Tag Archives: soccer
England - Premier League
The competition formed as the FA Premier League on 20 February 1992 following the decision of clubs in the Football League First Division to break away from The Football League, which was originally founded in 1888, and take advantage of a lucrative television rights deal.This deal will be worth £3 billion as of 2013–14, with BSkyB and BT Group securing the rights to broadcast 116 and 38 games respectively. The Premier League is the most-watched football league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes. In the 2010–11 season the average Premier League match attendance was 35,363, the second highest of any professional football league other than the German Bundesliga, and stadium occupancy was 92.2% capacity. The Premier League ranked second in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) coefficients of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the last five years.
England - Championship
The Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short, or the npower Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League.The Football League Championship was introduced for the 2004–05 season, having been previously known as the Football League First Division. According to Deloitte, in the 2004–05 season it was the wealthiest non-top flight football division in the world, and the sixth richest division in Europe.The winners of the Football League Championship receive the Football League Championship trophy which is the same trophy as the old First Division champions were handed prior to the Premier League’s inception in the 1992–93 season.
Finland - Veikkausliiga
As with certain other cold-climate European countries (including Norway and Sweden), league matches in Finland are played in summer, with a schedule usually from April to October. The format and number of teams has changed frequently, and in the season 2012 there will be 12 teams and each team playing all other teams three times, altogether thus 33 rounds during the season. Uneven number of matches means that the best six teams from 2011 season will have 17 home matches and the other six teams will have 16 home matches. At the end of the season, the lowest-placed team is relegated to Ykkönen, whose winner will be promoted to Veikkausliiga.
France - Ligue 1
Ligue 1 was inaugurated on 11 September 1932 under the name National before switching to Division 1 after a year of existence. The name lasted until 2002 before switching to its current name. The current champions are Montpellier, who won the first title of their history in the 2011–12 season.Ligue 1 is generally regarded as competently run, with good planning of fixtures, complete and consistently enforced rules, timely resolution of issues, and adequate escalation procedures of judicial disputes to national or international institutions. The league has faced three significant corruption scandals in its history (Antibes in 1933, Red Star in the 1950s, and Marseille in 1993) and has preserved its reputation every time through swift and appropriately severe punishment of the guilty parties.
France - Ligue 2
Ligue 2 was founded a year after the creation of the first division in 1933 under the name Division 2 and has served as the second division of French football ever since. The name lasted until 2002 before switching to its current name. Since the league is a part of the LFP, it allows clubs who are on the brink of professionalism to become so. However, if a club suffers relegation to the Championnat National, its professional status can be revoked temporarily until they return to Ligue 2. The current champion is Evian, who won promotion to Ligue 1 on its first attempt. The second and third-place finishers were Dijon and Ajaccio, respectively.
Germany - Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga, commonly known as the Bundesliga, is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany’s primary football competition. The Bundesliga is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga. Seasons run from August to May. Most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays, with a few games played during weekdays.
Germany - 2. Bundesliga
The 2nd Bundesliga is the Second Division of professional football in Germany. It is below the Bundesliga in the German football league system.1974 marked the introduction of the second tier of the Bundesliga. Forty clubs, divided into two leagues (North and South), competed for promotion into the Bundesliga. 1981 saw the introduction of a single 2nd Bundesliga of 20 teams. In the 1991–1992 season, the former East German clubs participated as well. This was managed by returning to a two-tier system (with 12 teams in each league). The 1992-93 season was a momentous one, with 24 teams competing in a single league. Since 1994–95, there have been 18 teams in the second division. The most successful team was SC Fortuna Köln (1,376 points from a possible 2,910).
Greece - Super League
The Superleague Greece is the highest professional football league in Greece. It was formed on July 16, 2006 and replaced Alpha Ethniki at the top of the Greek football league system. The league consists of 16 teams and runs from August to May, with teams playing 30 games each. As of May 2011, Superleague Greece is ranked 10th in the UEFA ranking of leagues, based on performances in European competitions over the last five years. In June 2011 about 70 people were named in connection with an alleged Greek Superleague match fixing scandal. UEFA provided information that started the investigation. The BBC reported on June 25, 2011 that among the alleged suspects were the Olympiakos president and one of its star players, both denied involvement. The investigation has not yet been completed. UEFA/SportRadar characterized the Greek league as one of 5 most corrupt leagues in Europe.
Hungary - NB 1
The Nemzeti Bajnokság is a Hungarian professional league for association football clubs. The league is currently known as the OTP Bank Liga for sponsorship reasons,and it is the highest level of professional league since its inception in 1901. UEFA currently ranks the league 29th in Europe.Sixteen teams compete in the league, playing each other twice, once at home and once away. At the end of the season, the top team enters the qualification for the UEFA Champions League, while the runner-up and the third placed, together with the winner of the Hungarian Cup enters the UEFA Europa League qualification round. The bottom two clubs are relegated to NB2, the second-level league, to be replaced by the winners of NB2-Nyugati csoport (West) and NB2-Keleti csoport (East).
Iceland - Úrvalsdeild
The Úrvalsdeild karla, is the top tier of the Icelandic football pyramid. Because of the harsh winters in Iceland, it is generally played in the spring and summer (May to September). It is run by the Football Association of Iceland (KSI) and currently comprises 12 clubs. UEFA currently ranks the league 37th in Europe.From 27 April 2009, the Úrvalsdeild have been known as Pepsi-deildin (Engl. “The Pepsi League”) after KSÍ and Ölgerðin (the producers of Pepsi in Iceland) signed a three-year sponsorship contract.
The top division consists of 12 clubs. Each club faces every other club twice during the season, once at home and once away. At the end of each season, the bottom two clubs are automatically relegated to the second level of the Icelandic league system, the 1. deild karla (First Division), with the top two clubs of the First Division automatically promoted to the Úrvalsdeild.
Ireland Republic - Premier League
The division was formed as the League of Ireland Premier Division in 1985 as a result of the decision to split the League of Ireland into two divisions, which also created the League of Ireland First Division. The league is ranked thirty first in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) coefficients of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the last five years, ahead of Lithuania’s A Lyga and behind Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Premier League. In 2009, the FAI rejected proposals from clubs to remove the division and restore the League of Ireland to its original structure.
Israel - Ligat ha’Al
The Israeli Premier League, Ligat HaAl, is an Israeli professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Israeli football league system, it is the country’s primary football competition. Contested by 14 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Liga Leumit. Seasons run from August to May, with teams playing 32 matches each, totalling 224 matches in the season. Five games are played on Saturdays, with one game played on Sundays and one game on Mondays. It is sponsored by Toto Winner and therefore officially known as Ligat Winner.
Italy - Serie A
Serie A, also called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since the 1929-30 season. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new league, the Lega Serie A, was created for the 2010–11 season. Serie A is regarded as one of the best football leagues in the world. Serie A was considered the best league in the world in the 90s, up till mid 2000. Serie A has produced the highest number of European Cup finalists: Italian clubs have reached the final of the competition on a record twenty-six different occasions, winning the title twelve times. Serie A is ranked 4th among European leagues according to UEFA’s league coefficient behind the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, and German Bundesliga, which is based on the performance of Italian clubs in the Champions League and the Europa League. It also ranked 5th in world according to the first trends of the 2011 rating.
Italy - Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the Serie A and Serie B. Common nicknames for the league are campionato cadetto and cadetteria, as cadetto is the Italian for junior or cadet.Serie B was composed of 20 teams until the 2002–03 season. It was enlarged to 24 teams for the 2003–04 season due to legal problems relating to Calcio Catania relegation. The league reverted to 22 teams for the 2004–05 season, while Serie A expanded from 18 to 20 teams.
Japan - J1 League
The 2012 J. League Division 1 season was the 47th season of Japanese top flight football and 20th since the establishment of the J. League. The season started on March 10 and finished on December 1.Sanfrecce Hiroshima won the 2012 J. League Division 1 championship on 24 November and advanced to the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup as the host team, entering the qualifying play-off round. This was their first title in the J. League era and first league title since 1970, marking their sixth title overall. Additionally, this was the first time since 1966 that clubs from the traditional regions of Kantō, Tōkai or Kansai - the corridor from Tokyo to Osaka - did not make the top two, and this time it was a team from Tōhoku, Vegalta Sendai, who finished in second place despite leading the table most of the season.
Korea Republic - K League
The K League is a South Korean professional league for association football clubs. At the second tier of the South Korean football league system, it is the country’s second top most football competition. Contested by 8 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the K League Classic.
Mexico - Liga MX
The Liga MX is the top level of the Mexican football league system. It was established in 1943 and as of 2012 has 18 clubs. Up to June 2011, it was divided into three groups competing for league titles. However, in July 2011, groups were removed. Each season the league holds two tournaments: the Apertura, which starts in the summer, and the Clausura, which starts in the winter. The league is currently ranked number 11 in the world and number 10 in the last decade (2001–2010)
Netherlands - Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the seventh best league in Europe by UEFA.
The top division consists of 18 clubs. Each club faces every other club twice during the season, once at home and once away. At the end of each season, the bottom club is automatically relegated to the second level of the Dutch league system, the Eerste Divisie (First Division), with the champion of the Eerste Divisie automatically promoted to the Eredivisie. The next two clubs from the bottom of the Eredivisie go to separate promotion/relegation play-offs. The play-offs are played in two groups. Each group has one Eredivisie club and three high-placed clubs from the Eerste Divisie. In both promotion/relegation play-off groups, each club plays a home-and-away series with the other clubs. The winner of each play-off group plays in the following season’s Eredivisie, with the other teams going to the Eerste Divisie.
Netherlands – Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium. It is now named after Jupiler Pils; previously, it was most recently known as the Gouden Gids Divisie after a five-year sponsorship deal with the Dutch Yellow Pages.The Eerste Divisie consists of 18 clubs, who play each other in a double round-robin league, with each club playing the other club home and away. Each club plays every other club once in the first half of the season before the league takes a winter break around the Christmas and New Year’s holiday season. The second half of the season sees the same fixtures as the first half, with the stadiums changed, although the two halves are not played in the same order.
Northern Ireland - Premiership
The Northern Ireland football league system is categorised into three levels: senior, intermediate and junior. Clubs attain intermediate status by fulfilling certain criteria (e.g. owning or leasing its own enclosed ground). Senior status requires clubs to reach stricter criteria. National leagues exist at senior and intermediate level. All junior leagues and some intermediate are organised on a regional basis.Regionally, there are four regional football associations: the North East Ulster Football Association (also known as the County Antrim & District Football Association), the Mid-Ulster Football Association, the North West of Ireland Football Association and the Fermanagh & Western Football Association.
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