2010–11 Football League Championship

The 2010–11 Football League Championship (known as the npower Championship for sponsorship reasons) 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 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.

From Championship
Promoted to Premier League:
 * Newcastle United
 * West Bromwich Albion
 * Blackpool

Relegated to League One:
 * Peterborough United
 * Plymouth Argyle
 * Sheffield Wednesday

To Championship
Relegated from Premier League:
 * Burnley
 * Hull City
 * Portsmouth

Promoted from League One:
 * Norwich City
 * Leeds United
 * Millwall

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.

Personnel and sponsoring
1 Middlesbrough's sponsors include: Deepdale Solutions (7 – 30 August), Wiring Services (1–30 September), Ramsdens (1 October – 5 March), Marie Curie Cancer Care (6–8 March)

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.

Scoring

 * First goal of the season: John Eustace for Watford against Norwich City ( 6 August 2010 )
 * Highest scoring game: 10 goals – Leeds United 4–6 Preston North End ( 28 September 2010 )
 * Most goals scored in a game by one team: 6 goals
 * Millwall 1–6 Watford ( 18 September 2010 )
 * Portsmouth 6–1 Leicester City ( 24 September 2010 )
 * Leeds United 4–6 Preston North End ( 28 September 2010 )
 * Doncaster Rovers 0–6 Ipswich Town ( 15 February 2011 )
 * Norwich City 6–0 Scunthorpe United ( 2 April 2011 )
 * Widest winning margin: 6 goals
 * Doncaster Rovers 0–6 Ipswich Town ( 15 February 2011 )
 * Norwich City 6–0 Scunthorpe United ( 2 April 2011 )
 * Fewest games failed to score in: 5 – Norwich City
 * Most games failed to score in: 21 – Scunthorpe United

Discipline

 * Most yellow cards (club): 86 – Leeds United
 * Most yellow cards (player): 12
 * Robbie Savage (Derby County)
 * Most red cards (club): 13 – Sheffield United
 * Most red cards (player): 2
 * Matthew Connolly (Queens Park Rangers)
 * Claude Davis (Crystal Palace)
 * Alan Dunne (Millwall)
 * Marlon King (Coventry City)
 * Shane Lowry (Sheffield United)
 * Dean Moxey (Derby County & Crystal Palace)
 * Ricardo Rocha (Portsmouth)
 * Jamie Ward (Sheffield United & Derby County)
 * Lee Williamson (Sheffield United)
 * Most fouls (club): 554 – Leeds United
 * Most fouls (player): 103 – Grant Holt (Norwich City)

Clean sheets

 * Most clean sheets: 25 – Queens Park Rangers
 * Fewest clean sheets: 4 – Preston North End

Team of the year
{| class="sortable" border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" !class="unsortable" |Position !class="unsortable" width=170px|Name !class="unsortable" |Club
 * GK
 * Paddy Kenny
 * Queens Park Rangers
 * RB
 * Kyle Naughton
 * Leicester City
 * CB
 * Wes Morgan
 * Nottingham Forest
 * CB
 * Ashley Williams
 * Swansea City
 * LB
 * Ian Harte
 * Reading
 * RM
 * Adel Taarabt
 * Queens Park Rangers
 * CM
 * Andy King
 * Leicester City
 * CM
 * Wes Hoolahan
 * Norwich City
 * LM
 * Scott Sinclair
 * Swansea City
 * ST
 * Grant Holt
 * Norwich City
 * ST
 * Danny Graham
 * Watford
 * LM
 * Scott Sinclair
 * Swansea City
 * ST
 * Grant Holt
 * Norwich City
 * ST
 * Danny Graham
 * Watford
 * Danny Graham
 * Watford