Full Name: The Football League Championship Level: 2 Founded: 1893 (2004) Teams: 24 Previous: Football League Division Two (1893-1993), Football League Division One (1993-2004)
Introduction:
The second level of league football in England is known as the Football League Championship (or the Coca-Cola Championship or just The Championship). With three promotion spots to the mega-money Premier League available, competition for promotion is fierce. The league is full of ambitious clubs on the rise, fallen giants and a handful of clubs punching well above their weight. Average crowds approach 20,000 per match, which places it within the top ten leagues in the world and easily the most popular second division league in the world.
Football League Championship Map:
History:
The rival Football Alliance was largely absorbed into the Football League for the 1892-93 season, meriting the creation of the Second Division of the Football League. It remained as such until the 1992-93 season when the Premier League was formed and the Second Division was renamed the Football League First Division. For the 2004-05 season it changed names to the Football League Championship, though it remains the second tier of professional football in England.
League Format:
The Football League Championship season begins in early August and runs through early May, with no winter break. Matches are traditionally played on Saturday afternoons.
The 24 teams play each othe twice (home and away) for a total of 46 games.
3 points are awarded for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a loss.
Final league position is based on the total number of points earned over the full season.
The team with the most points is considered the league champion and is promoted to the Premier League along with the 2nd placed team.
The teams finishing 3rd to 6th enter a playoff to determine one further team to be promoted.
The bottom three teams are relegated to the third-tier Football League One.
Total Second Tier League Titles:
Includes Football League Division Two (1893-1993), Football League Division One (1993-2004).
7 Manchester City
6 Leicester City
5 The Wednesday/Sheffield Wednesday 5 Sunderland
4 Small Heath/Birmingham/Birmingham City 4 Liverpool 4 Derby County 4 Middlesbrough
3 Notts County 3 Preston North End 3 Ipswich Town 3 Leeds United 3 Bolton Wanderers 3 Newcastle United 3 Nottingham Forest 3 Norwich City 3 West Bromwich Albion 3 Wolverhampton Wanderers
2 Grimsby Town 2 Tottenham Hotspur 2 Aston Villa 2 Stoke City 2 Burnley 2 Manchester United 2 West Ham United 2 Chelsea 2 Crystal Palace 2 Fulham 2 Queen's Park Rangers
1 Bury 1 Bristol City 1 Bradford City 1 Blackpool 1 Everton 1 Brentford 1 Blackburn Rovers 1 Sheffield United 1 Coventry City 1 Huddersfield Town 1 Luton Town 1 Oxford United 1 Millwall 1 Oldham Athletic 1 Charlton Athletic 1 Portsmouth 1 Reading
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