Sunderland will compete for “The Championship” next season after the Football League today gave itself a face-lift.
The First Division will have a fresh title and Divisions Two and Three will be renamed “League One” and “League Two” in the new-look format.
The world’s oldest league formalised the beginning of their “re-branding” process at their summer meeting in Chester today.
It follows February’s announcement that Coca-Cola will be the Football League’s sponsor for the next three seasons, taking over from the Nationwide Building Society. It will be known as The Coca-Cola Football League.
League chairman Sir Brian Mawhinney said: “The Championship is a term steeped in the history of the League.
“Reclaiming it for our leading clubs will place a new enhanced emphasis on its status at the pinnacle of our competition.”
Mawhinney added: “Not only is it a gateway to the Premiership, it is one of Europe’s leading league competitions, in terms of the standard of football being played, the high quality of stadia and the numbers of supporters attending.”
