- published: 10 Oct 2014
- views: 440
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between two divisions based on their performance that season. The best-ranked teams in the lower division are promoted to the division above, and at the same time, the worst-ranked teams in the higher division are relegated to the division below (in some countries play-offs are also used). This process can continue through several levels, with teams being exchanged between levels 1 and 2, levels 2 and 3, levels 3 and 4, and so on. Sometimes, qualifying rounds are used to promote and relegate.
The number of teams exchanged between the divisions is normally identical. Exceptions occur when the higher division wishes to change the size of its membership, or has lost one or more of its clubs (to financial insolvency, for example) and wishes to restore its previous membership size, in which case fewer teams may be relegated from that division, or more accepted for promotion from the division below. Such variations will almost inevitably cause a "knock-on" effect through the lower divisions. For example, in 1995 the Premier League voted to reduce its numbers by two and achieved the desired change by relegating four teams instead of the usual three, whilst allowing only two promotions from Football League Division One.