Division in English football league system
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship reasons) is the second-highest division of the English Football League and the third tier overall in the entire English football league system.
League One was introduced for the 2004-05 season. It was previously known briefly as the Football League Second Division and for much longer, prior to the advent of the Premier League, as the Football League Third Division.
At present, Peterborough and Gillingham hold the longest tenure in League One, both last being out of the division in the 2012-13 season. There are currently eight former Premier League clubs competing in League One, namely Swindon Town (1993-94), Ipswich Town (2000-02), Charlton Athletic (1995-2007), Portsmouth (2003-10), Blackpool (2010-11), Wigan Athletic (2005-13), Sunderland (2007-17), and Hull City (2016-17).[1]
Structure
There are 24 clubs in League One. Each club plays every other club twice (once at home and once away). Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. At the end of the season a table of the final League standings is determined, based on the following criteria in this order: points obtained, goal difference, goals scored, an aggregate of the results between two or more clubs (ranked using the previous three criteria) and, finally, a series of one or more play-off matches.
At the end of each season the top two clubs, together with the winner of the play-offs between the clubs which finished in 3rd-6th position, are promoted to EFL Championship and are replaced by the three clubs that finished at the bottom of that division.
Similarly, the four clubs that finished at the bottom of EFL League One are relegated to EFL League Two and are replaced by the top three clubs and the club that won the 4th-7th place play-offs in that division.
Current members
Locations of the confirmed 2020-21 EFL League One teams
The following 24 clubs will compete in League One during the 2020-21 season.
Club
|
Finishing position last season
|
Location
|
Stadium
|
Capacity[2] |
---|
Accrington Stanley
|
17th
|
Accrington
|
Crown Ground
|
5,057 (2,000 seated)
|
AFC Wimbledon
|
20th
|
London (Merton)
|
Plough Lane
|
9,300
|
Blackpool
|
13th
|
Blackpool
|
Bloomfield Road
|
17,338
|
Bristol Rovers
|
14th
|
Bristol
|
Memorial Stadium
|
12,300
|
Burton Albion
|
12th
|
Burton upon Trent
|
Pirelli Stadium
|
6,912 (2,034 seated)
|
Charlton Athletic
|
22nd in Championship (relegated)
|
London (Charlton)
|
The Valley
|
27,111
|
Crewe Alexandra
|
2nd in League Two (promoted)
|
Crewe
|
Gresty Road
|
10,180
|
Doncaster Rovers
|
9th
|
Doncaster
|
Keepmoat Stadium
|
15,231
|
Fleetwood Town
|
6th
|
Fleetwood
|
Highbury Stadium
|
5,311 (2,701 seated)
|
Gillingham
|
10th
|
Gillingham
|
Priestfield Stadium
|
11,582
|
Hull City
|
24th in Championship (relegated)
|
Kingston upon Hull
|
KCOM Stadium
|
25,586
|
Ipswich Town
|
11th
|
Ipswich
|
Portman Road
|
30,311
|
Lincoln City
|
16th
|
Lincoln
|
Sincil Bank
|
10,307
|
Milton Keynes Dons
|
19th
|
Milton Keynes
|
Stadium MK
|
30,500
|
Northampton Town
|
7th in League Two (promoted via play-offs)
|
Northampton
|
PTS Academy Stadium
|
7,798
|
Oxford United
|
4th
|
Oxford
|
Kassam Stadium
|
12,500
|
Peterborough United
|
7th
|
Peterborough
|
London Road
|
15,314
|
Plymouth Argyle
|
3rd in League Two (promoted)
|
Plymouth
|
Home Park
|
18,600
|
Portsmouth
|
5th
|
Portsmouth
|
Fratton Park
|
21,100
|
Rochdale
|
18th
|
Rochdale
|
Spotland
|
10,249
|
Shrewsbury Town
|
15th
|
Shrewsbury
|
New Meadow
|
9,875
|
Sunderland
|
8th
|
Sunderland
|
Stadium of Light
|
48,707
|
Swindon Town
|
1st in League Two (promoted)
|
Swindon
|
County Ground
|
15,728
|
Wigan Athletic
|
23rd in Championship (relegated)
|
Wigan
|
DW Stadium
|
25,138
|
Teams promoted from League One
For past winners at this level before 2004, see List of winners of English Football League One and predecessors.
Play-off results
Season
|
Semi-final (1st Leg)
|
Semi-final (2nd Leg)
|
Final
|
---|
2004-05
|
Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Brentford Hartlepool United 2-0 Tranmere Rovers
|
Brentford 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday Tranmere Rovers 2-0 Hartlepool United (Hartlepool won 6-5 on penalties, a.e.t.)
|
Sheffield Wednesday 4-2 Hartlepool United (a.e.t.)
|
2005-06
|
Barnsley 0-1 Huddersfield Town Swansea City 1-1 Brentford
|
Huddersfield Town 1-3 Barnsley Brentford 0-2 Swansea City
|
Barnsley 2-2 Swansea City (Barnsley won 4-3 on penalties, a.e.t.)
|
2006-07
|
Yeovil Town 0-2 Nottingham Forest Oldham Athletic 1-2 Blackpool
|
Nottingham Forest 2-5 Yeovil Town (a.e.t.) Blackpool 3-1 Oldham Athletic
|
Blackpool 2-0 Yeovil Town
|
2007-08
|
Southend United 0-0 Doncaster Rovers Leeds United 1-2 Carlisle United
|
Doncaster Rovers 5-1 Southend United Carlisle United 0-2 Leeds United
|
Leeds United 0-1 Doncaster Rovers
|
2008-09
|
Scunthorpe United 1-1 Milton Keynes Dons Millwall 1-0 Leeds United
|
Milton Keynes Dons 0-0 Scunthorpe United (Scunthorpe won 7-6 on penalties, a.e.t.) Leeds United 1-1 Millwall
|
Scunthorpe United 3-2 Millwall
|
2009-10
|
Swindon Town 2-1 Charlton Athletic Huddersfield Town 0-0 Millwall
|
Charlton Athletic 2-1 Swindon Town (Swindon won 5-4 on penalties, a.e.t.) Millwall 2-0 Huddersfield Town
|
Millwall 1-0 Swindon Town
|
2010-11
|
Bournemouth 1-1 Huddersfield Town Milton Keynes Dons 3-2 Peterborough United
|
Huddersfield Town 3-3 Bournemouth (Huddersfield won 4-2 on penalties, a.e.t.) Peterborough United 2-0 Milton Keynes Dons
|
Huddersfield Town 0-3 Peterborough United
|
2011-12
|
Stevenage 0-0 Sheffield United Milton Keynes Dons 0-2 Huddersfield Town
|
Sheffield United 1-0 Stevenage Huddersfield Town 1-2 Milton Keynes Dons
|
Huddersfield Town 0-0 Sheffield United (Huddersfield won 8-7 on penalties, a.e.t.)
|
2012-13
|
Sheffield United 1-0 Yeovil Town Swindon Town 1-1 Brentford
|
Yeovil Town 2-0 Sheffield United Brentford 3-3 Swindon Town (Brentford won 5-4 on penalties, a.e.t.)
|
Brentford 1-2 Yeovil Town
|
2013-14
|
Peterborough United 1-1 Leyton Orient Preston North End 1-1 Rotherham United
|
Leyton Orient 2-1 Peterborough United Rotherham United 3-1 Preston North End
|
Leyton Orient 2-2 Rotherham United (Rotherham won 4-3 on penalties, a.e.t.)
|
2014-15
|
Chesterfield 0-1 Preston North End Sheffield United 1-2 Swindon Town
|
Preston North End 3-0 Chesterfield Swindon Town 5-5 Sheffield United
|
Preston North End 4-0 Swindon Town
|
2015-16
|
Barnsley 3-0 Walsall Bradford City 1-3 Millwall
|
Walsall 1-3 Barnsley Millwall 1-1 Bradford City
|
Barnsley 3-1 Millwall
|
2016-17
|
Millwall 0-0 Scunthorpe United
Bradford City 1-0 Fleetwood Town
|
Scunthorpe United 2-3 Millwall
Fleetwood Town 0-0 Bradford City
|
Bradford City 0-1 Millwall
|
2017-18
|
Charlton Athletic 0-1 Shrewsbury Town
Scunthorpe United 2-2 Rotherham United
|
Shrewsbury Town 1-0 Charlton Athletic
Rotherham United 2-0 Scunthorpe United
|
Rotherham United 2-1 Shrewsbury Town (a.e.t.)
|
2018-19
|
Doncaster Rovers 1-2 Charlton Athletic
Sunderland 1-0 Portsmouth
|
Charlton Athletic 2-3 Doncaster Rovers (Charlton Athletic won 4-3 on penalties, a.e.t.)
Portsmouth 0-0 Sunderland
|
Charlton Athletic 2-1 Sunderland
|
2019-20
|
Portsmouth 1-1 Oxford United
Fleetwood Town 1-4 Wycombe Wanderers
|
Oxford United 1-1 Portsmouth (Oxford United won 5-4 on penalties, a.e.t.)
Wycombe Wanderers 2-2 Fleetwood Town
|
Oxford United 1-2 Wycombe Wanderers
|
Relegated teams
Season
|
Clubs
|
---|
2004-05
|
Torquay United, Wrexham, Peterborough United, Stockport County
|
2005-06
|
Hartlepool United, Milton Keynes Dons, Swindon Town, Walsall
|
2006-07
|
Chesterfield, Bradford City, Rotherham United, Brentford
|
2007-08
|
Bournemouth, Gillingham, Port Vale, Luton Town
|
2008-09
|
Northampton Town, Crewe Alexandra, Cheltenham Town, Hereford United
|
2009-10
|
Gillingham, Wycombe Wanderers, Southend United, Stockport County
|
2010-11
|
Dagenham & Redbridge, Bristol Rovers, Plymouth Argyle, Swindon Town
|
2011-12
|
Wycombe Wanderers, Chesterfield, Exeter City, Rochdale
|
2012-13
|
Scunthorpe United, Bury, Hartlepool United, Portsmouth
|
2013-14
|
Stevenage, Shrewsbury Town, Carlisle United, Tranmere Rovers
|
2014-15
|
Crawley Town, Leyton Orient, Yeovil Town, Notts County
|
2015-16
|
Crewe Alexandra, Blackpool, Colchester United, Doncaster Rovers
|
2016-17
|
Port Vale, Coventry City, Swindon Town, Chesterfield
|
2017-18
|
Oldham Athletic, Northampton Town, Milton Keynes Dons, Bury
|
2018-19
|
Plymouth Argyle, Walsall, Scunthorpe United, Bradford City
|
2019-20
|
Tranmere Rovers, Southend United, Bolton Wanderers, Bury[a] |
a Expelled in August 2019 after financial breaches.
Top scorers
b In 35 games. Season truncated due to coronavirus
Financial Fair Play
Starting from the 2012-13 season, a Financial Fair Play arrangement has been in place in all three divisions of the Football League, the intention being eventually to produce a league of financially self-sustaining clubs. In League One, this takes the form of a Salary Cost Management Protocol in which a maximum of 60% of a club's turnover may be spent on players' wages, with sanctions being applied in the form of transfer embargoes.[3][4][5][6]
See also
References
External links