What if the Premier League was Set-Up Like County Cricket?

In cricket, your identity is your county. The County Championship divides England into historic borders and lets geography decide allegiance. Football doesn’t work like that. It’s tribal, yes. However, it’s tribal by club. Manchester City aren’t “Greater Manchester”. Arsenal aren’t “London”. Sunderland and Newcastle don’t shake hands under a neat North East banner.

So what happens if we force football into cricket’s framework? What if the entire country was divided up into counties, just like the County Championship, and every professional footballer had to represent the county their club sits in?

Starting at the very bottom, here is the definitive ranking of English football counties. From weakest to strongest.

41. Rutland

Rutland is England’s smallest historic county and in football terms, that hurts. There just isn’t a serious professional player pool to pull from. In a county league setup, they’d be outmatched straight away. Then again, with a population of 41,049, that’s hardly surprising.

40. Isle of Wight

Lovely place. Not exactly a footballing powerhouse. The island simply doesn’t have the professional infrastructure to compete at this level. In a county competition, it would be about salvaging a bit of pride rather than putting points on the board.

39. Herefordshire

Hereford F.C. are the foundation, but you can see the limits straight away. The squad depth would be thin, the experience even thinner, and across 38 games it would unravel pretty quickly. Hereford need their own version of Ryan Reynolds as soon as possible.

38. Worcestershire 

Kidderminster Harriers would do most of the heavy lifting here. They’re well-organised and awkward to play against. But they’re still non-league, and over the course of a season that gap in quality would show.

37. Surrey

On paper, Surrey feels like it should be higher. Big population, affluent areas, close to London. But if we’re sticking strictly to club pools, it’s Woking carrying the flag. That won’t cut it in this company.

36. Cornwall

Truro City would form the spine of this side. There’d be plenty of fight and identity, but once you look beyond that core, it’s thin. Heart? Yes. Top-end quality? Not really.

35. Somerset

There are clubs, Yeovil, Taunton and Bath, but most of them sit in the non-league system. You could assemble a team. You just wouldn’t assemble one capable of pushing very far.

34. Cumbria

Carlisle and Barrow give Cumbria something solid to build on. Tough, competitive, used to grafting. The problem is what happens when they come up against counties stacked with Championship players.

33. Cheshire

Crewe bring technical ability and a strong academy reputation. That helps. What it doesn’t provide is a Premier League presence. Against counties full of top-flight and Championship regulars, that absence matters.

32. Wiltshire

Swindon Town are the backbone. There’s organisation and a bit of structure, but not enough match-winners to trouble stronger counties consistently.

31. Shropshire

Shrewsbury offer discipline and reliability. This is a side that would scrap for results. It’s just not one that would ever look like dominating.

30. Gloucestershire

Cheltenham and Forest Green together give you a tidy lower-league outfit. They’d stay in games through organisation alone. Eventually, though, the lack of cutting edge would catch up with them.

29. Kent

Built around Gillingham. Competitive, honest, but there’s a ceiling you can’t ignore.

28. Essex

Colchester and Southend mean you’re not short on professionals. What you are short on is star quality.

27. Northamptonshire

Northampton Town anchor a decent side. But like many in this range, there isn’t much elite-level output to elevate them beyond solid.

26. Berkshire

 Reading could drag this team into mid-table respectability. Beyond that first XI, it starts to thin out. Over a long season, you’d feel it.

25. Bedfordshire

Luton Town give you a proper base. Strong goalkeeper, physical defenders, direct threat going forward. After those first names on the team sheet, though, the level drops quickly. And Luton haven’t exactly set the world on fire this year.

24. Lincolnshire

Lincoln, Grimsby and Scunthorpe provide depth. You won’t find many stars, but there’s a dependable, professional core.

23. Cambridgeshire

Cambridge and Peterborough together make this one interesting. There’s pace and athleticism in there. Still, once they run into counties built around Premier League squads, it’s a tough ask.

22. Buckinghamshire

Wycombe and MK Dons give the team shape and a decent squad size. They’d frustrate better sides and pinch a few results. Sustaining a top-half charge feels unlikely.

21. Devon

Plymouth and Exeter combined would produce a strong League One-calibre side. Competitive most weeks, but lacking that extra gear.

20. Oxfordshire

Oxford United provide a solid bottom half Championship-level platform. The issue is what happens beyond the starting XI, the bench wouldn’t carry much weight.

19. Derbyshire

Derby and Chesterfield give you intensity and organisation. Plenty of EFL experience. What they don’t have is a true game-breaker.

18. Norfolk

Norwich City shape the identity here. Technically sound, well-structured, but short on genuine star names.

17. Staffordshire

Stoke would define this side. Physical and stubborn. They’d be awkward to play against. Watching them every week? That’s another matter.

16. Bristol 

Bristol City bring the quality, Bristol Rovers add numbers. There’s enough here to compete respectably.

15. Hertfordshire

Watford give you a high-quality spine. Add Stevenage for depth and you’ve got a dangerous mid-table outfit capable of upsetting stronger counties.

14. Leicestershire

Leicester’s title win and European campaigns still count for something. That pedigree keeps them high in the rankings. Recent issues, though, stop them climbing any further.

13. Suffolk

Ipswich’s upward trajectory gives this county real bite. They’d surprise a few bigger names over the course of a season.

12. Warwickshire

Coventry lift this county a long way on their own, especially given their form under Frank Lampard this season. A well-drilled Championship side can cause serious problems when everything clicks.

11. Hampshire

Southampton and Portsmouth together create one of the more balanced counties in the country. Southampton’s recent struggles mean they’re not quite at top-flight level right now, but there’s plenty to work with.

10. Dorset

Bournemouth supply a genuine Premier League-quality starting XI. That alone drags Dorset comfortably into the top third.

9. Nottinghamshire

Nottingham Forest’s Premier League stability makes them a genuine contender. Depth is the concern. It’s strong, but not vast.

8. Sussex

It’s essentially Brighton. And if we’re honest, that’s enough. Smart recruitment, technical players, tactical flexibility, they’d punch above their weight.

7. Lancashire

Blackburn, Preston, Burnley and Blackpool combine for a deep, durable squad. Not packed with superstars, but solid, relentless and hard to wear down.

6. West Midlands

They’d be right in the mix with Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear. Aston Villa’s progress, Wolves’ quality in key areas and depth from the Championship clubs underneath make this a county capable of going for the title.

5. Yorkshire

Leeds, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Hull… the depth is frightening. Only London can really match the numbers. The very top-end quality just falls slightly short of the elite counties above.

4. Tyne and Wear

Newcastle’s rebuild has transformed this county. Add Sunderland’s depth and the improvements they’ve made this year and you’ve got a serious force. Strong spine, physical edge, European-level quality.

3. Merseyside

Liverpool brings genuine world-class talent across the pitch. Everton add steel and squad options. This is absolutely a title challenger.

2. Greater Manchester

Manchester City and Manchester United. Champions League experience, Ballon d’Or-level players, quality everywhere you look. In most scenarios, that wins you the league. The only reason it doesn’t here? London’s sheer depth.

1. Greater London

Arsenal. Chelsea. Spurs. West Ham. Crystal Palace. Fulham. Brentford. The concentration of Premier League footballers is ridiculous. You could assemble two separate XIs capable of challenging for the title. If football followed county cricket’s model, Greater London would be lifting the trophy more often than not.

 

Conclusion 

Once again, London is the centre of England and rises above the rest. It was inevitable they’d come top – but their title race with Greater Manchester would be legendary. Are you surprised by any of my picks? What position would you have every county in? Let me know in the comment section! I doubt we’ll ever see this system make an appearance in England. But one thing is for sure, there would be tons of drama and storylines if we did. Just spare a thought for the poor inhabitants of Rutland if we do. 

 

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