The world's first association football league, named simply The Football League, was created in 1888 by Aston Villa's club director William McGregor. It was dominated by … See more

The system consists of 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 … See more

Being members of a league at a particular level also affects eligibility for Cup, or single-elimination, competitions.
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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 … See more

At 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 … See more

1. Premier League (level 1, 20 teams): The bottom three teams are relegated.
2. English Football League Championship (level 2, 24 teams): Top two automatically promoted; next four … See more

• English football portal
• League system
• List of association football competitions
• National League System (the system involving the 5th–10th tiers of English football, … See more