Football League Championship

The Football League Championship (colloquially known as The Championship) was formed in 2004 as a rebranded version Of Division One. It is the second highest division in English football.

The Championship is reported to be the wealthiest non-top-flight football division in the world, and is the seventh richest division in Europe. In terms of total attendance, the Championship ranks fourth in Europe, with 9,791,150 attending fixtures in the 2011-2012 season. The 2012-2013 season saw the league boast average attendances of 17,331.

The fact that the clubs are supported so well in this division is a contributing factor for the wealth in the League. The clubs' coffers are also boosted by lucrative TV deals; in 2013 Sky signed a three-year deal with the league worth £195million. No other second division in the world could dream of that sort of money.

This high level of financial parity is a key factor in making the Championship one of the most competitive leagues in the world. In the 2012-2013 season, relegated Peterborough finished on 54 points, whilst sixth place Leicester finished with 68 points, just 14 points more. Between the two clubs were 15 other teams, highlighting just how competitive the league is. Another indicator as to how the Championship is one of the best divisions in the world is the fact that relegated teams struggle for promotion. In the past three seasons, only West Ham have achieved promotion to the Premier League following relegation the season before, and they only managed this via the play-offs.

If you look at some of the relegated teams from the Championship, then you really see the quality of the league. Teams used to the upper-echelons of English football like Nottingham Forest (04-05), Leeds United (06-07), Southampton and Norwich (08-09), Sheffield United (10-11) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (12-13) have all been relegated from The Championship. It is a league where you simply cannot afford to rest on your laurels.

But, the biggest credit to the Championship is how well their clubs do in the top flight. Southampton, promoted after the 2011-2012 season, look like an established Premier League side, whilst Swansea, promoted in 2010-2011, have won the League Cup and now play European football.

In terms of history, eight sides have won the Championship, but only Reading and Sunderland have managed to win it twice. The Reading promotion of 2005-2006 saw the Royals amass a record 106 points, while Glenn Murray's 30-goal haul for Crystal Palace in the 2012-2013 season is the record for goals scored in a season.

The strength of The Championship is a genuine credit to English football.

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