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54-540: The Midland Football League was a semi-professional football league in the English football league system . The league was established as the Staffordshire Senior League in 1984, taking its clubs from Staffordshire and the areas immediately adjacent. When the league wanted to raise its profile, and attract clubs from a wider area, the decision was made to rename the league as the "Midland League" with effect from

108-478: A combination of strength and conditioning workouts, skill, development sessions, and team building activities. Athletes may also participate in recreational sports or activities to maintain their competitive edge while enjoying a break from the rigors of their primary sport. Furthermore, athletes may take advantage of the off-season to pursue personal interests, further their education, or engage in community service and outreach initiatives. Beyond individual training,

162-660: A desire to limit travel expenses. In the scheduling system used in the NFL , it is possible for two teams to only meet every four years, and to only have 2 common opponents in a season. Major League Baseball has the most uneven schedules of all the four major North American sports. In MLB, the conferences are called leagues instead, but have exactly the same effect as conferences (as with all North American major leagues , leagues, conferences, and division are not based on skill, but instead geography, history, and rivalries). Prior to scheduling changes in 2023, teams played 19 games against each of

216-462: A double round-robin "regular season". The Football League started its promotion playoffs in 1987, with the third up to the sixth-ranked teams participating for the final promotion berth (the two top teams are automatically promoted). Elsewhere, relegation playoffs are also held to determine which teams would be relegated to the lower leagues. One prominent top-level football league, the Eredivisie of

270-623: A given district, and may be little more than derbies, such as the Gloucestershire Cup , which originally included all teams in Gloucestershire , but then came to be contested as a Bristol derby . Level one in the pyramid, the top division of English football, is run by the Premier League (which gives its name to the competition in that division), the winners of which are regarded as the champions of England. Levels two to four are run by

324-662: A hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, allowing even the smallest club the theoretical possibility of ultimately rising to the very top of the system, the Premier League . Below that are levels 2–4 organised by the English Football League , then the National League System from levels 5–10 administered by the FA , and thereafter Regional feeder leagues run by relevant county FAs on an ad hoc basis. It also often happens that

378-670: A league in a particular sport will operate their regular season at roughly the same time as the others, international tournaments may be arranged during the off season. For example, most European football league club competitions run from July or August to May, subsequently major international competitions such as the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Football Championship are organised to occur in June and July. The table represents typical seasons for some leagues by month. Blank or white denotes off-season and pre-season months and solid colors mark

432-576: A league in the English men's football league system. The pyramid for women's football in England runs separately into ten tiers. There are no official definitions of any level below 11 for men or below 10 for women. Any references to the structure at lower levels should not be regarded as definitive. Some England-based men's clubs play outside the English football league system . The world's first association football league, named simply The Football League ,

486-515: A nation-wide division (also called the National League ) (level 5) of 24 clubs, and is the lowest level with a single nationwide league. This division, like the four above, is a full-time professional competition, although some promoted clubs retain part-time status. There are two divisions at level 6, covering the north ( National League North ) and south ( National League South ), with 24 clubs each. Some of these clubs are full-time professional and

540-499: A playoff system (except during the two World Wars) since 1899. South Africa's Currie Cup has determined its champions by playoffs since 1968, and New Zealand's National Provincial Championship , the top level of which is now known as the Mitre 10 Cup , has used playoffs since its creation in 1976. Argentina's Nacional de Clubes has determined its champion by playoffs since its inception in 1993. Currently, two separate competitions feed into

594-552: A preseason, a series of exhibition games played for training purposes; a regular season, the main period of the league's competition; the postseason , a playoff tournament played against the league's top teams to determine the league's champion; and the offseason, the time when there is no official competition. In association football, many clubs tour and then they have a series of exhibition games for training purposes. In baseball, many clubs go to spring camp and then they have spring training . The National Football League preseason

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648-458: A pyramid of leagues, bound together by the principle of promotion and relegation . A certain number of the most successful clubs in each league can rise to a higher league, whilst those that finish the season at the bottom of their league can be sent down a level. In addition to sporting performance, promotion is usually contingent on meeting criteria set by the higher league, especially concerning appropriate facilities and finances. In theory, it

702-418: A two-round knockout stage to determine the champions. It has since been expanded to the 4-round knockout stage today. The Copa Libertadores has applied a knockout stage since the 1988 tournament, expanding to the current four-round format next season. All intercontinental club football competitions now feature a knockout stage. The off-season , vacation time , or close season is the time of year when there

756-497: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . English football league system The English football league system , also known as the football pyramid , is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England , with five teams from Wales , one from Guernsey , one from Jersey and one from the Isle of Man also competing. The system has

810-462: Is a highly structured three-game series of games in which teams are afforded a larger roster limit and play games that do not count toward the record. It is used to evaluate and prepare talent for the upcoming regular season. In the highest levels of professional tennis , the preseason (November–December) consists of extensive period of training on and off the court (gym/fitness work as well as working on tennis-specific skills like for example improving

864-717: Is more important than winning the regular season. This includes the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada ( MLB's World Series , the NBA Finals , the NFL's Super Bowl , the NHL's Stanley Cup Finals , the MLS Cup , and the CFL's Grey Cup ), and the major Australian sports (BBL Grand Final, NBL Grand Final , A-League Grand Final , AFL Grand Final and NRL Grand Final ). European leagues have also started holding playoffs after

918-417: Is no official competition. Although upper management continues to work, the athletes will take much vacation time off. Also, various events such as drafts , transfers and important off-season free agent signings occur. Generally, most athletes stay in shape during the off-season in preparation for the next season. Certain new rules in the league may be made during this time, and will become enforced during

972-638: Is played in a double round-robin format in the same way as the European championships. A system similar to the Apertura and Clausura developed independently in Philippine professional basketball , with formerly two, now three tournaments (called "conferences") in one season, with each conference divided into an "elimination round" (the single round-robin group stage) and the playoffs in the North American sense. Winning

1026-408: Is possible for a lowly local amateur club to achieve annual promotions and within a few years rise to the pinnacle of the English game and become champions of the Premier League . While this may be unlikely in practice (at the very least, in the short run), there certainly is significant movement within the pyramid. The top five levels contain one division each and are nationwide in scope. Below this,

1080-419: Is reserved for the country's cup winner, only three of the four teams are guaranteed a place in the next season's European competitions (unless both the cup winner and runner-up are already qualified for Europe by other means). The playoff determines the country's second Champions League participant, and the points at which the two or three Europa League entrants join that competition. Conversely, some leagues like

1134-607: Is sometimes used instead of regular season. Many football leagues in Latin America have a very different system. Because most Latin American countries never had a football cup competition, they instead split their season into two parts, typically known as the Apertura and Clausura ( Spanish for "opening" and "closing"). Most countries that use this system, Argentina being one notable example, crown separate league champions for each part of

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1188-567: The English Football League . Together, these four divisions make up what is known as "league football". The leagues below level four are classed as "non-League football", meaning they are outside the EFL. The leagues at levels five to ten comprise the National League System (NLS), and come under the direct jurisdiction of the Football Association. The top level (level 5) of the NLS is known as "step 1",

1242-584: The Los Angeles Clippers (a team within their division, a subdivision of the conference) four times in a regular season, while both will only play the Toronto Raptors , who are in the opposite Eastern Conference , twice. Part of this is due to the vast geographic distances between some teams in North America — measured in a straight line, Los Angeles is 3,494 kilometres from Toronto, for instance — and

1296-590: The National League System and come under the jurisdiction of The Football Association . In May 2014 The FA announced provisional plans for a new division between the English Football League and the National League which would include "B" teams of higher-level clubs. They later reneged on the plan to include Premier League "B" teams in the new division and shortly thereafter scrapped the idea altogether. The English football league system does not include

1350-611: The Premier League do not hold a postseason, and therefore these leagues' champions and relegation are instead based on the regular season records. Although rugby union did not become professional until 1995, that sport has a long history of playoffs, primarily in France and the Southern Hemisphere. The French national championship, now known as Top 14 , staged a championship final in its first season of 1892, first used more than one round of playoffs in 1893, and has continuously operated

1404-726: The 1994–95 season. It became a feeder to the North West Counties League . The "new" Midland League consisted of two divisions for the first three seasons, and from 1997 a single grouping. With a merger with the Staffordshire County League in 2005, the new competition became known as the Staffordshire County Senior League , and the Midland League title again fell into disuse. This article about an English association football competition

1458-549: The English Football League are all full-time professional clubs. Before the establishment of the Premier League in 1992, the Football League, as it was called then, included all 92 clubs, in four divisions. Clubs outside the Football League were referred to as non-League clubs, and this naming continues for clubs below the four professional divisions. The top tier of non-League football is the National League . It contains

1512-795: The Midlands), Southern Football League South (which covers south and southwest of England, with one club from South Wales ) and the Isthmian League (which includes clubs from the south-east of England as well as Guernsey from the Channel Islands ). All of the leagues have Premier Divisions of 22 teams (level 7). Below these, and split by region, the Southern Football Leagues has two parallel divisions of 20 teams (level 8). The Isthmian League and Northern Premier League each have three parallel level 8 divisions of 20 teams each. Level 9 contains

1566-739: The Nacional, the Torneo de la URBA (for Buenos Aires clubs, held since 1899) and Torneo del Interior (for the rest of the country); both use playoffs to determine their champions. Super Rugby , involving regional franchises from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa and national franchises in Argentina and Japan, has used playoffs to determine its champions since its creation as Super 12 in 1996. By contrast, other European countries were slow to adopt playoffs in rugby union. The English Premiership only began playoffs in 1999–2000 , and did not use them to determine

1620-609: The Netherlands, uses two different playoffs—one for relegation purposes, and the other to determine one of the league's entrants in the following season's UEFA Europa League . In Superleague Greece , which currently has two places in the UEFA Champions League and three in the Europa League, the teams that finish second through fifth in the regular season enter a home-and-away "playoff" mini-league. Since one Europa League place

1674-492: The Premier Division of a Regional Feeder League (Step 7 or Level 11) has its constitution given to it by the FA. They have to accept it or appeal but cannot reject it at an annual general meeting. The exact number of clubs varies from year to year as clubs join and leave leagues, merge, or fold altogether, but an estimated average of 15 clubs per division implies that more than 7,000 teams of nearly 5,300 clubs are members of

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1728-501: The accuracy of serve). In sport, the term "regular season" or "home-and-away season" refers to the sport's league competition . The regular season is usually similar to a group tournament format: teams are divided into groups, conferences and/or divisions, and each club plays a set number of games against a set number of opponents. In most countries the league is played in a double round-robin format, where every team plays every other team twice, once at their home venue, and once away at

1782-429: The amateur version of the game often called Sunday league football . These leagues are independent entities with no promotion or relegation involving the football pyramid. However, some Sunday league clubs have been known to join pyramid leagues if they desire to progress higher. There are also some Saturday leagues which are not officially part of the pyramid, although teams frequently leave these for pyramid leagues. At

1836-438: The demands of competitive play. This period of rest is essential for preventing burnout, reducing the risk of injuries, and allowing the body to recover from the wear and tear of regular training and competition. Athletes may use this time to focus on rehabilitation from any lingering injuries, undergo medical evaluations, and engage in cross-training activities to maintain overall fitness levels. In addition to rest and recovery,

1890-579: The league champion until 2002–03 . The Celtic League, now known as Pro14 , resisted a playoff system even longer; its champions were determined solely by league play from its inception in 2001–02 until playoffs began in 2009–10 . When the UEFA Champions League reformatted in 1993, it added a "knockout stage" involving four teams that finished at the top two places in their respective groups. Like North American sports leagues, this setup prevented some participants from facing each other, necessitating

1944-513: The league the club is in, and depends on the number of Level 9 clubs participating. For instance, the 2017–18 FA Cup saw 77 teams compete from level 10 out of the 338 in total at that level. Below level 11 the pyramid becomes regional and the cups become accordingly regional. Further down the pyramid is split on a county basis, counties having their own cups accordingly. This excludes some tournaments marked "Senior Cups", which often are competitions between teams representing top professional clubs in

1998-430: The levels have progressively more parallel leagues, with each covering progressively smaller geographic areas. Many leagues have more than one division. At the lower levels the existence of leagues becomes intermittent, although in some of the more densely populated areas there are leagues more than twenty layers below the Premier League. There are also leagues in various parts of the country which are not officially part of

2052-685: The next (level 6) as "step 2", and so on. Until 2020, level 11 divisions were designated as "step 7", but that year were re-designated as "Regional Feeder Leagues". After the 2023–24 season, four runners-up competed in the play-offs where an additional club was guaranteed promotion from each step 5 division, with the number of relegations from each of the eight level 8 divisions remained at two as each step 4 division increased its divisional size to 22 teams. The resulting 16 vacancies at step 5 were filled by relegating only one club per level 9 division, rather than two. Ahead of 2024–25, two promotions out of each step 5 division into its step 4 counterpart remained and

2106-451: The next regular season. The Off-season is characterized by a break in regular league or tournament play, allowing athletes, coaches, and staff to rest, recover, and prepare for the upcoming season. The off-season typically follows the conclusion of the regular season or playoffs and precedes the start of preseason training or conditioning camps. During the off-season, athletes often take time off to recuperate both physically and mentally from

2160-1695: The number of clubs automatically relegated out of each step 5 division reverted to two, reflecting a long-term FA aim to "create consistency" at each step of the NLS pyramid. Level League(s) / division(s) 1 Premier League 20 clubs – 3 relegations 2 EFL Championship 24 clubs – 3 promotions, 3 relegations 3 EFL League One 24 clubs – 3 promotions, 4 relegations 4 EFL League Two 24 clubs – 4 promotions, 2 relegations 5 (Step 1) National League 24 clubs – 2 promotions, 4 relegations 6 (Step 2) National League North 24 clubs – 2 promotions, 4 relegations National League South 24 clubs – 2 promotions, 4 relegations 7 (Step 3) Northern Premier League Premier Division 22 clubs – 2 promotions, 4 relegations Southern League Premier Division Central 22 clubs – 2 promotions, 4 relegations Southern League Premier Division South 22 clubs – 2 promotions, 4 relegations Isthmian League Premier Division 22 clubs – 2 promotions, 4 relegations 8 (Step 4) Northern Premier League Division One East 22 clubs – 2p, 4r Northern Premier League Division One West 22 clubs – 2p, 4r Northern Premier League Division One Midlands 22 clubs – 2p, 4r Southern League Division One Central 21 clubs – 2p, 4r Southern League Division One South 22 clubs – 2p, 4r Isthmian League Division One South Central 22 clubs – 2p, 4r Isthmian League Division One North 22 clubs – 2p, 4r Season (sports) A year can often be broken up into several distinct sections (sometimes themselves called seasons). These are:

2214-454: The off-season is also a critical time for teams to regroup, strategize, and plan for the upcoming season. Coaching staff and management may conduct player evaluations, analyze performance data, and make personnel decisions such as trades, drafts and free agent signings. Team bonding activities, such as retreats, workshops, and social events, may be organized  to foster camaraderie and cohesion among teammates. As most countries which have

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2268-459: The off-season provides athletes with an opportunity to address weakness and areas for improvement in their performance. Many athletes use this time to work on specific skills, refine techniques, and build strength and conditioning through targeted training programs. Coaches and training staff often collaborate with athletes to develop individualized offseason training regimens tailored to their specific needs and goals. Off-season training may include

2322-454: The opposition's venue as visitors. The results over all games are accumulated and when every team has completed its full schedule of games, a winner is declared. In North America, the scheduling is different. Rather than every team playing all others twice, teams usually play more games against local rivals than teams in other parts of the country. For example, the NBA 's Los Angeles Lakers will play

2376-494: The others are semi-professional. Below level 6, some of the stronger clubs are semi-professional, but continuing down the tiers, soon all the clubs are amateur. Next down from the National League are four regional leagues, each associated with different geographical areas, although some overlap exists. They are the Northern Premier League (which covers the north of England), Southern Football League Central (which covers

2430-498: The playoffs is the ultimate goal of every team for every conference; while there is no season championship, winning all conferences within a single season is rare and has only happened five times since 1975, with the two most recent examples occurring in 1996 and 2013–14 . The qualifying round and playoffs setup has permeated down to the local level and in most team sports, although seasons are not divided into conferences. Many sports leagues have playoffs or "finals" that occur after

2484-435: The postseason World Series , and thus MLB teams did not play the other league's teams at all). In 2023, teams played all interleague teams in a single season for the first time; teams now play a 3-game series against all teams, except their designated interleague rival with 4 games, totalling to 46 games (later increased to 48 games and a 6-game series with their interleague rival for the forthcoming 2025 season). In Australia,

2538-411: The regular season is complete. A subset of the teams enter into a playoff tournament , usually a knockout tournament , generally a pre-determined number with better overall records (more wins, fewer losses) during the regular season. There are many variations used to determine the champion, the league's top prize. In many of these leagues, winning the league's top prize at the conclusion of the postseason

2592-667: The season, using only league play. A few others, such as Uruguay, crown one champion at the end of a playoff involving top teams from each half of the season. Mexico operates its Apertura and Clausura as separate competitions that both end in playoffs. Brazil has a different system, the season starts with the state championships in January (every Brazilian state have his own championship), these state championships ends in April. The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A itself starts in May and ends in early December, and

2646-422: The system as they do not have formal agreements with other leagues, but are recognised at various levels by county football associations. Clubs from these leagues may, if they feel they meet the appropriate standard of play and have suitable facilities, apply to join a league which does form part of the system. The six levels immediately below the Premier League and three-level English Football League are known as

2700-428: The teams in their own division each year but only played 20 games total against all of the teams in the other league. Because each of the inter-league match-ups was part of a 3-game series or a 2-game series, teams played no games at all against most teams from the other league. They played 6 of the 15 teams in the other league, a historically high number (until 1997, interleague play was limited to exhibition matches and

2754-507: The top divisions of a large group of 16 sub-regional leagues. Each of these leagues has a different divisional setup, but they all have one thing in common: there are yet more leagues below them, each covering smaller and smaller geographical levels. Being members of a league at a particular level also affects eligibility for Cup, or single-elimination, competitions. In the case of the FA Cup, entrance from Level 10 clubs depends upon ranking within

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2808-421: The top is the single division of the Premier League (level 1, which is often referred to as the "top flight"), containing 20 clubs. Below the Premier League is the English Football League (EFL) (formerly 'the Football League'), which is divided into three divisions of 24 clubs each: The Championship (level 2), League One (level 3), and League Two (level 4). The 20 clubs in the Premier League and 72 clubs in

2862-457: The two largest football leagues, the AFL ( Australian rules football ) and NRL ( rugby league ), both grew out of competitions held within a single city (respectively Melbourne and Sydney) and only began expanding to the rest of the country when inexpensive air travel made a national league possible. These leagues use a single table instead of being split into divisions. The term "home and away season"

2916-510: Was created in 1888 by Aston Villa 's club director William McGregor . It was dominated by those clubs who had supported professionalism. The twelve founding members were six from Lancashire ( Accrington , Blackburn Rovers , Burnley , Bolton Wanderers , Everton and Preston North End ) and six from the Midlands ( Aston Villa , Derby County , Notts County , Stoke , West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers ). The system consists of

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