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.
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League One Stadiums
League one stadiums are usually single-tier stadiums that don’t come close to stadiums that you would find in the premier league or the Championship, some of the league one teams do receive a big influx of cash every now and again or they have been bought by new owners that want to upgrade their stadium. However, they are usually very small and local stadiums.
In league one stadiums more often than not you will find safe standing areas or terracing, this is because in the bigger stadiums like the ones they use in the premier league they are all-seater stadiums and most fans have to stand in front of their chairs whereas in some league one stadiums they offer both seating and standing areas.
If a team is promoted to the Championship or England’s second tier the club has 3 years to change its stadium to an all-seated ground.
The biggest stadium in league one is The Stadium of Light which is home to Sunderland A.F.C, this stadium has a capacity of 48,707 and a net worth of £28million. For a league-one team, it’s a very impressive investment.
Stadium Stats
| Stadium | Year Opened | Capacity | Ave Attendance | Record Attendance | Record Attendance Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbey Stadium Cambridge United |
1932 | 8,127 | 4,178 | 14,000 | Cambridge Utd v Chelsea (1970) |
| Adams Park Wycombe Wanderers |
1990 | 10,137 | 5,389 | 10,000 | Wycombe v Chelsea (2005) |
| Alexandra Stadium Crewe Alexandra |
1906 | 10,153 | 3,680 | 20,000 | Crewe v Tottenham (1960) |
| Crown Ground Accrington Stanley |
1968 | 5,450 | 2,764 | 5,397 | Accrington v Derby (Jan 2019) |
| DW Stadium Wigan Athletic |
1999 | 25,138 | 11,661 | 25,133 | Wigan v Man United (2008) |
| Fratton Park Portsmouth |
1898 | 19,670 | 18,223 | 51,385 | Portsmouth v Derby (1949) |
| Globe Arena Morecambe |
2010 | 6,476 | 2,264 | 5,003 | Morcambe v Burnley (2010) |
| Highbury Stadium Fleetwood Town |
1939 | 5,327 | 3,165 | 6,150 | Fleetwood v Rochdale (1965) |
| Hillsborough Sheffield Wednesday |
1899 | 39,732 | 24,429 | 72,841 | Sheffield Wed v Man City (1934) |
| Home Park Plymouth Argyle |
1893 | 18,600 | 9,652 | 43,596 | Plymouth v Aston Villa (1936) |
| Kassam Stadium Oxford United |
2001 | 12,400 | 7,636 | 12,243 | Oxford v Leyton Orient (2006) |
| Keepmoat Stadium Doncaster Rovers |
2007 | 15,231 | 8,252 | 15,001 | Doncaster Rovers v Leeds (2008) |
| New Meadow Shrewsbury Town |
2007 | 9,875 | 6,327 | 10,210 | Shrewsbury v Chelsea (2014) |
| New York Stadium Rotherham United |
2012 | 12,021 | 9,783 | 11,758 | Rotherham v Sheffield Utd (2013) |
| Pirelli Stadium Burton Albion |
2005 | 6,912 | 2,986 | 6,912 | Burton Albion v Oxford (2009) |
| Plough Lane AFC Wimbledon |
2020 | 9,215 | 4,073 | 9,215 | AFC Wimbledon 3-3 Bolton Wanderers (14/8/21) |
| Portman Road Ipswich Town |
1884 | 30,311 | 19,855 | 38,010 | Ipswich v Leeds (1975) |
| Priestfield Stadium Gillingham |
1893 | 11,582 | 5,128 | 23,002 | Gillingham v QPR (1948) |
| Sincil Bank Lincoln City |
1895 | 10,120 | 8,986 | 23,196 | Lincoln City v Derby County (1967) |
| Stadium mk MK Dons |
2007 | 30,500 | 8,785 | 30,048 | Rugby World Cup Fiji vs Uruguay 2015 |
| The Stadium Of Light Sunderland AFC |
1997 | 49,000 | 30,118 | 48,353 | Sunderland v Liverpool (2002) |
| The University of Bolton Stadium Bolton Wanderers |
1997 | 28,723 | 11,480 | 28,353 | Bolton v Leicester (2003) |
| The Valley Charlton Athletic |
1919 | 27,111 | 11,827 | 75,031 | Charlton v Aston Villa (1938) |
| Whaddon Road Cheltenham Town |
1927 | 7,066 | 3,203 | 8,326 | Cheltenham v Reading (1956) |
EFL League Two 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.
About The League
Until 1992 every club in the football league was all a part of the same league, that was until the bigger clubs realised they could make more money if they went on their own to form a separate division. This is how the Premier League was born.
Each of the league’s divisions contains 24 clubs and each team plays each other at home and away, points are awarded to each team if they draw and the more points a team has by the end of the season the higher the division they finish.
The top two teams get promoted to the Championship whilst the clubs that have finished between third and sixth have to play a few matches to determine who will also be promoted. The bottom three teams are also relegated to League Two.
Team Stats
| Team | Year Founded | Nickname | Team Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accrington Stanley | 1968 | Stanley, Accy Stanley | Andy Holt |
| AFC Wimbledon | 2002 | The Dons, The Wombles | The Dons Trust |
| Bolton Wanderers | 1874 | The Trotters, The Wanderers | Football Ventures (Whites) Ltd |
| Burton Albion | 1950 | The Brewers | Ben Robinson |
| Cambridge United | 1912 | United, The U’s | Paul Barry |
| Charlton Athletic | 1905 | The Addicks, Red Robins, The Valiants | Thomas Sandgaard |
| Cheltenham Town | 1887 | The Robins | CTFC Investments Ltd & The Robins Trust |
| Crewe Alexandra | 1877 | The Railwaymen, The Alex | Crewe Alexandra Group Limited |
| Doncaster Rovers | 1879 | The Rovers, Donny, Vikings | Doncaster Rovers Limited |
| Fleetwood Town | 1908 | The Cod Army | Andrew Pilley |
| Gillingham | 1893 | The Gills | Paul Scally |
| Ipswich Town | 1878 | Blues, Tractor Boys, “Pride of East Anglia” | Gamechanger 20 Ltd |
| Lincoln City | 1884 | The Imps | Lincoln City Holdings |
| MK Dons | 2004 | The Dons | Pete Winkelman |
| Morecambe | 1920 | The Shrimps, Red and White Army (Now Red and Black Army), Seasiders | Bond Group Investments |
| Oxford United | 1893 | The U’s, Yellows, The Boys from Up the Hill | Sumrith Thanakarnjanasuth |
| Plymouth Argyle | 1886 | The Pilgrims, Argyle, The Green Army | Simon Hallett |
| Portsmouth | 1898 | Pompey | Michael Eisner (Tornante Group) |
| Rotherham United | 1925 | The Millers | Tony Stewart |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 1867 | The Owls | Dejphon Chansiri |
| Shrewsbury Town | 1886 | Salop, The Blues, The Town, The Shrews | Roland Wycherley |
| Sunderland | 1879 | The Black Cats | Kyril Louis-Dreyfus |
| Wigan Athletic | 1932 | The Latics | Phoenix 2021 Limited |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 1887 | The Chairboys, The Blues | Wycombe Wanderers Trust |
League One History
The football league has been around for many years and has surpassed a world war in that time. The entire League was suspended in 1939 due to WW2, once activities resumed the decision was made to expand the Northern and Southern Third Divisions to 24 teams this brought a total to 92 teams.
Eventually, the top half of the Northern and Southern Third divisions joined together to create a unified Third division, until 1974 only two teams could be promoted to the second division whereas four teams could be relegated from the third division into the fourth.
At the start of the 1990s, the league’s main goal was to expand to 94 teams in the league overall however two of the teams actually went bust meaning the number stayed at 92 for a very long time.
Ticket Prices
| Stadium | Season Ticket Price (Adult) | Season Ticket Price (Conc) | Season Ticket Price (Junior) | Match Ticket Price (Adult) | Match Ticket Price (Conc) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accrington Stanley | £229.5 – £229.5 | £189 – £189 | £23 – £89 | £15 – £25 | £10 – £20 |
| AFC Wimbledon | £400 – £525 | £265 – £350 | £40 – £120 | £24 – £32 | £15 – £22 |
| Bolton Wanderers | £289 – £366 | £183 – £230 | £54 – £72 | £21 – £29 | £16 – £24 |
| Burton Albion | £360 – £432 | £324 – £396 | £77 – £182 | £20 – £24 | £18 – £22 |
| Cambridge United | £319 – £425 | £239 – £319 | £23 – £319 | £18 – £24 | £14 – £20 |
| Charlton Athletic | £260 – £575 | £195 – £440 | £60 – £135 | £20 – £34 | £16 – £25 |
| Cheltenham Town | €281 – €407 | €206 – €286 | €55 – €110 | €18 – €26 | €13 – €18 |
| Crewe Alexandra | £395 – £395 | £293 – £293 | £49 – £222 | £23 – £25 | £17.5 – £19 |
| Doncaster Rovers | £299 – £395 | £219 – £295 | £35 – £35 | £21 – £22 | £17 – £18 |
| Fleetwood Town | £170 – £300 | £120 – £240 | £23 – £50 | £20 – £28 | £15 – £23 |
| Gillingham | £365 – £495 | £315 – £405 | £45 – £160 | £22 – £27 | £19 – £21 |
| Ipswich Town | £476 – £1026 | £332 – £895 | £131 – £742 | £21.5 – £46.5 | £15.5 – £39.5 |
| Lincoln City | £359 – £399 | £254 – £294 | £79 – £109 | £24 – £24 | £19 – £19 |
| MK Dons | £230 – £230 | £186 – £186 | £0 – £30 | £22 – £30 | £17 – £25 |
| Morecambe | £150 – £275 | £150 – £275 | £20 – £70 | £20 – £25 | £15 – £20 |
| Oxford United | £329 – £500 | £190 – £310 | £62.5 – £255 | £20 – £28 | £14 – £21 |
| Plymouth Argyle | £288 – £395 | £230 – £299 | £10 – £96 | £21 – £23 | £16 – £18 |
| Portsmouth | £313 – £313 | £231 – £231 | £15 – £68 | £24 – £26 | £18 – £20 |
| Rotherham United | £395 – £435 | £240 – £265 | £35 – £145 | £23 – £27 | £13 – £17 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | £365 – £495 | £205 – £280 | £23 – £150 | £20 – £32 | £10 – £22 |
| Shrewsbury Town | £400 – £460 | £305 – £345 | £130 – £150 | £20 – £22 | £15 – £17 |
| Sunderland | £370 – £495 | £270 – £270 | £190 – £190 | £25 – £40 | £18 – £18 |
| Wigan Athletic | £349 – £369 | £269 – £299 | £23 – £99 | £17 – £39 | £14 – £26 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | £342 – £494 | £285 – £437 | £19 – £285 | £20 – £28 | £17 – £25 |
- Accrington Stanley – Fraser Eagle Stadium
- AFC Wimbledon – Kingsmeadow
- Blackpool – Bloomfield Road
- Bristol Rovers – Memorial Stadium
- Burton Albion – Pirelli Stadium
- Charlton Athletic – The Valley
- Crewe Alexandra – Alexandra Stadium (Gresty Road)
- Doncaster Rovers – The Keepmoat Stadium
- Fleetwood Town – Highbury
- Gillingham – Priestfield Stadium
- Hull City – KC Stadium
- Ipswich Town – Portman Road
- League One Grounds
- Lincoln City – Sincil Bank
- Milton Keynes Dons – Stadium MK
- Northampton Town – Sixfields
- Oxford United – Kassam Stadium
- Peterborough United – London Road
- Plymouth Argyle – Home Park
- Portsmouth – Fratton Park
- Rochdale – Spotland
- Shrewsbury Town – Prostar Stadium
- Sunderland – Stadium of Light
- Swindon Town – County Ground
- Wigan Athletic – DW Stadium
