Size
The First Division initially consisted of 12 founder clubs; since then it has undergone a series of expansions as football became more popular and the number of quality teams increased. There were also a series of contractions in the late 1980s, although they were soon reversed, as follows:
| No. of teams | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | 1888 | 1891 |
| 14 | 1891 | 1892 |
| 16 | 1892 | 1898 |
| 18 | 1898 | 1905 |
| 20 | 1905 | 1915 |
| 22 | 1919 | 1987 |
| 21 | 1987 | 1988 |
| 20 | 1988 | 1991 |
| 22 | 1991 | 1992 |
| 24† | 1992 |
† as the second tier of professional football in England from 1992
Read more about this topic: Football League First Division
Famous quotes containing the word size:
“Learn to shrink yourself to the size of the company you are in. Take their tone, whatever it may be, and excell in it if you can; but never pretend to give the tone. A free conversation will no more bear a dictator than a free government will.”
—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield (1694–1773)
“Men of genius are not quick judges of character. Deep thinking and high imagining blunt that trivial instinct by which you and I size people up.”
—Max Beerbohm (1872–1956)
“Great causes are never tried on their merits; but the cause is reduced to particulars to suit the size of the partizans, and the contention is ever hottest on minor matters.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)