The English football pyramid is one of the deepest on the planet, with the entire system fuelling the professional leagues at the top of the hierarchy. And at the very top, is the Premier League.
Here, we take a comprehensive look at the entire English football league system to give readers a greater understanding of each division and how it impacts the other tiers.
What Does EFL Stand For?
EFL stands for English Football League and was the first football league pyramid system around, acting as the blueprint for domestic leagues across the world to follow and evolve into major competitions.
Who Founded The EFL?
William McGregor is widely considered the father of modern day football and he is credited as the founder of the English Football League.
He pioneered the original league competition, pushing for 12 of the most prominent football clubs in the country to come together and arrange home and away fixtures each season. McGregor's brilliance and insight helped to form the basis for the Football League pyramid system.
The Different English Football Leagues
Football leagues in England are broken down into several tiers: professional, semi-professional and amateur leagues.
The top division is the Premier League while the Championship, League One and League Two are the remaining professional leagues in the official English football league pyramid.
After League Two, there is the National League, which is the first of the semi-pro leagues although most sides are full-time players these days.
There are two tiers in the National League: The National League and the second tier, the National League North/South, which cover the two halves of the country.
Next is tier seven, which is made up of leagues covering the four regional corners of the country:
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The Northern Premier League
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Southern League Central Division
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Southern League South Division
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Isthmian League Premier Division
After tier seven, there are semi-pro and countless amateur leagues that span the entire country.
Guide To Each Tier Of Football League System
Premier League
The Premier League is the most prestigious competition in the English Football League. 20 teams compete for the grand prize and the bottom three teams are relegated to the second tier.
Championship
The second biggest domestic competition in the English Football League system is the Championship, which sees 24 clubs competing against each other.
The top two teams in the Championship are promoted leaving the next four in line to compete in the play-offs. The winner of the play-offs achieves the third promotion position. The bottom three teams out of the 24 are then relegated.
League One
Like the Championship, 24 teams compete for promotion. The top two winning teams in the competition are automatically promoted with the next four competing for the third promotion in the play-offs.
Slightly differently from the Championship, the bottom four are relegated - making it one of the most brutal tiers of the English football league pyramid.
League Two
Following a similar suit to the higher tiers, there are 24 teams in League Two competing to be promoted.
However, the top three teams with the most points are automatically promoted with the next four competing for the fourth spot in the play-offs. The bottom two teams are relegated.
National League
The remaining tiers in English football feed the National League: the last before the EFL.
The winners of the National League are promoted and then the next six teams compete in the play-offs for the second promotion. The bottom four teams are then relegated to the North or South divisions.
National League North & South
The teams are split into the North and South dependent on their geographical location. Both competitions run in parallel to one another with 22 teams each.
The winners of each division are promoted to the National League and then the next six teams compete in the play-offs for the second promotion spot. This totals four teams qualifying for the National League.
The bottom four teams in each division are then relegated.
If the teams in the North and South divisions are not equal because of the promotions and relegations, teams are then transferred between the two divisions based on the locations in the country until there is an even number.
Northern & Southern Premier Division, Southern Premier Central and Isthmian League
In tier 7 there are four leagues that run in parallel; the Northern Premier League Division, Southern Football League Premier Central, Southern Football League Premier South and Isthmian League Premier Division.
Each league has 22 teams competing to become the champion and be automatically promoted.
The next four then play in the play-offs for the second promotion spot per division. Then the bottom four teams are relegated to a level 8 division.
Like the National League North & South, if the number of clubs in each division is uneven, then sides will be transferred.
Tony Incenzo's Thoughts
WHILE the English Football League structure dates back to 1888, our thriving football pyramid essentially began with the formation of the Alliance Premier League (now called the National League) in 1979.
This initiative was enthusiastically driven by forward-thinking senior Football Association official Adrian Titcombe at the Lancaster Gate corridors of power.
Indeed, I vividly remember Adrian kindly sending me details of the new competition and founder clubs. It was a really exciting period for devout followers of Non-League circles.
Up until then, the EFL was more or less a closed shop operating token re-election systems. In effect, the worst placed Fourth Division (now League Two) clubs had to reapply for membership each summer whereas Non-League teams could also canvass for a place.
For example, Romford were such a strong Southern League force that 12 consecutive applications were made to join the Football League between 1960 and 1972.
Home was the palatial Brooklands Stadium in Romford holding a capacity of up to 20,000 and crowds of 6,000-plus were not unusual. Yet the Essex side reportedly overstretched themselves financially chasing the dream and eventually went bust. Quite simply, the money ran out.
The problem was Romford and other aspiring Non-League outfits were continually rejected.
A tightly knit old boys’ network existed amongst Football League chairman who would religiously vote to keep their friends’ teams within Division Four. I undoubtedly sensed an unwritten football boardroom case of “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours|”.
For a Non-League club to actually break through, something truly special was required.
For instance, I recall how Hereford United and Wimbledon were sensationally elected from the Southern League (1972 and 1977) following stunning FA Cup runs which dramatically illuminated tabloid newspaper headlines as well as concurrent television reports.
Two massively iconic moments stand out in my mind. The thunderbolt goal by Ronnie Radford of Hereford United against Newcastle United and Wimbledon goalkeeper Dickie Guy brilliantly saving a penalty from Leeds United’s lethal hotshot Peter Lorimer. Both totally defied football betting odds and paved the way for respective Football League status.
Even after the Alliance Premier League was established though, direct promotion was not agreed for another seven seasons. Scarborough became the historic first club to automatically ascend as champions in 1986/87.
Nowadays, a formal pyramid exists bringing seamless promotion and relegation subject to ground grading. There are six steps in the National League System culminating in the National League North and South feeding into the National League itself. Plenty of online betting interest is generated.
And below Step 6, an extensive network of Regional Feeder Leagues embraces grassroots participation players.
Here’s a thought! Taking matters to the very extreme, a football-mad billionaire could launch a team playing on a basic field in one of the Regional Feeder Leagues.
Then subsequently fulfilling rapid ongoing generous funding to recruit adequate players and build up a suitable stadium complete with extensive stands and floodlights, that club could theoretically progress to the EFL in seven years and to Premier League heights inside a decade!
It hasn’t happened so far. Nevertheless, it is only a matter of time. I have no doubt someone enjoying deep pockets will try this audacious stunt in the future.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Alamy*
