On 17 April 1888, twelve of the best clubs set up the Football League . Each club would play every other club twice, once at home, once away. A draw would be worth 1 point, a win 2 points. The club with the most points would be League Champions and would win a trophy. In the event of two clubs having the same number of points, goal average would decide position.
Goal average is calculated by dividing the number of goals scored by the number of goals conceded.
The twelve founder members of the League are all from either the Midlands or the North West. None are from southern England or London. Of these twelve, most would go on to dominate the English game. Accrington Stanley are the exception. They went out of business in 1962 after spending most of the 20th Century struggling.