English League Two
Football League Two is the third highest division in the Football League and the fourth highest ranking in the English football league system. The leagues official title is Coca-Cola Football League 2 but it is usually shortened to simply League Two. The title Football League Two was introduced for the 2004-2005 season and before that it was known as Football League Third Division. Before the establishment of the Premier League in 1992 it was known as Football League Fourth Division.
League Two is unlike most fourth-tier football leagues in that it is a professional league. Fourth-tier leagues around the world are usually regionalized and amateur teams whereas League Two is the most profitable and competitive such league in the world. However, there is a mandatory wage-cap enforced on players that prohibits spending more than 60% of a club’s turnover on players’ wages.
The Structure:
Football League Two has 24 teams that play against each during the course of a season. Each team plays every other team twice, one game at their home stadium and one at their opponent’s. Points are awarded according to the outcome of each match, three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a losing a game. The teams are ranked in a league table according to the number of points they earn during the season. Positions are determined according to points gained, goal difference, and goals scored. Tied teams play in a mini-league to determine their final positions.
Promotion and Relegation:
At the end of the season four clubs teams are promoted to the higher League One. These are the top three point-scoring teams and the winning team from a series of playoffs between the 4th-7th ranked teams. The bottom four teams from League One are relegated to League Two to replace the teams that were promoted. The two teams that finish at the bottom of the league table are relegated to the Conference National division. In return, the top team from the Conference National and the winner of playoffs between the 2nd-5th positioned teams of that division are promoted to League Two. However, certain regulations are place on promotions from the Conference National division to League Two such as stadium and other criteria. Although relegation to the Conference National has continued the reverse was not always true; in 1993 and 1996 there were no automatic promotions to League Two because the qualifying clubs couldn’t meet the required criteria. Until the wide reaching changes to the league system in 1992 League Two was known as the Fourth Division. The Fourth Division was formed for the 1958-1959 season from teams in the Third Division.
Yo Yo Clubs:
Since 1958 several clubs completed the rise from the Fourth Division to the First Division or the newer Premier League. Likewise, some clubs have fallen from the top league tables and now reside in League Two. Other clubs, known as ‘yo-yo’ clubs have ridden up and down the league tables over the course of the seasons. Notable yo-yo clubs include Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion.
