| Countries | England |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 1992–2004 (as Division Three) 1958–1992 (as Division Four) |
| Number of teams | 24 |
| Levels on pyramid | 4 |
| Promotion to | League One |
| Relegation to | Conference National |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Cup Football League Cup Football League Trophy |
| Current champions | Chesterfield F.C. (2010-11) |
| TV partners | Sky Sports BBC (Highlights Only) |
| Website | League Two |
| 2011–12 Football League Two | |
Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Npower League 2 for sponsorship reasons) is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system.
Football League Two was introduced for the 2004–05 season. It was previously known as the Football League Third Division. [1] Prior to the advent of the Premier League, the fourth-highest division was known as the Football League Fourth Division. It is the most profitable fourth-tier football league in the world.
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There are 24 clubs in Football League Two. Each club plays each of the other clubs twice (once at home, once away) and is awarded three points for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. From these points a league table is constructed.
At the end of each season the top three teams, together with the winner of the play-offs between the teams that finished in 4th–7th position, are promoted to Football League One and are replaced by the four teams that finished bottom of that division.
Similarly the two teams that finished at the bottom of Football League Two are relegated to the Conference National and are replaced by the team that finished 1st and the team that won the 2nd–5th place play-off in that division. Technically a team can be reprieved from relegation if the team replacing them does not have a ground suitable for League football, but in practice this is a non-factor because every team currently in the Conference National has a ground that meets the League criteria (and even if they did not, a ground-sharing arrangement with another team can be made until their stadium is upgraded). The other way that a team can be spared relegation is if some other team either resigns or is expelled from the Football League.
Final League position is determined, in this order, by points obtained, goal difference, goals scored, a mini-league of the results between two or more teams ranked using the previous three criteria and finally a series of one or more play off matches.
There is a mandatory wage cap in this division that limits spending on players' wages to 60% of club turnover.
| Club | Finishing position last season |
|---|---|
| Accrington Stanley | 5th |
| AFC Wimbledon | 2nd in Conference National (play-off winner) |
| Aldershot Town | 14th |
| Barnet | 22nd |
| Bradford City | 18th |
| Bristol Rovers | 22nd in League One |
| Burton Albion | 19th |
| Cheltenham Town | 17th |
| Crawley Town | 1st in Conference National |
| Crewe Alexandra | 10th |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 21st in League One |
| Gillingham | 8th |
| Hereford United | 21st |
| Macclesfield Town | 15th |
| Morecambe | 20th |
| Northampton Town | 16th |
| Oxford United | 12th |
| Plymouth Argyle | 23rd in League One |
| Port Vale | 11th |
| Rotherham United | 9th |
| Shrewsbury Town | 4th |
| Southend United | 13th |
| Swindon Town | 24th in League One |
| Torquay United | 7th |
| Season | Top scorer | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Phil Jevons | Yeovil Town | 27 |
| 2005–06 | Karl Hawley | Carlisle United | 23 |
| 2006–07 | Richard Barker | Hartlepool United | 21 |
| Izale McLeod | Milton Keynes Dons | ||
| 2007–08 | Aaron McLean | Peterborough United | 29 |
| 2008–09 | Grant Holt | Shrewsbury Town | 20 |
| Jack Lester | Chesterfield | ||
| 2009–10 | Lee Hughes | Notts County | 30 |
| 2010–11 | Clayton Donaldson | Crewe Alexandra | 28 |
| Home Club | Stadium Name | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Bradford City | Valley Parade | 25,136 |
| Rotherham United | Don Valley Stadium | 25,000 |
| Plymouth Argyle | Home Park | 19,500 |
| Port Vale | Vale Park | 19,052 |
| Swindon Town F.C. | County Ground, Swindon | 14,700 |
| Oxford United | Kassam Stadium | 12,500 |
| Southend United | Roots Hall | 12,306 |
| Bristol Rovers F.C. | Memorial Stadium* | 12,011 |
| Gillingham | Priestfield Stadium | 11,582 |
| Crewe Alexandra | Alexandra Stadium | 10,118 |
| Shrewsbury Town | Greenhous Meadow | 9,875 |
| Northampton Town | Sixfields Stadium | 7,653 |
| Aldershot Town | Recreation Ground* | 7,100 |
| Cheltenham Town | Whaddon Road* | 7,066 |
| Crawley Town | Broadfield Stadium* | 4,996 |
| Burton Albion | Pirelli Stadium* | 6,912 |
| Morecambe | Globe Arena* | 6,476 |
| Macclesfield Town | Moss Rose* | 6,335 |
| Barnet | Underhill Stadium* | 6,200 |
| Torquay United | Plainmoor* | 6,104 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. | Victoria Road* | 6,078 |
| Hereford United | Edgar Street* | 5,300 |
| AFC Wimbledon | Kingsmeadow* | 5,194 |
| Accrington Stanley | Crown Ground* | 5,057 |
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