English Football League One is the third tier of professional football in England. This is just behind the English Premier League and the English Championship in terms of the rankings of the leading senior's men’s leagues in the country. Many people refer to English Football League One as simply League One.
In its current arrangement, League One itself was brought into place for the 2004/20005 season. Before this, this league was called the Football League Second Division and before the beginning of the English Premier League, it was known as the Football League Third Division.
The format of the English Football League One
Normally, there are 24 teams that take part. In certain years, there are fewer teams due to one reason or another, such as a team getting expelled from the league for some rules infractions. Every team will play each other twice during the season, one fixture being at home with the other fixture being at the away ground.
Just like all of the English football leagues, there are three points given to the team that wins the game, with each team getting a point for a draw and zero points if a team loses.
If two or more teams finish on the same number of points in the table come to the end of the season, then the order will be determined in order by the following variables:
- goal difference,
- total goals scored
- aggregate in the games between the teams on the same points
- and then if there is still no separation, there will be a playoff game taking place.
The two teams that finish at the top of League 1 will gain automatic promotion up to the English Championship, the second tier of English league football.
Then those teams that finish in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place will battle it out in a playoff series to see who will be the third and final team that earns promotion. Then the next season the three teams relegated from the Championship will be part of the League 1.
The three teams that are at the bottom of the English Football League 1 standings will be relegated down to English Football League 2.
The teams taking part
Of the 24 teams that take part, Gillingham and Peterborough are the two teams that have been in the league the longest, having remained since the 2012/2013 season.
There are many notable teams that have played in recent years as they try to recover as clubs and get back to the higher leagues. Teams that were recently in the Premier League such as Sunderland and Ipswich Town are just two of the teams that are trying to reclaim some of their former glory through playing in English Football League 1 in recent years.
For the 2019/2020 season, there are six teams playing in it that have previously played in the English Premier League. These are Sunderland, Portsmouth, Ipswich Town, Coventry City, Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool.
There is decent coverage of the English Football League 1 games. Sky Sports airs all of these games, with the Quest TV network showcasing highlights.
You can also watch game highlights through the Sky Sports website. There are also television networks in the likes of Sweden, Spain, the United States and surrounding countries that sometimes air English Football League 1 fixtures.
Betting on the League
All major bookmakers will offer odds on the games. The fan bases for these teams are often a lot more diehard than those for the likes of the English Premier League teams. This means that there is usually a great atmosphere at the games. By placing bets on these fixtures, you can enhance the experience even further.
There are always good opportunities to make successful bets on these fixtures as those setting the betting odds often do not have as much knowledge about the teams and players in English Football League 1 than those who watch it on a regular basis. This can provide you with somewhat of an edge in certain cases, helping you to identify potential price mismatches that can be taken advantage of.
