English Football Clubs That Went Into Administration [FULL LIST]

Football clubs that are footloose and fancy-free with their finances know that the threat of administration looms large. So it’s up to them to do what they can to balance the books. The goal of administration isn’t to punish the fans but to ensure that glory-coveting owners spend their money wisely.

Taking on debt in football isn’t something new but it comes at a risk and if those debts grow too large then sanctions must be put in place. Administration can feel like the death nail for a club when they enter it but history has shown that this isn’t always the case. Let’s look at what entering administration means for English football clubs.

Why Do Football Clubs Go Into Administration?

Going into administration in footballing terms is when a club is no longer capable of paying off its existing debts. Clubs can choose to enter administration at this stage, where they can be shown to be insolvent by a court. This, in effect, declares a club bankrupt.

In declaring bankruptcy, the club formally recognises its inability to pay off its debts which may force a sale or the club could stop operating completely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6AtSJ5hFXc

What Happens if a Club Goes Into Administration?

A club entering administration must try to pay off its debts. Accountants are placed in positions of power in the club, gaining control of everything except picking the team and coaching players. Football-related debts like player and staff wages and outstanding transfer fees must be paid off first.

Teams entering administration are typically docked points depending on which league they are in. The teams can face point deductions during the season they enter administration or the following season depending on whether they are relegated or not.

If a team is relegated when entering administration the point deductions are dished out the following season, if they stay up they are hit with the deduction. This same-season points deduction may still ultimately relegate a team.

Biggest Clubs to Go Into Administration

Although bigger teams have more income, they are not immune from going into administration. In England, some of the biggest teams to enter administration include Leeds United, Crystal Palace, Portsmouth, Wigan Athletic and Derby County.

Other big name football league teams entering administration include Bournemouth, Southampton, Leicester City and Bolton Wanderers. Outside of England, big teams like Rangers have had off-field financial struggles, while Barcelona faced major problems in 2021 due to La Liga’s financial restrictions.

Football Clubs in Administration [YEAR-BY-YEAR]

Team	Entered Administration	Exited Administration (Date or Date Dissolved)
Bradford City	1983	1983
Charlton Athletic	February 1984	March 1984
Middlesbrough	21 May 1986	July 1986
Tranmere Rovers	1987	1987
Newport County	1989	February 1989
Walsall	1990	−
Northampton Town	1992	−
Kettering Town	1992	−
Aldershot	1992	−
Maidstone United	1992	−
Hartlepool United	1994	−
Barnet	1994	−
Exeter City	1994	−
Gillingham	1995	−
Doncaster Rovers	1997	−
Millwall	21 January 1997	June 1997
Bournemouth	1997	−
Crystal Palace	1998	July 2000
Chester City	October 1998	July 1999
Portsmouth	1998	1999
Hull City	7 February 2001	12 March 2001
Queens Park Rangers	2 April 2001	17 November 2002
Bury	1 March 2002	−
Halifax Town	9 April 2002	March 2003
Bradford City	16 May 2002	1 August 2002
Notts County	June 2002	December 2003
Barnsley	3 October 2002	25 October 2003
Leicester City	21 October 2002	16 November 2004
Port Vale	16 December 2002	2003
York City	18 December 2002	26 March 2003
Derby County	20 October 2003	20 October 2003
Ipswich Town	10 February 2003	30 May 2003
Wimbledon	5 June 2003	21 June 2004 (As MK Dons)
Oldham Athletic	August 2003	26 May 2004
Darlington	23 December 2003	26 May 2004
Bradford City	27 February 2004	10 December 2004
Wrexham	3 December 2004	3 August 2006
Cambridge United	29 April 2005	22 July 2005
Rotherham United	13 May 2006	???
Crawley Town	5 June 2006	10 August 2007
Boston United	25 April 2007	20 May 2008
Leeds United	4 May 2007	11 July 2007
Luton Town	22 November 2007	28 July 2008
Bournemouth	8 February 2008	18 July 2008
Rotherham United	18 March 2008	2008
Halifax Town	26 March 2008	13 June 2008
Darlington	25 February 2009	7 August 2009
Southampton	2 April 2009	8 July 2009
Stockport County	30 April 2009	18 June 2010
Chester City	17 May 2009	10 March 2010
Northwich Victoria	15 May 2009	16 May 2010
Farsley Celtic	30 June 2009	10 March 2010
Salisbury City	3 September 2009	26 February 2010
Weymouth	28 October 2009	27 November 2009
Crystal Palace	26 January 2010	20 August 2010
Portsmouth	26 February 2010	24 October 2010
Plymouth Argyle	4 March 2011	31 October 2011
Rushden and Diamonds	7 July 2011	8 July 2011
Darlington	3 January 2012	21 June 2012
Portsmouth	17 February 2012	19 April 2013
Port Vale	9 March 2012	20 November 2012
Coventry City	21 March 2013	14 June 2013
Aldershot Town	2 May 2013	31 July 2014
Bolton Wanderers	13 May 2019	28 August 2019
Bury	18 July 2019	CVA terminated on 9 March 2020; new CVA sought.
Rhyl	27 April 2020	27 April 2020
Wigan Athletic	1 July 2020	30 March 2021
Bury	27 November 2020	–
Derby County	22 September 2021	–

What Happens if a Football Club Goes into Liquidation?

Liquidation is the next stage after administration and it’s terminal for football clubs. In essence, a team going into liquidation is bankrupt and is expelled from the league it is playing in as it can no longer honour its fixtures.

There have been several examples of English clubs in financial peril that couldn’t claw their way back to solvency. The most recent example is Bury FC after it was expelled from the EFL in 2019. Other examples of liquidated clubs include Chester City FC, Macclesfield Town FC, Aldershot FC and Maidstone United.