What Is The League Of All Leagues And Who Didn't Make The Top 92?
Since the Premier League started in 1992 it has been dominated by Manchester United and City. I was surprised as I remember the dominance of Liverpool but that was pre-Premier League. So, we wondered who would make the Premier League based on their average league position since 1992. The League Of All Football Leagues, if you like, covers the Premier League, English Championship and the Leagues 1 and 2. It could also be called - Football League Standings Through The Years Since 1992. Over the last few weeks we have collated the finishing position for every club that has kicked a football in any of these divisions. It was an interesting project that has given us some great talking points in our office. More of this will become obvious over the next few weeks as we release the final standings of every club.
In total 113 football clubs have competed in one or more of the top 4 divisions in England. If a club fell from the 2nd division we gave them a score of 93. They may have gone bankrupt or maybe just suffered the devastating relegation from the Football League. Some haven't returned but many have.
There are currently 9 clubs playing in either the EFL 1st or 2nd division that do not make it into the top 92 clubs of the League of Leagues. There are also 10 teams that made the top 92 clubs but are now currently playing lower league football. 8 of them are playing in the National League (5th League or Division 3 as it should be known). 2 clubs have fallen further though, York City are playing in National League North and Bury FC are hoping to rejoin the lower leagues following their expulsion in 2019/20 season.
Why is My Football Club Not In The Top 92 Of The League Of Football Leagues?
If your football club is newly founded then it would have probably been given 93 points for every year that it remained outside of the top 4 English divisions. Harrogate Town and Barrow only joined Div 2 of the EFL in 2020/21 season so only have one score below 93. Likewise Salford City were promoted in 2019/20 so only have 2 qualifying seasons.
AFC Wimbledon were founded in 2002 after the football league approved the move of Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes. This move, so far away from the clubs base upset so many Wimbledon fans they decided to start their own club. AFC Wimbledon have now had 10 consecutive seasons in the EFL but as they spent 19 years outside, we had to give them 93 points for those sesons. This means they finish outside the League of Football Leagues in 97th position. I imagine AFC Wimbledon will join the top 92 clubs from 2022. This formula has also had an impact on Stevenage Borough, Crawley Town and Morecambe, who are all currently playing higher league football.
So Who Failed To Make It Into The League Of Football Leagues?
| Position | Club | Seasons In Top 4 Divisions |
Average League Position |
| 93 | Barnet | 20 | 86.0345 |
| 94 | AFC Wimbledon | 10 | 86.1034 |
| 95 | Stevenage Borough | 11 | 86.2069 |
| 96 | Darlington | 18 | 86.2759 |
| 97 | Crawley Town | 17 | 86.8966 |
| 98 | Macclesfield Town | 11 | 87.4483 |
| 99 | Chester City | 13 | 87.7241 |
| 100 | Morecambe | 14 | 88.1724 |
| 101 | Hereford Town | 11 | 89.3103 |
| 102 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 9 | 89.3448 |
| 103 | Newport County | 8 | 89.6552 |
| 104 | Rushden & Diamonds | 5 | 90.4483 |
| 105 | Forest Green Rovers | 4 | 90.9655 |
| 106 | Scarborough | 7 | 91.0690 |
| 107 | Aldershot Town | 5 | 91.1034 |
| 108 | Boston United | 5 | 91.3103 |
| 109 | Kidderminster Harriers | 5 | 91.3103 |
| 110 | Salford City | 2 | 91.8966 |
| 111 | Halifax Town | 5 | 92.1034 |
| 112 | Harrogate Town | 1 | 92.7241 |
| 113 | Barrow | 1 | 92.8621 |
What Is My Football Clubs Average League Position?
In our list of clubs that have finished outside of the top 92 footballs, in our League Of Football Leagues, all have an average league position. If we look at Crawley Town for instance, who have an average league position of 86.8966. Rounded up this is 87th which suggests that Crawley in an average season should finish in 87th position. There highest placing was in 50th back in 2011/12 season. You could argue that your club is overachieving if they finish higher and fans need to be realistic about their clubs potential. I know from supporting my own club, that fans expectations normally exceed their clubs potential and budget.
So maybe a touch of realism can be achieved by viewing your clubs average position in our table. Look out for our next League Of Football League that covers positions 69 to 92 and what could be classified as League 2. Will your club make it into League 2? If you have any comments on your teams position please do let me know. Who Really Are The Big 6 Football Teams In English Football?
