Premier League
Overview
The Premier League is the top division of the English league system. It was established in 1992 when First Division clubs created a commercially independent league, with the inaugural season beginning in August that year.
Key facts
- Format
- National league; promotion and relegation
- Country/region
- England
- Founded
- 1992
History
The competition grew out of a restructuring of English top-flight football in the early 1990s. First Division clubs signed the Founder Members Agreement in July 1991, resigned from the Football League in February 1992 and established the Premier League as a company in May. The first Premier League season began on 15 August 1992 with 22 clubs. The league later settled into a 20-club format and became one of the major global football competitions, built around promotion and relegation with the wider English pyramid. Its history links directly to Manchester United's dominant 1990s and 2000s periods, Arsenal's title-winning sides, Chelsea's rise in the 2000s, Manchester City's modern era and Liverpool's long-running place among the English elite. On Footballopedia the Premier League is a hub for clubs, seasons, champions, managers, stadiums, rivalries and player careers.