A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Season | 2008–09 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Promoted | Wolverhampton Wanderers Birmingham City Burnley |
| Relegated | Chester City Luton Town |
| New Clubs in League | Aldershot Town Exeter City |
← 2007–08 2009–10 → | |
The 2008–09 Football League (known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons) was the 110th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2008 and concluded in May 2009, with the promotion play-off finals.
The Football League is contested through three Divisions: the Championship, League One and League Two. The winner and the runner up of the League Championship are automatically promoted to the Premier League and they will are joined by the winner of the Championship playoff. The bottom two teams in League Two are relegated to the Conference Premier.
Promotion and relegation
As a consequence of results in the 2008–09 English football season, the following promotions and relegations involving teams within, or entering or exiting the Football League occurred. These changes take effect for the 2009–10 season.
From Premier League
Relegated to Championship
From Championship
Promoted to Premier League
Relegated to League One
From Football League One
Promoted to Championship
Relegated to League Two
From Football League Two
Promoted to League One
Relegated to Conference Premier
From Conference Premier
Promoted to League Two
Championship
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (C, P) | 46 | 27 | 9 | 10 | 80 | 52 | +28 | 90 | Promotion to the Premier League |
| 2 | Birmingham City (P) | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 54 | 37 | +17 | 83 | |
| 3 | Sheffield United | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 64 | 39 | +25 | 80 | Qualification for Championship play-offs |
| 4 | Reading | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 72 | 40 | +32 | 77 | |
| 5 | Burnley (O, P) | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 72 | 60 | +12 | 76 | |
| 6 | Preston North End | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 66 | 54 | +12 | 74 | |
| 7 | Cardiff City | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 65 | 53 | +12 | 74 | |
| 8 | Swansea City | 46 | 16 | 20 | 10 | 63 | 50 | +13 | 68 | |
| 9 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 62 | 53 | +9 | 66 | |
| 10 | Bristol City | 46 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 61 | |
| 11 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 42 | 44 | −2 | 61 | |
| 12 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 51 | 58 | −7 | 61 | |
| 13 | Watford | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 68 | 72 | −4 | 58 | |
| 14 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 17 | 7 | 22 | 42 | 53 | −11 | 58 | |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 52 | 55 | −3 | 56[a] | |
| 16 | Blackpool | 46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 47 | 58 | −11 | 56 | |
| 17 | Coventry City | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 47 | 58 | −11 | 54 | |
| 18 | Derby County | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 55 | 67 | −12 | 54 | |
| 19 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 50 | 65 | −15 | 53 | |
| 20 | Barnsley | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 45 | 58 | −13 | 52 | |
| 21 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 44 | 57 | −13 | 51 | |
| 22 | Norwich City (R) | 46 | 12 | 10 | 24 | 57 | 70 | −13 | 46 | Relegation to Football League One |
| 23 | Southampton (R) | 46 | 10 | 15 | 21 | 46 | 69 | −23 | 45[b] | |
| 24 | Charlton Athletic (R) | 46 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 52 | 74 | −22 | 39 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Crystal Palace were give a one-point deduction for using an ineligible player during a match against Sheffield United on 3 May 2009.[1]
- ^ Southampton were given a ten-point deduction for breaching insolvency regulations, regarding their holding company. As they finished in the bottom three in the 2008–09 season, the points deduction was applied during the 2009–10 season in League One.[2]