The Football League is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. It was founded in 1888 and it's the oldest such competition in world football.
Note: The history is the same until 1904.
The first expanison would happen during the 1908-09 season where the two divisions expanded to twenty teams in the division with the two teams to be promoted for that season being Bradford City and Middlesbrough
Champions[]
Note: The champions are the same in this TL up until 1904 with OTL. League and FA Cup Double winners are highlighted in bold.
1892–1920[]
In 1892 the Football League absorbed 11 of the 12 clubs in the rival Football Alliance after it folded, meaning the League now had enough clubs to form another division. The existing division was renamed the First Division and the new division was called the Second Division.
In 1920 the Football League admitted the clubs from the first division of the Southern League (the Southern League continued with its remaining clubs) and Grimsby Town, who had failed to be re-elected to the Second Division the season before and been replaced by Cardiff City (of the Southern League). The clubs were placed in the new Third Division:
No.
Season
First Division Champions
Second Division Champions
Third Division Champions
29.
1920–21
Bolton Wanderers
Bristol City
Southampton
1921–1950[]
After just one season under the old format, the League expanded again. This time it admitted a number of clubs from the north of England to balance things out, as the last expansion brought mainly clubs from the south. The existing Third Division was renamed the Third Division South, and the new division was named the Third Division North. Grimsby Town transferred to the new northern division. Both divisions ran in parallel, with clubs from both Third Divisions being promoted to the national Second Division at the end of each season:
No.
Season
First Division Champions
Second Division Champions
Third Division (North) Champions
Third Division (South) Champions
30.
1921–22
Bolton Wanderers
Cardiff City
Stockport County
Portsmouth
31.
1922–23
Newcastle United
Liverpool
Walsall
Plymouth Argyle
32.
1923–24
West Ham United
Huddersfield Town
Stoke
Rochdale
33.
1924–25
West Bromwich Albion
Derby County
Darlington
Swansea Town
34.
1925–26
Sunderland
Bury
Grimsby Town
Reading
35.
1926–27
Huddersfield Town
Burnley
Stoke
Millwall
36.
1927–28
Chelsea
Leicester City
Preston North End
Brighton & Hove Albion
37.
1928–29
Derby County
Middlesbrough
Stockport County
Northampton Town
38.
1929–30
Derby County
Plymouth Argyle
Leeds United
Port Vale
39.
1930–31
Aston Vila
Northampton Town
Crystal Palace
Everton
40.
1931–32
Sheffield Wednesday
Stoke
Chester
Lincoln City
41.
1932–33
Aston Vila
Hull City
Wrexham
Exeter City
42.
1933–34
Arsenal
Bradford City
Barnsley
Reading
43.
1934–35
Arsenal
Blackpool
Halifax Town
Brentford
44.
1935–36
Sheffield Wednesday
Brighton & Hove Albion
Tranmere Rovers
Luton Town
45.
1936–37
Manchester City
Leicester City
Oldham Athletic
Charlton Athletic
46.
1937–38
Arsenal
Aston Vila
Tranmere Rovers
Millwall
47.
1938–39
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Charlton Athletic
Everton
Watford
48.
1946–47
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Liverpool
Doncaster Rovers
Cardiff City
49.
1947–48
Newcastle United
Sheffield Wednesday
Rotherham United
Walsall
50.
1948–49
Derby County
Reading
Darlington
Swansea Town
51.
1949–50
Tottenham Hotspur
Northampton Town
Rochdale
Gateshead
1950–[]
For the beginning of the 1950–51 season, the third division regional was split into the renamed Third and Fourth Division: