Football League First Division

This topic is described in more detail in the article The History of English Football .

The Football League was founded in 1888 by the director of Aston Villa , William McGregor . Initially, it included only one division from 12 clubs: Accrington , Aston Villa , Blackburn Rovers , Bolton Wanderers , Burnley , Derby County , Everton , Notts County , Preston North End ”,“ Stoke ”(now“ Stoke City ”),“ West Bromwich Albion ”and“ Wolverhampton Wanderers ”and was simply called“ Football League ”. In 1892, additional clubs from the Football Alliance (competitors of the Football League at that time) entered the League, and the League was divided into two divisions. The original League was replenished with the two best clubs of the Football Alliance and was renamed the First Division, while the remaining clubs of the Alliance formed the Second Division .

Over the next 100 years, the First Division was the elite division of English football. In 1992, 22 clubs in the First Division decided to leave the Football League and formed the Premier League . The main reason for this decision on the part of clubs was to consolidate their status as the richest and largest clubs in the country and to obtain financial benefits, including by making more profit from the sale of rights to television broadcasts. After that, the Football League was reorganized: the former Second, Third and Fourth divisions became the First, Second and Third, respectively. Thus, the First Division, while continuing to remain the top division of the Football League, became only the second link in the system of football leagues in England .

Before the start of the 2004/05 season, the First Division for commercial purposes was renamed the Championship ^[1] .

First Division Only Clubs

Clubs that played only in the elite First Division (until 1992 ), but have never reached the Premier League, include: Accrington , Bradford Park Avenue , Brentford , Bristol City , Bury , Carlisle United , Darven , Glossop North End , Grimsby Town , Leighton Orient , Luton Town , Millwall , Northampton Town , Notts County , Oxford United and Preston North End . " Notts County and Luton Town were members of the First Division in his last season 1991/92 before the creation of the Premier League. Stoke City , who played in the First Division, first entered the Premier League in the 2008/09 season, Blackpool first achieved this right in the 2010/11 season, Swansea City in the 2011/12 season, Cardiff City - in the 2013/14 season, Brighton & Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town - in the 2017/18 season.

Of these clubs, only the Preston North End became the champion of England ; Accrington was disbanded, while Bradford Park Avenue, Darwen and Glossop played in the lower divisions for many years and still remain outside the Football League .

The first division was created by 12 clubs in 1892 ; since then it has been constantly expanding, as football has become an increasingly popular game and the number of clubs has increased. In the late 80s, the number of participating teams even declined, albeit for a short time. The table shows all quantitative changes in the composition of the First Division.

† as the second tier of the England football league system

1888-1992

1993-2004

• Champions of England
• Football League Seasons