The former member clubs of the English Football League are football clubs who lost their status in the League by resigning, or by relegation, by becoming defunct, merging with another club, or expulsion. Clubs presently playing in the Premier League are also included in this article.
The English Football League comprises professional clubs from England and Wales, and was established in 1888 as The Football League (First Division). In 1892, the Second Division was formed. A Third Division was introduced in 1920, before being regionalised as North and South. [1] In 1958 these became the national Third and Fourth Division. [2] The Premier League superseded the First Division as the top-flight of the English football league system in 1992, with the other three divisions renamed the First, Second and Third Divisions. [3] They were rebranded again in 2004 as the Championship, League One and League Two. [3]
Until 1986, clubs could lose their League status by failing to gain re-election after finishing in the bottom four of the bottom division (fourth tier). [4] From the 1986–87 season, the club finishing bottom was relegated to the Conference National (now National League), the highest level of non-League football, [5] depending on the ability of the Conference champions to meet FA requirements. [6] Since 2002–03, the bottom two clubs of League Two face relegation to the National League. [7]
The tables show the first and last seasons in which each club competed in the League. Some clubs' membership was intermittent between their first and last seasons.
Clubs shown in bold were among the founder members of the League. As of 2023, the founder member clubs playing in the League are Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Derby County, Notts County, Preston North End, Stoke City, and West Bromwich Albion. Preston have continuously been League members, whereas the others (except Notts County) have played in the Premier League at one time or another. Notts County has recently returned to the League after four seasons in the National League.
Five former members of the old Football League Division One no longer play in the Football League or Premier League: Bury, Bradford Park Avenue, Darwen, and Glossop North End and Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Where a defunct club has been succeeded by a phoenix club, the new club is listed.
Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it with Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river carried much of the town's trade as the centre of the agricultural county of Kent, which is known as the Garden of England. There is evidence of settlement in the area dating back before the Stone Age. The town, part of the borough of Maidstone, had an approximate population of 100,000 in 2019. Since World War II, the town's economy has shifted from heavy industry towards light industry and services.
Aldershot Football Club was a football club from Aldershot, Hampshire, England, that played in the English Football League from 1926 to 1992. The club was nicknamed The Shots for both the last syllable of the town name and the military links to the town. They played home games at the Recreation Ground throughout their history.
The National League is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the "Alliance Premier League" from 1979 until 1986. Between 1986 and 2015, the league was known as the "Football Conference".
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The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the North West of England. Since 2019–20, the league has covered the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern Shropshire, the far west of West Yorkshire, and the High Peak area of Derbyshire. In the past, the league has also hosted clubs from North Wales such as Caernarfon Town, Colwyn Bay, and Rhyl. From season 2018–19 the league increased to three divisions: the Premier Division, at level nine in the English football league system, and two geographically separate Division Ones, North and South, at level ten. The league is a member of the Joint Liaison Council which administers the Northern arm of the National Football System in England.
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Maidstone United Football Club is a non-professional football club based in Maidstone, Kent, England. The team competes in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. The club's nickname is "The Stones" and they play in black and amber.
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Glossop North End Association Football Club is a football club in Glossop, Derbyshire, England, which compete in the North West Counties League Premier Division. Their home ground is Surrey Street, which has a capacity of 1,301. The club play in blue, and are nicknamed the Hillmen or the Peakites. Between 1899 and 1992 the club was officially known simply as Glossop. Glossop is one of the smallest towns in England to have had a Football League club, and it remains the smallest town whose team has played in the English top-flight.
Amalgamated Football Club Sudbury is a football club based in Sudbury, Suffolk, England. The club was formed in 1999 by the merger of Sudbury Town and Sudbury Wanderers, the process giving rise to the name Amalgamated Football Club Sudbury. and went on to win the Eastern Counties League Premier Division five seasons in a row as well as reaching the final of the FA Vase in three successive seasons, records for both competitions. They are currently members of the Southern League Premier Division Central and play at the King's Marsh Stadium in the Ballingdon-Brundon area of Sudbury.
Daryl McMahon is an Irish professional football manager and former player who is manager of National League South club Hornchurch.
William John Wheeler was a professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Cheltenham Town, Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town and Kettering Town. He helped Huddersfield Town to promotion to the First Division, and played more than 150 matches in the Football League for the club. After his playing career finished, he spent more than 25 years with Notts County, in a variety of roles including coach, trainer, caretaker manager and scout.
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