Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports . Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in various sports. They generally have lesser fan bases, much smaller revenues and salaries, and are used to develop players for bigger leagues.
57-765: The Philadelphia Ramblers were a minor professional ice hockey team based in the Philadelphia Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . The Ramblers played for six seasons during the infancy of the American Hockey League from 1935 to 1941. The Ramblers were formerly known as the Philadelphia Arrows from 1927 to 1935 and played in the Canadian-American Hockey League . The team changed named to
114-666: A National Football League (NFL) team. The National Football League (NFL) has not had an official developmental league since 2007 with NFL Europe . Several other developmental leagues unaffiliated with the NFL have arisen, such as the FXFL, Gridiron Developmental Football League , and the Rivals Professional Football League . On September 2, 2016, the FXFL, after two abbreviated seasons of operation, announced it had suspended operations in hopes of finding
171-550: A lesser extent ARCA and its ARCA Menards Series since ARCA's buyout by NASCAR in 2018); Monster Jam 's Triple Threat Series; Overwatch Contenders ; the FIA Formula 2 Championship and FIA Formula 3 Championship for Formula One ; and various other affiliated satellite tours of other individual sports, including the Challengers Tour of Professional Tennis. The Spring League The Spring League ( TSL )
228-504: A manifestation of the franchise system used in North American sports , whereby the group of major league teams in each sport is fixed for long periods between expansions or other adjustments, which only take place with the consent of the major league owners. In Europe , and many other parts of the world, association football (soccer), basketball, american football, baseball, handball, hockey, etc. leagues have many divisions below
285-438: A more effective business model. A developmental league continued to be an internal NFL discussion as of December 2016 with a decision deadline of February 2017. Like the FXFL, The Spring League is built upon the concept of serving as a second opportunity to allow players to advance to more established professional leagues, yet The Spring League has some prominent differences from the FXFL. While The Spring League's core player
342-453: A per-game stipend for its players, The Spring League paid only for room and board . Woods said that the lack of payment is out of financial necessity. To be eligible to participate in the league, a player may not be under contract with a pro league nor be eligible for the current year's draft. Players must also pay a $ 350 application fee. By 2019, the application fee had jumped to $ 2000, as players now also had to cover room and board as part of
399-576: A player to the sideline for less than a penalty level offense. Both rules and the kickoff formation were later implemented in the XFL. The Spring League was also hired by the XFL to hold three mini-camp style tryouts. With this revenue source, the league's revenue exceeded one million dollars and would have its first profitable year. The two leagues are in preliminary discussions of the Spring League becoming
456-417: A player with a conditioned arm, but otherwise the talent level was below what NFL teams expected for an established developmental league. Some scouts expected younger players that had been to a couple of NFL training camps but in the wrong system. Woods indicated that the older and big names brought attention to the league, which has a secondary purpose of providing a veteran annual showcase. On July 15, 2017,
513-633: A practice received 30,000 views. Coaches with long NFL or College experience included quarterback coach Terry Shea , Steve Fairchild , Donnie Henderson , Dennis Creehan and Art Valero (offensive line). For the April games, the league had four teams and 105 players. Its players included NFL veterans Fred Jackson , Anthony "Boobie" Dixon , Ben Tate , Greg Hardy , Ricky Stanzi , McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Ahmad Bradshaw . The players ranged from two to 10 years out from college. The league indicated two CFL and 10 NFL teams had their scouts visit
570-478: A reserve team in the USL or officially affiliate with a separately owned USL team, but this was never strictly enforced. No formal relationship existed between NASL and the other leagues; NASL's commissioner had said he believed it would "stay that way for some time". However, MLS clubs started withdrawing their reserve sides from the USL system in 2020 amid rumors that MLS would relaunch its former MLS Reserve League in
627-747: A total of 10 yards with his longest for 9 yards. For the East, two quarterbacks, Casey Pachall and Trenton Norvell, made touchdown passes. Pachall completed 4-of-6 passes for 84 yards and a 67-yard touchdown. The game's top rusher was Paul Harris of the East team, who rushed twice for 74 yards and a 6-yard touchdown. East defeated California 23–19. The league had try-outs in various cities in October and November 2017 and February 2018. On December 7, 2017, The Spring League announced it would play its second season in Austin, Texas beginning in late March 2018. The league
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#1732773115496684-656: Is a North American indoor soccer league that serves as the developmental league of the Major Arena Soccer League . Minor league baseball is almost as old as the professional game itself, and at first consisted of attempts to play baseball in smaller cities and towns independent of the National League , the first true major league. Soon, scouts for the National League were traveling to watch minor league teams play and attempting to sign
741-408: Is around 24 years old, it also took in experienced professionals, which the FXFL discouraged. All four teams are brought to one location, and at first not have distinctive identities or home cities/franchises (this began to change beginning in 2019). Rather, the games are more showcases for the NFL and Canadian Football League (CFL) scouts in the spring and summer months. Unlike the FXFL, which paid
798-567: Is standard for sports in both countries , the formal promotion and relegation system is not used, although teams have been informally "promoted" from lower leagues up to Major League Soccer. The United Soccer League operates the USL League Two (formerly the Premier Development League, or PDL), a semi-professional league that has some age restrictions. The National Premier Soccer League operates at approximately
855-556: Is the most prominent of the minor hockey leagues in North America. Minor League Cricket (MiLC) is a developmental league of Major League Cricket that began play in 2021. Other sports organizations considered to be minor leagues are golf's Korn Ferry Tour and Epson Tour , respectively affiliated with the PGA Tour and LPGA ; NASCAR 's Xfinity Series , Camping World Truck Series and Whelen All-American Series (and to
912-628: The Arena Football League in the mid-2000s, prior to its bankruptcy and restructuring. Arena football is played under very different conditions, and the AFL had its own minor league, af2 , until 2009. Several other independent indoor football leagues that play a similar game exist. Similarly, the Canadian Football League , though it has developed ties with the NFL in recent years and has moved away from competing with
969-548: The ECHL . On "the farm", the NHL team will develop young players, occasionally rehabilitate older players who are injured or whose quality of play has slumped. These teams, in turn, have lower-level minor leagues to draw players from and pass players down to. Minor professional ice hockey leagues should not be confused with Junior (amateur players) or Senior (semi-professional to amateur) ice hockey leagues. The American Hockey League
1026-705: The Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL) from 2014 to 2015 and preceding the United States Football League revival in 2022 . The league consisted of three to eight teams and played an abbreviated four to six game "season" in April or May. During the year, the league arranged additional scouting events, called Spring League Showcases , that began in July 2017. According to the league records, as of May 2021, more than 100 former players have signed contracts with
1083-679: The National Football League (NFL). The NFL and its teams have had working relationships with several independent leagues in the past, including the Association of Professional Football Leagues , the Atlantic Coast Football League , and most recently, the league owned-and-operated NFL Europe . In modern times, the NFL has developed players not ready for the active roster through each team's practice squad . Several NFL owners had purchased teams in
1140-689: The United States Soccer Federation , but through the affiliated United States Adult Soccer Association . The USL organization has announced plans to create a full women's developmental pathway, establishing the semi-professional third-level USL W League (USLW; not to be confused with its former W-League) in 2022 and planning to launch the USL Super League (USLS) in 2023. The USL has applied for U.S. Soccer sanctioning of USLS; it has not yet announced its sanctioning plans for USLW. The Major Arena Soccer League 2 (M2)
1197-429: The top-flight level as part of the football pyramid . In other parts of the world there is usually either a system of annual promotion and relegation , meaning that clubs have no fixed status in the hierarchy, or there is only one professional league per country in each sport, rendering the major/minor distinction irrelevant. While there are various semi-professional football leagues, none have any affiliation with
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#17327731154961254-467: The "NBA D-League") and NBA Summer League . The now-defunct Continental Basketball Association (CBA) served some of the purposes of a minor league for the NBA for many years. However, there were no direct developmental agreements between CBA and NBA teams the way that there are between Major League Baseball and National Hockey League teams and their minor league affiliates. Pro Semi-Pro The sport with
1311-453: The 2019 season, The Spring League partnered with the XFL to test rule changes the new league hoped to implement for its own 2020 season. One rule change, originally proposed by Pro Football Talk in 2017, was replacing overtime with a two-point conversion shootout occurring simultaneously at both end zones with five rounds in the TSL. Also tested was the tap rule, which allows a referee to send
1368-574: The NFL for talent, plays a visibly different game than the American game, and the two sports favor different types of skills; the CFL arguably holds major league status in its home territory of Canada . Several minor or developmental leagues, independent of the NFL, have come and gone. Some, such as the Alliance of American Football and Fall Experimental Football League (along with the FXFL's successor,
1425-623: The Ramblers for the 1935–36 season. The Canadian American Hockey League merged into the International-American Hockey League in 1936, where the Ramblers competed for another four seasons, before that league became known as the modern-day American Hockey League . From 1935 through 1941, the team was the primary minor league affiliate of the New York Rangers and many future and Ranger stars played for
1482-526: The Ramblers, such as 1936–37 Rambler Bryan Hextall , a future four-time NHL All-Star who scored the Rangers' Stanley Cup -winning goal in 1940 . The Rangers ended the affiliation agreement after the 1940–41 season. The team changed its name to the Philadelphia Rockets for the 1941–42 season, which turned out to be their final season. Minor league The minor league concept is
1539-509: The Short-Season A level eliminated from the minor leagues, and all leagues above Rookie level in the affiliated system renamed. Also, four independent leagues were officially designated as "MLB Partner Leagues". In 2022, the leagues renamed in 2021 reverted to their traditional names. The National Basketball Association has affiliated minor leagues: the NBA G League (formerly called
1596-611: The South Division in Houston, Texas . For the first time, one game every week will be broadcast on Fox including the championship game, while all other games will be broadcast on FS1 and FS2 . The Linemen beat the Jousters 26–23 in the first and only Mega Bowl , and won the TSL championship. Linemen QB Ryan Willis won both final and regular season MVP awards. On June 3, 2021, Woods announced that he had acquired
1653-604: The Spring League Showcase was held at Napa Memorial Stadium in California between Spring League California, coached by Terry Shea and Spring League East, coached by Donnie Henderson. Flofootball.com's FloPRO subscription service streamed the game. David Ash started the game for the California roster and lead several scoring drives. He had 96 passing yards and 9-of-13 passing, including a 4-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Dixon with an interception and 3 runs for
1710-614: The United States . The league held its annual Summer Showcase in July in Glendale, Colorado with a total of 85 players and another 25 staff members and medical personnel participated. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic all players had to go through 14-day self-quarantine before camp and all meetings were conducted in a video conference. In October 2020 FS1 reached a multi-year agreement to televise The Spring League along with
1767-579: The XFL - the first in June in Mission Viejo, California and the second on July 30 in Long Beach, California , 2019 with 100 pay-to-play players in a four-day camp and a six quarter scrimmage. XFL executives and coaches and ESPN and Fox staff were on hand to view rule tests and in-game technologies, with the broadcaster giving feedback on how it would effect broadcast coverage. A "Fall Showcase"
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1824-630: The XFL's official development league. 2019 season practice began March 31, 2019 with double headers on April 6 and 11, 2019. Each of the four teams played two games. For the first time, one of the teams had a brand name; the Austin Generals (formerly South) was named after its host city of Austin, Texas , and used the logo and colors of the former New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League . The remaining three teams retained their generic North, East and West brandings. The league held its two "Summer Showcases" in partnership with
1881-458: The advent of television; minor league clubs only survived in many markets because their major league affiliations included financial support. The trend began to reverse in the 1990s, as new independent minor leagues began for the first time in decades and have become successful to varying levels. In 2021, a major reorganization of the minor leagues saw the number of affiliated teams (i.e., those with formal links to MLB teams) reduced from 160 to 120,
1938-618: The coming years; these rumors were proved correct by the 2022 establishment of MLS Next Pro . MLS Next (stylized in all caps) is a system of youth soccer leagues that are managed, organized and controlled by Major League Soccer . It was introduced by the league in 2020. Semi-professional and amateur leagues sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association are USL League Two , National Premier Soccer League , NISA Nation and United Premier Soccer League . The system, introduced in mid-2020,
1995-651: The contract to play the 2018 season at the Circuit of the Americas and instead announced events to take place at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex in Round Rock, Texas . Following the April games another "Summer Showcase" was announced for July 2018. The Spring League announced a "Fall Showcase" for Miami, Florida to take place November 6–9, 2018, which was intended to prepare players for the then-future AAF and XFL , which were set to play winter/spring seasons. For
2052-475: The end of his life as a recluse in Las Vegas. Mettenberger agreed to return as a quarterback. The registration fee for The Spring League's March 2020 season in Las Vegas was $ 2,100. The league was able to get most of its abbreviated 2020 season completed just before social distancing mandates tied to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States took effect, shutting down effectively all in-person sports in
2109-452: The fee; players with professional experience are exempt from this fee. Players must also cover their own health insurance. The league also assists in developing NFL referees. The Spring League earns additional revenue from a subsidy that the state of Texas provides to hold its events there, as well as from organizations seeking to test equipment and rules changes. In 2019, the XFL served as The Spring League's largest revenue source, paying
2166-553: The first time in league history. They also declared that players who were on an active roster during TSL's fall 2020 season were not required to participate in the tryouts. In April, TSL announced the 2021 season was to start on May 6, and would feature two new teams – the Linemen and Sea Lions (eight teams in total), competing in a six-week regular season from two hub cities: The North Division in Indianapolis, Indiana and
2223-424: The large number of American-based teams is that minor league franchises will frequently move from city to city, and even between leagues. In contrast, Canadian cities more commonly host major junior teams, which develop teenage prospects prior to their move to the professional leagues. All National Hockey League teams have a farm team in the American Hockey League and often have a secondary affiliated team in
2280-420: The league "six figures" to test-run its rulebook, a payment that allowed The Spring League to turn a profit that year for the first time. In October 2020 the league reached a multi-year agreement with FS1 to televise The Spring League along with the option to acquire a minority stake in the league. CEO Woods founded The Spring League in early 2016. On December 22, 2016, SiriusXM NFL Radio initially reported
2337-475: The league announced the signing of Heisman Trophy winner and former Cleveland Browns first round pick Johnny Manziel to the league playing on the South team. Games to be played on April 7 and 14. Other former NFL commitments to the league were former Cleveland Browns first round pick Kellen Winslow Jr. and former Baltimore Ravens running back Lorenzo Taliaferro . On March 3, the league did not execute on
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2394-744: The league as being owned by the NFL, but retracted that by the end of the day. The NFL informed its teams of the league's existence and its plans to operate from April 5 through April 26, 2017. The Spring League's 2017 season consisted of a four-team, three-week single round-robin tournament in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia at The Greenbrier resort in April, and a two-team "Showcase" game in Napa, California in July. The teams in each tournament were only identified with vague geographic names such as North, South, East, West and California. A game streamed on Facebook received 60,000 views while
2451-420: The league while another 20 made requests for video footage. Following the April games, roughly two dozen players were invited to NFL rookie mini-camps . The Carolina Panthers picked up six for their rookie mini-camp. After the first season, NFL scouts seemed to like the league structure but otherwise gave mixed responses. Value was perceived by scouts as they got updated information on forgotten players or saw
2508-475: The more talented ones away. Soon Major League Baseball began formal developmental agreements with some minor league teams, while others remained independent . Since it was first developed in the 1920s by St. Louis Cardinals executive Branch Rickey , the formal developmental affiliations have come to dominate minor league baseball, and the majority of minor leagues are part of the affiliated system. A general decline in minor league attendance occurred following
2565-501: The next most extensive system of minor league teams other than baseball is ice hockey . In North America, between 1988 and 2005, 233 minor league ice hockey teams played in a total of 160 cities in 13 minor professional leagues. The vast majority of these teams played in the United States, with only 21 of these teams based in Canadian cities. 123 of these minor professional teams played in the southern United States. One reason given for
2622-496: The option to acquire a minority stake in the league, with initial agreement to play a 6-team fall-season in late October and November 2020. The league began its fall season on Oct. 27 with six teams competing in what was intended to be a 12-game format over four weeks in a bubble environment, based out of the San Antonio Alamodome . Fox Sports 1 aired games on Tuesday and Wednesday. The league stated that this time
2679-542: The players did not pay to attend, but Woods later explained that some players did pay, while select others did not. All six teams had brands and names, including the returning Generals (originally from Austin ), Aviators (re-branded from Las Vegas Hughes), and four new teams: the Blues (modified from the FXFL Blacktips ), Alphas (a wolf motif), Conquerors and Jousters . In November 2020, amid
2736-399: The remaining extant trademarks of the United States Football League with intent of launching a USFL-branded league in 2022 , with Fox Sports remaining as a partner in the new USFL. What was to become of The Spring League remained, at the time, an unresolved question, but according to the initial announcement TSL was to continue, probably as a scouting showcase or developmental operation. It
2793-564: The same level as USL League Two. In 2013 Major League Soccer announced a partnership with the USL organization which began formal affiliation between some USL teams and MLS teams. The partnership continued to deepen through the 2010s; by the end of that decade, most MLS teams fielded their reserve teams in the USLC, while a few had their reserve sides in USL1 instead of the USLC. For several years, MLS nominally required all of its teams to either field
2850-559: The still extant but non-paying The Spring League ), have explicit minor league and developmental aspirations. Others, such as the United Football League and both the 2001 and 2020 incarnations of the XFL, have sought to maintain independence and maintain a national profile while acknowledging the lack of funds (particularly from television, which is by far the NFL's largest revenue stream) that would be needed to compete for NFL-caliber talent. The UFL during its existence
2907-661: The then-resurgent COVID-19 pandemic, TSL announced that the league would be cancelling the final week of the season. The top two teams met in the final on December 15, at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida . The Generals finished as the first TSL champions, after beating the Aviators 37–14 in the final. In March 2021, TSL announced that they reached a partnership agreement with Stephen Austin 's American National Combines , and were to hold tryouts for
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#17327731154962964-531: Was active for the first time during the 2020–21 season. It is a successor to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy . The system covers the under-13, under-14, under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-19 age groups. The developmental pathway for players outside the collegiate system has so far been mostly an ad hoc affair, with semi-professional and amateur leagues including the former USL W-League . The current United Women's Soccer , UWS League 2 and Women's Premier Soccer League not being sanctioned directly through
3021-466: Was also to have a football-specific tech forum and a joint internship program with the University of Texas’ Center for Sports Leadership & Innovation. Turner Sports announced in mid-January 2018, while the league games would be on its new streaming service B/R Live , the league was also finalizing a deal to practice and play games at Circuit of the Americas near Austin, Texas . On February 14,
3078-415: Was an American football developmental league and scouting event (pro showcase) that played from 2017 to 2021 and was founded by Brian Woods. Aimed at professional athletes but not paying a salary or expenses, the league's goal was to "serve as an instructional league and showcase for professional football talent". The Spring League was the second football property to be established by Woods, following
3135-830: Was held in September in Marietta, Georgia , and in November they held another showcase in Miami, Florida . For 2020, TSL played a showcase game against the Japan national American football team at the Ford Center at The Star March 1, and the main competition March 7 and 11 at Sam Boyd Stadium . The designated home team (formerly West) was dubbed the Las Vegas Hughes, named after Howard Hughes , who spent much of
3192-780: Was later reported that TSL in no longer associated with the new USFL. On February 18, 2022, Woods stated that TSL was "no longer operational", but later reports indicate that it will continues as a business although the football operations are suspended. In June 2023 it was announced that Woods is planning to launch a 11-on-11 spring football league for high school players called the Prep Super League. Games will be played from April 19 through May 24 with teams located in Atlanta , Cleveland , Dallas , Houston , New Jersey , New Orleans , Los Angeles , Miami , Phoenix , San Diego , San Francisco , and Tampa . Players will pay
3249-514: Was recognized and accepted as the second tier of professional football behind the NFL, with several former NFL stars playing in the UFL near the ends of their careers. High-level Low-level High-level Mid-level Low-level Below Major League Soccer several lower-level leagues operate on both sides of the U.S.–Canada border as part of the American and Canadian soccer pyramids. As
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