From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Premier League |
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Country |
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Confederation |
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Founded |
20 February 1992 |
Divisions |
1 |
Number of teams |
20 |
Relegation to |
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Level on pyramid |
Level 1 |
Domestic cup(s) |
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UEFA cup(s) |
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Current champions |
Manchester United (2006–07) |
Website |
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The Premier League (officially known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons, colloquially known as The Premiership), is an English professional league for football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. The Premier League is currently contested by 20 clubs, operating a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. Seasons run from August to May, with teams playing 38 games each.
The competition formed as the FA Premier League on 20 February 1992 and the first games were played on 15 August that year, following the decision of clubs in the Football League First Division to break away from The Football League to take advantage of a lucrative television rights deal; The Football League had served as England and Wales's primary football competition since 1888. Since then, the Premier League has become the world's most watched sporting league and the most lucrative football league, with combined club revenues of around £1.4 billion in 2005/06, which is expected to rise to around £1.8 billion for 2007/08, primarily due to rising media revenues. The league is a corporation with the 20 clubs acting as shareholders.
A total of 40 clubs have competed in the Premier League, but only four have won the title: Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal, and Chelsea. The current Premier League champions are Manchester United, who won their ninth title in the 2006–07 season, the most of any Premier League team.
