Your Five Minutes Spare guide to the week that was in English Football
Right then, football fans – what a week it’s been! From penalty drama in Switzerland to the sound of turnstiles clicking back into action across England’s lower leagues. Grab a cuppa and let’s dive into the top 10 stories that had us all glued to our TVs, phones, tablets, and maybe for some a good old-fashioned newspaper. And yes, that includes some proper lower league gold because let’s face it, that’s where the real stories are.
1. Lionesses Roar: Euro 2025 Champions (Again!)
England 1-1 Spain (3-1 on penalties) – July 27
Well, they only went and did it again, didn’t they? The Lionesses successfully defended their European crown with a nail-biting penalty shootout victory over Spain in Basel. Chloe Kelly stepped up to fire in the decisive spot-kick, beating Spain 3-1 on penalties after a thrilling 1-1 draw.
The match had everything – Spain took the lead through Mariona Caldentey in the 25th minute, but Kelly came off the bench to provide the cross for Alessia Russo’s equalizer in the 57th minute. Extra time? Obviously. Penalties? Naturally. Drama? Absolutely buckets of it.
This makes England the first English team to win a major honour on foreign soil, which is quite the achievement when you think about it. Sarina Wiegman’s side have now won back-to-back European Championships – not bad for a Tuesday, eh?
No so fun fact: Ella Toone revealed her grandmother died on the morning of England’s Euro 2025 final victory. She still played 87 minutes and put in a shift. That’s proper football spirit right there.
2. Government Gets Serious: Football Governance Act Becomes Law
July 21, 2025
The Football Governance Act has received Royal Assent, creating the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) in what’s being called the biggest reform to football governance in a generation.
This isn’t just bureaucratic nonsense – it’s actually rather important. The Act follows cases of clubs facing financial ruin, with fans from Bury, Macclesfield Town, Derby County, Reading and many others suffering the consequences of reckless mismanagement.
The new regulator will work to stop rogue owners and ensure clubs are financially sustainable. From Southend to Blackpool, Portsmouth to Wigan, these reforms have been driven by fans, for fans.
Finally – someone in Westminster who actually gets it. About time too.
3. The EFL Returns: “It’s Back, It’s Back!”
August 1-2, 2025
The EFL season kicked off with League One starting Friday August 1 with Luton vs AFC Wimbledon, while League Two began Saturday August 2 with Barnet vs Fleetwood.
Luton suffered a second successive relegation and will begin life back in the third-tier with a home game against newly-promoted AFC Wimbledon following their League Two play-off final win at Wembley. Talk about a proper English football story – the Hatters have gone from the Premier League to League One in two seasons. That’s quite the journey.
Meanwhile, Barnet ended a seven-year wait to return to the Football League when they hosted Fleetwood, having amassed an impressive 102 points in the National League.
The Championship starts a week later on August 8-10, because apparently they’re too posh to start with everyone else. Fair enough.
4. Transfer Window Madness: Money, Money, Money
Summer 2025
The Premier League transfer window has been particularly busy with moves including Marcus Edwards to Brighton for £8.4m, Kyle Walker joining Burnley from Manchester City for £5m, and James Trafford making a big move to Manchester City for £27m.
The window’s been absolutely mental, as always. Some clubs throwing money around like they’re buying rounds at the pub, others operating on the budget of a Sunday league team buying new corner flags.
The summer 2025 window runs from 16 June to 1 September, so there’s still time for more chaos. And let’s be honest, there’s always time for more chaos in football transfers.
5. New Faces in Old Places: EFL Managerial Merry-Go-Round
July 28, 2025
The EFL has announced all the new faces in the dugout across the EFL for 2025/26, because apparently musical chairs isn’t just for children’s parties.
The lower leagues love a good managerial change, don’t they? It’s like changing your socks – happens regularly, usually when things get a bit too smelly, and everyone hopes the new ones will somehow make everything better.
We won’t name names (mostly because half of them will be gone by Christmas anyway), but there are plenty of fresh faces ready to experience the unique joy of managing in England’s second, third, and fourth tiers. Good luck, lads – you’ll need it.
6. Pre-Season: The Art of Losing Friendlies
Throughout the week
Premier League clubs wrapped up their pre-season campaigns with notable results including Arsenal 0-1 Tottenham on July 31, Brighton 2-2 Southampton on August 2, and Manchester United beating Bournemouth 4-1 on July 31.
The Premier League Summer Series in the United States saw Manchester United, Everton, West Ham and Bournemouth face each other, with matches taking place in New Jersey, Chicago and Atlanta.
Pre-season friendlies: where teams spend thousands flying around the world to discover what they already knew – that they need new players and the ones they have still can’t pass to each other properly. Still, at least the fans get nice holidays out of it.
7. Farewell to Football Legends
Throughout July 2025
The football world lost several notable figures including Diogo Jota (28), Gordon Jago MBE (92), Joey Jones (70), Willie Irvine (82), and Wayne Hennessey (38).
Football has a funny way of reminding us it’s more than just a game. These legends contributed to the rich tapestry of English football, from grassroots to the highest levels. Alan Finney passed away at 91, having played for Sheffield Wednesday and Doncaster Rovers – proper football men from a different era.
Rest in peace to all who’ve left us. Their contributions to the beautiful game won’t be forgotten.
8. Notts County’s Bold Experiment: Football by Committee
Lower League Special
Notts County have implemented a unique approach where head coach Stuart Maynard will work with a “football committee” that will discuss football strategy, team and player performance, and tactical approach.
The group will meet pre-match to share views on tactical approach and team selection, with Paterson having ultimate decision-making responsibility, although he will have to explain in-game decisions at post-match meetings.
Management by committee? In football? This is either revolutionary thinking or a recipe for disaster. Probably both. Still, you’ve got to admire Notts County for trying something different. It’s certainly more interesting than hoofing it up to the big lad up front.
9. The Bees Are Back: Barnet’s Return to the EFL
August 2, 2025
Barnet stormed to the National League title last season with 102 points and have kept hold of key players, with chairman Tony Kleanthous saying “This is the first step in our plan to conquer League Two”.
Since automatic promotion from the National League to the EFL was introduced in 1986, no club has ever been relegated in their first League Two season – so the omens are good for the Bees.
After seven years in the wilderness of non-league football, Barnet are back where they belong. Their fans have waited patiently, and now they get to experience the unique joy of Tuesday night trips to Grimsby again. Living the dream!
10. Sky Sports Goes EFL Mad: 1,000+ Games on TV
The week’s broadcasting bonanza
Sky Sports will broadcast over 1,000 of the EFL’s 1,891 games across the EFL, Carabao Cup and Vertu Trophy this season, with every one of the 72 EFL clubs to be featured live on Sky more than 20 times in the 2025/26 season.
Finally! Someone’s realized that League Two on a Tuesday night is actually peak football entertainment. This year, League One and League Two started a week earlier than the Championship on the weekend of August 1-3, with the Championship kicking off from August 8-10.
Where else can you watch a goalkeeper take a throw-in, see a manager get sent off for arguing about a corner flag, and witness a pitch invasion because someone’s scored their first goal in 18 months? The EFL – that’s where.
The Week That Was
So there you have it – another week in the wonderful, chaotic, brilliant world of English football. From European glory to fourth-tier drama, from government intervention to pre-season nonsense, it’s been quite the seven days.
The Lionesses reminded us why they’re the best team in Europe (again), the government finally did something useful for football, and the EFL returned to save us all from the horrors of summer without proper football.
The Premier League 2025/26 season starts on August 16, so we’re almost back to proper football. Until then, we’ll have to make do with transfer rumours, pre-season panic, and the gentle hum of optimism that this might just be our year.
It won’t be, of course. But that’s football for you – hope springs eternal, even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Next week: The Championship returns, Manchester United will probably sign someone expensive they don’t need, and at least three managers will be “under pressure” despite the season being roughly five minutes old.
Five Minutes Spare Rating: ⭐⭐ (Two thumbs up for another brilliant week in English football – wouldn’t change a thing!)
