Yesterday was the first match of this year's EFL Championship season (as of writing, Southampton led Sheffield Wednesday 1-0), the second highest league in professional men's football in England (featuring two clubs from Wales). Unsurprisingly, thus, many of the teams playing in the Championship have also played in the top division, the Premier League (since 1992, prior to that it was the First Division) - 19/24, in fact, have played in the Premier League. The only five that haven't are, in order of time since they last played in the old First Division: Preston North End; Bristol City; Millwall; and Plymouth Argyle and Rotherham United, who both haven't played in the top tier of English football.
That differs sharply with League One, which only has 8/24 former Premier League teams and only a further four have ever played in the old First Division. In the case of League Two, there are only two former Premier League teams (Bradford City and Swindon Town) and a further two/three/four? (depending on how you define which club is the successor to Wimbledon after they relocated to Milton Keynes (or if there even is one)), out of 24 again. I could go into non-league football, but if I did that, we could go down to the North West Counties Football League (step 10 of the football pyramid) due to Glossop North End playing there.
But it's rather clear that once you are promoted to the Premier League, you'll either stay there or you'll bounce between the Premier League and the Championship. Many will descend into League One (twenty-six have out of fifty-one after being relegated from the Premier League), fewer will fall into League Two (seven have), and only one has so far been relegated to the National League (Oldham Athletic), into non-league football. One (Wimbledon) is no longer extant, though that's unrelated to relegation, really.
Part of the reason why not as many clubs have fallen to lower depths will be parachute payments over three years. To give an example; in 2015, clubs relegated from the Premier League in the 2011/12 season were paid money to help keep the club afloat. This is a portion of the broadcasting money (decreasing over time) that clubs receive when they're in the Premier League - the broadcasting packages for the Premier League totals about £5bn, whereas the EFL as a whole has a deal worth about £400m. As a result, it might be safe to assume that parachute payments can help keep the club afloat after being relegated (hence "parachute").
But if you are relegated from the Premier League, do you have a chance of going back up immediately? Before 2006, after all, there weren't any parachute payments, which were only initially paid three years back, so many clubs may have had a harder time after relegation.
Looking at all the Championship seasons since the Premier League formed in 1992, there have been twenty-seven immediate promotions (out of ninety-one relegations the season prior). On sixteen occasions, clubs that were relegated reached the play-offs but weren't promoted. Only three times (Swindon Town in 1994-5, Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2012-13 and Sunderland in 2017-18) has a club had two consecutive relegations. Overall, the average final position for a club immediately relegated the previous season is 8th; clearly, whilst many clubs might win promotion immediately after relegation (and that has happened twenty times out of the last thirty seasons), most clubs have to stay a bit longer in the Championship.
Clubs relegated from the Premier League can go in many directions: of the twenty-six that went down to League One, five have returned to the Premier League (Leeds United, Leicester City, Norwich City, Queens Park Rangers and Southampton) yet have been relegated since, whilst three clubs (Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers) are still in the Premier League to this day. Mind, it wasn't quick: Nottingham Forest took twenty-two years (thirteen after promotion from League One); Sheffield United took twelve years (two years after promotion from League One (after a six year spell)); Wolves took six years (after a quick detour through League One). Of the clubs relegated to League One, a further seven fell down to League Two, with many, such as Bolton Wanderers, Coventry City and Portsmouth having financial difficulties after relegation, though all are mostly due to bad ownership.
Another thing to remember is that, barring the aforementioned three clubs that went down to League One and came back up to the Premier League, only six clubs have never been relegated from the Premier League: Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur. Of those clubs, all have played in lower leagues before; only Arsenal and Everton have played continuously in the First Division since before 1960; joined by Liverpool in 1962; Manchester United in 1975; Spurs in 1978; Chelsea in 1989. Indeed, from what I recall, until last season, only clubs like AFC Wimbledon and Morecambe, who have spent most seasons in the lower leagues, haven't ever been relegated.
So you might not win promotion immediately - at least there's a chance you'll return one day...
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