A yo-yo club is a sporting side that is regularly promoted and relegated. The phrase is most typically used in association football in the United Kingdom, especially in reference to promotion to and relegation from the Premier League.
The name is derived from the toy yo-yo which goes up and down a string. In Germany the equivalent term is Fahrstuhlmannschaft; in Greece it is ομάδα ασανσέρ; in Hispanic countries it is equipo ascensor; in Danish elevatorhold; in Russia they often say команда-лифт; in Turkish asansör and in Chinese it is called 升降机; All seven terms literally mean "lift team" or "elevator team". In the Netherlands, the term is heen-en-weer club - "to-and-fro club". In Polish, yo-yo clubs are referred to as wańka-wstańka, which translates to "roly-poly toy". In Romanian, clubs oscillating between the first and second tier are called ABBA, in reference to these leagues' former names, Divizia A and Divizia B.
In England the phrase has been used to describe, among others, Birmingham City, Burnley, Fulham, Hull City, Norwich City, Peterborough United, Queens Park Rangers, Rotherham United, Sunderland, Watford, West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield United and Wigan Athletic.
West Brom were an archetypal yo-yo club throughout the first decade of the 21st century, during which time they were promoted four times and relegated three times. Similarly, Crystal Palace reached the Premier League five times and were relegated the following season on the first four occasions, but have now survived in the top flight since 2013. In recent years, Norwich City and Fulham became "tandem" yo-yo clubs, because in every season between 2018 and 2022, one club was promoted to the Premier League while the other was relegated.
Argentina Quilmes Atlético Club is the club with most promotions and relegations in Argentina, with eleven promotions and twelve relegations.
Brazil Santa Cruz is traditionally a yo-yo club. Playing from 1971 to 1981 on the top flight, since 1982 the club has spent nine seasons in the Brasileirão Série A, 18 seasons in the second division, three in the third division and three in the Brasileirão Série D. Due a severe administrative crisis, the club currently competes at the Campeonato Pernambucano.
Since 2014, Avaí has been promoted to the top flight on even numbered years and relegated to the second division on odd numbered years. Since 2016, Sampaio Corrêa has been relegated to Série C on even numbered years and promoted back to Série B on odd number years.
Since 2005, Coritiba has been relegated to the Brasileirão Série B five times (2005, 2009, 2017, 2020 and 2023), amassing seven relegations from Serie A to Serie B in total, a record high in Brazil.
Other clubs who recently swung between divisions are América Mineiro, Criciúma, Sport Recife, Náutico, Figueirense, Ponte Preta, Bahia, Vitória, Guarani and Vasco. Most of them are from the Northeastern region of Brazil, from Santa Catarina and from smaller cities of São Paulo state.
England
Birmingham City Birmingham City have the joint record with Leicester City of most promotions and relegations to and from the top flight, with 13 of each.
Birmingham's longest period in one division has been 18 years in the First Division, from 1921 to 1939. Their next longest is their stint in the EFL Championship which started in 2011 and ended in 2024.
Elected to Division Two in 1892, Birmingham was promoted to Division One in 1894 and relegated in 1896. Their next promotion came in 1901, and was followed immediately by relegation in 1902 and a third promotion in 1903. This time City lasted five years in the First Division, before relegation in 1908.
The next 70 years (including the breaks for the two world wars) were comparatively stable, with only three relegations and four promotions. After the club's seventh relegation, in 1979, it was promoted at the first attempt. The same happened in 1984 and 1985, but after the ninth relegation, in 1986, they spent 16 years out of the top flight.
During these 16 seasons Birmingham had two separate spells in the Third Division: from 1989 to 1992 (three seasons), and from 1994 to 1995 (one season).
Birmingham were promoted to the Premier League for the first time in 2002. Their first spell in this league lasted four years, however in the four years from 2006 to 2009, they were relegated twice and promoted twice.
In 2011 they were relegated again, and this was the eighth time since 1979 that this had happened to Birmingham. Six of these relegations were between the top two divisions, and two were between the second and third. They remained in the second-tier Championship until 2024, when they got relegated down to League One, and were promptly promoted back to the Championship in 2025.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion have had only, until 2017, one brief spell in the top flight of English football, from 1979 to 1983, but in the 53 years since 1958 they have been relegated nine times and promoted 10 times.
Founder members of the Football League Third Division in 1920, they remained at that level (Third Division South from 1921) for 31 seasons (38 years, including the break for World War II). Since 1958, the longest period they have spent in any one division has been seven years in the Third, from 1965 to 1972.
After winning promotion to the Second Division for the first time in 1958, they suffered consecutive relegations in 1962 and 1963 to reach the Fourth Division for the first time. (The Fourth Division was created in 1958.) Sixteen years later in 1979 they reached the other extreme when they won promotion to the First Division for the first time, but 17 years after that in 1996 they were back in the fourth tier of English football (now known as Football League Two).
In the six years from 2001 to 2006, Brighton experienced three promotions and two relegations, leaving them in the third tier (now known as Football League One), and in 2011 they were promoted to the Championship.
In 2017, Brighton finally achieved promotion back into the top flight for the first time in 34 years, finishing second and gaining automatic promotion. They have remained in the Premier League since, with their sixth place in the 2022-23 season being their highest ever finish and first ever qualification for Europe.
Burnley Since their entry into league football in 1888, Burnley have been promoted thirteen times and relegated fourteen times. Their first relegation was in 1896–97 from Division One to Division Two, but returned the following season, having finished first in the lower division, only to be relegated again, two years later in the year 1900. In 1913, they were promoted once again to the top division, where they remained until 1930, when they were once again relegated. In 1947, they returned to the First Division, and spent several decades there, until they were relegated in 1971, returning two years later in 1973.
In 1976, they returned to Division Two, and in 1980, they were further relegated to Division Three, spending two seasons there before returning to Division Two in 1982, only to be relegated again to Division Three a year later in 1983. In 1985, they finished in 21st place in Division Three and were relegated to Division Four, finishing in their lowest historical league position, 22nd place in 1987. They spent seven seasons in Division Four before being promoted to what became Division Two coinciding with the restructuring of the professional league system with the arrival of the Premier League.
In 1994, they were promoted to the second tier of professional football, Division One, returning the following season. It wasn't until the year 2000 when Burnley returned to Division One which became known as the Championship from the 2004–05 season onwards. They remained there for nine years before being promoted to the Premier League in 2010, remaining just one season before returning to the Championship one year later. Promoted again to the Premier League in 2014, they were relegated in 2015, only to return in 2016, where they remained until suffering a further relegation in 2022. In 2023, they won the Championship in first place, promoted again for the 2023–24 season, only to be relegated once again to the Championship in May 2024. Following their second place finish in the league table, the team returned to the Premier League in April 2025 with automatic promotion, but were relegated straight back down to the Championship in April 2026 after another terrible season which saw the Clarets finish second bottom but with a far worse goal differential than cellar dwellers Wolves.
Cardiff City Grimsby Town Grimsby Town are the most frequent yo-yo club, switching divisions a total of 32 times in their history with 15 promotions and 17 relegations as well as transferring from the Third Division South to the Third Division North in 1921.
Their longest consecutive spell in the same division was 8, immediately after they were founder members of the Second Division, between 1892 and 1901.
Promotion years: 1901, 1911, 1926, 1929, 1934, 1956, 1962, 1972, 1979, 1980, 1990, 1991, 1998, 2016, 2022
Relegation years: 1903, 1910, 1920, 1932, 1948, 1951, 1959, 1964, 1968, 1977, 1987, 1988, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2021
Hull City Hull City have been promoted to the Premier League in 2008, 2013, 2016 and 2026, with relegations to the Championship in 2010, 2015 and 2017.
Leicester City
Leicester City had three separate spells in the Premier League between 1994 and 2004. The second lasted six years (1996 to 2002), but the other two only one year each (1994–95 and 2003–04). After each of the first two relegations they returned to the Premier League after only one season, but after being relegated in 2004, they were out of the top flight for ten seasons, until their promotion in 2014. In 2008, they were relegated to League One (the old Third Division) for the first time, but they were promoted back to the Championship at the first attempt. The team eventually was promoted back to the Premier League in 2013–14, making a total of five promotions and three relegations in 20 years. They remained in the Premier League since their last promotion, including winning the title in 2015–16, the first league trophy victory for Leicester, however they were once again relegated at the conclusion of the 2022–23 season, returning to the Premier League for the 2024–25 season having finished first in the Championship. Their yoyo form resumed when they suffered another relegation to the Championship in April 2025; they suffered a second relegation to League One in April 2026.
Luton Town
Manchester City Founder members of the Football League Second Division in 1892, City gained promotion to the First Division for the first time in 1899. They spent 63 of the following 73 seasons in the First Division (the top tier), despite suffering relegation six times – of their six spells in the Second Division over this period, the longest was three years, from 1963 to 1966. But they were relegated twice in the 1980s, and two years after another relegation in 1996 they dropped into the Third Division (then known as the Second Division) for the first time in their history – their only season at that level, to date, being 1998–99.
City have now been back in the Premier League since 2002 and have won eight Premier League titles (2012, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024) in recent history. Despite their previous reputation as a yo-yo club during the erratic years of the 1980s and 1990s, only five other clubs (Everton, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United) have spent more than the 95 seasons Manchester City have been in the top division of English football.
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough changed divisions 10 times in the 16 years from 1982 to 1998.