Valladar football league system

The Valladar football league system, also known as the Valladar football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in Valladares, with three teams from Sillimus and three teams from Electrum also competing. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, allowing even the smallest club the theoretical possibility of ultimately rising to the very top of the system. As of Liga-1 season 63, there are 226 clubs competing in the five tiers of the Valladar league pyramid.

About the system
The system consists of a pyramid of leagues, bound together by the principle of promotion and relegation. A certain number of the most successful clubs in each league can rise to a higher league, whilst those that finish the season at the bottom of their league can find themselves sinking down a level. In addition to sporting performance, promotion is usually contingent on meeting criteria set by the higher league, especially concerning appropriate facilities and finances.

In theory, it is possible for a lowly local amateur club to achieve annual promotions and within a few years rise to the pinnacle of the Valladar game and become champions of the Liga-1. While this may be unlikely in practice (at the very least, in the short run), there certainly is significant movement within the pyramid.

The top four levels contain one division each and are nationwide in scope. Below this, the fifth level consists of the state championships, with one division per state for a total of 12 state championships. There are also leagues in various parts of the country which are not officially part of the system as they do not have formal agreements with the Valladar Football Association or any of the state football associations, but are recognised at various levels by county football associations. Clubs from these leagues may, if they feel they meet the appropriate standard of play and have suitable facilities, apply to join the state championships and by extension, the main league system.

The Liga-1 and the two levels immediately below it are known as the Federal League System and come under the jurisdiction of the Liga Federal de Valladares, while the next level is known as the National League System and comes under the jurisdiction of the VFA. The state championships come under the jurisdiction of the respective football associations of each state.

Structure
At the top is the Valladar Liga-1 (Level 1, which is often referred to as the "top-flight"), containing 20 clubs, all of which, up to the 61st season, were based in the Valladar mainland or Junín. However, one Sillimese club (FC Sillimus) has played in the league. Below the Liga-1 are the Liga-2 (Level 2) and Liga-3 (Level 3), each one of them containing 20 clubs as well. The 60 clubs in the Liga Federal de Valladares are all full-time professional clubs, and Liga Federal members are usually referred to as 'League clubs', with clubs outside this group being referred to as 'non-League' clubs, although they too play their football in league competitions.

The top tier of non-League football is the National League, containing a single national division (State Champions League) of 16 clubs (Level 4), and is the lowest level with a single nationwide league. This division is only contested by the 12 state champions from the previous season plus the four clubs relegated from Liga-3. As such, it is a semi-professional competition, although clubs relegated from Liga-3 retain professional status. Level 5 is made up of the state championships, twelve leagues catering to semi-professional and amateur clubs from each state. Prior to season 61, the state championships contained 8 teams each, but with the most recent overhaul of the football pyramid and the elimination of the previous fifth-tier competition (Liga Regional), they were expanded to include former fourth and fifth tier clubs in each state, and remained as the lowest tier of the pyramid.

Promotion and relegation rules

 * Liga-1 (level 1, 20 teams): The bottom three teams are relegated, with the fourth-from-bottom team playing a double-legged play-off against the Liga-2 final play-offs runner-up.
 * Liga-2 (level 2, 20 teams): Top two are automatically promoted; next eight compete in final play-offs, with the winner gaining the third promotion spot, and the runner-up playing the fourth-from-bottom team in Liga-1 for the last promotion spot. The bottom three teams are relegated, with the fourth-from-bottom team playing a double-legged play-off against the Liga-3 final play-offs runner-up.
 * Liga-3 (level 3, 20 teams): Top two are automatically promoted; next eight compete in final play-offs, with the winner gaining the third promotion spot, and the runner-up playing the fourth-from-bottom team in Liga-2 for the last promotion spot. The bottom four teams are relegated.
 * State Champions League (level 4, 16 teams): Top four teams are automatically promoted. The remaining teams return to their respective state championships.
 * State Championships (level 5, variable size): The champions of each league are automatically promoted.

The pyramid
Levels one, two and three in the pyramid, the top divisions of Valladar football, are run by the Liga Federal de Valladares (which gives its name to the competition in those divisions), and the winners of Liga-1 are regarded as the champions of Valladares. Together, these three divisions make up what is known as "league football".

The leagues below level three are classed as "non-league football", meaning they are outside the LFV. Level four is run by the Valladar Football Association, while the state championships, the leagues in level five, come under the direct jurisdiction of the football associations of each state.