English Football League System

 

English football has a rich history dating back to the late 19th century. The Football League, the first organized league competition in the world, was founded in 1888. The league originally consisted of 12 teams, and it has since grown to include 72 teams across four divisions.

The premier league was founded in 1992, it is the top professional football league in England and is contested by 20 teams. The league is a corporation in which the member clubs act as shareholders. Seasons run from August to May, with teams playing 38 matches each (playing each team in the league twice, home and away) totalling 380 matches in the season.

The FA Cup, first held in 1871, is the oldest football tournament in the world. It is an annual knockout competition open to teams in the top four tiers of the English football league system. The tournament is known for its "magic" and the possibility for lower-ranked teams to cause upsets against top-flight clubs.

In addition to the Football League and the Premier League, there are also a number of other national and regional leagues and tournaments in England, including the EFL Trophy, the FA Trophy, the National League, and the Northern Premier League, among others.

Over the years, English teams have also had success in European competitions, with Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Aston Villa winning the UEFA Champions League and Manchester City winning the UEFA Cup.

Please let me know if you would like more details or specific information about a certain team or tournament.

Certainly, here is some more information about the history of English football:

• The origins of football in England can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when various forms of the game were played on village greens and in streets.
• The modern rules of football were established in 1863 by the Football Association (FA), which was formed to establish a standardized set of rules for the game.
• The FA Cup, first held in 1871-72, was the first national football tournament and is still played to this day. It is an annual knockout competition open to teams from the top four tiers of the English football league system.
• The Football League, the first organized league competition in the world, was founded in 1888. It originally consisted of 12 teams, and it has since grown to include 72 teams across four divisions.
• The Premier League was founded in 1992, as the top-level of the English football league system. It is made up of 20 teams, and is one of the most popular and profitable football leagues in the world.
• The English national team has also had a strong history in international football, they have reached the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup on three occasions and won the 1966 World Cup.
• Many of the greatest players in the history of football have played in the English leagues, including George Best, Bobby Charlton, Pele, Maradona, Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, among others.
• Off the field, English football has also been a major cultural and social force, with large numbers of supporters gathering to watch matches, and the sport playing a prominent role in the national media.

• One of the defining moments in the early history of English football was the "Blackpool Paradox" of 1887. In this match, a team from the northern town of Blackpool beat a team from London, proving that football was a truly national sport, and not just a southern phenomenon.
• The first ever Football League match was played on September 8th, 1888, between Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Aston Villa won the match 2-0.
• The Football League was initially divided into two divisions, the First Division and the Second Division. The Third Division was added in 1920, and the Fourth Division was added in 1958.
• The Premier League was created in 1992 as a breakaway from The Football League, the top-flight clubs wanted more money from TV rights and other revenues.
• The Premier League is considered one of the most competitive and entertaining football leagues in the world, attracting top talent from around the globe and drawing in huge audiences.
• English clubs have also had success in European competitions, winning the European Cup/Champions League 13 times, the UEFA Cup 5 times and the Europa League 3 times.
• The Merseyside Derby between Liverpool and Everton and the North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham are considered as two of the most intense derbies in the world.

In English football, the ownership of football clubs can vary greatly. Some clubs are owned by individuals, while others are owned by a group of investors or by the supporters of the club through a supporters' trust.

• Some clubs are owned by wealthy individuals or families, who have invested their own money to purchase the club. Examples include Roman Abramovich at Chelsea and Sheikh Mansour at Manchester City.
• Other clubs are owned by investment groups, which may be made up of wealthy individuals or companies. An example of this is the Fenway Sports Group, which owns Liverpool FC.
• Some clubs are also owned by supporters' trusts, which are organizations made up of fans who have come together to purchase a stake in their club and have a say in its running. An example of this is the supporters' trust at FC United of Manchester.
• Some clubs are also owned by companies, like Manchester United is owned by Manchester United plc.
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It is important to note that the ownership structure of a football club can have a significant impact on its financial stability and success on the field. Some owners have invested heavily in their clubs, while others have been criticized for not investing enough. Additionally, some owners have been praised for their stewardship of their clubs, while others have been criticized for their management decisions.

Premier League:

• Arsenal: Stan Kroenke (KSE UK Inc)
• Aston Villa: Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens
• Brighton & Hove Albion: Tony Bloom
• Burnley: Alan Pace
• Chelsea: Roman Abramovich
• Crystal Palace: Steve Parish
• Everton: Farhad Moshiri
• Leeds United: Andrea Radrizzani
• Leicester City: Top flight Limited
• Liverpool: Fenway Sports Group
• Manchester City: City Football Group (Owned by Abu Dhabi United Group)
• Manchester United: Manchester United plc (owned by the Glazer family)
• Newcastle United: Mike Ashley
• Norwich City: Delia Smith and Michael Wynn-Jones
• Southampton: Gao Jisheng
• Tottenham Hotspur: Joe Lewis and ENIC International Ltd
• Watford: Gino Pozzo
• West Ham United: David Sullivan and David Gold
• Wolverhampton Wanderers: Fosun International

Championship:

• Barnsley: Chien Lee and Paul Conway
• Birmingham City: Trillion Trophy Asia
• Blackburn Rovers: Venkateshwara Hatcheries Group
• Brentford: Matthew Benham
• Bristol City: Steve Lansdown
• Cardiff City: Vincent Tan
• Coventry City: SISU Capital Limited
• Derby County: Mel Morris
• Huddersfield Town: Phil Hodgkinson
• Luton Town: Nigel Howe
• Middlesbrough: Steve Gibson
• Millwall: John Berylson
• Nottingham Forest: Evangelos Marinakis
• Preston North End: Trevor Hemmings
• Queens Park Rangers: Ruben Gnanalingam
• Reading: Dai Yongge and Dai Xiu Li
• Rotherham United: Paul Warne
• Sheffield Wednesday: Dejphon Chansiri
• Stoke City: Peter Coates
• Swansea City: Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan
• Wycombe Wanderers: Rob Couhig

League One:

• Accrington Stanley: Andy Holt
• AFC Wimbledon: The Dons Trust
• Blackpool: Simon Sadler
• Bristol Rovers: Wael Al-Qadi and Chris Stokes
• Burton Albion: Ben Robinson
• Charlton Athletic: East Street Investments
• Crewe Alexandra: Norman Hassall
• Doncaster Rovers: Mark Campbell and Louis Tomlinson
• Fleetwood Town: Andrew Pilley
• Gillingham: Paul Scally
• Hull City: Assem Allam
• Ipswich Town: Marcus Evans
• Lincoln City: Clive Nates
• Milton Keynes Dons: Pete Winkelman
• Northampton Town: Kelvin Thomas
• Oxford United: Sumrith Thanakarnjanasuth
• Portsmouth: Michael Eisner
• Rochdale: Chris Dunphy
• Shrewsbury Town: Roland Wycherley
• Sunderland: Kyril Louis-Dreyfus
• Swindon Town: Lee Power
• Wigan Athletic: International Entertainment Corporation

National League:

• Aldershot Town: Shahid Azeem
• Altrincham: The Altrincham FC 2015 Ltd
• Barnet: Tony Kleanthous
• Bromley: Jerry Dolke
• Chesterfield: John Croot
• Dagenham & Redbridge: Glyn Hopkin
• Dover Athletic: Jim Parmenter
• Eastleigh: Stewart Donald
• Hartlepool United: Raj Singh
• Havant & Waterlooville: Stuart Donald
• Maidenhead United: Peter Griffin
• Notts County: Alan Hardy
• Solihull Moors: Darryl Eales
• Sutton United: Bruce Elliott
• Torquay United: Clarke Osborne
• Woking: Rosemary Johnson
• Wrexham: Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds

National League North:

• Boston United: David Newton
• Curzon Ashton: Mark Molyneux
• FC United of Manchester: The FC United of Manchester Ltd
• Farsley Celtic: Paul Cheshire
• Guiseley: Steve Parkin
• Hereford: Andrew Graham
• Kidderminster Harriers: Roger Jenkins
• Leamington: Jim Scott
• Southport: Liam Watson
• Spennymoor Town: Brad Groves
• Stockport County: Mark Stott
• York City: Jason McGill

National League South:

• Billericay Town: Glenn Tamplin
• Bath City: Jerry Gill
• Chelmsford City: Mark Hawkes
• Chippenham Town: Neil Blackmore
• Concord Rangers: Antoinette Pounder
• Dulwich Hamlet: Hadley Steel
• Eastbourne Borough: Jefferies/Langridge
• Hampton & Richmond Borough: Steve McPherson
• Hungerford Town: Phil Bater
• Oxford City: Mark Ashton
• Wealdstone: Stuart Dynamite
• Welling United: Mark Goldberg
• Weymouth: Jason Tindall

Non-League:

• AFC Fylde: David Haythornthwaite
• AFC Sudbury: Phil Turner
• AFC Telford United: Gavin Foxall
• AFC Totton: Bill Smith
• Alvechurch: Chris Pinder
• Ashton United: Lawrence Wilson
• Barwell: Dave Rance
• Basingstoke Town: Rafi Razzak
• Bideford: Kevin Heaney
• Biggleswade Town: Phil Sawyer
• Bishop's Stortford: Steve Smith
• Blyth Spartans: Tony Platten
• Bognor Regis Town: Jack Pearce

Professional football clubs in England make money through a variety of sources, including:

• Television rights: The Premier League and the Football League sell the rights to broadcast their matches to television broadcasters, both in the UK and internationally. This is one of the biggest sources of revenue for clubs, as the money generated from television rights is shared among the teams.
• Sponsorships: Clubs also make money through sponsorship deals with companies and brands. These deals can include shirt sponsorships, stadium naming rights, and other forms of advertising.
• Ticket sales: Clubs make money from selling tickets to their home matches. This includes season tickets, as well as individual match tickets.
• Merchandise: Clubs also generate revenue from selling merchandise, such as shirts, hats, scarves, and other items with their team's logo or colors.
• Player sales: Clubs can make money by selling players to other teams, either during the transfer window or outside of it.
• Sponsorship of the stadium: Some clubs also make money by renting out their stadium for events like concerts, exhibitions, conferences and other events.
• Advertising : Some clubs may also make money by selling advertising space on their website, social media channels, and in their matchday program.
• Property development: Some clubs also make money by developing the land around their stadium, either by building new homes, offices, or other commercial properties.

It is important to note that the revenue streams and their relative importance can vary from team to team, depending on the size, location, and success of the club. Additionally, the revenue can also be affected by the pandemics situation and the regulations that come with it.

Stadiums

Premier League:

• Anfield (Liverpool) - Capacity: 53,394, Location: Liverpool, Built: 1884
• Etihad Stadium (Manchester City) - Capacity: 55,017, Location: Manchester, Built: 2002
• Goodison Park (Everton) - Capacity: 39,572, Location: Liverpool, Built: 1892
• Old Trafford (Manchester United) - Capacity: 74,879, Location: Manchester, Built: 1910
• Stamford Bridge (Chelsea) - Capacity: 41,631, Location: London, Built: 1877
• The Emirates Stadium (Arsenal) - Capacity: 60,704, Location: London, Built: 2006
• Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (Tottenham Hotspur) - Capacity: 62,062, Location: London, Built: 2019

Championship:

• Bramall Lane (Sheffield United) - Capacity: 32,702, Location: Sheffield, Built: 1855
• Carrow Road (Norwich City) - Capacity: 27,244, Location: Norwich, Built: 1935
• Elland Road (Leeds United) - Capacity: 37,890, Location: Leeds, Built: 1897
• Pride Park (Derby County) - Capacity: 33,597, Location: Derby, Built: 1997
• Riverside Stadium (Middlesbrough) - Capacity: 34,742, Location: Middlesbrough, Built: 1995
• The Hawthorns (West Bromwich Albion) - Capacity: 26,850, Location: West Bromwich, Built: 1900
• The Den (Millwall) - Capacity: 20,146, Location: London, Built: 1993

League One:

• Fratton Park (Portsmouth) - Capacity: 21,100, Location: Portsmouth, Built: 1899
• Highbury Stadium (Fleetwood Town) - Capacity: 5,327, Location: Fleetwood, Built: 1939
• Keepmoat Stadium (Doncaster Rovers) - Capacity: 15,231, Location: Doncaster, Built: 2007
• LNER Stadium (Scunthorpe United) - Capacity: 15,000, Location: Scunthorpe, Built: 1988
• Prenton Park (Tranmere Rovers) - Capacity: 16,567, Location: Birkenhead, Built: 1912
• Valley Parade (Bradford City) - Capacity: 25,136, Location: Bradford, Built: 1886
• Wembley Stadium (Tottenham Hotspur) - Capacity: 90,000, Location: London, Built: 2007

National League:

• The National Stadium (Wembley) - Capacity: 90,000, Location: London, Built: 2007
• The Racecourse Ground (Wrexham) - Capacity: 15,500, Location: Wrexham, Built: 1807
• The Hive Stadium (Barnet) - Capacity: 6,500, Location: London, Built: 2013
• The J.Davidson Stadium (Macclesfield Town) - Capacity: 6,355, Location: Macclesfield, Built: 1891
• The Vanarama National Stadium (Ebbsfleet United) - Capacity: 5,011, Location: Kent, Built: 1989
• The Crabble Athletic Ground (Dover Athletic) - Capacity: 5,000, Location: Dover, Built: 1883
• The Impact Arena (Dartford) - Capacity: 4,100, Location: Dartford, Built: 2006

National League North:

• The Tameside Stadium (Curzon Ashton) - Capacity: 4,200, Location: Ashton-under-Lyne, Built: 2001
• The New Bucks Head (AFC Telford United) - Capacity: 6,300, Location: Telford, Built: 1995
• The Tech5 Stadium (Brackley Town) - Capacity: 3,000, Location: Brackley, Built: 2011
• The CNG Stadium (Harrogate Town) - Capacity: 4,000, Location: Harrogate, Built: 1923
• The Marston's Stadium (Kidderminster Harriers) - Capacity: 6,400, Location: Kidderminster, Built: 1989
• The York Community Stadium (York City) - Capacity: 8,000, Location: York, Built: 1932

Non-League:

• The Impact Arena (Dartford) - Capacity: 4,100, Location: Dartford, Built: 2006
• The Flamingo Land Stadium (Harrogate Town) - Capacity: 4,000, Location: Harrogate, Built: 1923
• The Globe Arena (Morecambe) - Capacity: 6,476, Location: Morecambe, Built: 2010
• The Merseyrail Community Stadium (Southport) - Capacity: 6,008, Location: Southport, Built: 2006
• The New Windmill Ground (Worcester City) - Capacity: 3,000, Location: Worcester, Built: 2019
• The Tameside Stadium (Curzon Ashton) - Capacity: 4,200, Location: Ashton-under-Lyne, Built: 2001
• The Impact Arena (Dartford) - Capacity: 4,100, Location: Dartford, Built: 2006
• The New Bucks Head (AFC Telford United) - Capacity: 6,300, Location: Telford, Built: 1995
• The Shay (FC Halifax Town) - Capacity: 10,622, Location: Halifax, Built: 1921
• The Skrill North Stadium (Brackley Town) - Capacity: 3,000, Location: Brackley, Built: 2011