Back-to-back promotions in football: list of clubs who have achieved feat to reach the Premier League

Winning promotion is an incredible achievement for any Football League club but adapting and thriving in a new division is a whole new challenge. 

Many newly promoted teams often struggle to make the jump up to a higher level of competition and most almost immediately find themselves in a relegation battle. Sheffield United, Luton and Burnley are all example of this in the Premier League while Carlisle United also face the prospect of relegation back to League Two just 12 months after their play-off triumph.

However, the likes of Ipswich, Wrexham and Stevenage are all notable examples of teams who have successfully made the jump up to a new division and the trio are all vying for the remarkable achievement of back-to-back promotions.

National League champions Chesterfield are tipped to follow a similar storyline next season and the Derbyshire side are already being tipped as potential contenders to win the League Two title in their first season back in the Football League.

But just how common are back-to-back promotions and who was the last side to achieve the feat?

Here we take a look back at some of the most memorable back-to-back promotions from the last 30 years of football.

Who was the last side to achieve back-to-back promotions?

Ipswich and Wrexham head into the final furlong of the season with their eyes firmly set on winning automatic promotion for the second year running. League One newboys Stevenage, spearheaded by the experienced manager Steve Evans will also fancy their chances of sneaking into the play-offs as the veteran looks to repeat an incredible feat in management that he also achieved at Rotherham United a decade ago in 2014.

However, the last club to achieve back-to-back promotions are one of the great underdog stories of the last decade in Premier League newboys Luton Town in 2019.

The Hatters have enjoyed a sensational rise up the football ladder in recent years and were incredibly competing in the National League during the 2013/14 campaign.

Luton won promotion that same season and Nathan Jones guided the club to the third tier of English football in the 2017/18 campaign, with Luton finishing runners-up behind Accrington Stanley.

The Bedfordshire club continued to thrive in the third tier the next season, despite the mid-season departure of Nathan Jones and they lifted the League 1 title the following campaign with an incredible 94 points.

Luton went on to earn a fourth promotion in nine years in last season’s play-offs and they are now hoping to sustain their status in the promised land of the Premier League under manager Rob Edwards.

Which other clubs have achieved back to back promotions?

Achieving promotion is the pinnacle for many clubs outside the Premier League but a number of teams have achieved it in two consecutive seasons.

In total since 1992 there have been 18 instances of teams achieving back to back promotions. 

The most common example of this is teams making the immediate jump from the National League to League 1 and teams making the immediate jump from League 2 to the Championships and there are seven instances of both over the last 30 years.

Rotherham United have the special distinction of being the only club to achieve two separate back to back promotions. They won promotion from League Two to the Championship in 1999-2001 and 2012-2014.

Watford, Norwich and most recently Southampton are the only teams to win promotion from League 1 to the Premier League in back-to-back seasons

Here is a list of all the teams to achieve two consecutive promotions since the Premier League was formed in 1992

National League to League 1

• Wycombe Wanderers: 1992-1994
• Doncaster Rovers: 2002-2004 
• Carlisle: 2004-2006
• Exeter: 2007-2009
•  Stevenage: 2009-2011
• Crawley: 2010-2012  
• Bristol Rovers: 2014-2016

League 2 to Championship

• Bury: 1995-1997
• Brighton: 2000-2002
• Rotherham: 1999-2001
• Peterborough: 2007-2009
• Rotherham: 2012-2014
• Burton Albion: 2014-2016

League 1 to Premier League

• Watford: 1997-1999
• Southampton: 2010-2012
• Norwich: 2009-2011