Rounders Association
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Current season, competition or edition: 2018 Rounders Association season | |
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| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1882 |
| CEO | Cadmund Averull Landis |
| No. of teams | 16 |
| Country |  Ambrose (15 teams) Sjealand (1 teams) |
| Most recent champion(s) | Harford Blue Stockings (6th title) |
| Most titles | Arlesburgh Archers (18 titles) |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Reserve Leagues |
| Official website | www.ra.com |
The Confederal Association of Professional Rounders Players (CAPRP), trading as the Rounders Association (RA) and popularly known as simply the Association, is a professional rounders league in Ambrose that is the premier level of the Ambrosian rounders league system. Founded in 1872, the RA is one of the oldest continuous organized sports leagues in Midgard. In terms of both television viewership and in-game attendance, it is the largest rounders league in Midgard.
The Confederal Association of Professional Rounders Players was first formed out of eight clubs in 1882, initially to distinguish "professional" clubs from their hundreds of "amateur" counterparts. Despite threats from competing leagues and criticism for "elitism", in 1906 the RA (as part of the Confederal Rounders Federation) was recognized as the highest level of Ambrosian rounders. The sport grew in popularity nationwide, becoming a source of national unity after the turmoil experienced during and after the Continental War. It evolved from the dead-ball era into modern rounders; the introduction of artificial turf surfaces in the 1960s prompted northward expansion which saw the the number of clubs in the first division increase from 10 to 16 by 1980, as well as the establishment of two separate conferences.
Contested by 15 clubs in Ambrose and one in Sjealand (in the historically-disputed Tower Islands), the RA was formed as a "closed club" with a fixed membership, but since 1930 has operated on a system of promotion and relegation within the Confederal Rounders Federation (CRF). Despite this system, several clubs have become perennial contenders in the Association, partially due to a disparity in broadcast and merchandising rights between the first and second divisions of Ambrosian rounders; the three teams that have avoided relegation entirely throughout their history are the Arlesburgh Archers, Elsbridge Arsenal, and Perth Gray Stockings. Each club plays 50 games in the regular season, which is typically held from May to August; the lowest-ranked teams at the end of regular season play are relegated to the Reserve Leagues while the top four clubs from each conference qualify for the Rounders Cup postseason tournament.
History
Origins
Dead-ball era
Continental War
Expansion era
International prominence
Competition format
Regular season
Postseason
Clubs
The following 20 clubs will compete in the Rounders Association during the 2019 season.
Since the introduction of the promotion and relegation system in 1930, three teams have avoided relegation: the Arlesburgh Archers, Elsbridge Arsenal, and Perth Gray Stockings. However, all three had previously held last-place spots prior to the 1930 season (in 1906-11, 1872-82, and 1927-28, respectively).