Bromley have been promoted to League One for the first time in their history, with two games of the League Two season remaining.
The Ravens had a bumpy week, losing to MK Dons and drawing with Cambridge, but Notts County’s defeat to Barnet ensured Bromley can no longer be caught in the automatic promotion places. Founded in 1892, the club took 132 years to reach the Football League and, in only their second EFL season, have now reached the third tier.
Manager Andy Woodman, in charge since 2021, has driven the club’s rapid progress. Bromley sit seven points clear of fourth‑placed Salford after Saturday’s results and finish the campaign with fixtures against Salford and Walsall.
Sky Sports’ EFL Editor Simeon Gholam said: “It took Bromley 132 years to reach the Football League. It has taken just two for them to get from League Two to League One. A small community club tucked away in the corner of south‑east London, it seemed unthinkable when they won the National League play‑off final in 2024 to reach the EFL. This is not a club that has had money pumped into it. It is success achieved with graft, togetherness and endeavour.
“Andy Woodman, in charge since 2021, has been the driving force at the helm. He never let them rest on their laurels when they reached League Two, insisting the only way was up. Last season they threatened the play‑offs before falling away towards the end; this season they have stormed the division. After a slowish start, they hit the top at the end of December and have held that spot throughout the entirety of this calendar year.
“Hayes Lane, their home since 1938, holds just over 6,000 fans — fewer than 2,000 seated. They have had to modify and update the ground as they’ve grown and tore out their old artificial pitch just two summers ago when they reached the EFL. It will next host League One football and sides that have played in the Premier League and, for some, even in Europe in the 21st century. The rise has been remarkable.”
On the Sky Sports Essential EFL podcast, Dave Edwards added: “It is one of the most wonderful community football clubs I’ve visited. It’s very unique, especially in the EFL, to have a place like that. They’ve got the social club in the corner where all the fans are before the game, then they come back out, and there’s all the ‘Player of the Match’ stuff in there at the end.
“Andy Woodman has created something very special there and they’ve got the whole fanbase really engaged with it. I’m really happy for him. He’s come from a goalkeeping coach background, got this opportunity, grabbed it with both hands and excelled at this football club.
“Identity is so important for them. They are unapologetic in the way they play. A lot of people who watch them for the first time will think they’re a long‑ball team, but they’re not. I would say they are a long‑passing team. They play percentage football but they’re all on the same page. The amount of times they get down the sides, whether that’s a striker or the wingers getting in and putting crosses into the box, it’s so simple but so effective. It is a real Cinderella story.”