How Are English Soccer Leagues Structured?

How many soccer leagues are there in England?

One thing that makes English soccer so special is its intricate pyramid system. Including semi-professional and amateur leagues, there are 57 leagues in England, featuring 84 national divisions. While the Premier League represents the game’s upper echelon, the following three divisions – the Championship, League One, and League Two – are professional leagues. However, they are ruled by the English Football League (EFL), as opposed to the Premier League, a corporation managed by a chief executive with 20 member clubs acting as shareholders.

What else do you need to know about English soccer leagues? We’ve got you covered with our lengthy analysis of the English soccer pyramid.

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What is below the Premier League?

The Premier League is the apex of English soccer, the coveted VIP lounge that every team in the country desires to be in. However, below the Prem are three professional leagues, followed by many amateur divisions. The EFL Championship is the second-highest division in the pyramid, but while the Premier League has 20 teams, the Championship has 24.

The top two teams in the Championship are automatically promoted to the Premier League, while the third-best, fourth-best, fifth-best, and sixth-best teams participate in the promotion playoffs. The third and the sixth face off across two legs, as do the fourth and fifth, and the winners of these semifinals face off against each other in the Championship promotion final. This is the most lucrative soccer match in the world – when Southampton edged Leeds 1-0 in last season’s promotion final, they received an increase in $180 million in future earnings due to broadcast revenue and prize money.

This promotion-relegation format continues throughout the rest of the English soccer pyramid. It’s allowed teams like Ipswich and Luton to go from playing in the third division to competing in the Premier League over two years, and it’s yet another reason why the lower English soccer leagues are worth paying attention to – not just the Premier League.

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Is there a League 3 in England??

To the untrained eye, League One may seem like the top-ranking division in English soccer – instead, it’s actually the third division. The English Football League (EFL) governs the Championship, League One and League Two, with all three divisions containing 24 teams. However, unlike teams in the Premier League and Championship, which only compete in the FA Cup and EFL Cup, teams in League One and League Two not only participate in the two tournaments mentioned above but also the EFL Trophy. This tournament also comprises U-21 teams from Premier League and Championship sides.

We’ve even seen a past Champions League winner ply their trade in England’s third tier. Nottingham Forest, who won it in 1979 and 1980, competed in League One between 2005/06 and 2007/08 before earning promotion to the second division.

What is the 7th tier of English soccer?

After the four professional leagues, the English soccer pyramid goes to the fifth tier (the National League), while the sixth division comprises the National League North and National League South. The seventh level of English soccer consists of four parallel leagues: the Northern Premier League, the Premier Division Southern Football League, the Premier Central Southern Football League Premier South, and the Isthmian League Premier Division. Each league comprises 22 teams, with the champions automatically promoted to the sixth division, while the next four highest-ranked teams compete in the playoffs for a second promotion spot. As for relegation, the bottom four teams in each league drop down to the eighth division. If the number of teams in each division is unequal after promotion and relegation, teams are transferred among the four divisions to even them up.

What’s the lowest league in English soccer?

The EFL accounts for the second, third, and fourth divisions. Still, as for the National League, the fifth division is also a full-time professional competition, although certain clubs retain part-time status. The seventh division, however, comprises regional competitions. In contrast, the eighth division has two parallel divisions of 20 teams in the Southern Football Leagues and the Isthmian League and Northern Premier League, with three parallel divisions of 20 teams each. Lastly, the ninth division, composed of 16 sub-regional leagues, is the final rung on the pyramid.

Each league has plenty more divisions below them, each covering increasingly smaller geographical levels. As you scroll down the English soccer pyramid, you go from seeing teams at the professional level to semi-professional to amateur. Factoring in Sunday league competitions and other grassroots organizations, there are a total of 57 leagues in English soccer.

We’ve seen quite a few players go from the doldrums of the English soccer league system to the apex, but perhaps none have done it more dramatically than Jamie Vardy. A late bloomer, Vardy was forced to cut his teeth in the lower leagues and patiently bide his time, plying his trade in the eighth division, the seventh division, the sixth division, the fifth division, and the second division before finally making his Premier League debut at 27. In the following decade, Vardy led Leicester City to a historic Premier League title, won the Premier League Golden Boot, and suited up for England. Even at 37, he is still doing business for the Foxes.

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