EFL meaning in Sports ?

The English Football League (EFL) (legal name: The Football League Limited) is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in world football. It was the top-level football league in England from its foundation until 1992, when the top 22 clubs split away to form the Premier League.

The three leagues below the Premier League are known as the Championship, League One and League Two, normally with 24 clubs in each division (72 in total; in the 2019–20 season, League One was reduced to 23 following the expulsion of Bury). Promotion and relegation between these divisions are central features of the League; furthermore the top Championship clubs exchange places with the lowest-placed clubs in the Premier League, and the bottom clubs of League Two 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 – currently Cardiff City, Swansea City and Newport County – also take part, while in the past Wrexham, Merthyr Town and Aberdare Athletic have been members.

The Football League has been associated with a title sponsor from the 1983-1984 season onwards. As this sponsor changed over the years the league too has been known by various names. Starting with the 2016–17 season, the league re-branded itself as the English Football League (EFL), in much the same way the Premier League is known as the "EPL" internationally.

The English Football League is also the name of the governing body of the league competition, and this body also organises two knock-out cup competitions, the EFL Cup and the EFL Trophy. The operations centre of the Football League is in Preston, while its commercial office is in London. The commercial office was formerly based in Lytham St Annes, after its original spell in Preston.