User:Marchand.steven/sandbox

= STPL (junior professional football) =

The Super Tyke Premier League, often shortened to the Premier League or the STPL is the top level of junior professional association football in the world. Since the 2020-21 season, it has been contested by 16 clubs across 3 continents, and operates with a 30-game regular season followed by an 8-team knockout playoff. The club finishing the regular season with the most league-wide points is crowned the Caldwell Cup champion, while the overall playoff winner is declared the STPL champions. Currently, 16 teams compete in two divisions: The American League (2 from Canada, 3 from the Unites States, 1 from Mexico and 2 from Brazil) and the Europa League (1 from England, 2 from Italy, 2 from Spain, 1 from France, 1 from Germany and 1 from the Netherlands).

The STPL was founded in 1978 in London, England by a joint committee of professional football owners in the United Kingdom, Italy and the United States. Andrew J. Caldwell, a partial owner of Manchester United F.C. at the time, served as the league's first Commissioner and formed the league along with prominent figures in world professional football including Bartolo Ranucci (minority owner of A.S. Roma from 1975 until 1980) and Steve Ross (President of Warner Communications and owner of the original New York Cosmos). The STPL was formed with the goal of serving as the top level of junior professional football to showcase for development programs of professional clubs across the world, allowing exposure for North and South American talent in European markets and vice versa. It was also intended to cultivate a professional football scene in markets such as Canada where exposure in the late 1970's was extremely small.

The league began in 1978-79 with six clubs, 3 from the Americas and 3 from Europe, with founding members being Roma CC, London FC, AC Milan, New York Americans FC, Toronto Force and Sao Paulo FC.