The Premier League is the foremost football (soccer) league in England. In fact, it is the most watched sports league in the entire world. The Premier League (also known as The Premiership) first began play in 1992 when the top level of The Football League (FL), the Football League First Division, decided to separate itself from the FL. Since its beginning, The Premiership has been nearly completely dominated by four clubs: Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Blackburn Rovers.
The league is composed of 20 clubs with each club playing each other two times; one match at home and one match away for a total of 38 matches. As is typical in international leagues, victories are worth three points, ties one point, and losses zero points. The club with the most points at the end of the season is named league champion. Also typical of international leagues, The Premiership employs a system of relegation and promotion; the league swaps three clubs with the Football League Championship at the end of each season.
Compared with the MLS of the United States which employs various rules regarding players, The Premiership has very little restrictions when it comes to players. This includes the absence of a salary cap, no limit to number of players on a team, no age limitation, and no restrictions on foreign players.
