PROFESSIONAL SOCCER COMPETITIONS
There are two types of professional
soccer competition: 1). club teams and 2). national teams.
Over 204 countries play soccer at the professional level. Each
of these countries are members of FIFA, the worldwide governing body of soccer.
The most prestigious soccer tournament of all is the FIFA World Cup,
which determines the best country "National Team" (not club) in the
world.
All the major countries have at least one professional soccer league
consisting of their own local club teams, with household
names like Manchester United, Los Angeles Galaxy, Boca Juniors, Ajax,
Celtic, Real Madrid, Beneficia, Juventus, Bayern Munchen and thousands of
others around the world.
National Team competitions overlap with professional soccer league
seasons; however, players are given permission, by decree of FIFA, from their pro club
teams in order to
participate for their native country. Most athletes opt to
participate because it is prestigious and televised worldwide.
In addition, they are well paid for their efforts.
In Europe, UEFA represents the 50
national football associations of Europe; and hosts competitions for
both club teams and national teams.
UEFA club team competition is through the
UEFA Champions League which runs from from July - May. This
is an invitation only league where the top club teams from each
country's professional soccer league are invited to participate in a
UEFA Champions League. Clubs participating change annually
depending who is in the finals of each country's professional soccer
league. The UEFA Cup tournament is held at the same
time and is open to all the club teams from the Champions League.
The UEFA Super Cup pits winners of the UEFA Champions League
against the winners of the UEFA Cup.
UEFA national team competition is called
the UEFA European Championship ("UEFA
Euro2008") and is held every four years in the even-numbered
year between World Cup tournaments. EU National Teams include
Germany, Italy, England, Spain, Portugal, Holland, Turkey, Sweden,
Switzerland, Czech, Croatia, It for all 50 members associations of
UEFA compete in the national team
England, a member of UEFA, has a
professional soccer league called "Premier
League" aka Premiership; and is sponsored by a Barclays Bank in
2008, so it is referred to as Barclays Premier League. This
league is the most elite of all professional leagues in the world and is
owned by its 20 member clubs, whose membership is dependent on the
performance of their football team in the league in any given year.
Teams include Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and 16
others. It is elite because it draws the most elite players from
around the world due to its ability to pay premium contracts. When it
comes time to compete in national team competition, these foreign
players leave the Barclays Premier League to join their native country
team.
Barclays Premier League club teams such
as Manchester United, etc.. do not compete in the FIFA World Cup but
rather the national team of England does. FIFA World cup is
held every four years...2010, 2006, 2002, 1998, etc...
In North and Central American and the
Caribbean, CONCACAF represents the various national football
associations and hosts competitions for both club and national teams.
CONCACAF "club team" competition is through the CONCACAF
Champions League which runs from from August - April. This
is an invitation only league where the top club teams from each
country's professional soccer league are invited to participate.
Clubs participating change annually depending who is in the finals of
each country's professional soccer league.
USA, a member of CONCACAF, has a professional
league called Major League Soccer ("MLS"). MLS has limited the
number of foreign players allowed on any team in the league, in an
agreement with FIFA.
|
