It’s a long time now since the bottom tier of the Football League in England was regionalised into a third division north and south, although the idea is being considered in Scotland. Only one team got out of each division per season which meant that teams were condemned to play each other for decades. But it was thought that it cut down on travelling times and costs at a time before the motorway network was built and teams often travelled by train.
It’s a long time now since the bottom tier of the Football League in England was regionalised into a third division north and south, although the idea is being considered in Scotland. Only one team got out of each division per season which meant that teams were condemned to play each other for decades. But it was thought that it cut down on travelling times and costs at a time before the motorway network was built and teams often travelled by train.
According to data collected by The Football League Paper, Carlisle United can expect to travel 15,000 miles a year to away matches, the equivalent of going to Tokyo and back. The shortest aggregate mileages are clocked up by Midlands clubs with Burton Albion at less than a third of the Carlisle total at 4,475 miles and Nottingham Forest at 5,006 miles.
The costs are not trivial for Carlisle, amounting to approaching £100,000 a year or the cost of a player or two. Hotel bills can amount to £30,000 to £50,000 a year. Walsall is about as far as they reckon they can go in a day and back. The drive is about 3 hrs. 15 mins., but it only needs one jack-knifed lorry on the motorway to throw their plans into chaos,
Needless to say, Carlisle were not pleased to get Torquay away in the FA Cup, a 733-mile round trip. The longest distance between any two league clubs is that between the green army of Plymouth Argyle and Newcastle United (409 miles). The longest current trip is between Hartlepool and Plymouth (395 miles).
The shortest trip in British football is between Dundee and Dundee United which involves crossing the road. The shortest distance in England between any two clubs is the 0.8 miles between Notts Forest and Notts County.