2010–11 Football League Championship
The 2010–11 Football League Championship was the seventh season of the league under its current name and nineteenth season under its current league division format. It started on 6 August 2010 and concluded on 7 May 2011, with the resultant [Football League Football League Championship|Championship play-offs|play-offs] concluding with the final on 30 May.
Queens Park Rangers secured the Championship title on 30 April 2011, ending their 15-year hiatus from the Premier League, while Norwich City secured the second automatic promotion spot two days later, ending a six-year absence from the top flight. Swansea City won the play-off final to take the final promotion place.
Preston North End, Scunthorpe United and Sheffield United were relegated to League One.
Changes from last season
Team changes
From Championship
Promoted to Premier League:Relegated to League One:
To Championship
Relegated from Premier League:Promoted from League One:
Rule changes
Off-field rules
- New financial reporting rules see transfer embargoes imposed on those clubs which fail to lodge their accounts with the Football League, at the same time they are required by Companies House.
- The Football League's fit and proper person test was renamed the Director's Test to ensure continuity with other football bodies.
Sponsorship changes
After Coca-Cola's sponsorship contract expired and was not renewed, Npower signed a three-year contract to become the Football League's official partner. The Coca-Cola Player of the Month and Coca-Cola Manager of the Month awards are therefore now known as the Npower Player of the Month and the Npower Manager of the Month award respectively.Team overview
Stadia and locations
Personnel and sponsoring
1Middlesbrough's sponsors include: Deepdale Solutions, Wiring Services, Ramsdens, Marie Curie Cancer CareLeague table
Play-offs
Semi-finals
Swansea City won 3 – 1 on aggregate.''Reading won 3 – 0 on aggregate.''
Results
The fixtures for the Championship were released on 17 June 2010. The season kick-off was announced for 6 August 2010 and it concluded on 7 May 2011.Season statistics
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Chris Iwelumo | Burnley | Preston North End | 11 September 2010 | |
| James Vaughan | Crystal Palace | Portsmouth | 14 September 2010 | |
| James Coppinger | Doncaster Rovers | Norwich City | 14 September 2010 | |
| Jon Parkin | Preston North End | Leeds United | 28 September 2010 | |
| Jonny Howson | Leeds United | Scunthorpe United | 30 October 2010 | |
| Luciano Becchio | Leeds United | Bristol City | 13 November 2010 | |
| Grant Holt | Norwich City | Ipswich Town | 28 November 2010 | |
| Wes Hoolahan | Norwich City | Sheffield United | 28 December 2010 | |
| Jason Puncheon | Millwall | Crystal Palace | 1 January 2011 | |
| Matty Fryatt | Hull City | Scunthorpe United | 5 February 2011 | |
| Connor Wickham | Ipswich Town | Doncaster Rovers | 15 February 2011 | |
| Yakubu | Leicester City | Middlesbrough | 2 April 2011 | |
| Grant Holt | Norwich City | Scunthorpe United | 2 April 2011 | |
| Simeon Jackson | Norwich City | Scunthorpe United | 2 April 2011 | |
| Scott McDonald | Middlesbrough | Hull City | 23 April 2011 | |
| Simeon Jackson | Norwich City | Derby County | 25 April 2011 |
Scoring
- First goal of the season: John Eustace for Watford against Norwich City
- Highest scoring game: 10 goals – Leeds United 4–6 Preston North End
- Most goals scored in a game by one team: 6 goals
- * Millwall 1–6 Watford
- * Portsmouth 6–1 Leicester City
- * Leeds United 4–6 Preston North End
- * Doncaster Rovers 0–6 Ipswich Town
- * Norwich City 6–0 Scunthorpe United
- Widest winning margin: 6 goals
- * Doncaster Rovers 0–6 Ipswich Town
- * Norwich City 6–0 Scunthorpe United
- Fewest games failed to score in: 5 – Norwich City
- Most games failed to score in: 21 – Scunthorpe United
Discipline
- Most yellow cards : 86 – Leeds United
- Most yellow cards : 12
- * Robbie Savage
- Most red cards : 13 – Sheffield United
- Most red cards : 2
- * Matthew Connolly
- * Claude Davis
- * Alan Dunne
- * Marlon King
- * Shane Lowry
- * Dean Moxey
- * Ricardo Rocha
- * Jamie Ward
- * Lee Williamson
- Most fouls : 554 – Leeds United
- Most fouls : 103 – Grant Holt
Clean sheets
- Most clean sheets: 25 – Queens Park Rangers
- Fewest clean sheets: 4 – Preston North End
Attendances
Source:| No. | Club | Average | Change | Highest | Lowest |
| 1 | Leeds United | 27,299 | 10.0% | 33,622 | 20,747 |
| 2 | Derby County | 26,023 | -11.0% | 33,010 | 23,159 |
| 3 | Norwich City | 25,386 | 2.9% | 26,532 | 23,852 |
| 4 | Leicester City | 23,666 | -1.2% | 30,919 | 19,611 |
| 5 | Nottingham Forest | 23,275 | -2.3% | 29,490 | 19,411 |
| 6 | Cardiff City | 23,194 | 12.0% | 26,058 | 20,573 |
| 7 | Hull City | 21,169 | -13.2% | 24,110 | 19,714 |
| 8 | Sheffield United | 20,632 | -17.9% | 23,728 | 17,496 |
| 9 | Ipswich Town | 19,615 | -5.9% | 29,258 | 16,728 |
| 10 | Reading | 17,682 | 1.6% | 23,677 | 14,029 |
| 11 | Coventry City | 16,310 | -5.8% | 28,184 | 12,292 |
| 12 | Middlesbrough | 16,269 | -18.4% | 23,550 | 13,712 |
| 13 | Portsmouth | 15,707 | -13.9% | 20,040 | 13,132 |
| 14 | Queens Park Rangers | 15,635 | 17.1% | 18,234 | 12,046 |
| 15 | Swansea City | 15,507 | 0.6% | 19,309 | 12,411 |
| 16 | Crystal Palace | 15,351 | 3.9% | 20,142 | 12,353 |
| 17 | Burnley | 14,931 | -27.7% | 20,453 | 13,655 |
| 18 | Bristol City | 14,605 | 0.0% | 18,308 | 13,376 |
| 19 | Watford | 13,152 | -8.3% | 15,538 | 10,620 |
| 20 | Millwall | 12,439 | 14.8% | 16,724 | 8,937 |
| 21 | Barnsley | 11,856 | -8.6% | 20,309 | 10,250 |
| 22 | Preston North End | 11,768 | -9.0% | 18,417 | 8,994 |
| 23 | Doncaster Rovers | 10,258 | -6.7% | 14,312 | 7,921 |
| 24 | Scunthorpe United | 5,548 | -14.2% | 8,122 | 4,190 |