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League One
League One
Country England England (23)
Flag of Wales Wales (1)
Confederation UEFA
Founded 2004
1992–2004 (as Division Two)
1958–1992 (as Division Three)
1921–1958 (as Division Three North/South)
1920–1921 (as Division Three)
Number of teams 24
Promotion to Championship
Relegation to League Two
Levels on pyramid 3
Domestic cup(s) FA Cup
EFL Cup
EFL Trophy
UEFA cup(s) UEFA Europa League (via FA Cup)
UEFA Europa Conference League (via EFL Cup)
Current champions Portsmouth (1st title; 4th divisional title) (2023–24)
Most successful club Wigan Athletic
(3 titles)
TV Sky Sports
Quest (highlights only)
Website Official website
Football current event 2024–25

The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League 1 for sponsorship reasons) is the second-highest division of the English Football League and the third tier in the English football league system.

League One was introduced for the 2004–05 season. It was previously known as the Football League Second Division and prior to the advent of the Premier League, the Football League Third Division.

At the 2018–19 season, Walsall hold the longest tenure in League One, last being out of the division in the 2006–07 season when they were promoted from League Two. There are currently seven former Premier League clubs competing in League One, namely Barnsley (1997–98), Blackpool (2010–11), Bradford City (2000–01), Charlton Athletic (2006–07), Coventry City (2000–01), Portsmouth (2009–10) and Sunderland (2016–17).

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 Football League 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 Football League One are relegated to Football League Two and are replaced by the top three clubs and the club that won the 4th–7th place play-offs in that division.

Media coverage[]

Sky Sports currently show live League One matches with highlights shown on Channel 5 on their programme called Football League Tonight, which also broadcasts highlights of Football League Championship and Football League Two matches. The show is available on the red button the following Sunday until midday and is available on iPlayer all the following week. Highlights of all games in the Football League are also available to view separately on the Sky Sports website. In Sweden, TV4 Sport has the rights of broadcasting from the league. A couple of league matches during the season of 09/10 including play-off matches and the play-off final to the Championship were shown. In Australia, Setanta Sports Australia broadcasts live Championship matches. In the USA and surrounding countries including Cuba, some Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League Two games are shown on beIN Sports.

Current members (2023–24)[]

The following 24 clubs are competing in League One during the 2023–24 season.

Team Location Stadium Capacity
Barnsley Barnsley Oakwell 23,287
Blackpool Blackpool Bloomfield Road 16,616
Bolton Wanderers Horwich University of Bolton Stadium 28,723
Bristol Rovers Bristol Memorial Stadium 9,832
Burton Albion Burton upon Trent Pirelli Stadium 6,912
Cambridge United Cambridge Abbey Stadium 8,127
Carlisle United Carlisle Brunton Park 17,949
Charlton Athletic London (Charlton) The Valley 27,111
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Whaddon Road 7,066
Derby County Derby Pride Park Stadium 33,597
Exeter City Exeter St James Park 8,219
Fleetwood Town Fleetwood Highbury Stadium 5,327
Leyton Orient London (Leyton) Brisbane Road 9,271
Lincoln City Lincoln Sincil Bank 10,780
Northampton Town Northampton Sixfields Stadium 7,798
Oxford United Oxford Kassam Stadium 12,500
Peterborough United Peterborough London Road Stadium 15,314
Portsmouth Portsmouth Fratton Park 20,899
Port Vale Burslem Vale Park 15,036
Reading Reading Madejski Stadium 24,161
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury New Meadow 9,875
Stevenage Stevenage Broadhall Way 7,800
Wigan Athletic Wigan DW Stadium 25,138
Wycombe Wanderers High Wycombe Adams Park 9,558


Teams promoted from League One[]

Season Winner Runner-up Promoted Play-off Winner (Position)
2004–05 Luton Town Hull City Sheffield Wednesday (5th)
2005–06 Southend United Colchester United Barnsley (5th)
2006–07 Scunthorpe United Bristol City Blackpool (3rd)
2007–08 Swansea City Nottingham Forest Doncaster Rovers (3rd)
2008–09 Leicester City Peterborough United Scunthorpe United (6th)
2009–10 Norwich City Leeds United Millwall (3rd)
2010–11 Brighton & Hove Albion Southampton Peterborough United (4th)
2011–12 Charlton Athletic Sheffield Wednesday Huddersfield Town (4th)
2012–13 Doncaster Rovers AFC Bournemouth Yeovil Town (4th)
2013–14 Wolverhampton Wanderers Brentford Rotherham United (4th)
2014–15 Bristol City Milton Keynes Dons Preston North End (3rd)
2015–16 Wigan Athletic Burton Albion Barnsley (6th)
2016–17 Sheffield United Bolton Wanderers Millwall (6th)
2017–18 Wigan Athletic Blackburn Rovers Rotherham United (4th)
2018–19 Luton Town Barnsley Charlton Athletic (3rd)
2019–20 Coventry City Rotherham United Wycombe Wanderers (3rd)
2020–21 Hull City Peterborough United Blackpool (3rd)
2021–22 Wigan Athletic Rotherham United Sunderland (5th)
2022–23 Plymouth Argyle Ipswich Town Sheffield Wednesday (3rd)

Play-off results[]

Main article:Football League One play-offs
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 AFC Bournemouth 1–1 Huddersfield Town
Milton Keynes Dons 3–2 Peterborough United
Huddersfield Town 3–3 AFC 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
2020–21 Oxford United 0–3 Blackpool

Lincoln City 2–0 Sunderland

Blackpool 3-3 Oxford United

Sunderland 2–1 Lincoln City

Blackpool 2-1 Lincoln City
2021–22 Wycombe Wanderers 2–0 Milton Keynes Dons
Sunderland 1–0 Sheffield Wednesday
Milton Keynes Dons 1–0 Wycombe Wanderers
Sheffield Wednesday 1–1 Sunderland
Sunderland 2–0 Wycombe Wanderers
2022–23 Peterborough United 4–0 Sheffield Wednesday
Bolton Wanderers 1–1 Barnsley
Sheffield Wednesday 5–1 Peterborough United
(Sheffield Wednesday won 5–3 on penalties, a.e.t.)
Barnsley 1–0 Bolton Wanderers
Sheffield Wednesday 1–0 Barnsley (a.e.t.)

Relegated teams[]

Season Clubs
2004–05 Torquay United (51), Wrexham (43), Peterborough United (39), Stockport County (26)
2005–06 Hartlepool United (50), Milton Keynes Dons (50), Swindon Town (48), Walsall (47)
2006–07 Chesterfield (47), Bradford City (47), Rotherham United (38), Brentford (37)
2007–08 AFC Bournemouth (48), Gillingham (46), Port Vale (38), Luton Town (33)
2008–09 Northampton Town (49), Crewe Alexandra (46), Cheltenham Town (39), Hereford United (34)
2009–10 Gillingham (50), Wycombe Wanderers (45), Southend United (43), Stockport County (25)
2010–11 Dagenham & Redbridge (47), Bristol Rovers (45), Plymouth Argyle (42), Swindon Town (41)
2011–12 Wycombe Wanderers (43), Chesterfield (42), Exeter City (42), Rochdale (38)
2012–13 Scunthorpe United (48), Bury (41), Hartlepool United (41), Portsmouth (32)
2013–14 Stevenage (47), Shrewsbury Town (45), Carlisle United (42), Tranmere Rovers (42)
2014–15 Notts County (50), Crawley Town (50), Leyton Orient (49), Yeovil Town (40)
2015–16 Doncaster Rovers (46), Blackpool (46), Colchester United (40), Crewe Alexandra (34)
2016–17 Port Vale (49), Swindon Town (44), Coventry City (39), Chesterfield (37)
2017–18 Oldham Athletic (50), Northampton Town (47), Milton Keynes Dons (45), Bury (36)
2018–19 Plymouth Argyle (50), Walsall (47), Scunthorpe United (46), Bradford City (41)
2019–20 Tranmere Rovers (0.94), Southend United (0.54), Bolton Wanderers (0.41), Bury
2020–21 Rochdale (47), Northampton Town (45), Swindon Town (43), Bristol Rovers (38)
2021–22 Gillingham (40), Doncaster Rovers (38), AFC Wimbledon (37), Crewe Alexandra (29)
2022–23 Milton Keynes Dons (45), Morecambe (44), Accrington Stanley (44), Forest Green Rovers (27)

Top scorers[]

Season Top scorer(s) Club(s) Goals
2004–05 Flag of Northern Ireland Stuart Elliott Hull City 27
Flag of England Dean Windass Bradford City
2005–06 Flag of Wales Freddy Eastwood Southend United 23
Flag of England Billy Sharp Scunthorpe United
2006–07 Flag of England Billy Sharp Scunthorpe United 30
2007–08 Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Jason Scotland Swansea City 24
2008–09 Flag of Republic of Ireland Simon Cox Swindon Town 29
Flag of England Rickie Lambert Bristol Rovers
2009–10 Flag of England Rickie Lambert Southampton 30
2010–11 Flag of Scotland Craig Mackail-Smith Peterborough United 27
2011–12 Flag of Scotland Jordan Rhodes Huddersfield Town 36
2012–13 Flag of Republic of Ireland Paddy Madden Yeovil Town 24
2013–14 Flag of England Sam Baldock Bristol City 24
2014–15 Flag of England Joe Garner Preston North End 26
2015–16 Flag of Northern Ireland Will Grigg Wigan Athletic 25
2016–17 Flag of England Billy Sharp Sheffield United 30
2017–18 Flag of England Jack Marriott Peterborough United 27
2018–19 Flag of Republic of Ireland James Collins Luton Town 25
2019–20 Flag of England Ivan Toney Peterborough United 24
2020–21 Flag of England Jonson Clarke-Harris Peterborough United 31
2021–22 Flag of Republic of Ireland Will Keane Wigan Athletic 26

Financial Fair Play[]

Starting from the 2012–13 season, a Financial Fair Play arrangement has been in place in all 3 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.

See also[]

External links[]

Football League One EFL League One 2024–25

Barnsley · Birmingham City · Blackpool · Bolton Wanderers · Bristol Rovers · Burton Albion · Cambridge United · Charlton Athletic · Crawley Town · Exeter City · Huddersfield Town · Leyton Orient · Lincoln City · Mansfield Town · Northampton Town · Peterborough United · Reading · Rotherham United · Shrewsbury Town · Stevenage · Stockport County · Wigan Athletic · Wrexham · Wycombe Wanderers

EFL League One seasons

1992–93 · 1993–94 · 1994–95 · 1995–96 · 1996–97 · 1997–98 · 1998–99 · 1999–00 · 2000–01 · 2001–02 · 2002–03 · 2003–04 · 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 · 2024–25 ·

EFL League One stadiums 2024-25

Abbey Stadium · Adams Park · Bloomfield Road · Brick Community Stadium · Brisbane Road · Broadfield Stadium · Broadhall Way · Edgeley Park · Field Mill · Kirklees Stadium · London Road · Madejski Stadium · Memorial Stadium · New Meadow · New York Stadium · Oakwell · Pirelli Stadium · Racecourse Ground · Sincil Bank · Sixfields Stadium · St Andrew's · St James Park · Toughsheet Community Stadium · The Valley

Current EFL League One managers

Clarke (Barnsley) · Davies (Birmingham City) · Bruce (Blackpool) · Schumacher (Bolton Wanderers) · Calderón (Bristol Rovers) · Bowyer (Burton Albion) · Monk (Cambridge United) · Jones (Charlton Athletic) · Elliot (Crawley Town) · Caldwell (Exeter City) · Duff (Huddersfield Town) · Wellens (Leyton Orient) · Skubala (Lincoln City) · Clough (Mansfield Town) · Nolan (Northampton Town) · Ferguson (Peterborough United) · Hunt (Reading) · Evans (Rotherham United) · Ainsworth (Shrewsbury Town) · Revell (Stevenage) · Challinor (Stockport County) · Maloney (Wigan Athletic) · Parkinson (Wrexham) · Dodds (Wycombe Wanderers)

Football League One play-offs
Play-offs

1987 · 1988 · 1989 · 1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 · 2023 ·

Finals

1987 · 1988 · 1989 · 1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 · 2023 ·

Third level football leagues of Europe (UEFA)

Albania · Austria · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federation · Republika Srpska) · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus · Czech Republic (Bohemia · Moravia-Silesia) · Denmark · England · Estonia · Faroe Islands · Finland · France · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Rep of Ireland · Israel · Italy · Latvia · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Rep of Macedonia · Malta · Montenegro · Netherlands · Northern Ireland · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia · Scotland · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden (North  · South) · Switzerland · Turkey · Ukraine · Wales (North · Mid · South · Wrexham)

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