England is home to four professional sports leagues, all of which operate at different times of the year. Association football is easily the most popular league with the longest season — it is played from August to May. The Rugby Union schedules games in the winter, while the Rugby League plays in the summer. Cricket is the second most popular league with a season that runs from April to September.

Established in 1863, Association Football is the world's oldest football league. The game itself can be traced all the way back to the early 14th century, making it the UK's first official sport. Football is so popular in England that there are four professional divisions that are followed with avidity by millions of UK fans who have custom printed sports clothes.

Cricket is the second most popular sport in the UK. It was invented in England where it holds a special place, since it is not a global sport. At last count, there were eighteen professional county clubs, all but one of them in England. Each year, teams compete in regular leagues play as well as special tournaments that were created to increase exposure and television revenues for the sport.

The Rugby Union was established in 1871, making it the second oldest sports league in England. Two decades later, the Rugby League came into existence. Both are based on traditional British football, but they have slightly different rules.

Of course, the main difference between the two leagues is when they play their games. Because they did not want to compete directly with the Rugby Union, the Rugby League chose to schedule their games in the summer and the move has paid off.