There may be a lot of emphasis on clubs in the south and in London, but northern clubs do an excellent job of keeping up.
In the EFL, clubs from Teesside, Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Greater Manchester all represent the North well, but which is the largest?
Football League World has ranked the top ten northern teams in the Championship, League One, and League Two to determine who is truly the king of the north in the English Football League.
10Blackpool
The list begins with Blackpool, the most successful team in play-off history, and a club with numerous trophies, including an FA Cup, second-tier, and a handful of EFL Trophies.
When the Tangerines were promoted to the Premier League under Ian Holloway in 2010, it was viewed as a tremendous underdog tale, but Blackpool had been a perennial top-flight side since the mid-1900s.
Since the fallout in 1971, those campaigns have been limited, and Ian Evatt’s side has become more of a third-tier club in recent years, but there is still a large following in that section of Lancashire, and they will be looking to return to the Championship this season.
9Bradford City
Bradford City may not have a long history in the top flight, which keeps them near the bottom of the top ten, but their status as the city’s only professional club results in massive crowds and a big-club atmosphere whenever you visit Valley Parade.
The stadium itself is historic, and the Bantams have been regarded as a massive sleeping giant in recent years while competing in League Two.
Now that they’re back in League One, they’ve quickly established themselves as one of the top teams. If they continue on their current path, they should soon be a Championship club.
Bradford also has a second-tier title, two third-tier titles, and an FA Cup, indicating that this historic club has a rich history and much of potential to reclaim it in the future.
8Huddersfield Town
Again, many of Huddersfield Town’s accomplishments occurred in the past. The Terriers were one of the best teams in the country in the 1920s, winning three consecutive league titles and finishing second the following two years, as well as winning the FA Cup in 1922.
Huddersfield had enjoy two seasons in the top level recently, but like Blackpool, they were seen as major underdogs in the Premier League, given their previous experience was primarily in the Championship and even League One.
When things are going well, the club’s support may really swell, but the Accu Stadium can feel like quite an isolated place if things aren’t, which drops them a few spots in comparison to some of clubs ahead of them.
7Preston North End
Preston North End was one of the Football League’s founding members and the best team of the bunch, becoming the original invincibles in the inaugural season and winning the FA Cup as well.
The Lancashire club has not won the top tier since the second season, but they have won titles in all four divisions and have been a consistent Championship club for the most of the present century, giving them an advantage over others listed below.
However, Preston’s inability to compete for a return to the top flight, combined with another ground that isn’t filled every week, has pushed them into the bottom half, despite their rich history.
6Bolton Wanderers
Unlike some of their northern rivals, Bolton Wanderers did not win a top-flight title prior to World War II.
They do, however, have four FA Cups and were a household Premier League side in the 2000s, something Huddersfield and Preston cannot claim.
Between 2003 and 2007, the Trotters finished sixth to eighth in the top flight four years in a row, and most people growing up thought of Bolton as a Premier League club, even if recent events have distorted that perception slightly.
However, after the team was saved from bankruptcy in 2019, and they resumed their ascent from League Two following Covid, the Toughsheet Stadium has been packed with devoted supporters. It won’t be long before Steven Schumacher’s side is back in contention for a top-flight return, and the Bolton fans certainly deserve it.
5Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers are the only team on this list to have won a Premier League title since the divisions were rearranged in 1992, giving them a significant advantage over some of their northern counterparts in the EFL.
While the triumph of 1994/95 was not repeated at Ewood Park, Rovers remained a regular top-flight outfit until their relegation in 2012. During that time, Blackburn reached numerous domestic cup semi-finals, won the League Cup in 2002, and participated in the UEFA Cup as well.
They have smaller fan bases than some of the others who will follow, which knocks them down a few pegs, but the Lancashire club is often regarded as one of the more historically significant sides outside the Premier League.
4Burnley
Burnley, Blackburn’s fiercest rivals, have just pipped them to the top four due to their more recent Premier League history.
While Rovers has languished in the second division for the previous 15 years, the Clarets have either been one of the top Championship sides or have tested their mettle in the Premier League, finishing in the European spots under Sean Dyche in 2017-18.
That is not to say that pure recency bias obscures this position. Burnley has won the Premier League twice before, including in 1959/60, which is more recent than Preston and Huddersfield, and they also have an FA Cup trophy from before the war.
Turf Moor has become increasingly loud in recent years, and it is also extremely historic, which helps to solidify their position near the top of the rankings.
3Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough takes the bronze medal on the list, as they are often regarded as one of the bigger clubs outside the Premier League today, having spent more seasons in the top division than outside of it in their history.
Borough have only dropped below the second tier twice, finishing second both times. They’ve won the second tier four times and the FA Cup once, in 1997, which is much more recent than some of the teams below them.
Middlesbrough’s high position stems from their expansion into Europe in the mid-2000s, however. Few current EFL clubs can claim to have finished second in a European competition in the last 20 years, as Borough did in 2006 when they were defeated by Sevilla in the UEFA Cup final.
Borough is always well-supported, but the Riverside can be intimidating at times. They’ve been a touch lost in the wilderness recently, but there’s hope that Kim Hellberg may return them to the Premier League shortly.
2Sheffield United
Sheffield appears to be the premier city for northern football clubs in the EFL. However, Sheffield United is ranked second on this list.
The Blades were a frequent top-flight side until the 2000s, winning the title in 1898 and finishing second twice. They won the FA Cup four times, all before World War II, and were promoted from the second tier nine times.
Their status dipped slightly in the 2010s, when they spent arguably too long in League One, but they have since begun to rebuild it with a few Premier League campaigns as a result of being one of the top teams in the Championship once again.
Ahead of their third consecutive season in the second tier, the focus will be on returning to the top flight as soon as possible to avoid becoming lost in the shuffle once more.
1Sheffield Wednesday
However, Sheffield Wednesday is widely regarded as the biggest sleeping monster in the EFL right now, but it may not be long before the Owls wake up.
Wednesday have not been a top-flight team since 2000, and have been relegated to League One four times since then, although they were formerly regarded as one of England’s most powerful clubs, with long tenures in the old First Division and early Premier League days.
They have won four top-flight titles, three FA Cups, and finished second in the FA Cup three times. They have also enjoyed seasons in Europe, though not as recently as Middlesbrough.
More importantly, Sheffield Wednesday has one of the country’s largest supporter bases, and Hillsborough Stadium is one of the most iconic in the EFL. When it’s full and bouncing, there’s nothing finer.
They may be a League One club right now, but under the new Arise ownership, they have a lot of potential to expand and solidify their position at the top of the EFL’s northern division.
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