

Addition of the Second Division

A new Second Division was formed in 1892 with the absorption of the rival 12-club Football
Alliance. Alliance clubs Nottingham Forest, The Wednesday (later renamed Sheffield Wednesday)
and Newton Heath (later renamed Manchester United) were added to the new First Division, and
Crewe Alexandra and Darwen were reallocated to the new Second, bringing the First Division total to
16 clubs. With the addition of Northwich Victoria (from The Combination), Burslem Port Vale (later
renamed Port Vale, from the Midland League) and Sheffield United (from the Northern League), the
Second Division started with 12 clubs, as Alliance club Birmingham St George's disbanded at that
point. The bottom clubs of the lower division were subsequently required to apply for re-election to The Aston Villa team in 1897, after
the League at the end of each season. winning both the FA Cup and the
Football League.
Accrington F.C. was relegated from Division 1, but chose to resign from the Football League rather
than play in the 2nd division. Bootle were dissolved because of financial problems. The Second
Division increased to 15 clubs for season 1893–94. Instead of three clubs expanding the division, five were added to make the number fifteen.
The additional clubs were Liverpool from the Lancashire League, Middlesbrough Ironopolis and Newcastle United from the Northern League,
Rotherham Town from the Midland League, and Woolwich Arsenal (later Arsenal), who became the first team from the South of England to
compete.
For the following season 1894–95, the third season of the division, there was a net increase to 16 with the addition of Bury from the Lancashire
League, Leicester Fosse (later Leicester City) and Burton Wanderers (who later joined with existing Second Division club Burton Swifts to
form Burton United) from the Midland League along with Lincoln City FC, while Northwich resigned and Middlesbrough Ironopolis
disbanded.

Both Liverpool and Bury won the division at the first attempt.

In 1895 Loughborough replaced Walsall Town Swifts.[14] In 1896 Blackpool from the Lancashire League and Gainsborough Trinity from the
Midland League replaced Burslem Port Vale and Crewe Alexandra.[15] In 1897 Luton Town from the United League replaced Burton
Wanderers.[16]

Automatic promotion and relegation for two clubs were introduced in 1898 when the previous system of test matches between the bottom two
clubs of the First Division and the top two clubs of the Second Division was brought into disrepute when Stoke and Burnley colluded in the
final match to ensure they were both in the First Division the next season. At this point both Divisions of the League expanded to eighteen, with
the addition of Barnsley from the Midland and Yorkshire Leagues, Burslem Port Vale, Glossop from the Midland League, and New Brighton
Tower from the Lancashire League to the Second Division.[17]

Early 20th century

After a few years, other northern clubs began to catch up, with the likes of Newcastle United and Manchester United having success. From
1900, Aston Villa (1899–1900, 1909–10), Liverpool (1900–01, 1905–06), Sunderland (1901–02, 1912–13), The Wednesday (1902–03, 1903–
04), Newcastle United (1904–05, 1908–09), Manchester United (1907–08, 1910–11) and Blackburn Rovers (1911–12, 1913–14) all won two
titles prior to the outbreak of the First World War, while Everton added a second title to their much earlier success in the last season, 1914–15.

It was not until the early years of the 20th century, and the expansion of both Leagues to 20 clubs (in 1905), that further southern clubs such as
Chelsea and Clapton Orient (later Leyton Orient) (1905), Fulham (1907) and Tottenham Hotspur (1908) established themselves in the League.
There would be a further wait until 1931 before a southern club, Arsenal would win the League for the first time.

Unlike in most other Leagues in Europe, no single English club managed to remain ever-present in the division during the one hundred and
four years of its existence as the top division in the country. Everton comes closest, missing just four seasons through relegation, and remains
one of only three clubs in England to have played over 100 top-flight seasons, along with Aston Villa and Arsenal. Arsenal are also the longest
serving member of the first division, present since 1919.

Post-First World War

The League was suspended for four seasons during the First World War and resumed in 1919 with the First and Second Divisions expanded to
22 clubs. On resumption West Bromwich Albion (1919–20) and Burnley (1920–21), both original 12 clubs, won their first-ever titles (in
Albion's case their only title to date).

In 1920, leading clubs from the Southern League joined the League to form a new Third Division, which in 1921 was renamed the Third
Division South upon the further addition of more clubs in a new Third Division North. One club from each of these divisions would gain
promotion to the Second Division, with the two relegated clubs being assigned to the more appropriate Third Division. To accommodate
potential difficulties in this arrangement, clubs in the Midlands such as Mansfield Town or Walsall would sometimes be moved from one-Third
Division to the other.

Following this burst of post-war growth, the League entered a prolonged period of relative stability with few changes in the membership,
although there were changes on the pitch. In 1925, a new offside law reduced the number of defending opponents between the attacking player
and the goal from three to two, leading to a large increase in goals, and numbers on shirts were introduced in 1939.

Between 1923 and 1926, Huddersfield Town were the first team to win three consecutive league titles (and never won another one, though they
finished as runners-up for the following two years). This was equaled by Arsenal between 1932 and 1935, during a period from 1930 to 1938
in which they won five titles out of eight.

Manchester City (1936–37) became the only other club to be added to the list of Football League winners prior to the outbreak of the Second
World War, the fourteenth club to achieve the feat since 1888–89.

In the 1938–39 season Everton won the title for the fifth time, but suffered the same fate as in 1915, being champions when football was
suspended due to the World War.

Post-Second World War

The League was suspended once more in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War, this time for seven seasons. The Third Divisions
were expanded to 24 clubs each in 1950, bringing the total number of League clubs to 92, and in 1958 the decision was made to end the
regionalisation of the Third Divisions and reorganise the clubs into a new nationwide Third Division and Fourth Division. To accomplish this,
the clubs in the top half of both the Third Division North and South joined together to form the new Third Division, and those in the bottom
half made up the Fourth Division. An earlier suggestion that the Third Division South should become the Third Division and the Third Division
North become the Fourth Division on the basis of better attendances and that they tended to fare better when promoted was rejected.[18] Four
clubs were promoted and relegated between these two lower divisions, while two clubs exchanged places in the upper divisions until 1974
when the number increased to three.

Clubs to win their first League titles in the quarter-century following the Second World War were Portsmouth (1948–49 and 1949–50),
Tottenham Hotspur (1950–51 and 1960–61), founder members of the League Wolverhampton Wanderers (1953–54, 1957–58 and 1958–59),
Chelsea (1954–55), Ipswich Town (1961–62) and Leeds United (1968–69).

Tottenham Hotspur became the first club in the 20th century to win the League and F.A. Cup 'Double' in 1960–61, a season after
Wolverhampton Wanderers had come within a whisker of achieving the feat themselves (Wolves won the 1959–60 F.A. Cup and were runners-
up to Burnley in the League by a single point).

Post-Second World War changes in league football included the use of white balls in 1951 and the first floodlight game (played between
Portsmouth and Newcastle United) in 1956, opening up the possibility of midweek evening matches.

By far the biggest change for league clubs during this era was a new cup competition open to all the members of the League, the Football
League Cup, which was held for the first time in 1960–61 to provide clubs with a new source of income. Aston Villa won the inaugural League
Cup and, despite an initial lack of enthusiasm on the part of some other big clubs, the competition became firmly established in the footballing
calendar, although it was not until the dawn of the 1970s that all 92 Football League clubs regularly participated in the competition season after
season.

Substitutes (1 per team per match) were first allowed for injured players in 1965 and for any reason the next year.

1970s

The first-ever League game to be held on a Sunday took place on 20 January 1974 (11:30 kick-off) and was played between 2nd Division
rivals Millwall and Fulham at The Den. Millwall won 1–0. The first-ever Sunday top-flight game was between Chelsea and Stoke a week
later.[19]

Beginning with the 1976–77 season, the club's finishing level on points began to be separated according to goal difference (the difference
between goals scored and goals conceded) rather than goal average (goals scored divided by goals conceded). This was an effort to prevent
unduly defensive play encouraged by the greater advantage in limiting goals allowed. In the event that clubs had equal points and equal goal
differences, priority was given to the club that had scored the most goals. There has been only one season, 1988–89, when this level of
differentiation was necessary to determine the League champion, and this was the occasion of one of the most dramatic nights in League
history, when Arsenal beat Liverpool 2–0 at Anfield in the last game of the season to win the League on this tiebreaker – by a single Michael
Thomas goal in the final minute of the final game of the season. Both teams would finish with the same amount of goal difference, but Arsenal
had scored more goals during the season.

Two clubs won their first League titles during the 1970s: founder members of the League Derby County (1971–72 and 1974–75) and
Nottingham Forest (1977–78), both clubs managed by Brian Clough and Peter Taylor. Nottingham Forest's title in 1977–78 turned out to be the
last occasion that a first-time champion won the First Division title during The Football League era, before the First Division clubs formed the
Premier League in 1992. The next first-time League champion club would be Leicester City in the 2015–16 season, the first such during the
Premier League era.

1980s

Another important change was made in 1981, when it was decided to award three points for a win instead of two, a further effort to increase
attacking football. (This scoring rule was not added by FIFA to the World Cups until the 1994 cup after the perceived dominance of defensive
play at Italia 90.)

The early 1980s also saw a significant decline in league attendances as a result of the recession and the ongoing problem of hooliganism. This
did no favors for the financial position and league standing of numerous clubs, and several – including Wolverhampton Wanderers, Swansea
City and Middlesbrough – were almost forced out of business as a result. The fortunes of the First Division clubs suffered a fresh blow in 1985
when all English clubs were banned from European competitions as a result of the Heysel disaster, where crowd trouble involving Liverpool
fans at the European Cup final in Belgium resulted in 39 spectator deaths during a crush in a Juventus fan section. The loss of life occurred
when a surge in the crowd (moving away from clashes between rival supporters), caused a wall to collapse. Inadequate segregation, stewarding
and policing as well the generally poor condition of the ageing stadium were attributed as contributory factors.

In a similar vein, playoffs to determine promotion places were introduced for the 1986–87 season so that more clubs remained eligible for
promotion closer to the end of the season, and at the same time to aid in the reduction over two years of the number of clubs in the First
Division from 22 to 20. For the first two seasons, the playoffs were contested between the lowest placed team to avoid automatic relegation and
three highest-placed teams to miss out on automatic promotion in the division below before it was altered from the 1988–89 season to include
just the four clubs who had missed out on automatic promotion in the Second, Third and Fourth Divisions. 1986–87 was the first season of the
decade where Football League attendances increased, helped by improved economic conditions and falling unemployment nationally.

At the same time, automatic promotion and relegation between the Fourth Division and the Football Conference were introduced for one club,
replacing the annual application for re-election to the League of the bottom four clubs and linking the League to the developing National
League System pyramid.
Emblematic of the confusion that was beginning to envelop the game, the number of clubs at the top of the league would return to 22 for the
1991–92 season, which increased competitiveness in the 1990–91 season as four teams would be promoted from the Second and Third
Divisions instead of the normal three (with the seventh-place being the minimum position for the playoffs), while in the Fourth Division an
unprecedented five promotion places were up for grabs, with the eighth-place being high enough for the playoffs. The end of the ban on
English clubs in Europe also helped boost interest in English football. However, the economy was now in another recession and added to that
the clubs in the top two English divisions were faced with the requirement of having all-seater stadiums by 1994–95 to comply with the Taylor
Report that followed the death of 96 Liverpool fans as a result of the Hillsborough disaster in April 1989.

The League also expanded to 93 clubs for the 1991–92 season and planned to raise the number again to 94 clubs for 1992–93, but after
Aldershot and Maidstone United both went out of business within a few months of each other in mid-1992, this plan was abandoned. The
issues creating the uncertainty in the game all centered on money.

The increasing influence of money in English football was evident with such events as the first £1m transfer in the game, that of Trevor Francis
from Birmingham City to Nottingham Forest in February 1979. The first £2million player transferred between English clubs was Tony Cottee,
who moved from West Ham United to Everton in July 1988 – although several players had already been sold by English clubs to foreign clubs
for even higher fees.

Before the formation of the FA Premier League, the highest transfer fee paid was £2.9million for the transfer of Dean Saunders from Derby
County to Liverpool during the 1991 close season. The first £3million player was Alan Shearer, who moved from Southampton to Blackburn
Rovers in July 1992, the summer before the first Premier League season. At the close of the 1991 season, a proposal for the establishment of a
new league was tabled that would bring more money into the game overall. The Founder Members Agreement, signed on 17 July 1991 by the
game's top-flight clubs, established the basic principles for setting up the FA Premier League.[20] The newly formed top division would have
commercial independence from the Football Association and the Football League, giving the FA Premier League license to negotiate its own
broadcast and sponsorship agreements. The argument given at the time was that the extra income would allow English clubs to compete with
teams across Europe.[21]

1992: Foundation of the Premier League

During the 1991–92 season, the First Division clubs resigned from the Football League en masse and on 20 February 1992, the Premier
League was formed as a limited company working out of an office at the Football Association's then headquarters in Lancaster Gate.[22] This
meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions; the Premier League would operate with
a single division and the Football League with three. There was no change in competition format; the same number of teams competed in the
top flight, and promotion and relegation between the Premier League and the new First Division remained on the same terms as between the old
First and Second Divisions.

The 1991–92 season had ended with 92 clubs in the Football League, with the 93rd club, Aldershot, having been declared bankrupt and forced
to resign from the Fourth Division a few weeks before the end of the season. Colchester United, the Football Conference champions, were
promoted to the new Division Three as the 71st members of the reorganised Football League. However, this number would soon drop to 70
due to the closure of Maidstone United at the beginning of the 1992–93 season, and the Football League abandoned its expansion plan. This
meant that there would once again be 92 clubs in the highest four divisions of English football.

1992–2004: Three divisions

There were few major changes to the structure Football League in the 12 seasons which followed the breakaway that created the FA Premier
League, perhaps the only notable changes being an expansion to 72 clubs from 70 for the 1995–96 season after the Premier League was
streamlined to 20 clubs from 22, and the introduction of a second relegation place to the Football Conference from the end of the 2002–03
season.

However, following the formation of the Premier League, it became increasingly difficult for newly promoted clubs to establish themselves in
the top flight. Whereas newly promoted teams had once normally survived for at least a few seasons in the old First Division, it was now the
norm for at least one newly promoted club to be relegated straight back from the Premier League to Division One. In the nine seasons that
followed the formation of the Premier League, at least one newly promoted club suffered this fate – and in the 1997–98 season, it happened to
all three newly promoted teams. There were exceptions, however; including Blackburn Rovers, who were promoted to the Premier League on
its formation and were champions three years later, and Newcastle United, who were promoted in 1993 and finished in the top six for the next
four seasons, finishing Premier League runners-up twice.

The trend of relegated clubs to win an instant promotion back to the top flight continued, however. In the 12 seasons following the formation of
the Premier League, there were just three seasons where none of the newly relegated sides failed to win an instant return to the Premier League.

The widening gulf between the top two divisions of English football can largely be put down to the increased wealth of the Premier League
clubs, and the wealth gained by these clubs – combined with parachute payments following relegation – has also made it easier for many of
them to quickly win promotion back to the top flight.

In spite of the economic prosperity between 1992 and 2004, many Football League clubs did run into financial problems during this time,
although none of them were forced out of business. These include Oxford United, Luton Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest,
Portsmouth, Bradford City and Leicester City. Some of these clubs were faced with financial problems as a result of the lost revenue resulting
from Premier League relegation and a failure to return to this level, as well as the collapse of ITV Digital in 2002.[23]
Just after the end of the 2001–02 season, South London based Wimbledon were given permission to move to Milton Keynes, some 70 miles
from their traditional home. A relocation on this scale was unprecedented in English football and led to the majority of the club's fans switching
their support to a new fan-formed club, AFC Wimbledon, who joined the Combined Counties League. The club's move to Milton Keynes was
completed in September 2003, when they became tenants of the National Hockey Stadium until a new permanent home was completed four
years later, and the club's name changed to Milton Keynes Dons in June 2004.

2004 Football League rebranding

2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed
the Football League Championship, Football League One, and Football League Two respectively. Coca-Cola replaced the Nationwide
Building Society as title sponsor.

The Football League's collection of historic materials is held by the National Football Museum.

2016 rebranding

On 12 November 2015, The Football League announced that it would be officially renamed the English Football League, with the abbreviation
EFL to be emphasised, effective from the beginning of the 2016–17 season. The rebranding would include a new logo consisting of a circle
composed of three swathes of 24 smaller circles each. The three swathes are to represent the three divisions and the 24 circles in each swathe
(making a total of 72 circles) represent the 72 clubs in the league system. Each club is to be presented with its own bespoke version of the logo.
Football League Chief Executive Shaun Harvey said:[24]

The new EFL name rightly emphasizes the central role our clubs play at the heart of English professional football. In an
increasingly challenging global sports market, it is absolutely essential that sports properties can project a modern identity that not
only resonates with their regular audience but is also easily recognizable to a broader audience of potential fans, viewers, and
commercial partners. We believe the EFL name and brand will give our competitions an identity that is new and distinct, while at
the same time retaining our unique heritage. As such, it will be something that all fans can identify with – whether they be young
or old, at home or abroad.

2019 review of EFL financial regulations

The EFL expulsion of Bury and the threatened expulsion of Bolton Wanderers after both League One clubs became insolvent during the
summer of 2019 prompted the EFL to commission an independent review of its regulations concerning the financial sustainability of member
clubs.[25]

Project Big Picture

"Project Big Picture" was a plan announced in October 2020 to reunite the top Premier League clubs with the EFL, proposed by leading
Premier League clubs Manchester United and Liverpool.[26] The plan was criticised by the Premier League leadership and the UK
government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.[27] The Premier League rejected the proposal a few days later.[28]

Records

Current member clubs

Below are listed the member clubs of the English Football League for the 2022–23 season. Since 1888 in total there have been 144 Football
League members. Originally the bottom club(s) of the bottom division(s) had to apply for re-election each year, which was voted by all the
other members. Walsall holds the record for the most reapplications for the Football League. Former Football League clubs include all 20 of the
current members of the Premier League along with various relegated, removed or defunct clubs.

Championship League One League Two

Birmingham Accrington AFC
City Stanley Wimbledon
Blackburn Barnsley Barrow
Rovers Bolton Bradford
Blackpool Wanderers City
Bristol City Bristol Carlisle
Burnley Rovers United
Cardiff City Burton Albion Colchester
United
Coventry City
 Huddersfield Cambridge Crawley
Town United Town
Hull City Charlton Crewe
Luton Town Athletic Alexandra
Middlesbrough Cheltenham Doncaster
Town Rovers
Millwall
Derby Gillingham
Norwich City County Grimsby
Preston North
Exeter City Town
End
Fleetwood Harrogate
Queens Park
Town Town
Rangers
Forest Green Hartlepool
Reading
Rovers United
Rotherham
Ipswich Town Leyton
United
Lincoln City Orient
Sheffield
Milton Mansfield
United
Keynes Dons Town
Stoke City
Morecambe Newport
Sunderland County
Oxford
Swansea City Northampton
United
Watford Town
Peterborough
West United Rochdale
Bromwich Salford City
Plymouth
Albion
Argyle Stevenage
Wigan Athletic
Portsmouth Stockport
Port Vale County
Sheffield Sutton
Wednesday United
Shrewsbury Swindon
Town Town
Wycombe Tranmere
Rovers Locations of the Football League clubs by division
Wanderers
– Championship – League One – League Two
Walsall

Past League winners

NB: League and FA Cup double winners are highlighted in bold.

1888–1892

When the Football League was first established, all 12 clubs played in just one division.

No. Season Champions

1 1888–89 Preston North End
2 1889–90 Preston North End
3 1890–91 Everton
4 1891–92 Sunderland

1892–1920

In 1892 the Football League absorbed 11 of the 12 clubs in the rival Football Alliance after it folded, meaning the League now had enough
clubs to form another division. The existing division was renamed the First Division and the new division was named the Second Division,
which comprised most of the Football Alliance's clubs.
 No. Season First Division champions Second Division champions
5 1892–93 Sunderland Small Heath
6 1893–94 Aston Villa Liverpool
7 1894–95 Sunderland Bury
8 1895–96 Aston Villa Liverpool
9 1896–97 Aston Villa Notts County
10 1897–98 Sheffield United Burnley
11 1898–99 Aston Villa Manchester City
12 1899–1900 Aston Villa The Wednesday
13 1900–01 Liverpool Grimsby Town
14 1901–02 Sunderland West Bromwich Albion
15 1902–03 The Wednesday Manchester City
16 1903–04 The Wednesday Preston North End
17 1904–05 Newcastle United Liverpool
18 1905–06 Liverpool Bristol City
19 1906–07 Newcastle United Nottingham Forest
20 1907–08 Manchester United Bradford City
21 1908–09 Newcastle United Bolton Wanderers
22 1909–10 Aston Villa Manchester City
23 1910–11 Manchester United West Bromwich Albion
24 1911–12 Blackburn Rovers Derby County
25 1912–13 Sunderland Preston North End
26 1913–14 Blackburn Rovers Notts County
27 1914–15 Everton Derby County
– 1915–19 League suspended due to World War I
28 1919–20 West Bromwich Albion Tottenham Hotspur

1920–1921

In 1920 the Football League admitted the clubs from the first division of the Southern League (the Southern League continued with its
remaining clubs) and Grimsby Town, who had failed to be re-elected to the Second Division the season before and been replaced by Cardiff
City (of the Southern League). The clubs were placed in the new Third Division:

No. Season First Division champions Second Division champions Third Division champions
29 1920–21 Burnley Birmingham Crystal Palace

1921–1958

After just one season under the old format, the League expanded again. This time it admitted a number of clubs from the north of England to
balance things out, as the last expansion brought mainly clubs from the south. The existing Third Division was renamed the Third Division
South, and the new division was named the Third Division North. Grimsby Town transferred to the new northern division. Both divisions ran
in parallel, with clubs from both Third Divisions being promoted to the national Second Division at the end of each season:
 First Division Second Division Third Division (North) Third Division (South)
No. Season
champions champions champions champions
1921–
30 Liverpool Nottingham Forest Stockport County Southampton
22
1922–
31 Liverpool Notts County Nelson Bristol City
23
1923–
32 Huddersfield Town Leeds United Wolverhampton Wanderers Portsmouth
24
1924–
33 Huddersfield Town Leicester City Darlington Swansea Town
25
1925–
34 Huddersfield Town The Wednesday Grimsby Town Reading
26
1926–
35 Newcastle United Middlesbrough Stoke City Bristol City
27
1927–
36 Everton Manchester City Bradford Park Avenue Millwall
28
1928–
37 The Wednesday Middlesbrough Bradford City Charlton Athletic
29
1929–
38 Sheffield Wednesday Blackpool Port Vale Plymouth Argyle
30
1930–
39 Arsenal Everton Chesterfield Notts County
31
1931–
40 Everton Wolverhampton Wanderers Lincoln City Fulham
32
1932–
41 Arsenal Stoke City Hull City Brentford
33
1933–
42 Arsenal Grimsby Town Barnsley Norwich City
34
1934–
43 Arsenal Brentford Doncaster Rovers Charlton Athletic
35
1935–
44 Sunderland Manchester United Chesterfield Coventry City
36
1936–
45 Manchester City Leicester City Stockport County Luton Town
37
1937–
46 Arsenal Aston Villa Tranmere Rovers Millwall
38
1938–
47 Everton Blackburn Rovers Barnsley Newport County
39
1939–
48 League aborted due to World War II
40
1940–
– League suspended due to World War II
46
1946–
49 Liverpool Manchester City Doncaster Rovers Cardiff City
47
1947–
50 Arsenal Birmingham City Lincoln City Queens Park Rangers
48
1948–
51 Portsmouth Fulham Hull City Swansea Town
49
1949–
52 Portsmouth Tottenham Hotspur Doncaster Rovers Notts County
50
1950–
53 Tottenham Hotspur Preston North End Rotherham United Nottingham Forest
51
1951–
54 Manchester United Sheffield Wednesday Lincoln City Plymouth Argyle
52
1952–
55 Arsenal Sheffield United Oldham Athletic Bristol Rovers
53
1953– Wolverhampton
56 Leicester City Port Vale Ipswich Town
54 Wanderers
1954–
57 Chelsea Birmingham City Barnsley Bristol City
55
1955–
58 Manchester United Sheffield Wednesday Grimsby Town Leyton Orient
56
1956–
59 Manchester United Leicester City Derby County Ipswich Town
57
 60 1957– Wolverhampton West Ham United Scunthorpe United Brighton & Hove Albion
58 Wanderers

1958–1992

For the beginning of the 1958–59 season, national Third and Fourth Divisions were introduced to replace the regional Third Division North
and Third Division South:

No. Season First Division champions Second Division champions Third Division champions Fourth Division champions
61 1958–59 Wolverhampton Wanderers Sheffield Wednesday Plymouth Argyle Port Vale
62 1959–60 Burnley Aston Villa Southampton Walsall
63 1960–61 Tottenham Hotspur Ipswich Town Bury Peterborough United
64 1961–62 Ipswich Town Liverpool Portsmouth Millwall
65 1962–63 Everton Stoke City Northampton Town Brentford
66 1963–64 Liverpool Leeds United Coventry City Gillingham
67 1964–65 Manchester United Newcastle United Carlisle United Brighton & Hove Albion
68 1965–66 Liverpool Manchester City Hull City Doncaster Rovers
69 1966–67 Manchester United Coventry City Queens Park Rangers Stockport County
70 1967–68 Manchester City Ipswich Town Oxford United Luton Town
71 1968–69 Leeds United Derby County Watford Doncaster Rovers
72 1969–70 Everton Huddersfield Town Leyton Orient Chesterfield
73 1970–71 Arsenal Leicester City Preston North End Notts County
74 1971–72 Derby County Norwich City Aston Villa Grimsby Town
75 1972–73 Liverpool Burnley Bolton Wanderers Southport
76 1973–74 Leeds United Middlesbrough Oldham Athletic Peterborough United
77 1974–75 Derby County Manchester United Blackburn Rovers Mansfield Town
78 1975–76 Liverpool Sunderland Hereford United Lincoln City
79 1976–77 Liverpool Wolverhampton Wanderers Mansfield Town Cambridge United
80 1977–78 Nottingham Forest Bolton Wanderers Wrexham Watford
81 1978–79 Liverpool Crystal Palace Shrewsbury Town Reading
82 1979–80 Liverpool Leicester City Grimsby Town Huddersfield Town
83 1980–81 Aston Villa West Ham United Rotherham United Southend United
84 1981–82 Liverpool Luton Town Burnley Sheffield United
85 1982–83 Liverpool Queens Park Rangers Portsmouth Wimbledon
86 1983–84 Liverpool Chelsea Oxford United York City
87 1984–85 Everton Oxford United Bradford City Chesterfield
88 1985–86 Liverpool Norwich City Reading Swindon Town
89 1986–87 Everton Derby County AFC Bournemouth Northampton Town
90 1987–88 Liverpool Millwall Sunderland Wolverhampton Wanderers
91 1988–89 Arsenal Chelsea Wolverhampton Wanderers Rotherham United
92 1989–90 Liverpool Leeds United Bristol Rovers Exeter City
93 1990–91 Arsenal Oldham Athletic Cambridge United Darlington
94 1991–92 Leeds United Ipswich Town Brentford Burnley

1992–2004

Following the breakaway of the 22 clubs in the First Division to form the FA Premier League, the Football League no longer included the top
division in England, and the Football League champions were no longer the national champions of England. Therefore, the Second Division
became the First Division, the Third Division became the Second Division and the Fourth Division became the Third Division.
 No. Season First Division champions Second Division champions Third Division champions
95 1992–93 Newcastle United Stoke City Cardiff City
96 1993–94 Crystal Palace Reading Shrewsbury Town
97 1994–95 Middlesbrough Birmingham City Carlisle United
98 1995–96 Sunderland Swindon Town Preston North End
99 1996–97 Bolton Wanderers Bury Wigan Athletic
100 1997–98 Nottingham Forest Watford Notts County
101 1998–99 Sunderland Fulham Brentford
102 1999–2000 Charlton Athletic Preston North End Swansea City
103 2000–01 Fulham Millwall Brighton & Hove Albion
104 2001–02 Manchester City Brighton & Hove Albion Plymouth Argyle
105 2002–03 Portsmouth Wigan Athletic Rushden & Diamonds
106 2003–04 Norwich City Plymouth Argyle Doncaster Rovers

2004–present

In 2004, the Football League renamed its divisions: the First Division became the Football League Championship, the Second Division became
Football League One and the Third Division became Football League Two.

No. Season Championship champions League One champions League Two champions
107 2004–05 Sunderland Luton Town Yeovil Town
108 2005–06 Reading Southend United Carlisle United
109 2006–07 Sunderland Scunthorpe United Walsall
110 2007–08 West Bromwich Albion Swansea City Milton Keynes Dons
111 2008–09 Wolverhampton Wanderers Leicester City Brentford
112 2009–10 Newcastle United Norwich City Notts County
113 2010–11 Queens Park Rangers Brighton & Hove Albion Chesterfield
114 2011–12 Reading Charlton Athletic Swindon Town
115 2012–13 Cardiff City Doncaster Rovers Gillingham
116 2013–14 Leicester City Wolverhampton Wanderers Chesterfield
117 2014–15 AFC Bournemouth Bristol City Burton Albion
118 2015–16 Burnley Wigan Athletic Northampton Town
119 2016–17 Newcastle United Sheffield United Portsmouth
120 2017–18 Wolverhampton Wanderers Wigan Athletic Accrington Stanley
121 2018–19 Norwich City Luton Town Lincoln City
122 2019–20 Leeds United Coventry City Swindon Town
123 2020–21 Norwich City Hull City Cheltenham Town
124 2021–22 Fulham Wigan Athletic Forest Green Rovers

At the end of the 2005–06 season, Reading finished with a record 106 points, beating the previous record of 105 held by Sunderland.

Titles by club

Due to the breakaway of the Premier League in 1992, winning the Football League title no longer makes a team the top tier champions of
English football.
 Football League Premier League Football League
Top flight Total Football League
Club titles
titles
titles
titles titles
1889–1992 1993–2022 1993–2022
Manchester United 20 7 13 0 7
Liverpool 19 18 1 0 18
Arsenal 13 10 3 0 10
Everton 9 9 0 0 9
Manchester City 8 2 6 1 3
Aston Villa 7 7 0 0 7
Sunderland 6 6 0 4 10
Chelsea 6 1 5 0 1
Newcastle United 4 4 0 3 7
Sheffield Wednesday 4 4 0 0 4
Wolverhampton
3 3 0 2 5
Wanderers
Huddersfield Town 3 3 0 0 3
Leeds United 3 3 0 1 4
Blackburn Rovers 3 2 1 0 2
Burnley 2 2 0 1 3
Portsmouth 2 2 0 1 3
Derby County 2 2 0 0 2
Preston North End 2 2 0 0 2
Tottenham Hotspur 2 2 0 0 2
Leicester City 1 0 1 1 1
Nottingham Forest 1 1 0 1 2
West Bromwich Albion 1 1 0 1 2
Ipswich Town 1 1 0 0 1
Sheffield United 1 1 0 0 1
Norwich City 0 0 0 3 3
Fulham 0 0 0 2 2
Reading 0 0 0 2 2
AFC Bournemouth 0 0 0 1 1
Bolton Wanderers 0 0 0 1 1
Cardiff City 0 0 0 1 1
Charlton Athletic 0 0 0 1 1
Crystal Palace 0 0 0 1 1
Middlesbrough 0 0 0 1 1
Queens Park Rangers 0 0 0 1 1

Football League titles

Includes Premier League titles.
 Team First tier Second tier Third tier Fourth tier Total Titles
Manchester United 20 2 22
Liverpool 19 4 23
Arsenal 13 13
Everton 9 1 10
Manchester City 8 7 15
Aston Villa 7 2 1 10
Sunderland 6 5 1 12
Chelsea 6 2 8
Sheffield Wednesday 4 5 9
Newcastle United 4 4 8
Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 4 3 1 11
Leeds United 3 4 7
Blackburn Rovers 3 1 1 5
Huddersfield Town 3 1 1 5
Derby County 2 4 1 7
Preston North End 2 3 2 1 8
Burnley 2 3 1 1 7
Tottenham Hotspur 2 2 4
Portsmouth 2 1 3 1 7
Leicester City 1 7 1 9
Ipswich Town 1 3 2 6
Nottingham Forest 1 3 1 5
West Bromwich Albion 1 3 4
Sheffield United 1 1 1 1 4
Norwich City 5 2 7
Birmingham City 5 1 6
Middlesbrough 4 4
Notts County 3 2 3 8
Fulham 3 2 5
Bolton Wanderers 3 1 4
Grimsby Town 2 3 1 6
Reading 2 3 1 6
Queens Park Rangers 2 2 4
Stoke City 2 2 4
Crystal Palace 2 1 3
West Ham United 2 2
Bristol City 1 5 6
Millwall 1 3 1 5
Charlton Athletic 1 3 4
Coventry City 1 3 4
Brentford 1 2 3 6
Luton Town 1 2 1 4
Bradford City 1 2 3
Bury 1 2 3
Oldham Athletic 1 2 3
Oxford United 1 2 3
Cardiff City 1 1 1 3
AFC Bournemouth 1 1 2
Blackpool 1 1
Doncaster Rovers 4 3 7
 Plymouth Argyle 4 1 5
Wigan Athletic 4 1 5
Hull City 4 4
Brighton & Hove Albion 3 2 5
Lincoln City 3 2 5
Barnsley 3 3
Chesterfield 2 4 6
Port Vale 2 1 3
Rotherham United 2 1 3
Stockport County 2 1 3
Swansea City 2 1 3
Watford 2 1 3
Bristol Rovers 2 2
Leyton Orient 2 2
Southampton 2 2
Swindon Town 1 3 4
Carlisle United 1 2 3
Northampton Town 1 2 3
Darlington 1 1 2
Cambridge United 1 1 2
Mansfield Town 1 1 2
Shrewsbury Town 1 1 2
Southend United 1 1 2
Bradford Park Avenue 1 1
Hereford United 1 1
Nelson 1 1
Newport County 1 1
Scunthorpe United 1 1
Tranmere Rovers 1 1
Wrexham 1 1
Gillingham 2 2
Peterborough United 2 2
Walsall 2 2
Accrington Stanley 1 1
Burton Albion 1 1
Cheltenham Town 1 1
Forest Green Rovers 1 1
Exeter City 1 1
Milton Keynes Dons 1 1
Rushden & Diamonds 1 1
Southport 1 1
Wimbledon 1 1
Yeovil Town 1 1
York City 1 1

Play-offs
The Football League Play-offs are used as a means of determining the final promotion place from each of the league's three divisions. This is a
way of keeping the possibility of promotion open for more clubs towards the end of the season.

The format was first introduced in 1987, after the decision was made to reduce the top flight from 22 to 20 clubs over the next two seasons;
initially, the play-offs involved the team finishing immediately above the relegation places in a given division and the three teams who finished
immediately below the promotion places in the division below – essentially one team was fighting to keep their place in the higher division
while the other three teams were attempting to take it from them. In 1989, this was changed—
instead of teams from different divisions playing each other, the four teams below the automatic
promotion places contested the play-offs. The first season of this arrangement saw the final being
contested in home and away legs. The four teams play-off in two semi-finals and a final, with the
team winning the final being promoted. Originally the semi-finals and the final were all two-legged
home-and-away affairs, but from 1990 onwards the final is a one-off match. It is in this format that
the play-offs continue today. A proposal to have six teams rather than four competing for the final
place was defeated at the league's AGM in 2003.[29]

Play-off winners
Championship Play-off final, 2006. (Leeds
United v. Watford, Millennium Stadium)
Season Second Division Third Division Fourth Division
1986–87 Charlton Athletic Swindon Town Aldershot
1987–88 Middlesbrough Walsall Swansea City
1988–89 Crystal Palace Port Vale Leyton Orient

1989–90 Swindon Town1 Notts County Cambridge United

1990–91 Notts County Tranmere Rovers Torquay United

1991–92 Blackburn Rovers Peterborough United Blackpool
Season First Division Second Division Third Division
1992–93 Swindon Town West Bromwich Albion York City
1993–94 Leicester City Burnley Wycombe Wanderers
1994–95 Bolton Wanderers Huddersfield Town Chesterfield
1995–96 Leicester City Bradford City Plymouth Argyle
1996–97 Crystal Palace Crewe Alexandra Northampton Town
1997–98 Charlton Athletic Grimsby Town Colchester United
1998–99 Watford Manchester City Scunthorpe United
1999-00 Ipswich Town Gillingham Peterborough United
2000–01 Bolton Wanderers Walsall Blackpool
2001–02 Birmingham City Stoke City Cheltenham Town
2002–03 Wolverhampton Wanderers Cardiff City AFC Bournemouth
2003–04 Crystal Palace Brighton & Hove Albion Huddersfield Town
Season Championship League One League Two
2004–05 West Ham United Sheffield Wednesday Southend United
2005–06 Watford Barnsley Cheltenham Town
2006–07 Derby County Blackpool Bristol Rovers
2007–08 Hull City Doncaster Rovers Stockport County
2008–09 Burnley Scunthorpe United Gillingham
2009–10 Blackpool Millwall Dagenham & Redbridge
2010–11 Swansea City Peterborough United Stevenage
2011–12 West Ham United Huddersfield Town Crewe Alexandra
2012–13 Crystal Palace Yeovil Town Bradford City
2013–14 Queens Park Rangers Rotherham United Fleetwood Town
2014–15 Norwich City Preston North End Southend United
2015–16 Hull City Barnsley AFC Wimbledon
2016–17 Huddersfield Town Millwall Blackpool
2017–18 Fulham Rotherham United Coventry City
2018–19 Aston Villa Charlton Athletic Tranmere Rovers
2019–20 Fulham Wycombe Wanderers Northampton Town
2020–21 Brentford Blackpool Morecambe
2021–22 Nottingham Forest Sunderland Port Vale

1: Due to financial irregularities, Swindon were prevented from taking their place in the First Division, which was awarded to the losing
finalists, Sunderland.
League sponsorship
Since 1983 the League has accepted lucrative sponsorships for its main competition. Below is a list of sponsors and the League's name under
their sponsorship:

Years Sponsor Name

1983–1986 Canon Canon League
1986–1987 Today newspaper Today League

1987–1993 Barclays Barclays LeagueA

1993–1996 Endsleigh Endsleigh League
1996–2004 Nationwide Nationwide Football League

2004–2010 Coca-Cola Coca-Cola Football League[30]

2010–2013 npower npower Football League[31]

2013–2016 Sky Bet Football League[32]

Sky Bet
2016–Present Sky Bet EFL

A Upon the breakaway of the First Division in 1992 to form the Premier League, Barclays became a secondary sponsor in the newly formed
top division, becoming the primary sponsor from 2001 until 2016.

After the formation of the Premier League the newly slimmed-down football League (70 clubs until 1995 and 72 clubs since) renamed its
divisions to reflect the changes. The old Second Division became the new First Division, the Third Division became the Second Division, and
the Fourth Division became the Third Division. The financial health of its clubs had become perhaps the highest League priority due to the
limited resources available. However, there were some promising signs for the future, as the League planned to announce new initiatives
beginning with the 2004–05 season, coinciding with the start of a new sponsorship agreement with Coca-Cola. The first of these changes was a
rebranding of the League with the renaming of the First Division as The Championship, the Second Division as League One and the Third
Division as League Two. The League's cup competitions have had different sponsors. The current sponsor Sky Bet commissioned a suite of
trophies for the league from silversmith Thomas Lyte.[33]

Media rights

United Kingdom and Ireland

Live matches

The other major source of revenue is television. The 1980s saw competition between terrestrial broadcasters for the Matches broadcast in the
rights to show League matches, but the arrival on the scene of satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting (Sky United Kingdom and Ireland
TV), eagerly searching for attractive programming to build its customer base and willing to pay huge sums, Seasons Sky BBC Total
changed the picture entirely. The League's top-tier clubs had been agitating for several years to be able to keep ?–2009 ? ? ?
more of the League's revenue for themselves, threatening to break away and form their own league if necessary. In 2009–2012 65 10 75
1992 the threat was realised as the First Division clubs left to establish the FA Premier League and signed a 2012–2015 75 – 75
contract for exclusive live coverage of their games with Sky TV. The FA Premier League agreed to maintain the 2015–2018 112 – 112
promotion and relegation of three clubs with The Football League, but The League was now in a far weaker 2019–2024 138 – 138
position – without its best clubs and without the clout to negotiate high-revenue TV deals. This problem was
exacerbated with the collapse in 2002 of ITV Digital, holder of TV rights for The Football League, which cost League clubs millions of pounds
in revenue.

In 2001 the league signed a £315 million deal with ITV Digital, but in March 2002 the broadcaster was put into administration by its parent
companies when the league refused to accept a £130 million reduction in the deal. As a result, ITV Digital's parent companies Granada and
Carlton both cut off the deal with the EFL and consequently, ITV Digital suffered the losses. In November 2007 the league announced a new
domestic rights deal worth £264 million with Sky and the BBC for the three seasons from 2009 to 2012. It covers Football League, League
Cup and Football League Trophy matches and the full range of media: terrestrial and pay television, broadband internet, video-on-demand and
mobile services. The deal represents a 135% increase on the previous deal and works out at an average of over £1.2 million per club per season,
though some clubs will receive more than others. Sky will provide the majority of the coverage and the BBC broadcast 10 exclusively live
matches from the Championship per season and the semi-finals and finals of the League Cup.[34]
In 2012, Sky Sports signed a new exclusive
deal to broadcast all matches after the BBC pulled out of the deal owing the financial cuts that the BBC Sport department was going through.
However the BBC signed a new deal to still broadcast The Football League Show highlights programme.

In May 2017, it was announced that Talksport had secured exclusive national radio rights to the English Football League.[35] It gave them the
ability to broadcast up to up 110 EFL fixtures a season. Many Football League matches are also broadcast to local audiences via BBC Local
Radio stations or by commercial stations.
On 18 September 2008, the Football League unveiled a new Coca-Cola Football League podcast, hosted by BBC Radio 5 Live's Mark
Clemmit to be released every Thursday.[36] In the 2012–13 season the Podcast was renamed the npower football league show but still hosted
by Mark Clemmit. Mark Clemmit continued to host the show as TradePoint came on board in the 2013–14 season to be the title sponsor of the
newly re-branded 'Football League Radio'. The programme is now produced by digital production studio, Engage Sports Media.

In November 2018, Sky Sports announced new controversial 5-year deal with EFL. Starting since 2019/20 season,[37] Sky will show 138
league matches per season, with an option to increase the number of matches to 158 in the final two years of the agreement.[38]

Highlights

Highlights programme Duration Broadcaster

Football League Extra 1994–95 to 2003–04
ITV
The Championship* 2004–05 to 2008–09
The Football League Show 2009–10 to 2014–15 BBC One
Football League Tonight** 2015–16 to 2017–18 Channel 5

EFL on Quest[39] 2018–19 to 2021-22 Quest

*Between January 2008 to May 2008, the programme was renamed Championship Goals.

**The programme was split into two shows part way through the 2015/16 season, and renamed 'The Championship' for Championship highlights, and 'Goal
Rush' for League One and League Two highlights.

International broadcasters
Australia – beIN Sports broadcasts live Championship matches every weekend
Balkan – Arena Sport
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Arena Sport
Belgium – Eleven Sports
Bulgaria – Diema Sport and Nova Sport
Canada – DAZN
Caribbean – Sports Max
China – ssports.com
Czech Republic – Arena Sport and Digi Sport
Estonia – Viaplay
France and Monaco – beIN Sports
Georgia – Setanta Sports
Austria, Germany, and Switzerland – sportdigital.tv broadcasts one or two games every week. One match per week live and
free on Laola1 (Austria and Germany only). Other matches also available on DAZN and Sport1
Greece – Nova Sports
Hungary – Digi Sport (Hungary)
Iceland – Stöð 2 Sport
India and the subcontinent – Colors Infinity, Voot, Reliance Jio
Indonesia - Mola TV
Israel – Charlton
Italy – DAZN
Japan – J Sports
Korea – SBS Sports
Macedonia – Arena Sport
Macau – TDM (Macau)
MENA Region – beIN Sports
Mexico – Sky Sports Mexico has exclusive rights to broadcast live two matches, also available in Central America and
Dominican Republic.
New Zealand – beIN Sports has exclusive rights to broadcast all matches live or on delay.
Nordics – Viasat Sport and Viasat Fotball shows one or two matches a week.
Poland – Viaplay
Portugal – Eleven Sports
Russia – Telekanal Futbol
Singapore - Singtel TV, Starhub TV
South Africa – SuperSport has exclusive rights to broadcast live two Championship matches every week
South America (including Brazil) – ESPN has exclusive rights to broadcast live two Championship matches every week
Spain – DAZN
 Slovakia – Nova Sport
Sub-Saharan Africa – SuperSport
Turkey – beIN Sports
United States – all chosen matches live on EFL iFollow and select matches, as well as playoff matches on ESPN+
Vietnam – VTVCab.
Streaming – Betfair and Bet365 both broadcast matches internationally. Betfair notes that the territories to which they are
able to stream events varies from sport to sport.[40] Bet365 notes that some events are not permitted to stream within the host
country.[41][42]

Governance and management

Board

The Football League Board meets monthly and consists of two independent directors, three directors representing the Championship, two
representing League One, and one representing League Two. Current members are:

Rick Parry - Chairman

Trevor Birch – Chief Executive
Debbie Jevans CBE – Independent non-executive Director
Simon Bazalgette - Independent non-executive Director
Richard Bowker CBE – Independent Director
Paul Barber
Keith Lamb
Jez Moxey
Andy Ambler
Jim Rodwell

Senior management
Andy Williamson OBE – Chief Operating Officer

Former presidents
William McGregor 1892–1894
John Bentley 1894–1910
John McKenna 1910–1936
Charles Sutcliffe 1936–1939
Will Cuff 1939–1949
Arthur Drewry 1949–1953
Arthur Oakley 1955–1957
Joseph Richards 1957–1966
Terry Shipman 1966–1974
William Westwood 1974–1981
Jack Dunnett 1981–1986
Philip Carter 1986–1988
Bill Fox 1988–1991

See also
Football DataCo
Football League 100 Legends
Football League Awards
List of English football championship winning managers
List of English Football League managers by date of appointment
List of Football League Cup broadcasters
List of sports attendance figures
Premier League–Football League gulf

Notes
 A. League One, Two and select under 21 teams from Premier League and Championship clubs
B. FA Cup or League Cup winners

References
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External links
Official website (http://www.efl.com/)
RSSSF Football League archive, 1888– (http://www.rsssf.com/engpaul/FLA/league.html)

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