Football in the UK (League system, Divisions, the Most Famous Clubs)

Football has been the most famous and admired sport in the UK since the 1860s. Rugby union, rugby league, and cricket are other famous sports. Association football is organized on a separate domain in each of the four countries of the UK. Having a national football association conducts the overall supervision of football within their corresponding countries. 

There is currently no United Kingdom National football team as individual teams compete in international competition representing England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The majority of people, including Tony Banks, have a claim for the UK having just one team to represent it but all four football associations are very much against such a concept.

League systems

There are distinct club football league systems for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Wales did not get a national league till 1992, which explains why the top four Welsh clubs play together? These four separate teams are known as the English system.

The English football league system 

It includes hundreds of interlinked leagues, consisting of thousands of divisions. The Premier League is at the top hit, which is followed by The conference then the soccer Conference, wherever the structure starts to become regional and includes the Northern Premier League, the Southern League, the solid ground League and plenty of more besides. 

The Welsh clubs of Cardiff town, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport County, city town, and Wrexham play in the British Imperial System. Chester City, who compete in the conference till they dissolved in 2010, had a stadium that organizes the Welsh border, with the Club offices in England however the pitch is actually in Wales.

The Northern Ireland football league system

It includes the IFA Premiership. One Northern Irish club, Derry City, plays its football outside of the UK in the Republic of Ireland football league system.

The Scottish football league system 

It does not operate on a pyramid basis. There are about 42 clubs compete in the Scottish Professional Football League, which is further categorizes into four divisions. However, other regional leagues that are not connected to the national system, most remarkably the Highland Football League, East of Scotland Football League and the South of Scotland Football League. One of the  English club, the Berwick Rangers, lies in the Scottish system.

The Welsh football league system 

It includes the Welsh Premier League and a number of regional leagues. The New Saints began playing their practice as well as ground matches on the English side of the border in Oswestry in 2007. Previously, the Saints represented the small Welsh village of Llansantffraid-Ym-Mechain but now united with Oswestry Town, which had previously played in the Welsh football system, in 2003.

Let’s take a look at the Football League System & divisions, the Competitions and how it works!

Premier League

It includes 20 teams. The teams that finish top at the end of the season are crowned the Premier League champions, while the bottom three teams are relegated. Since its inception in 1992, only six teams have won the Premier League; Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal, Leicester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Man City. 

Football League Championship

This is the Scottish Professional Football League. It includes 24 teams. The top two teams win promotion automatically. The next four highest teams competing in play-offs with the winner gaining the third promotion spot. The final playoff match decides who picks up the third promotion place. It is known as the richest fame in football because of the extra money gained from playing in England’s top league. The bottom three teams are relegated.

Football League One

League One in Scotland is known as the Ladbrokes League One because of sponsorship. It includes 24 teams. The upper two teams win promotion automatically and the next four highest teams competing in play-offs with the winner gaining the third promotion spot. The lowest four teams are relegated.

National League

The National League contains a national division of 24 clubs and is the lowest level with a single nationwide league. This division is a full-time professional competition, although some promoted clubs retain part-time status. 

It includes 24 teams. The top teams are promoted with the next six teams competing in the playoffs with the winner gaining the second promotion spot. The bottom four teams are relegated to either North or South division as appropriate.

National Stadiums

Each of the UNITED KINGDOM team has a home ground known as “national stadium” in which the team plays the majority of their home games:

• England team followed by Wembley Stadium, in London have a capacity of 90,000 people.
• Northern Ireland play at Windsor Park, in Belfast have a capacity of 15,000.
• Scotland team plays football at Hampden Park, in Glasgow with a capacity of 51,866.
• Wales team plays at Millennium Stadium, in Cardiff with a capacity of 74,000.

The Millennium Stadium is further used for other sports as well it includes the Welsh rugby union team for its home internationals, whereas Windsor Park is a club ground owned by Linfield that the IFA leases and use by the Northern Ireland national team. Whenever for the event, the stadium is unavailable, then the national team usually plays at a club ground.

Top Football Stadiums in the UK

These are the top 5 football stadiums in the UK by capacity (all with capacity above 50,000).