Maximusian League of Association Football: Difference between revisions
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The '''Maximusian League of Association Football''' is the preeminent league for professional association football in [[Libertas Omnium Maximus]]. The league consists of 22 teams, with each team playing two matches against every other team in the league during seasonal play (double round robin). The top 8 teams from seasonal play progress into a post-season single-elimination tournament, culminating with a championship final (introduced in 1988). The winner of the MLAF Championship game is awarded the ''Gold Pike Trophy'', arguably the most prestigious award in any Maximusian domestic sporting league. The league was founded in 1956, replacing the dysfunctional ''Maximusian Football Association''. | The '''Maximusian League of Association Football''' is the preeminent league for professional association football in [[Libertas Omnium Maximus]]. The league consists of 22 teams, with each team playing two matches against every other team in the league during seasonal play (double round robin). The top 8 teams from seasonal play progress into a post-season single-elimination tournament, culminating with a championship final (introduced in 1988). The winner of the MLAF Championship game is awarded the ''Gold Pike Trophy'', arguably the most prestigious award in any Maximusian domestic sporting league. The league was founded in 1956, replacing the dysfunctional ''Maximusian Football Association''. | ||
== History == | |||
Semi-professional football clubs have existed in Libertas Omnium Maximus since at least the 1920s. In 1936, the Maximusian Football Association was formed as a decentralized federation to govern the most prestigious of these smaller, regional leagues, but the MFA was unable to generate meaningful viewership and, by the early 1940s, a mass exodus of players to better funded foreign leagues threatened to sink professional football in the Maximusian Republic. In 1956, the Maximusian League of Association Football was founded in [[Perra]] to professionalize the sport and unite disparate regional leagues and tournaments under one organization, originally organized into two tiers of 16 teams each. Initially, the league was much more popular in the nation's north and central regions, but gradually spread south. Although growth for the MLAF was extremely slow during the 1960s, largely due to the [[Great War|massive global conflict]] which threatened the Maximusian Republic's very existence for a number of years and necessitated the drafting of many football players, the 1970s saw the league finally begin to pick up major traction. In 1978, a third division with twenty teams was added and, for the first time, the league began heavily recruiting internationally. | |||
== Competition == | == Competition == | ||
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=== International Competitions === | === International Competitions === | ||
The top four teams of the League automatically qualify for the subsequent season's [[Union of Hesperidan Football Associations#Competitions|UHFA Elite Championship]]. | The top four teams of the League automatically qualify for the subsequent season's [[Union of Hesperidan Football Associations#Competitions|UHFA Elite Championship]]. | ||
==Clubs== | ==Clubs== | ||
Revision as of 11:46, 4 March 2024
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| Abbreviation | MLAF |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Maximusian Football Association |
| Formation | January 11, 1956 |
| Founded at | Perra, Peoria Maximusian Republic |
| Type | Association football league |
| Headquarters | Perra |
Region |  Libertas Omnium Maximus |
Membership (2004) | 22 teams |
Official language | English |
| Affiliations | UHFA |
The Maximusian League of Association Football is the preeminent league for professional association football in Libertas Omnium Maximus. The league consists of 22 teams, with each team playing two matches against every other team in the league during seasonal play (double round robin). The top 8 teams from seasonal play progress into a post-season single-elimination tournament, culminating with a championship final (introduced in 1988). The winner of the MLAF Championship game is awarded the Gold Pike Trophy, arguably the most prestigious award in any Maximusian domestic sporting league. The league was founded in 1956, replacing the dysfunctional Maximusian Football Association.
History
Semi-professional football clubs have existed in Libertas Omnium Maximus since at least the 1920s. In 1936, the Maximusian Football Association was formed as a decentralized federation to govern the most prestigious of these smaller, regional leagues, but the MFA was unable to generate meaningful viewership and, by the early 1940s, a mass exodus of players to better funded foreign leagues threatened to sink professional football in the Maximusian Republic. In 1956, the Maximusian League of Association Football was founded in Perra to professionalize the sport and unite disparate regional leagues and tournaments under one organization, originally organized into two tiers of 16 teams each. Initially, the league was much more popular in the nation's north and central regions, but gradually spread south. Although growth for the MLAF was extremely slow during the 1960s, largely due to the massive global conflict which threatened the Maximusian Republic's very existence for a number of years and necessitated the drafting of many football players, the 1970s saw the league finally begin to pick up major traction. In 1978, a third division with twenty teams was added and, for the first time, the league began heavily recruiting internationally.
Competition
There are 22 teams in the League, which compete during regular seasonal play (generally September to early May) in a double round robin, playing every other team twice. Teams are ranked based on performance in these matches, with one point being awarded for draws, none for losses, and three for victories. In the event that teams are tied for points, they are distinguished by goal difference, then head-to-head record. At the end of each season, the eight top-ranked teams progress to the IUAirlines Cup, a post season single-elimination tournament. Winners of the IUAirlines Cup are awarded the Golden Pike Trophy, a six-foot long, solid bronze polearm adorned with a quartz spearhead.
At the end of every season, the two lowest ranked teams in the league are relegated to the Contender's League, (officially, Maximusian League of Association Football Division II), and the two highest-ranked teams in the Contender's League are promoted to the MLAF. In the past, relegation does not occur if the size of the league is expanded between seasons, though the league has not increased its size since 2004. Because Contender's League clubs tend to be underfunded compared to established Maximusian League clubs, "bouncing," being promoted to the MLAF and then relegated at the end of the next season, is a frequent occurrence.
International Competitions
The top four teams of the League automatically qualify for the subsequent season's UHFA Elite Championship.
Clubs
| Team | City | Ranking
(2022-2023) |
Titles | Most Recent
Title |
Mascot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Litudinem FC | Litudinem, Passarelle | 4th | 8 | 2019 | Dolphins |
| Iustitia City FC | Iustitia City, Iustitia | 2nd | 6 | 2021 | Mariners |
| Saint Augustine FC | Saint Augustine, Saint Augustine | 3rd | 4 | 2022 | Saints |
| Perra FC | Perra, Peoria | 11th | 3 | 2013 | Guardians |
| Lyne River AC | Holland Vale, Passarelle | 8th | 3 | 2020 | Storm |
| Port City FC | Newport, Caporolla | 9th | 3 | 2003 | Stevedores |
| Ashford FC | Ashford Downs, Vircetta | 1st | 3 | 2023 | Rams |
| Lumeniola FC | East Lumeniola, Hampton | 12th | 2 | 1999 | East'ies |
| Burton AC | Burton, Elizabeth | 7th | 2 | 2011 | Badgers |
| Chester FC | Chester, Bressel | 15th | 1 | 2009 | Cleavers |
| Lumeniola AC | West Lumeniola, Elizabeth | 5th | 1 | 2015 | West'ies |
| Brannigan FC | Brannigan, Scapardie | 6th | 1 | 2017 | Bulls |
| Redbury FC | Redbury, Hampton | 14th | 0 | Vipers | |
| Papillonea AC | Papillonea, Cennabaile | 18th | 0 | Banners | |
| Broadmoore FC | Broadmoore, Saint Augustine | 10th | 0 | Bears | |
| Jennings FC | Jennings, Bressel | 19th | 0 | Javelins | |
| Red Hill FC | Sablerock, Winfield | 16th | 0 | Militia | |
| Oxbend AC | Oxbend, Newcastle | 20th | 0 | Rams | |
| Sentinel Island FC | Cape Ashleigh, Sentinel | 17th | 0 | Islanders | |
| Jericho FC | Jericho, Scapardie | 13th | 0 | Swordsmen | |
| Hampton Hills AC | Ceridanna, Hampton | Promoted to League | 0 | Vines | |
| North Vircetta FC | Troy, Vircetta | 0 | Cavalry |