The top 10 biggest northern EFL football clubs named and ranked | OneFootball

Football League World counts down the biggest northern football clubs currently in the EFL

There may be a lot of focus on clubs down south and in London, but the northern clubs do more than a good job of keeping up.

In the EFL, clubs across Teesside, Yorkshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester all represent the North well, but which is the biggest club out of all of them?

Football League World has counted down the top 10 northern teams currently in the Championship, League One and League Two to find out who truly is the king of the north when it comes to the EFL.

10 ? ? Blackpool

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Kicking off the list are Blackpool, the most successful side in play-off history, and a club with plenty of trophies in their cabinet, including an FA Cup, second-tier and a couple of EFL Trophies, too.

It was seen as a massive underdog story when the Tangerines were promoted to the Premier League under Ian Holloway in 2010, but the mid-1900s saw Blackpool as a perennial top-flight side.

Since falling out in 1971, those campaigns have been limited, and recent years have seen Ian Evatt's side as more of a third-tier outfit, but there's still a massive swell of support in that part of Lancashire, and they'll be hoping to return to the Championship this season.

9 ? ? Bradford City

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Bradford City may not have that extensive top-flight history, which keeps them towards the lower end of the top 10, but their status as the only professional club in the city leads to massive followings and a big-club feel whenever you go to Valley Parade.

The ground itself is historic, and the Bantams have been well regarded as a massive sleeping giant in recent years while they've dwelled in League Two.

Now they're back in League One again, though, and were quick to establish themselves as one of the premier sides once more. It shouldn't be long until they're a Championship club if they continue this trajectory.

Alongside that, Bradford have a second-tier title, two third-tier titles and an FA Cup too, so there is history behind this famous club, and plenty of potential to recapture that in the future.

8 ? ? Huddersfield Town

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Again, a lot of Huddersfield Town's successes have been 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 two years afterwards, alongside winning the FA Cup in 1922.

Recently, Huddersfield did have those two seasons in the top flight, but like Blackpool, they were seen as massive underdogs in the Premier League, as their history before then was mainly in the bottom end of the Championship and even in League One.

The support around the club can really swell when things are going well, but the Accu Stadium can feel like quite an isolated place if things aren't, which bumps them down a few places in comparison to some of those ahead.

7 ? ? Preston North End

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Preston North End were one of the founding members of the Football League and were the best team out of that bunch, too, becoming the original invincibles in the inaugural campaign while winning the FA Cup, too.

The Lancashire outfit hasn't won the top flight since the second ever season, but they have won titles in each of the four divisions and have been a steady Championship club throughout the majority of the current century, which gives them that leg up compared to those below.

But their inability to even compete for a return to the top flight and another ground that doesn't get filled every week does see Preston fall to a place in the bottom half, even if they have a rich history behind them.

6 ? ? Bolton Wanderers

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Unlike some of their fellow northern sides who have just come before them, Bolton Wanderers haven't won a top-flight title pre-World War Two.

However, they have four FA Cups to their name and were a household Premier League side in the 2000s, which is more than the likes of Huddersfield and Preston can say.

The Trotters had four consecutive seasons finishing between sixth and eighth in the top flight between 2003 and 2007, and to most people growing up, Bolton were seen as a Premier League side, even if recent times have distorted that view somewhat.

But, ever since the club was saved from going bust back in 2019, and they began their ascent back from League Two post-Covid, the Toughsheet Stadium has been filled with passionate fans. It won't be long until Steven Schumacher's side are back in contention for a top-flight return, and those Bolton fans sure deserve it.

5 ? ? Blackburn Rovers

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Blackburn Rovers are the only side on this list to have won a Premier League title since the divisions changed in 1992, which gives them a big boost compared to some of their other northern peers in the EFL.

While that success of 1994/95 wasn't sustained at Ewood Park, Rovers were still a perennial top-flight side until their relegation in 2012. During that time, Blackburn reached numerous domestic cup semi-finals, won the League Cup in 2002 and played in the UEFA Cup, too.

They suffer from poorer followings compared to some of the others still to come, which does knock them down a few pegs, but the Lancashire outfit is highly regarded as one of the more historical sides outside the Premier League today.

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Blackburn's bitter rivals Burnley just pipped them into the top four currently, though, due to their more recent history in the Premier League.

While Rovers were languishing in the second tier over the past 15 years, the Clarets have either been one of the best Championship sides or have been testing their might in the Premier League, finishing in the European places under Sean Dyche in 2017/18.

That's not to say that pure recency bias is clouding this position. Burnley have won the top flight twice before, including one in 1959/60, which is more recent than the likes of Preston and Huddersfield, and have an FA Cup in the trophy cabinet from the pre-war days, too.

Turf Moor is often loud in recent years and is incredibly historic, too, helping solidify their place nearer the top of the ranks.

3 ? ? Middlesbrough

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Taking the bronze medal on the list is Middlesbrough, who are highly recognised as one of the bigger clubs outside the Premier League currently, having spent more seasons in the top flight than outside of it in their history.

Boro have only been below the second tier in two seasons, coming second both times. They've won the second tier four times and the FA Cup once, back in 1997 — much more recently than some of the others below them.

Middlesbrough's high ranking also comes from their ventures into Europe back in the mid-2000s, though. Not many current EFL sides can say that they've been runners-up in a European competition in the last 20 years, which Boro were when they were beaten by Sevilla in the 2006 UEFA Cup final.

Boro are always well-supported, and the Riverside can be an intimidating place at times. They've been a little lost in the wilderness recently, but there's hope that Kim Hellberg can get them back to where they belong in the Premier League soon enough.

2 ? ? Sheffield United

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It seems that Sheffield is the premier city when it comes to northern football clubs in the EFL. Sheffield United take second place in this list, though.

The Blades were a frequent top-flight side in the pre-2000s, winning the title in 1898 and coming runners-up on two occasions, too. They've won the FA Cup four times, all pre-World War Two, and have earned promotion from the second tier a whopping nine times.

Their stature fell somewhat in the 2010s, when they spent arguably a little too long in League One, but have since started to rebuild it once more with a few Premier League campaigns due to being one of the top sides in the Championship once more.

Ahead of their third successive season in the second tier, the onus will be on getting back to the top flight as soon as possible to avoid starting to become lost in the shuffle once more.

1 ? ? Sheffield Wednesday

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However, at the top of the pile is Sheffield Wednesday, who are near-universally agreed to be the biggest sleeping giant in the EFL currently, but it may not be long before the Owls begin to wake up.

Wednesday haven't been a top-flight side since 2000, and have actually been relegated to League One four times since, but before then, they were recognised as one of the biggest clubs in England with long tenures in the old First Division and in the early Premier League days.

They've won four top-flight titles, three FA Cups and have been runners-up in the FA Cup three times, also. They've had seasons in Europe, too, albeit not as recent as the likes of Middlesbrough.

More importantly, though, Sheffield Wednesday's fanbase is one of the biggest in the country, with Hillsborough being one of the most iconic stadiums in the EFL. When it's full and bouncing, there isn't much better.