Soccer is a national obsession of England, and has been ever since the Football League (now the EFL) was created in 1888.

The founding members are quite an eclectic bunch. Back then, they were Accrington Stanley (now in the fourth tier), Aston Villa (back in the UEFA Champions League this season), Blackburn Rovers (one of the favorites to go down from the Championship this year), and Bolton Wanderers (now in the third tier). Don’t forget to add Burnley (who have just been relegated from the Premier League), Derby County (who have just been promoted back to the Championship), and Everton (the Premier League’s current perennial strugglers). Last but not least, founding clubs included Notts County (in League Two now), Preston North End, and Stoke City (both currently mid-table second-tier sides).

Whilst it is to be fully expected that the dynamic would considerably shift in the 136 years since that meeting at the Royal Hotel in Manchester, it has shifted so much that the current powerhouses in English soccer are nowhere to be seen on that list. Manchester City joined the Football League four years later, in 1892. One year after that, Arsenal became a member of the Football League, which is also the same year that Liverpool joined.

Soccer and the English Football League have come a long way since then.

Start of a new EFL era in the USA and UK

Starting this weekend, the EFL is ready to launch a brand-new broadcast deal. In the United Kingdom, every EFL club will benefit from more TV coverage from Sky Sports, which has not gone down too well with traditional soccer fans in the UK.

Subsequently, Sky Sports+ launches this week but is only available in the United Kingdom. It’ll be used to broadcast select EFL games, as well as tennis and rugby league.

All in all, Sky will broadcast four times as many matches from the EFL this season, and all 72 teams will be featured over 20 times a season.

In the United States, Friday begins a brand-new partnership between the EFL and CBS Sports, which replaces the previous deal with ESPN. If the first weekend of the 2024/25 EFL season is any indication, there will be far more coverage on CBS Sports and Paramount+ than ever before. In total, there are twelve matches scheduled from across the three EFL divisions.

The media company is set to broadcast at least 250 total EFL games each season over the next four years.

Games will be streamed across several different CBS platforms ranging from Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, and the CBS Sports Golazo Network.

American invasion of the EFL

Off the pitch, there has been a surge of American investors buying clubs throughout the EFL. It’s now a relatively common phenomenon to read that another American company has bought an EFL club.

For instance, Tom Brady is a minority investor in Birmingham City. Actor and comedian Will Ferrell has an investment in Leeds United. Daryl Morey (Philadelphia 76ers President) is part of an American cryptocurrency investment firm that has plans to take Crawley Town to the Premier League. They were promoted to the third tier earlier this summer.

Burnley has JJ Watt (another NFL legend) spearheading commercial activities, whilst (albeit not from Stateside) Hull City has Acun Ilicali as owner, a man dubbed “The Turkish Simon Cowell.”

There’s a long list of other North American-owned EFL clubs too. Wrexham AFC is the most obvious example. Cynics will see this as English soccer selling its soul, whilst others think that the EFL has exponential potential.

Regardless, get ready for another season of exciting Championship, League One, and League Two football with more games available on TV and streaming than ever before.

Photo: IMAGO / PA Images.