Første Liga (Olmeria)
The Første Liga (English: Top League) is the topmost division of the Olmerian League Football (OLF) system. It is contested by 15 clubs from across the country, and runs on a system of promotion and relegation with the rest of the Olmerian football leagues. The league is held over annual seasons, with a season typically running from the start of March through to late October, with a 3-4 month break over Olmeria's extreme winters. The dates of seasons vary each year based on when conditions become favourable enough to permit outdoor football. The leagues size is also adjusted for the reduced playing time available, as each team plays every other team twice during a season, once at home and once away. As such 28 game week seasons is more viable than the standard 34/38 week season of a more traditional 18/20 club division. The reduced games also allows for flexibility to break for international competitions during the summer. Clubs in the Første Liga compete to win the league each season, qualify for international football tournaments, and to avoid relegation to the below Lëiga Lige. Most games are played at weekends (Saturday and Sunday), although the occasional game will be held midweek, especially in international competition years or if there is an especially harsh winter.
 | |
| Founded | 5 July 1934 |
|---|---|
| Country | Olmeria |
| Confederation | WAFF |
| Number of teams | 15 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Lëiga Lige |
| Domestic cup(s) | |
| League cup(s) | OLF Cup |
| Current champions | Høkston Spurs FK (4th title) (March - November) |
| Most championships | Avonemore FK (23 titles) |
| Most appearances | Leo Sörenstam (615) |
| Top goalscorer | Olle Aberg (317) |
| TV partners |
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| Website | https://FørsteLiga.com |
The competition was created as part of the OLF in 1934 by the Olmerian Football Confederation (OFC), in response to a surge in footballs popularity, which had led to the creation of several fractured leagues across the country. The league has been it's own organisation since 1986, although it remains under the ultimate jurisdiction of the OFC, along with the rest of the OLF. It has seen 94 seasons over 100 years since it's founding, with 6 missed seasons due to conflicts and natural conditions.
A total of 63 teams have competed in the Første Liga since it's founding, of which 36 have won the title and 2 have never been relegated to the Lëiga Lige. The most successful club in the competition's history are Avonemor Idrettslag FK, having won a total of 17 titles, while the current champions are Høkston Stovlar FK, who won the 2033 season in a shock victory, their first since 1984. Recent prominent clubs in the league include Avonemor Idrettslag FK, as well as Askved FKA, Nordstjerna FK, Strond FK and KA Strond.
History
Origin
Early Years
1950's - 70's
Competition Format
Competition
There are 15 clubs in the Første Liga, who play each other twice over the course of a season (March - November), in a double round robin system. This makes a total of 28 games for each team, 14 at their home stadium and a further 14 at the stadiums of their opponents. A team is awarded 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and nothing for a loss. The league is ordered first by a teams total points over a season to date, followed by their goal difference (goals scored - goals conceded). If a there is still a tie, teams are placed according to head to head points (whichever team won the most points from the two games between the affected teams), and then head to head aggregate (total score from both head to head games). After this, if still equal, the teams are considered to be equal in position, with the exception of at the end of the season where if relegation, continental tournament qualification, or the champion are affected, teams must play a tiebreak game with extra-time and penalties at a neutral venue to decide who occupies the higher slot.
Seasons
When it was founded in July 1934, the Første Liga was played in seasons from August - July, with a 1.5 month winter break in the middle, in addition to a 1 month season break. However, as Olmerian football grew internationally, it became difficult to fit this calendar with that of international competitions, and in 1952 the system was changed to a single winter break. The first season to be held under the new season was the 1953 season, after a 7 month break following the 51-52 season to reset the calendar. Since then, all Første Liga seasons have taken place within a calendar year, although the length of the season was later adjusted again when the size of the league was reduced between 1990 and 1993. Additionally, short summer breaks are regularly added to allow for players to compete in international competitions.
Relegation/Promotion
The Første Liga operates within the OLF pyramid. As it is the top division of the pyramid, the promotion and relegation system works only in one direction with the below Lëiga Lige, rather than in both as with the rest of the pyramid. Each season, 2 or 3 teams are demoted to the Lëiga Lige, with those occupying the bottom two positions in the table automatically relegated, and the third from last team competing against teams from the below league to keep their place in the league. This team is granted a place in the semi-finals of the Lëiga Lige Playoffs, where the winner will gain/retain a place in the Første Liga for the next season. Although Første Liga teams have the upper hand in these competitions, often with superior squads and a more favourable fixture (they play the 5th placed team in the Lëiga Lige, while the 3rd and 4th play each other in the other semi-final), it's not uncommon for underdog teams to come out on top, especially in the single-leg final.
The relegation system for the Første Liga has varied over time, as has the size of the league. When it was created in 1934 the league had 18 teams and a standard 3 automatic relegation slots, with no playoffs. In 1989, plans to adjust the league's size ware confirmed, to allow season scheduling to better fit international competitions and harsh winters. Because the entire OLF was being adjusted, the plans meant the size of the league would fall incrementally by one team a year, until it reached 15 teams, to soften the impact of the change. This meant that for three seasons, starting in the 1990 season, the Første Liga relegated 4 teams and only 3 were promoted. 23 years later, in the 2013 season, the current system was implemented, and has remained unchanged since.
Cup Competitions
The Første Liga doesn't have any of it's own cup competitions, but teams in the league participate in the two Olmerian league domestic cups. Teams compete in the national Fotbollsförbund[1] Cup (FF Cup) from the third round proper, and in the Olmeria Ligas av Fotbolls[2] Cup (OLF Cup) from the 2nd or 3rd round. Additionally, the winner of the Første Liga plays the winner of the FF Cup in the FF Arver[3] Trophy in a single match at the start of each season.
Clubs
2034 Season
| Club | 2033 Position | First Season
in Første Liga |
Seasons in
Første Liga |
First Season of
Current Spell |
No. of Titles | Last Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avonemor Idrettslag FK | 3rd | 1934 | ||||
| Høkston Stovlar FK | 1st | |||||
| Askved FKA. | ||||||
| Nordstjerna FK | ||||||
| Strond FK | 2nd | |||||
| KA Strond | 6th |