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A yo-yo club is a sporting side that is regularly promoted and relegated between a higher and lower league or division. This phrase is most typically used in association football in the United Kingdom, but also in other countries. In Spain the term used is equipo ascensor (elevator/lift team).

The phrase has been used to describe teams such as Birmingham City, Leicester City, Sheffield Wednesday, Crystal Palace, Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion, all sides that have regularly been promoted to and relegated from the top flight in English football (now known as the Premier League).

[edit] In England

[edit] Birmingham City

Birmingham City have been promoted and relegated to and from the top division more times than anyone else in England, with 12 promotions (1894, 1901, 1903, 1921, 1948, 1955, 1972, 1980, 1985, 2002, 2007 and 2009) and 11 relegations (1896, 1902, 1908, 1939, 1950, 1965, 1979, 1984, 1986, 2006 and 2008), including a run of four consecutive changes from the 2005-6 season to the 2008-9 season.

[edit] Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton & Hove Albion have been a yo-yo club in the 2000s, with 3 promotions and 2 relegations (and a final-day relegation escape) in 6 seasons up to 2005-2006. In their first season after being relegated from the Championship, they finished 18th in League One.

[edit] Leicester City

Leicester City have been a yo-yo club during the last 15 years. They won promotion to the Premiership as Division One playoff winners in 1994, only to go down after one season. They regained their status at the first attempt and spent six seasons back in the top flight, winning two League Cups in the process, before going down again in 2002. They returned to the Premiership at the first attempt, only to go down again. In the space of 14 seasons, 'the Foxes' moved divisions six times. They were finally relegated to League One, the first time in their history that they had fallen into the league's third tier in 2007-2008 season, but they bounced straight back again winning promotion back from League One as champions at the first attempt.

[edit] Manchester City

Manchester City were another team to bounce between the divisions during the 1980s, being relegated from the First Division to the Second Division in 1983, being promoted again in 1985, suffering relegation again in 1987 and finally returning to the First Division in 1989 - thus moving divisions four times in the space of seven seasons. City's yo-yo form returned between the mid 1990s and early 2000s. They slipped from the Premiership to Division One in 1996, and two years later were relegated to Division Two - the first time in their history that they had fallen into the league's third tier. Two successive promotions followed and City were back in the Premiership come the 2000-01 season, only to go down again after one season. They regained their Premiership status at the first attempt by winning the Division One championship and have remained at the highest level ever since. In the course of seven seasons, City moved divisions six times.

[edit] Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough were a yo-yo club during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. They were promoted to the First Division in 1974 and remained there for eight years before going back down to the Second Division in 1982. In 1986 they were relegated to the Third Division and almost went out of business, but quickly recovered and two successive promotions took them back into the First Division for the 1988-89 season. They went down again after one season and remained in the league's second tier until winning promotion to the newly-created Premiership in 1992. They went down after one seasons but regained their Premiership place two years later as Division One champions. Two years later, in spite of signing more than £10million worth of famous international players, a three-point deduction cost Boro their Premiership status and they slid back into Division One, but regained their Premiership place at the first attempt and held on to it until 2009. It has seen the Tees-siders achieve stability after a 25 years of yo-yo existence which saw them move divisions 11 times.

[edit] Norwich City

Norwich City are a yo-yo club.^[1] In 1972, the club finally reached the pinnacle of the league structure, with their first promotion to the top tier. Since then, the club has spent 21 seasons in the top league and 15 in the second tier. However, as of May 2009, Norwich City will be playing in the third tier of English football for the 2009/10 season after being relegated from the second tier.^[2]

[edit] Sunderland

Sunderland have established themselves as a yo-yo club during the last 20 or so years. They were relegated to the Second Division in 1985 and in 1987 reached the lowest ebb in their history by slipping into the Third Division. They were promoted at the first attempt and by 1990-91 had reached the First Division again, only to lose their status after just one season. They reached the Premiership as Division One champions in 1996 but were relegated a year later. Sunderland returned to the Premiership in 1999 and finished seventh in both of the following two seasons, but by 2003 an increasing difficulty in finding the net had caught up with them and they were relegated from the top flight. They won the newly-named Championship title in 2005 but dreadful Premiership form throughout the 2005-06 season condemned them to yet another relegation. In 2006-07, they were able to win the Championship title to be promoted to the Premier League. This was their 12th movement in 23 years, but since 2007 the Black Cats have managed to stay in the top flight.[1]

[edit] Watford

In the last 30 years, Watford have been regular movers between the league's four divisions. In the four seasons leading up to 1982, they won three promotions to climb from the Fourth Division to the first. They were league runners-up in their first season as a First Division club, and were F.A Cup losing finalists a year later. But they were back in the Second Division come 1988-89, and slipped into the third tier of the league (by then the new Football League Division Two) at the end of the 1995-96 season. They were promoted back to Division One two years later after winning the Division Two title, and a Division One playoff triumph the following year earned them promotion to the Premiership. But Watford were unable to adjust to the pace of Premiership football and were relegated at the end of their first top flight season in more than a decade. They won the Championship playoff in 2005-06, but last place in the Premiership the following season ensured their 11th movement in 25 seasons.

[edit] West Bromwich Albion

West Bromwich Albion have lived something of a yo-yo existence over the last 22 or so years. They were relegated from the First Division in 1986 and five years slipped into the Third Division for the first time. They won the new Division Two playoffs in 1993 and remained in the Division One for nine years before winning promotion to the Premiership in 2002. Albion's first top flight campaign for nearly 20 years ended in relegation but they were promoted back to the Premiership at the first time of asking. Albion were relegated two years later to complete their seventh division move in the space of 23 seasons. They finally promoted back to Premier League as champions in 2007-2008 season, but were again relegated in their first season back.

[edit] West Ham United

West Ham United have been another yo-yo club since 1977/78 when they were Relegated to Div 2. In 1980/81 they got Promoted to Div 1 only to go back down in 1988/89. Promoted to Div 1 again in 1990/91 but only for 1 season Relegated 1991/92. Promoted to Premiership in 1992/93 but Relegated (with 42 points!) to the 'Nationwide' Division 1 in 2002/03. Promoted to Premiership 2004/05. They avoided from relegation by 1-0 winning against Manchester United in 2006-2007 season.

[edit] Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves were one of the most famous yo-yo clubs during the 1980s. They began the decade on a high by winning the League Cup in 1980, only to suffer relegation to the Second Division and narrowly avoid bankruptcy two years later. They regained their First Division status at the first attempt, only to endure successive relegations over the next few seasons and slip into the Fourth Division for the first time in 1986. Fourth Division championship glory came two years later and the following year Wolves were Third Division champions and promoted to the Second Division. During the 1980s, Wolves had moved divisions seven times in eight seasons. They have spent all but one of their 17 subsequent seasons in the league's second tier (Second Division, Division One and now the Championship), having been in the Premiership during the 2003-04 season. However, Wolves won the Football League Championship title in 2009, and are now fighting to avoid relegation in the 2009-10 Premier League.

[edit] In Ghana

Bofoakwa Tano have been promoted or relegated nine times since finishing bottom in 1979. They were promoted back to the top flight in 1982, but were relegated again in 1985. The club reappeared in the top division in 1989-90, by which time the league had switched to winter. They were relegated again in 1990-91, promoted back in 1994-95, relegated in 1996-97, promoted in 1997-98. In 1999 they finished third from bottom, but avoided another relegation by winning a play-off. However, they were relegated again in 2006-07.

[edit] In the Netherlands

Dutch football club FC Volendam are known as the Heen-en-weer club (The to-and-fro club): they won promotion from the Eerste Divisie to the Eredivisie in 1959, were relegated in 1960, were promoted in 1961, were relegated in 1964, were promoted in 1967, were relegated in 1969, were promoted in 1970, were relegated in 1972, were promoted in 1977, were relegated in 1979, were promoted in 1983, were relegated in 1985, were promoted in 1987, were relegated in 1998, were promoted in 2003 and were relegated in 2004. In 2008 FC Volendam promoted once again, only to finish last and be therefore relegated the following year. For the 2009-10 season, the club is playing in the Eerste Divisie.

[edit] In Norway

Norwegian football club SK Brann were relegated from the top division in 1979, promoted in 1980, relegated in 1981, promoted in 1982, relegated in 1983, promoted in 1984, relegated in 1985, promoted in 1986, and finally managed to stay in the highest division in 1987. This is the world record for consecutive relegations-promotions. They have stayed in the top division ever since.[2]

[edit] In Turkey

Karşıyaka SK relegated from first level in 1964, 1967, 1972, 1991, 1994 and 1996. Karşıyaka also played in third level between 1973-1980 and 2001-2003. Also Sakaryaspor has an interesting statistic. They promoted in 1981, relegated in 1986. But they promoted again after 1986/87 season. However they could only stay in first level for 3 seasons and relegated again in 1990. They came back to first level for a single season : 1998/99. They were back again in 1st level in 2004/05, but relegated same season. They won 2005/06 play-offs and promoted to 1st level again, just to relegate after one season. They almost repeated same thing when they reached play-offs in 2007/08 but this time they lost and finally "stayed" in 2nd level for a 2nd season in row. Finally Samsunspor promoted to first level in 1969, 1976, 1982, 1985, 1991 and 1993 and relegated from first level in 1975, 1979, 1983, 1990, 1992 and 2006. Samsunspor plays in Bank Asya First League, who is second level of Turkish League like Karşıyaka and Sakaryaspor.

Adanaspor is one of the most yo-yoed teams. They promoted to first league in 1971, relegated in 1984, promoted again in 1988, relegated again in 1991, promoted in 1998, relegated in 2001 and promoted to first league last in 2002. They suffered from financial difficulties between 2003-2006 and relegated to Third League, who is Fourth level of Turkish League in 2006 after three successive relegations. They also didn't any match at third level in 2005-2006 season. But they recovered to Bank Asya First League in 2008 after two successive promotions.

[edit] In Poland

Club currently named Wisła Płock is in Poland often referred as yo-yo club (wańka-wstańka in Polish). Earlier club had other names from 1992 to 2002 it was changing from Petrochemia, through Petro and Orlen back to Wisła in 2002. First time team was promoted to First league in 1993/1994 season but after next season they were relegated back to second league. They got next promotion after 1996/1997 but they were relegated after year again. Next promotion came to club after shortening their name to Petro and in 1999/2000 they weren't relegated from First league for the first time. In next season they played as Orlen and were relegated again. In 2002 they backed to league and remained there till 2007 when they were relegated and didn't back to first league yet. One year before last relegation they succeeded in Polish Cup competition. In last years no other team was relegated or promoted so many times. And in this promotion/relegation Wisła is found positively because in Poland team after relegation most often goes on straight way to bankruptcy (like Szczakowianka Jaworzno) or to be constantly relegated to lower divisions (like Jeziorak Iława or Raków Częstochowa - in 5 years from first league to fourth league being relegated nearly season by season).

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Yoyo teams worldwide (RSSSF)

[0] How Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Co can help the Premier League Yo Yo Clubs - Sportingo

[leaguepos-1] Statistics - Football365 News

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