Ipswich Town are heading back to the Championship for the first time in five seasons. Mark Heath takes a look at what they can expect...

Teams

Town have got used to playing the likes of Fleetwood and Accrington Stanley in recent seasons, but will be back in more familiar company in the second tier.

Old rivals Norwich City and the return of the East Anglian derby head that list, of course, but there are still a few slots to be decided in the make-up of the 2023/24 Championship.

We know that promoted Burnley and Sheffield United, plus relegated Reading, Blackpool and Wigan Athletic won't be there.

East Anglian Daily Times: Ipswich Town will face David Wagner's Norwich City in the Championship next seasonIpswich Town will face David Wagner's Norwich City in the Championship next season (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

But Southampton, relegated from the Premier League, will be. They'll be joined by two from Everton, recent champions Leicester City and Leeds United.

Sunderland and Middlesbrough, the losing Championship play-off semi-finalists, will also be there, with either Luton Town or Coventry City escaping upwards in the play-off final on Saturday, May 27.

Two days later, the final member of the Championship class of 2023/24 will be decided, as Sheffield Wednesday meet Barnsley in the League One play-off final.

East Anglian Daily Times: Leif Davis was a big money move for Town in League OneLeif Davis was a big money move for Town in League One (Image: Ross Halls)

Bigger budgets

Town were one of League One's big spenders, splashing out north of £1m on the likes of Leif Davis, Nathan Broadhead and Harry Clarke this term.

But they'll be moving into much deeper financial waters next season, as clubs battle to reach the Premier League land of milk and honey.

According to the BBC, the average Championship wage bill is £32m - that's roughly double Town's most recent reported spend of £16.43m in the 2021/22 campaign.

Plymouth, who won League One ahead of Town, are already bracing themselves to have the lowest budget in the Championship next season, having spent just £6m on salaries in their most recent accounts.

Boss Steven Schumacher said: "The challenge is can you overperform your budget?

"That's always the brief - can you punch above your weight for a couple of places, and if we can do that and manage to do well and survive in the Championship then everyone would obviously see that as a progression.

"I understand where we're at and what we're going into the division with."

East Anglian Daily Times: Steven Schumacher's Plymouth Argyle are expecting to have the lowest budget in the Championship next seasonSteven Schumacher's Plymouth Argyle are expecting to have the lowest budget in the Championship next season

Financial Fair Play

With bigger budgets and more cash being splashed comes new financial rules.

Town had to adhere to the Salary Cost Management Protocol (SCMP) in League One, which determined that clubs could only spend 60% of their turnover on wages.

That is replaced by Financial Fair Play in the Championship, which dictates that clubs can make a maximum loss of £39m over three seasons.

For reference, in their most recent accounts, Town reported a £12.6m loss.

East Anglian Daily Times: Referees are backed by goal-line technology in the ChampionshipReferees are backed by goal-line technology in the Championship

Goal-line technology

Don't panic - while the much-maligned VAR (Video Assistant Referee) will be used in all of the upcoming play-off finals, it is not in use in the Championship.

There will be some tech updates though, with goal-line technology in place to detemine if a ball has crossed the line.

The Hawk-Eye system uses a series of cameras placed around the ground, and sends a message to the match officials when a ball has crossed the line.

It's not perfect though - last season Huddersfield Town were denied a perfectly good equaliser in their 1-0 defeat at Blackpool.

The EFL were forced to apologise for a 'technology failure' which meant "the ball was no longer being tracked following it entering the Blackpool goal area."

They added: "Technology is there to support the decision-making processes of match officials in the Championship and it failing in such a manner on Sunday is a matter of great concern."

East Anglian Daily Times: Kieran McKenna will be able to name a bigger squad in the ChampionshipKieran McKenna will be able to name a bigger squad in the Championship (Image: Steve Waller)

Bigger squads

In League One, Town were limited to naming a 22-man squad, although that figure did not include goalkeepers or players under the age of 21 at the start of the calendar year.

Championship clubs can name a 25-man squad, of which at least eight must be 'home grown' - essentially a product of a British club.

Again, under 21s do not count towards the squad total.

East Anglian Daily Times: Greg Leigh is one of Town's international playersGreg Leigh is one of Town's international players (Image: Steve Waller)

International breaks

While Town were no strangers to international breaks during their time in League One - most notably moving their clash at Barnsley last month as a result of a ghost call-up for Greg Leigh - they weren't compulsory.

That changes in the Championship, where all games are paused for international action.

The interational breaks for the 2023/24 season are September 4-12, October 9-17, November 13-21 and March 18-26, 2024.