A place in the English top flight represents the holy grail for football league sides, bringing a huge boost to the finances and profile of those who succeed. These days, Championship hopefuls must finish in the top two to earn automatic promotion, or battle through the playoffs if they finish between third and sixth. In the pre-WWI era, only the top two sides from the Second Division earned promotion to the First Division – the playoff system didn’t make its debut until 1987.
In those days, the sides finishing between third and sixth simply had to hope for better in the following season. Unless, of course, you were Arsenal, who ascended to the First Division despite only finishing fifth in the second tier. An impressive feat – but how did the Gunners pull it off? The answer lies in an expanded league, a determined chairman, and an unprecedented vote.
1914/15: League Stops for the War
Heading into the 1914/15 season, the English Football League consisted of 40 teams, split evenly into a First Division and a Second Division. Promotion and relegation were straightforward affairs; the bottom two teams from the First Division were relegated, and the top two sides from the Second Division were promoted.
At the end of the 1914/15 season, Arsenal finished fifth in the Second Division, seven points below an automatic promotion spot. Having finished first and second, Preston and Derby were due to go up, swapping places with Chelsea and Tottenham, who filled the bottom two positions in the First Division.
However, Preston and Derby would have to wait to move up in the footballing world. Following the onset of WWI, the Football League was suspended until 1919. For Arsenal, the interval merely extended the wait for another shot at promotion, or did it?
1919/20: League Expanded to 22 Teams
Where it all began 📖
The story behind our 1919 promotion to the First Division 👇
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 13, 2025
Fortunately for Arsenal, the Football League celebrated the return of football in 1919/20 by expanding the First and Second Divisions to 22 teams each. This sparked the question of which sides should take their place in the First Division. In the previous expansions of 1898 and 1905, the top sides from Division Two were promoted as normal, with the sides due to be relegated staying up to increase the numbers. The Football League abandoned that approach in 1919/20.
The promotion of Derby and Preston brought the number of sides up to the required 22. However, having finished 19th and 20th in 1914/15, Chelsea and Tottenham were not automatically allowed to retain their positions. Chelsea maintained their status due to the match-fixing controversy that surrounded their relegation – Manchester United had allegedly avoided the drop by fixing their match with Liverpool. The top 18 sides from 1914/15 plus Derby, Preston, and Chelsea made 21, leaving one spot up for grabs. Surely Tottenham or Barnsley, who had finished third in the 1914/15 Second Division, were the only options?
Promotion Put to the Vote
Rather than simply maintaining Tottenham’s position or promoting Barnsley, the Football League put promotion to the vote at the Annual General Meeting of 1919. Tottenham put their names forward as a candidate and sent a letter to every league club stating their case. However, the Lilywhites faced competition from Barnsley, Wolves, Arsenal, Birmingham, Hull City, and Nottingham Forest, who had finished third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and 18th (!) in the 1914/15 Second Division.
Enter Sir Henry Norris
Arsenal fans often refer to their team as the “Pride of North London.” But when Sir Henry Norris took charge in 1910, they were an ailing club in South East London that had gone into voluntary liquidation.
This is the story of Sir Henry Norris’ rise & fall, by @TeclabYousef. pic.twitter.com/9iu2s1TDuQ
— Breaking The Lines (@BTLvid) September 5, 2023
While Tottenham relied on historical precedent and impassioned letters, Arsenal’s case was presented by club chairman Sir Henry Norris. A Conservative MP and the Mayor of Fulham at the time, the well-connected Norris had saved Arsenal from liquidation in 1910. He argued that Arsenal deserved a place in the top flight as a reward for their longstanding support of the Football League. Whilst it is true that Arsenal were the first southern club to join the Football League, rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers were one of the league’s founding members.
Alternative reports suggested Norris extolled the benefits of having an additional London-based club in the top flight, helping to increase interest from the Fleet Street press and promote the division. This argument doesn’t hold much water, considering Arsenal would take the place of another London-based club in Tottenham Hotspur. Norris was not alone in championing Arsenal. He had a key ally in John McKenna, the Liverpool owner, and Football League chairman, who spoke in favour of Arsenal ahead of the vote.
Arsenal Win in a Landslide
On 10 March 1919, the 40 Football League clubs cast their votes. The result was emphatic:
- Arsenal – 18
- Tottenham Hotspur – 8
- Barnsley – 5
- Wolverhampton Wanderers – 4
- Nottingham Forest – 3
- Birmingham – 2
- Hull City – 1
Contemporary reports differ on the exact distribution of the votes, resulting in the above tally of 41. However, all records agree that Arsenal received 18 votes – 10 clear of their great, no doubt incredibly bitter, rivals, Spurs. The campaigning of Sir Henry Norris paid off. Arsenal were promoted and took their place in the 1919/20 First Division as Tottenham moved down to the Second Division.
Unsurprisingly, the result of the vote didn’t go down too well with Arsenal’s north London rivals. However, Spurs soon bounced back, earning promotion from the Second Division following the 1919/20 campaign.
Why Did Arsenal Win So Easily?
The margin of Arsenal’s victory over Tottenham and Barnsley, in particular, is surprising in hindsight. Whilst possible that voting clubs were won over by Arsenal’s dedication and/or the benefits of being based in the capital, alternative theories hint at insider deals, outright bribery, and threats.
One plausible, but unproven, hypothesis suggests that Norris demanded both Liverpool and Manchester United be relegated for their part in the 1915 match-fixing scandal. Could John McKenna have lent his assistance to the Norris cause in order to avoid this unwanted scenario? We may never know for sure. However, one thing is for certain – having earned their place in the top flight, Arsenal have never looked back.
As for the man behind the push for promotion, Sir Henry Norris resigned in 1929, amidst financial irregularities involving the misuse of expenses and profiting from the sale of the team bus!
Immovable for Over 100 Years
The manner of Arsenal’s promotion may be steeped in controversy, but the Gunners have certainly made the most of it. Since stepping into the First Division in 1919/20, Arsenal have never suffered relegation, with the 2024/25 campaign representing 100 consecutive seasons in the top flight – a record amongst all English clubs.
For Arsenal fans, the events of 1919 are merely a part of their proud history. For Spurs, however, the vote remains a historic injustice – adding fuel to the fire of one of English football’s greatest and longest rivalries.