The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two in England and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet League Two, is the third and lowest division of the English Football League (EFL) and fourth-highest tier overall in the English football league system.
 | |
| Founded | 2004
|
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Other club(s) from | Wales |
| Number of teams | 24 |
| Level on pyramid | 4 |
| Promotion to | EFL League One |
| Relegation to | National League |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Cup |
| League cup(s) | |
| International cup(s) |
|
| Current champions | Stockport County (1st title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships |
|
| TV partners | List of broadcasters |
| Website | efl.com/league-two |
| Current: 2023–24 EFL League Two | |
Introduced for the 2004–05 English football season as Football League Two, it is a rebrand of the former Football League Third Division,[1] which itself is a rebrand of the now-defunct Football League Fourth Division prior to the 1992 launch of the Premier League.
As of the 2024–25 season, Newport County hold the longest tenure in this division following their promotion in the 2012–13 season. There are currently two former Premier League clubs competing in this division: Bradford City (1999–2001) and Swindon Town (1993–94).
As of the 2023-24 season, the current holders are Stockport County.
Structure edit
There are 24 clubs in this division. Each club plays each of the other clubs twice (once at home and once away) for a total of 46 matches per season and is awarded three points for a win, one for a draw and no points for a loss. From these points a league table is constructed.
At the end of each season the top three teams, together with the winner of the play-offs between the teams which finished in the fourth to seventh positions, are promoted to EFL League One and are replaced by the four teams that finished at the bottom of that division.
Similarly, the two teams that finished at the bottom of League Two are relegated to the National League and are replaced by the team that finished first and the team that won the second through seventh place play-off in that division. Technically a team can be reprieved from relegation if the team replacing them does not have a ground suitable for League football, but in practice this is a non-factor because every team currently in the National League has a ground that meets the League criteria (and even if they did not, a ground-sharing arrangement with another team could be made until their stadium was upgraded). The other way that a team can be spared relegation is if another team either resigns or is expelled from the EFL.
Final league position is determined, in order, by points obtained, goal difference, goals scored, a mini-league of the results between two or more teams ranked using the previous three criteria, and finally a series of one or more play-off matches.
There is a mandatory wage cap in this division that limits spending on players' wages to 55% of club turnover.
Current members edit
Teams promoted from League Two edit
- ^ The teams listed for this season were ranked using points per game following the curtailment of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.
Play-off results edit
Relegated teams edit
- ^ As a result of Bury's expulsion from League One, only one team was relegated to maintain League Two at 24 teams.[3]
Top scorers edit
Attendances edit
League Two is the most watched fourth-tier domestic sports league in the world, and the 14th most watched football league in Europe of any tier.[4] The total number of spectators who watched a League Two game in the 2022–23 season was 3,191,719.
Since the restructuring into League Two in 2004, the average attendance across all seasons is 4,602. The highest average attendance was 6,274 in the 2023–24 season. The highest average attendance for an individual club was achieved in the 2022–23; 17,967 for Bradford City. The lowest average attendance was 3,856 in the 2009–10 season.
| Season | League average attendance | Highest average | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Attendance | |||
| 2004–05 | 4,499 | Swansea City | 8,458[5] | |
| 2005–06 | 4,194 | Carlisle United | 7,218[6] | |
| 2006–07 | 4,130 | Swindon Town | 7,419[7] | |
| 2007–08 | 4,346 | Bradford City | 13,659[8] | |
| 2008–09 | 4,185 | Bradford City | 12,704[9] | |
| 2009–10 | 3,856 | Bradford City | 11,423[10] | |
| 2010–11 | 4,166 | Bradford City | 11,128[11] | |
| 2011–12 | 4,407 | Bradford City | 10,170[12] | |
| 2012–13 | 4,390 | Bradford City | 11,999[13] | |
| 2013–14 | 4,352 | Portsmouth | 15,460[14] | |
| 2014–15 | 4,676 | Portsmouth | 15,241[15] | |
| 2015–16 | 4,881 | Portsmouth | 16,442[16] | |
| 2016–17 | 4,751 | Portsmouth | 16,822[17] | |
| 2017–18 | 4,491 | Coventry City | 11,218[18] | |
| 2018–19 | 4,467 | Lincoln City | 9,005[19] | |
| 2019–20 | 4,687 | Bradford City | 14,253[20] | |
| 2020–21 | No attendances due to COVID-19 pandemic | |||
| 2021–22 | 4,907 | Bradford City | 15,450[21] | |
| 2022–23 | 5,786 | Bradford City | 17,967[22] | |
| 2023–24 | 6,274 | Bradford City | 17,547[23] | |
Historic performance edit
Since the restructuring into League Two in 2004, 68 teams have spent at least one season in the division, including 3 of the 20 teams in the 2023–24 Premier League.
Mansfield Town have spent the longest in League Two; 15 seasons in total. The longest spell was for Morecambe who were in the division for 13 consecutive seasons between 2005 and 2019. Mansfield Town and Newport County share the current longest tenure, with 11 consecutive seasons.
Northampton Town and Bristol Rovers have each been promoted four times from League Two. There have been 17 different champions, with Swindon Town and Chesterfield champions on two occasions. 18 teams have been both promoted and relegated from League Two.
Key edit
- † Teams with this background and symbol in the "Club" column will be competing in the 2023–24 EFL League Two
- ‡ Team will be competing in the 2023–24 Premier League
- The club competed in League Two during that season (the number is the club's final league position)
| Club | Total Seasons | Number of Spells | Longest Spell (Seasons) | Highest Position | Lowest Position | Season | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | ||||||
| Accrington Stanley † | 13 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 5 | 14 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 4 | 13 | 1 | - | |||||||
| AFC Bournemouth ‡ | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 21 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| AFC Wimbledon † | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 21 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 7 | 21 | - | |||||||||||||
| Aldershot Town | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 24 | 15 | 6 | 14 | 11 | 24 | |||||||||||||||
| Barnet | 11 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 23 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 15 | 15 | 23 | |||||||||
| Barrow † | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 9 | - | ||||||||||||||||
| Blackpool | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Bolton Wanderers | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Boston United | 3 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 23 | 16 | 11 | 23 | |||||||||||||||||
| Bradford City † | 11 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 10 | 9 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 6 | - | |||||||||
| Brentford ‡ | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 14 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bristol Rovers | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 13 | 14 | 23 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Burton Albion | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 19 | 13 | 19 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Bury | 10 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Cambridge United | 8 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 24 | 24 | 19 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 21 | 16 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Carlisle United | 10 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 18 | 10 | 20 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Cheltenham Town | 13 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 23 | 14 | 5 | 22 | 17 | 6 | 5 | 17 | 23 | 21 | 17 | 16 | 4 | 1 | |||||||
| Chester City | 5 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 23 | 20 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 23 | |||||||||||||||
| Chesterfield | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 24 | |||||||||||||
| Colchester United † | 8 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 20 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 20 | 15 | 20 | - | ||||||||||||
| Coventry City | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Crawley Town † | 10 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 22 | 3 | 20 | 19 | 14 | 19 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 22 | - | ||||||||||
| Crewe Alexandra † | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 18 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 2 | 13 | - | |||||||||||
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 8 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 23 | 20 | 8 | 7 | 19 | 22 | 9 | 14 | 23 | ||||||||||||
| Darlington | 6 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 24 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 6 | 12 | 24 | ||||||||||||||
| Doncaster Rovers † | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 3 | 18 | - | |||||||||||||||||
| Exeter City | 11 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 16 | 2 | 10 | 16 | 10 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 2 | |||||||||
| Fleetwood Town | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Forest Green Rovers † | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 21 | 21 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 1 | - | ||||||||||||||
| Gillingham † | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 17 | - | ||||||||||||||
| Grimsby Town † | 13 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 24 | 18 | 4 | 15 | 16 | 22 | 23 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 24 | 11 | - | |||||||
| Harrogate Town † | 4 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | - | ||||||||||||||||
| Hartlepool United | 7 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 2 | 19 | 22 | 16 | 23 | 17 | 23 | |||||||||||||
| Hereford United | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 16 | 3 | 16 | 21 | 23 | |||||||||||||||
| Kidderminster Harriers | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 23 | 23 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Leyton Orient | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 24 | 17 | 11 | 13 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Lincoln City | 9 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 23 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 15 | 13 | 20 | 23 | 7 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Luton Town ‡ | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 24 | 24 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| Macclesfield Town | 10 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 24 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 15 | 24 | 22 | 24 | ||||||||||
| Mansfield Town † | 15 | 2 | 11 | 4 | 23 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 23 | 11 | 21 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 21 | 16 | 7 | 8 | - | |||||
| Milton Keynes Dons † | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | - | ||||||||||||||||
| Morecambe † | 15 | 2 | 13 | 4 | 22 | 11 | 11 | 4 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 11 | 21 | 18 | 22 | 18 | 22 | 4 | - | |||||
| Newport County † | 11 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 22 | 14 | 9 | 22 | 22 | 11 | 7 | 14 | 5 | 11 | 15 | - | |||||||||
| Northampton Town | 13 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 21 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 16 | 20 | 6 | 21 | 12 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 3 | |||||||
| Notts County † | 11 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 23 | 19 | 21 | 13 | 21 | 19 | 1 | 17 | 16 | 5 | 23 | - | |||||||||
| Oldham Athletic | 4 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 23 | 14 | 19 | 18 | 23 | ||||||||||||||||
| Oxford United | 8 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 23 | 15 | 23 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Peterborough United | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Plymouth Argyle | 7 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Port Vale | 10 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 18 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 20 | 20 | 8 | 13 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Portsmouth | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 6 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Rochdale | 10 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 24 | 9 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 18 | 24 | ||||||||||
| Rotherham United | 6 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Rushden & Diamonds | 2 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Salford City † | 5 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 7 | - | |||||||||||||||
| Scunthorpe United | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 22 | 24 | |||||||||||||||
| Stevenage | 10 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 23 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 10 | 16 | 10 | 23 | 14 | 21 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Shrewsbury Town | 9 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 21 | 21 | 10 | 7 | 18 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||
| Southend United | 7 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 23 | 4 | 13 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 23 | |||||||||||||
| Stockport County † | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 24 | 22 | 8 | 4 | 24 | 4 | - | ||||||||||||||
| Sutton United † | 3 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 14 | - | |||||||||||||||||
| Swansea City | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Swindon Town † | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 10 | - | ||||||||||||
| Torquay United | 7 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 24 | 20 | 24 | 17 | 7 | 5 | 19 | 24 | |||||||||||||
| Tranmere Rovers † | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 24 | 24 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 12 | - | ||||||||||||||
| Walsall † | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 12 | 19 | 16 | 16 | - | ||||||||||||||
| Wrexham † | 4 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 24 | 13 | 19 | 24 | - | ||||||||||||||||
| Wycombe Wanderers | 12 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 22 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 22 | 4 | 13 | 9 | 3 | ||||||||
| Yeovil Town | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 24 | |||||||||||||||
| York City | 4 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 24 | 17 | 7 | 18 | 24 | ||||||||||||||||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "The Football League - About Us - History - Timeline - TIMELINE". English Football League. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
- ^ Luton were deducted 30 points for financial irregularities
- ^ "Bury FC: Membership of the League withdrawn". EFL. 27 August 2019.
- ^ "Highest League attendances for 70 years as nearly 22 million attend EFL competitions". www.efl.com. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ "Coca Cola League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2004-2005 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "Coca Cola League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2005-2006 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "Coca Cola League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2006-2007 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "Coca Cola League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2007-2008 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "Coca Cola League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2008-2009 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "Coca Cola League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2009-2010 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "npower League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2010-2011 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "npower League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2011-2012 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "npower League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2012-2013 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "Sky Bet League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2013-2014 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "Sky Bet League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2014-2015 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "Sky Bet League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2015-2016 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "Sky Bet League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2016-2017 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "Sky Bet League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2017-2018 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "Sky Bet League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2018-2019 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "Sky Bet League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2019-2020 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "Sky Bet League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2021-2022 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "Sky Bet League Two | Average Attendances | Home Matches | 2022-2023 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "Sky Bet League Two | Average Attendances | Home matches | 2023-2024 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
External links edit
