An athletic conference is a collection of sports teams which play competitively against each other in a sports league. In many cases conferences are subdivided into smaller divisions , with the best teams competing at successively higher levels. Conferences often, but not always, include teams from a common geographic region.
42-637: The Pennsylvania Collegiate Athletic Association ( PCAA ) was an athletic conference established in 1972 in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a partnership between the Eastern Pennsylvania Athletic Association (EPCC) and Western Pennsylvania Athletic Association (WPCC). The conference was established for two-year institutions. The Association ceased to exist in June 2012. Both the EPCC and
84-760: A season , a conference refers to a single tournament. This has since been carried over by other leagues, such as the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), which has its own conferences , the Philippine Super Liga , the Premier Volleyball League , the PBA D-League , and formerly the Philippine Basketball League . The term "conference" referring to a single tournament does not apply if there's only one tournament in
126-505: A shoot-out . In 2002, a similar format was used except that draws were allowed and the team earning the most points advanced. From 2003 through 2011, the Finals were a single match. Matches tied after regulation moved to extra time ( Golden goal extra time was implemented for 2003 only), then a shoot-out if necessary. Beginning in 2012, the finals were a two-match aggregate series . The away goals rule for series that finished even on aggregate
168-516: A conference system. From 2011 through to 2015, the competition had one conference based in each of its three founding countries . The winner of each conference received a playoff spot, as did the three next best teams overall. With the addition of Argentina's Jaguares and Japan's Sunwolves for 2016, plus a sixth franchise for South Africa, the competition reorganised into a new four-conference system. In 2016 and 2017, Australia and New Zealand formed separate conferences within an Australasian group;
210-584: A group of teams (generally eight to twelve colleges and/or universities, occasionally as high as sixteen) that regularly play against each other within a national governing body, the most significant of which is the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Most of these groups (including the "Power Five" conferences that are primary partners in the College Football Playoff ) refer to themselves as conferences, although
252-484: A lesser extent their own conference; NBA and NHL teams play at least two games (one at each home arena ) against every other team in their league in a regular season, MLB teams play at least one 3-game series against every other team (as of the 2023 season ), but the NFL teams do not. In college sports , the terms "league," "conference" and (generally at lower levels) "athletic association" can be used interchangeably to refer to
294-422: A non-geographic conference system in 2019 and 2020 . The league was divided into two conferences, based on ladder position in the previous season. Not every team could play each other due to the limited number of rounds, so conferences were introduced so that teams were only measured against the teams they played. The system was controversial because it allowed some weak teams to make finals, and strong teams from
336-681: A partnership with the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) which serves as a level of accountability for the EPCC and the WPCC. The PCAA has adopted many of its policies and regulations from the NJCAA. Although the PCAA is not an officially chartered conference of the NJCAA, several of the schools in both the EPCC and WPCC are member schools of the NJCAA and play in NJCAA sanctioned competition, especially in sports not offered by
378-687: A season, such as in the case of the college sports leagues, the Philippine Football League , and the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League . Eastern Conference (MLS) The Eastern Conference ( French : Association de l'Est ) is one of Major League Soccer 's two conferences, along with the Western Conference . The division of the conferences broadly follows the path of the Mississippi River from
420-514: A secondary trophy called a "shield" (Irish, Scottish/Italian, South African, Welsh), with the overall league table used to determine playoff participants. The winner of each shield, however, is assured a place in the following year's European Rugby Champions Cup regardless of its overall league position. The now defunct Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association , where teams are represented by companies instead of geographical entities, and there are multiple tournaments held sequentially in
462-505: A total of sixteen teams (eight from each conference) qualify for the league's postseason playoffs. In the NHL , since the 2013–14 season, the top 3 in each division are guaranteed to qualify and division winners are awarded the highest seeds, meaning they will have home-ice advantage in a given round, with the two best remaining teams in each conference receiving wild card spots. In the NBA, starting with
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#1732895573508504-437: Is divided into an American Football Conference (AFC) and a National Football Conference (NFC). Both conferences have 16 teams, and each conference is divided into 4 divisions of 4 teams each. These conferences, for the most part, derive from the fact that they were once separate organizations: the original National Football League and the 1960s American Football League ; the two entities merged in 1970, with each league forming
546-654: Is part of NCAA Division I (specifically the Football Bowl Subdivision ), but is itself also subdivided into an East and West division. In English association football, the top level of non-League football —i.e., the level below the Premier League and the three tiers that make up the English Football League (EFL)—was known as the Football Conference from the 1986–87 season through the end of
588-563: Is the highest level of provincial competition in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, the highest domestic level in Japan, and the only professional domestic level in Argentina. From the creation of Super Rugby in 1996 through 2015 , only Australia, New Zealand and South Africa participated; the competition added teams in the latter two countries in 2016 . Since the 2011 season , it has operated on
630-662: The COVID-19 pandemic . Nashville SC moved back to the Western Conference. Changes from 2022 : Nashville SC was moved back to the Eastern Conference as expansion side St. Louis City SC was added to the Western Conference. Note: The conference finals were a best-of-three series through 2001 (including the MLS semifinals in 2000 and 2001, when a conference playoff format was not used). Matches tied after regulation were decided by
672-827: The FA Cup (open to teams from all levels), the EFL Cup (open only to teams from the Premier League and the English Football League), and the FA Trophy (open only to teams in the broader definition of the National League, plus the two tiers below it). The Kontinental Hockey League has a Western Conference and an Eastern Conference . This is similar to the NHL 's conferences in North America . In rugby union , Super Rugby
714-767: The Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico , with clubs east of the river in the Eastern Conference. As of 2023, the Eastern Conference contains 15 teams. The conference has produced 17 Supporters' Shield champions and 11 MLS Cup winners in Major League Soccer's first 28 seasons. In 2000 and 2001, the conference was referred to as the Eastern Division when Major League Soccer briefly reorganized into three divisions. Eastern Conference member Western Conference member Central Division member Changes from 1995 : Creation of
756-615: The Horizon League , Ivy League , Patriot League , Pioneer League and Summit League use the word "league" instead, and another conference calls itself the Coastal Athletic Association . The NCAA itself is divided into divisions and subdivisions based on athletic scholarship eligibility, which can lead to redundancy when these conferences also have divisions of their own. For instance, the Southeastern Conference
798-772: The Major League Soccer . Changes from 1997 : New York/New Jersey MetroStars simplified their name to New York MetroStars ; the Miami Fusion were added in the 1998 expansion. Changes from 1999 : The Eastern Conference changed its name to Eastern Division with the creation of the Central Division ; the Columbus Crew and the Tampa Bay Mutiny moved to the new division . Changes from 2001 : The Eastern Division changed back its name to Eastern Conference following
840-523: The 2014–15 season. In turn, from 2004, the Conference was divided into three leagues—Conference Premier, at the fifth tier of the English football pyramid , and Conference North and Conference South, which made up the sixth tier. Starting with the 2015–16 season, the Football Conference and its component leagues were renamed. The Football Conference and Conference Premier were both renamed "National League", and
882-498: The 2015–16 season, the playoff spots go to the eight top teams in each conference by overall record, with home-court advantage in each playoff series based solely on record. Major League Soccer (MLS) also divides itself into an Eastern and Western Conference , though it does not have divisions within them; it too allocates an equal number of teams from each conference to play for its MLS Cup Playoffs (since 2019, this has been seven teams each). The National Football League (NFL)
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#1732895573508924-791: The PCAA. Many NJCAA schools compete in local/regional post-season tournaments within their conference (such as the EPCC and WPCC championship tournaments) and also compete in national post-season competition, just like most NCAA and NAIA schools do. The EPCC and WPCC were composed of the junior colleges , community colleges , and technical schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that have varsity athletic programs. Past Commissioners included Charles "Chuck" Bell CCAC North (three terms) Charles "Chuck" Dunaway Butler CC (two terms), Mike Stanzione Penn College, Bill Bearse Northampton CC amongst many others. RoseAnn Palsi from Northampton CC served as its secretary for 29 years, from 1983 to 2012. Athletic conference The AFL Women's competition used
966-513: The South African teams were joined by the Jaguares and Sunwolves in a "South African" group, with that group also being divided into two conferences. The winner of each conference continued to receive a playoff spot, with additional berths going to the next three best Australasian teams and the next best team of the South African group. For 2018, Super Rugby will revert to a 15-team format, following
1008-496: The WPCC were separate entities functioning as athletic conferences, both with long-standing success and local notoriety. Both the EPCC and the WPCC governed themselves and functioned separately from one another however the EPCC champion and the WPCC champion face each other in a special post-season match to crown a PCAA champion each season within each sport. The PCAA offered competition in a total of six men's sports, six women's sports, and three co-ed team sports. Some PCAA members had
1050-469: The Western Conference; Columbus Crew adds "SC" to the official team name. Changes from 2016 : Atlanta United FC was added as an expansion franchise. Changes from 2018 : FC Cincinnati was added as an expansion franchise. Changes from 2019 : Inter Miami CF was added as an expansion franchise; Nashville SC was added since the MLS is Back Tournament up to the end of the 2020 season ; Chicago Fire SC
1092-512: The basis of the NFC and AFC respectively. The NFL allocates seven teams from each conference for the NFL playoffs ; the four division winners (guaranteed one of the top four seeds, based on winning percentage), and the three best-non division winners, also known as wild cards . Major League Baseball (MLB) does not use the word "conference." Instead, it is divided into two separate leagues which are identical to
1134-514: The competition's rebranding as the United Rugby Championship. For the first season under the URC name in 2021–22, the competition reorganized into four regionally based pools, though no longer using the word "conference". Three of the pools are made up of teams from one country—Ireland, South Africa, and Wales. The fourth features the teams from Italy and Scotland. Each regional pool competes for
1176-731: The conferences listed above in all but name (which, although their operations have been integrated via the Commissioner of Baseball in modern times, were originally separately managed organizations with an intense rivalry). These are the American League (AL) and National League (NL), with 15 teams each. Each league is divided into the Eastern ( AL , NL ), Central ( AL , NL ), and Western ( AL , NL ) divisions, with all six divisions having 5 teams each. Each league produces six teams for postseason play , with each division winner also guaranteed one of
1218-623: The contraction of the Miami Fusion and the Tampa Bay Mutiny , resulting in the disbanding of the Central Division; Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew moved in from the Central Division Changes from 2004 : Kansas City Wizards moved in from the Western Conference Changes from 2005 : The New York MetroStars were bought by Red Bull and changed their name to New York Red Bulls . Changes from 2006 : Toronto FC
1260-505: The dropping of two teams from South Africa and one from Australia. The new format features three conferences—Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, each with five teams; the Sunwolves will join the Australian conference and the Jaguares will play in the South African conference. The conference winners will continue to receive playoff berths, with additional berths going to the top five teams in
1302-414: The finals (one from each conference/league) and the records of teams outside a conference/league are ignored, which can allow teams with inferior records to make the playoffs while teams in the other conference with better records do not get in. An extreme example of this has occurred three times in the NFL, when the 2010 Seattle Seahawks , 2014 Carolina Panthers , and 2020 Washington Football Team reached
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1344-419: The league season, the teams that top each conference table received berths in the semifinals, with the next two teams in each conference playing off for semifinal berths. After the 2020–21 season, South Africa fully aligned its club rugby structure with that of Europe. The then-existing Pro14 franchises from South Africa were replaced by the country's four Super Rugby franchises, which moved into Pro14 and led to
1386-516: The only MLS team to therefore take a clean sweep of all titles available to them. ^ – MLS did not have draws until the 2000 season. † – Miami Fusion were declared winners of the Eastern Division in 2001 after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks forced the cancellation of the rest of the regular season. The MLS Cup playoffs began on September 20. In 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2004,
1428-571: The other conference missed out on finals. It was because of this that the conference system was removed for the 2021 season . In the United States and Canada , the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Basketball Association (NBA) are divided into Eastern ( NHL , NBA ) and Western ( NHL , NBA ) Conferences, with multiple divisions within each conference (two in each NHL conference, three in each NBA conference). In both leagues,
1470-495: The overall competition table that were not already qualified. In the same sport, Pro14, now known as the United Rugby Championship , adopted a conference system effective in 2017–18 , following the addition of the two South African teams dropped from Super Rugby. The competition split into two conferences, each featuring two teams from Ireland and Wales, plus single teams from Italy, Scotland and South Africa. Following
1512-548: The playoffs by winning their respective divisions despite losing records (7–9 for the Seahawks and Washington, 7–8–1 for the Panthers). These are the only teams ever to qualify for the playoffs with losing records in seasons that were not shortened by strikes (as in 1982 , which was shortened from 16 to 9 games). In addition, a team's regular season schedule is weighted towards more games against other teams within their own division and to
1554-588: The regular season leader also wins the Supporters' Shield . The winner of the Conference play-offs is considered the Conference champion. Three clubs have topped the Eastern Conference standings at the end of the regular season, won the Supporters' Shield , the Eastern Conference (MLS) and the MLS Cup ; D.C. United , twice, Columbus Crew and Toronto FC . Toronto in 2017 also won the Canadian Championship , being
1596-481: The top three seeds, even if their record is lower than the league's top wild card teams . In all five sports, the champion of one conference (or league in MLB's case) plays the champion of the other conference for the final round championship, this is guaranteed to occur because the rules for the playoffs require play to be exclusively within the conference/league in all rounds before the final round, leaving only two teams for
1638-407: The two regional leagues were renamed National League North and National League South . This does not strictly meet the definition indicated in the previous sections of this article, as each individual league mentioned in this section is a separate competition. The only times that teams from different leagues compete against one another in meaningful matches are in knockout cup competitions, such as
1680-505: Was added as an expansion franchise. Changes from 2009 : The Philadelphia Union was added as an expansion franchise. Changes from 2010 : The Kansas City Wizards changed their name to Sporting Kansas City ; Houston Dynamo moved in from the Western Conference. Changes from 2011 : The Montreal Impact was added as an expansion franchise Changes from 2014 : New York City FC and Orlando City SC were added as expansion franchises; Sporting Kansas City and Houston Dynamo moved out to
1722-412: Was first implemented in 2014. Extra time and shoot-outs are used if necessary, although away goals did not apply in extra time. In 2019, the playoffs returned to a single match format (including the conference finals), hosted by the higher ranked team through the regular season. – Western Conference team. No trophy is awarded for leading the conference standings at the end of the regular season, unless
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1764-467: Was renamed Chicago Fire FC. Changes from 2020 : Nashville SC moved in from the Western Conference; the Montreal Impact was renamed Club de Foot Montréal . Columbus Crew SC was briefly renamed to Columbus SC and then to Columbus Crew. Changes from 2021 : Charlotte FC was added as a then-unnamed expansion franchise in 2019, with its first season initially set for 2021 but delayed by a year due to
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