The EFL Championship vs League One comparison has been on for a while and it’s time to put the matter to bed.
English football has a rich history of producing high-quality, intriguing and enjoyable football for the fans; as a supporter of either teams or just a neutral.
No surprise as the English Premier League is regarded as the best and most competitive league in the world. But it’s not just the Premier League that produces good football as the EFL Championship and EFL League One have gained a fair share of popularity in the past few years.
In this post, we will compare the second and third tier of English football.
The EFL Championship
The English Football League Championship also known as Sky Bet Championship is the second tier in English football and is the highest division of the English Football League.
A total of 24 clubs participate in the league per season in which the winner of the league receives the EFL Championship trophy and gets promoted to the top flight in England which is the Premier League and the bottom three clubs get relegated to third tier, the League One.
Normally, three teams will get promoted to the Premier League. They are the winner of the league, the runners up and a playoffs will be conducted consisting of the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th placed teams to determine the third team to gain promotion to the EPL.
Brief History Of The Championship
The EFL Championship was founded in 1892 and was referred to as Football League Second Division which saw Small Heath win the inaugural competition. The competition has evolved over the years. In 1992, it was renamed Football League First Division. From 2004 it was called The Football League Championship and then it became the EFL Championship in 2016.
In 2013, the United Kingdom online bookies, Sky Bet, declared a 5-year sponsorship deal with the league which brought about the name Sky Bet Championship.
The EFL Championship Prize Money
All teams in the Championship get a specific amount of money for finishing in various positions in the league as well as TV revenue, prize money and other sources of revenue.
The league winners are expected to receive £100,000 while the runners-up will get up to £50,000. The prize money is reduced by each league position with the bottom team receiving £7,000.
As for the TV revenues which consist of an equal share based on the football league’s TV deals, the solidarity payment received from the Premier League TV deal and the money earned each time the team is featured in a broadcast match, the Championship club will earn up to £7 million.
Also, teams that just got relegated to the Championship will receive what is called Parachute Payments. This is done to protect the teams from the financial impact of slipping to the second tier of English football. The total amount given to the three just-relegated teams is around £40 million.
Gate money is another source of revenue for the clubs. This is the amount made from supporters who come to watch their team play in the stadium every match day. Gate money varies among all clubs based on the stadium’s capacity. For instance, a club whose stadium has a capacity of 20,000 won’t earn as much as another with a stadium capacity of 40,000.
Although the championship is the wealthiest non-top-flight football division in the world and also the ninth richest division in Europe, the prize money offered to the clubs are little. But it only gets better for the team if they secure promotion to the EPL. This attracts an extra £178 million from the Premier League in TV revenue, league positions and other sources of income if they can avoid relegation in the following 3 seasons.
Attendance
EFL Championship fixtures have gotten a lot of views and attendance in recent years as it is now the second most attended second-tier football division and the tenth most attended football division in world football with an average attendance of 18,787 fans per game in the just concluded 2022/23 season.
Newcastle United recorded the highest seasonal average attendance for a club in the Championship with 51,106 in the 2016/17 season. The next season had the highest average league attendance in the Championship with 11.3 million fans attending the matches in the 2017/18 season.
League One
The English Football League One also known as Sky Bet League One is English football’s third tier and the second-highest division of the English Football League.
The League One is contested by 24 teams. At the end of the season, the top two clubs will gain promotion to the EFL Championship and playoffs will be conducted for the 3rd to 6th placed teams for the final spot in the EFL Championship. Unlike the Championship, the bottom four clubs in League One will be relegated to League Two.
The league was founded in 1920 and was named Division Three. After a couple of rebranding, it became the EFL League One in 2004. Since 2004, 76 teams have participated in League One with Milton Keynes Dons spending the most seasons of 15 in the League One. The league has been won by 16 different teams with Wigan Athletic winning the most of any team.
The EFL League One Prize Money
Clubs do not receive any prize money for getting promoted or winning the League One play-off final. Each League One club receives £677,000 per season regardless of their league positions and £645,000 solidarity payment from the Premier League.
The League One playoff winners will receive £1.4 million which consists of basic awards and solidarity payments.
For better clarity, read out guide on League One Prize Money.
Attendance
EFL League One is the most watched third-tier football in the world with an average attendance of 10,613 per game in the just concluded 2022/23 season
The 2022/23 season also saw the highest attendance in League One after over 5.3 million spectators watched the games
EFL Championship vs League One Comparison
After taking an in-depth look at both leagues, we now take a short comparison.
Criteria | EFL Championship | EFL League One |
---|---|---|
Tier | 2nd | 3rd |
Number of Teams | 24 | 24 |
Promoted to | Premier League | EFL Championship |
Relegated to | EFL League One | EFL League Two |
Playoffs for Promotion | Top 6 teams | Top 6 teams |
Playoffs for Relegation | N/A | Bottom 4 teams |
League Founded | 1892 | 1920 |
Current Sponsorship | Sky Bet | Sky Bet |
Average Attendance (2022/23 Season) | 18,787 | 10,613 |
Highest Attendance in a Season | 11.3 million (2017/18) | 5.3 million (2022/23) |
Market Value of All Clubs | £1.06 billion | £171.85 million |
With the table above, EFL Championship vs League One comparison becomes clearer.
It’s evident from the table that the EFL Championship surpasses EFL League One in various aspects, including tier level, revenue from playoffs win, attendance numbers, and market value of clubs. However, both leagues have shown positive growth and popularity over the years.
As for the future rankings, it’s difficult to predict with certainty. However, if these leagues continue to attract viewership, maintain their competitiveness, and generate revenue, there’s a possibility that they could move higher in the rankings among football leagues worldwide. The English football pyramid has a strong foundation. Hence, both the EFL Championship and EFL League One have the potential to cement their positions as top-tier leagues in the future.
The EFL Championship is the second most-watched second-tier football division in the world and the EFL League One being the most-watched third-tier league in the World, with the numbers they’re both producing, they could both be in the top ten best leagues in world football in due time.
In addition, you may consider reading the money comparison of the Premier League and the Championship.
Conclusion
When comparing the EFL Championship vs League One, the Championship holds a higher position as the second-tier league with greater financial incentives, higher attendances, and increased market value. However, both leagues play important roles in English football, offering quality football and opportunities for teams to progress.
Where do you see these two leagues being ranked in the next ten years?