League system

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The league system (often also league pyramid ) is used in national sport to divide teams into different levels of play ( leagues ).

Competition mode

For each league there is an association responsible for hosting it. In the higher league levels this is usually the “national” association, in the case of men's football in Germany this is the DFL . In the middle league levels it is the regional and state associations, in the lower levels the district associations. Within a division level, the assignment of a team to a league is based on the district / state / regional association to which the team belongs.

League systems offer a huge number of teams the same competitive conditions as possible over an entire season. In general, the higher the game class level, the larger the region in which the game is played. In order to keep travel costs low, lower leagues are often divided into several squadrons or groups . In this case one speaks of a multi-track league. (A difference between the terms relay and group is not yet known. For example, the GDR league was divided into seasons A and B, while the 2nd Bundesliga was divided into the groups North and South. Both terms are used synonymously today .) At the end of the season, the first in a league will usually become champions. Usually the first placed move up to the next higher league level and the last placed down to the next lower league level. The height of the league level can be seen as a guideline for where the athletic performance of a team is to be classified.

The usual mode of competition in most sports is everyone against everyone ( round robin). At least three teams compete against each other in a group. To compensate for home advantage, this system is usually played in a round-trip round (double round robin). Points are awarded per competition, which are added up over the game year. This results in a ranking within a league during the current season, which is illustrated by means of a table. In national championships, a game round usually extends over a whole year. With a lower number of teams per league, the season is often played in a double round, which means that everyone plays two home and two away games against each other, as is the case with ice hockey, for example.

If there are twelve teams per league, there is the possibility of a further division: the championship is divided into so-called play-offs after a first half and a second half: a champions play-off with six teams and a relegation play-off with six teams . As a result, there are only 32 (11 + 11 + 5 + 5) instead of the usual 44 (11 + 11 + 11 + 11) rounds. Sometimes a system is also played in which each team plays each other three times in total, but this leads to inequalities in home advantage. Examples in football are the second division level in Austria, the Scottish Premier League and the first division of Denmark.

Other modes are the cup mode with the knockout system , the best-of mode or teams are considered “set” from the start. Combinations of these are also possible, as each sports association determines itself.

Differentiation from cup competitions or qualifying tournaments

The league game operation takes place continuously year after year; however, some cup competitions or qualification tournaments (e.g. for the soccer world championship ) are event-related. Others also take place annually, such as B. national cup competitions such as the DFB Cup or international cup competitions at club level such as the UEFA Europa League . In cup competitions and qualifying tournaments, participants with very different levels of performance usually come together.

The highest continental competition for club teams, known in many sports as the Champions League ( champions league ), is usually a cup competition despite the name. The qualification takes place via the national championship, not via promotion and relegation. However, one or more rounds will be played in group mode instead of in the knockout system.

International leagues

In some sports there are leagues with promotion and relegation for national teams. In addition to the actual World Cup tournament, the ice hockey world championships are played in three divisions, with the two best in each division qualifying for the next higher division next year. A similar system exists in the Davis Cup, where a relegation is played between the world group, the highest league, and the winners of the continental groups .

Professional leagues outside of a league system

At the national level, championships in team sports are mostly held in the league system. The biggest exceptions to this are the USA and Canada , where closed professional leagues without promoted and relegated teams are common (examples: National Basketball Association or National Football League ). Other professional leagues outside of North America also exist outside of a league system, e.g. B. the Indian Premier League or the Continental Hockey League . Entry into these leagues is only possible by purchasing a license .

In lower-class leagues , farm teams from the organizations that make up a team in the professional league usually play . The number of teams in the professional leagues has been and continues to grow. The leagues are usually divided into so-called conferences and divisions . The best teams from the divisions play in a play-off in the knockout system for the championship title.

Precedence

Every game or competition ends with a win (two or three points) or defeat, in most ball sports a draw is possible (one point). Accordingly, points are awarded across the board, while the goals, hits, etc. scored in the competition are counted. This is all added up over a game year. This results in a ranking within a league or relay during the current season, which is illustrated by means of a table.

Example football: If two teams are tied, the following decides, depending on the definition: goal difference, number of goals scored in all group games, direct encounters between teams with the same number of points (number of points, goal difference, goals scored). The order of the individual criteria, however, varies according to association and competition.

Germany

General

Depending on the sport or region, the individual game classes have different names:

A-Class (regional game operations)

B-Class (regional games)

baseball

  • 1. Bundesliga baseball
  • 2nd Bundesliga baseball
  • Association league
  • National league
  • District League

In softball, due to the smaller number of clubs, the following structure of the game operation results:

basketball

generally structured as follows depending on the federal state :

  • Oberliga
  • National league
  • District league
  • District League
  • District League

ice Hockey

In German ice hockey , the German ice hockey league , also known as the DEL - The 1. Bundesliga , is the highest division and determines the German ice hockey champion . Among them, the 2nd Bundesliga is another national division. In contrast to most other sports, the league is the third highest division. From the regional leagues, the fourth division, the leagues are organized by the state ice sports associations. The district leagues form the lowest division.

Soccer

In German football, there are up to 13 league levels, depending on the organizing national association. The two highest divisions are currently the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga . At the beginning of the 2008/09 season, the 3rd division was introduced. The Bundesliga determines the German champions. At the lower end of the soccer league system are the circular leagues and district classes .

Paraglider

The German paragliding league is the top national competition platform. In addition to determining the German champion, it serves to bring qualified young pilots up to the international level.

Handball

In German handball there are five league levels for women and men. The three divisions at federal level are the Bundesliga , the 2nd Bundesliga and the 3rd division, which plays in four seasons .

hockey

The league system in German hockey consists of national leagues, regional leagues, major leagues and association leagues, which are graded differently depending on the national association.

tennis

  • Bundesliga men , Bundesliga women (nationwide) and Bundesliga men 30 (from 2014: North and South)
  • a 2nd division men , 2nd division men 30 (until 2013) and 2nd division women (from 2012: groups north and south)
  • four regional leagues each (south-east, south-west, west and north-east, cross-border matches, except west (only North Rhine-Westphalia))
  • Oberligen (Südwestliga Nord and Süd, Nordliga, Oberliga Niedersachsen-Bremen, games mostly limited to one federal state)
  • Association league (match operations per federal state, top division at state level)
  • State leagues (match operations per federal state, often divided into north / middle / south seasons)
  • District league (highest division in a district, which usually extends over several districts)
  • District league (game operation with several divisions in one district)
  • District class (game operation with several game classes, mostly over several districts. Has replaced the district leagues in many regional associations)
  • District league (games mostly in one district, only in a few regional associations)
  • District class (games in the same district)

volleyball

Austria

Soccer

More information about the league pyramid in Austria is available under Football league system in Austria

Handball

Switzerland

General

Normally, the names of the different leagues are the same in all sports:

  • National League A , abbr. NLA
  • National League B , abbr. NLB
  • 1st league (in some sports the third highest league is called National League C , abbreviation NLC , including tennis)
  • 2nd league
  • 3rd league
  • 4th league (in ice hockey this is the lowest league)
  • 5th league (only in very few sports)

Soccer

From each league can be promoted or relegated to the next higher or next lower.

The Super League and Challenge League are organized by the Swiss Football League , the 1st league (with Promotion League) and 2nd interregional league (amateur league) are integrated into the Swiss Football Association as independent chambers . The championships in the four lowest leagues are organized by the 13 regional associations of the football association. These are either purely cantonal associations (eight in total, e.g. Aargau Football Association, Vaudois Football Association), which can issue exceptions to individual clubs near a canton border , or cross-cantonal associations (five in total, e.g. Football Association of Eastern Switzerland, Football Association of the Zurich Region , Central Switzerland Football Association).

See also