In sport, the First Division is usually the highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions below. In some cases, the First Division may no longer be the highest division overall in that country, as new leagues can be created above, demoting the First Division down a level. Promotion may mean: Promotion (chess), a term used in the game of chess Promotion (marketing), a marketing term Promotion (rank), an increase in position in a hierarchy Promotion (academic), German academic degree that is roughly equivalent to the Ph. ... In the sports leagues — especially soccer leagues — of many countries, relegation (or demotion) means the mandated transfer of the worst team(s) (often the bottom three) of a higher league into a lower league at the end of the season. ...

Examples include:

• The Football League First Division of the English football league system (now only the third highest division)
• The Scottish League First Division of the Scottish football league system
• The Welsh Football League First Division of the Welsh football league system

The term "First division" also has a history of usage in baseball, although the concept of promotion and relegation does not and never has existed in that sport, or in any of the popular team sports in the United States for that matter. From the 1992-1993 to the 2003-2004 season, the Football League First Division was the highest division of The Football League and the second-highest division in the overall English football league system. ... The English football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in England (though for historical reasons — namely that the league system was originally intended to be United Kingdom-wide — a small number of Welsh clubs also compete). ... Scottish Division One is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system. ... The Scottish football league system (or pyramid) is a series of interconnected leagues for Scottish Association football clubs. ... The First Division of the Welsh Football League (currently the CC Sports Welsh League First Division, for sponsorship reasons) is a football league and forms the second level of the Welsh football league system in south Wales. ... The Welsh football league system (or pyramid) is a series of football leagues with regular promotion and relegation between them. ... First division is a term that has had various meanings, at various times, in the sport of baseball: Prior to 1961, the two major baseball leagues — the National League and the American League — contained eight teams each, and a team in first through fourth places collectively was said to stand... Picture of Fenway Park. ...

For usage of the term in the military, see 1st Division. For usage in sport, see First Division. ...