League system

A league system is a hierarchy of leagues in a sport. They are often called pyramids, due to their tendency to split into an increasing number of regional divisions further down the system. League systems of some sort are used in many sports in many countries.

Overview

In association football, rugby union, rugby league and Gaelic games, league systems are usually connected by the process of promotion and relegation, in which teams from a lower division who finish at the top of the standings in their league are promoted (advanced to the next level of the system) while teams who finish lowest in their division are relegated (move down to a lower division). This process can be automatic each year, or can require playoffs.

In North America, league systems in the most popular sports do not use promotion or relegation. Most

collective bargaining agreements and affiliation deals between the NHL, AHL and ECHL

.

XFL

in 2020); none so far have been able to balance the major leagues' requests with the ability to maintain financial solvency.

Overview

See also