List of former English Football League clubs

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File:Ryan Valentine scores.jpg were relegated from the League after a 3–1 defeat to Wrexham on the final day of the 2006–07 season, ending a five-year spell in the League. Wrexham were relegated in 2008, ending an 87-year spell.|alt=An action scene from a soccer match, played on a sun-soaked summer's day. Before an old-fashioned terraced stand packed to the rafters with fans, mostly clad in red, a penalty kick has just been taken by a player wearing a red shirt and white shorts. The ball is nestled in the bottom-right-hand corner of the net, with the goalkeeper helpless on the opposite side of his goal. Behind the penalty taker, a few players from each team can be seen on the edge of the penalty area.]]

The former member clubs of the English Football League are football clubs who lost their status in the League by resigning, or by relegation, by becoming defunct, merging with another club, or expulsion. Clubs presently playing in the Premier League are also included in this article.

The English Football League comprises professional clubs from England and Wales, and was established in 1888 as The Football League (First Division). In 1892, the Second Division was formed. A Third Division was introduced in 1920, before being regionalised as North and South.{{Cite book |last=Joyce |first=Michael |title=Football League Players' Records 1888 – 1939 |year=2004 |publisher=Tony Brown |isbn=1-899468-67-6 |pages=297–298}} In 1958 these became the national Third and Fourth Division.{{Cite web |title=The Football League 1958–1959 |url=http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/English_Football_League/season/1958-1959.htm |publisher=Historical Football Kits |access-date=9 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920082845/http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/English_Football_League/season/1958-1959.htm |archive-date=20 September 2008 |url-status=live }} The Premier League superseded the First Division as the top-flight of the English football league system in 1992, with the other three divisions renamed the First, Second and Third Divisions.{{Cite news |title=History of the Football League |url=http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/History/HistoryDetail/0,,10794~1357277,00.html |publisher=The Football League |date=22 September 2010 |access-date=5 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202161656/http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/History/HistoryDetail/0%2C%2C10794~1357277%2C00.html |archive-date=2 February 2013 }} They were rebranded again in 2004 as the Championship, League One and League Two.

Until 1986, clubs could lose their League status by failing to gain re-election after finishing in the bottom four of the bottom division (fourth tier).{{Cite web |title=A short history of the Football League |url=http://www.soccer.mistral.co.uk/fleg/flhist.htm |publisher=soccer.mistral.co.uk |access-date=9 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180420074223/http://www.soccer.mistral.co.uk/fleg/flhist.htm |archive-date=20 April 2018 |url-status=live }} From the 1986–87 season, the club finishing bottom was relegated to the Conference National (now National League), the highest level of non-League football,{{Cite book |first=Stuart |last=Barnes |title=News of the World Football Annual 2007–2008 |year=2007 |publisher=Invincible Press |isbn=978-0-00-725555-9 |page=58}} depending on the ability of the Conference champions to meet FA requirements.{{Cite news |title=Guide to the Non-League Pyramid |url=http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/7201054.stm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130419182903/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/7201054.stm |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 April 2013 |publisher=BBC Sport |date=31 March 2008 |access-date=5 July 2011}} Since 2002–03, the bottom two clubs of League Two face relegation to the National League.{{Cite news |title=The fight for survival |url=http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/2896571.stm |publisher=BBC Sport |date=30 March 2003 |access-date=5 July 2011}}