Yo-yo club

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A yo-yo club is a sporting side that is regularly promoted and relegated.^[1] 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 FC, 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 have become "tandem" yo-yo clubs; in every season between 2018 and 2022, one of each club has been promoted to the Premier League while the other has been relegated (Watford has also been involved from 2020–2022).^[2][3]