Understanding EFL: From Leagues to Championship

Football is more than a game for many people worldwide – it’s basically a religion in countries such as Brazil, Spain, and, of course, England. The game is such a phenomenon that it easily tops the list of popular sports with 3.5 billion fans worldwide.

Step into any stadium, and you’ll be met with a sea of rowdy fans decked out in their team kit, holding banners and singing anthems. But step into a stadium in England, and the atmosphere is another level of intense and electrifying. And the bedrock of pro football in England? The English Football League (EFL). Although the Premier League might be internationally renowned, the EFL has been around since 1888, which makes it the oldest pro football league competition ever.

The Evolution of the English Football League

With over 100 years of history, the EFL has undergone a series of transformations that make it what it is today. It was founded as just the “Football League” and later rebranded to the “English Football League” in 2016. It was the oldest league in the world and the highest-level league until the 22 best clubs branched off to form the Premier League – now the top level of the English football league system.

The EFL has such a long history that it developed as the game of soccer did too. In 1891, three years after the league was born, it introduced penalty kicks to the game for the first time. Later on, in 1928, Chelsea and Arsenal became the first teams to play with shirt numbers.

Structure of the EFL

The league currently has 68 teams in England and 4 teams in Wales, split into three divisions of 24 teams: the Championship, League One, and League Two, in order of hierarchy. Much like casinos.com’s post about free sc coins, which offers newcomers an easy way to explore gambling without big risks, the EFL’s structure is straightforward enough for new fans to quickly grasp the nature of the competition.

Teams playing in the Championship play to get promoted to the prestigious Premier League, those in League One play to get bumped up to the Championship, and so on. With the threat of relegation to non-league football and the attraction of promotion on the line, the EFL is riveting and competitive, and the stakes are high.

To get promoted, teams must be one of the top two clubs in the Championship or in League One. Meanwhile, EFL League Two promotes the top three clubs. When it comes to relegation, the bottom three clubs get demoted from the Championship, the bottom four in League One and the bottom two in League Two. There are also two knock-out cup competitions, the EFL Cup and the EFL Trophy. The team that wins the EFL Cup goes on to play in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Key Teams within the EFL

The initial 12 founding clubs in the Football League were Aston Villa, Accrington, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Blackburn Rovers, Derby County, Everton, Notts County, Stoke (now Stoke City), Preston North End, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Many of these original teams still rank highly on the Championship Table, with West Bromwich Albion at fifth overall at the start of 2024.

One of the standout teams in the Championship is Leeds United, a club with a storied history that has had rivalries with Manchester United and Chelsea. Their standout period was the 1960s and 1970s, when they won the FA Cup and League Cup, as well as the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and League title twice under the management of Don Revie. Leeds fans are strikingly loyal and are consistently named some of the most passionate fans in English football.

In League One, there’s the Portsmouth Football Club, one of just five English football clubs to have clinched championship titles in all four tiers of the pro English football pyramid. Their history spans almost as long as the EFL has existed, and Portsmouth have been through a few ups and downs. Notably, they dropped down into League Two (called Division Four at the time) and played hard until they took their place back in the top division.

Bradford City (affectionately nicknamed ‘The Chickens’) competes in League Two. What made them a significant team in the EFL was their triumphant win of the FA Cup in 1911. Although they were placed in the fourth tier of football at the time, akin to League Two, they still managed to win the cup. Bradford was the first team in the lowest division to do so, making it an unforgettable feat. Unfortunately, the team is also known as one of the two teams that played during the 1985 Valley Parade Tragedy, where a catastrophic fire broke out and engulfed the stadium, injuring hundreds and claiming the lives of 56 attendees.

How the EFL Impacted English Football

The EFL has unmistakably shaped the landscape of English football. It has provided a place for new talent to develop and showcase their skills, ignited the spirit of football and given tournaments an official structure. Each club, while entertaining the masses with their skills, provides a sense of community and preserves vibrant fan bases across the country. With traditions and rituals born out of a love for a club, the EFL is tightly intertwined with British culture.

Beyond the borders of Britain, the EFL also has a significant global following. With it being such an established and longstanding organization, many are drawn to the league and see it as the heart and soul of English football.