The Football League

The Football League is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football. It was the top-level football league in England from its foundation in the 19th century until 1992, when the top 22 clubs split away to form the Premier League. The Football League has been associated with a title sponsor since 1983. As this sponsor has changed over the years the league too has been known by various names.

Since 1995 it has had 72 clubs evenly divided into three divisions, which are known as the Championship, League One, and League Two, with 24 clubs in each division. Promotion and relegation between these divisions is a central feature of the League and is further extended to allow the top Championship clubs to exchange places with the lowest-placed clubs in the Premier League, and the bottom clubs of League Two to switch with the top clubs of the National League, thus integrating the League into the English football league system. Although primarily a competition for English clubs, clubs from Wales, Newport County, Cardiff City and Swansea City, also take part, while in the past Wrexham, Merthyr Town and Aberdare Athletic have been members.

Third Division

In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below.

Association football

Football League Third Division

The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. With the formation of the FA Premier League the division become the fourth tier. In 2004 following the formation of the Football League Championship, the division league was renamed Football League Two.

Founder Clubs of the Third Division (1920)

Most of these clubs were drawn from what was then the top division of the 1919–20 Southern Football League, in an expansion of the Football League south of Birmingham. As Cardiff City was long considered a potential entrant for the Second Division due to their FA Cup exploits and Southern League dominance, they were sent directly into the Second Division and Grimsby Town, last place in the Second Division for 1919–20, were relegated.

Leyton Orient F.C.

Leyton Orient Football Club. /ˌleɪtən ˈɔəriənt/ are a professional football club in Leyton, in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, England. They play in Football League Two, the fourth tier in the English football league system, and are known to their fans as the O's.

Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63. In 1978, Orient reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the only time in their history, under the management of Jimmy Bloomfield, but were beaten 3–0 by Arsenal. Between October 1993 and September 1995, Orient did not win a single away game in the league, leaving them bottom of Division Two in 1994–95. They reached the Football League Trophy Southern Area Final in 2012–13, but were beaten 3–2 on aggregate by Southend United, missing out on a chance to go to Wembley.

Leyton Orient's home ground Brisbane Road is officially known as the Matchroom Stadium after former club chairman Barry Hearn's sports promotion company. Hearn became chairman in 1995 after the club was put on sale for £5 by then-chairman Tony Wood whose coffee-growing business in Rwanda had been destroyed in the country's civil war. The period of the club's near-closure was covered by the television documentary Orient: Club for a Fiver (made by Open Media for Channel 4). In June 2014, Hearn sold the club to Italian businessman Francesco Becchetti.

IF Gnistan

IF Gnistan (The Spark) is a Finnish football club from the city of Helsinki founded in 1924. The club is currently playing in the Kakkonen, the third tier of the Finnish league system. IF Gnistan play their home matches at Fair Pay Arena. Clubs home district is Oulunkylä

Background

Gnistan has played six seasons in the Ykkönen (First Division), the second tier of Finnish football in 1995–98 and 2001–02. The club has played twelve seasons in the Kakkonen (Second Division), the third tier of Finnish football in 1990, 1994, 1999–2000 and 2003 to the present day.

In 2002, the club nearly made it to the semifinals of the Finnish Cup, by leading FC Lahti 2–0 till the 90th minute. A FC Lahti fan, ran naked to the field, which caused 5 minutes of added time. Lahti scored twice in injury time and in extra time they made the final score 2–3.

Season to season

Club Structure

Gnistan run a number of teams including 4 men's teams, 3 veteran's teams, 2 ladies teams, 11 boys team and 6 girls teams. The club also runs a Football School for youngsters.