Bolivian Football Regional Leagues

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2nd tier in the Bolivian Football pyramid consists of 9 regional leagues (one for each department), the number of participants varies depending on the departament, it's usually between 8 and 12 teasm. Both winner and runner-up of each eague competes in the Copa Simón Bolívar, with the winner of such tournamet gaining promotion to the 1st Division, and the runner-up playing a play-off match with the 11th placed team in the 1st Division. Until 1976 all 8 regional championships(Pando didn't had an organized tournament back then) were the top in the national football pyramid, with the winner of the Copa Simón Bolívar being crowned as national champion.

The oldest regional championship is the one played in La Paz, it started in 1914 and it was considered for many years as the top Bolivian league, even more when it turned into a semi-pro tournament in 1950 and started including teams from Oruro and Cochabamba.

Contents

[edit] Copa Simón Bolívar

The tournament started in 1960, initially only champions from La Paz, Cochabamba, Oruro and Santa Cruz participated, on later years teams from other associations started joining the cup, and the tournament eventually had also runner-up's participating.

Until 1976, due the lack of a nation-wide league, the cup determined the national champion and representative teams for the Copa Libertadores. With the creation of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano, the Bolivian FA stopped organizing the tournament.

Finally in 1989 the tournament was resurrected, with in the same format of having both champions and runner-up from each association, but this time each regional league was the 2nd tier on the football pyramid so the champion was awarded a place in the professional league. Previously the last placed team in the 1st division was replaced by the regional champion of it's departament.

The competition format changes frequently, in 2007, the team were divided in 3 groups of 6 teams each, to save costs, geographically close teams were teamed up and played on a home-away round-robin basis, with group 1 consisting of teams from La Paz, Oruro and Cochabamba; group 2 with teams from Potosí, Chuquisaca and Tarija, and group 3 with teams from Santa Cruz, Beni and Pando. The top 2 placed teams advanced to the next round, now playing play-offs on home-away basis, the 3 winners and the best loser advanced to the semifinals and then the final.

[edit] List of Champions

[edit] Copa Simón Bolívar

As First Division Tournament

# Year Winner Runner-up
1
1960 Wilstermann Aurora
2
1961 Deportivo Muncipal Aurora
3
1962 (Not Held)
4
1963 (Not Held)
5
1964 The Strongest Aurora
6
1965 Deportivo Municipal Wilstermann
7
1966 Bolívar 31 de Octubre
8
1967 Wilstermann Always Ready
9
1968 Bolívar CD Litoral
10
1969 Universitario(La Paz) CD Litoral
11
1970 Chaco Petrolero The Strongest
12
1971 Oriente Petrolero Chaco Petrolero
13
1972 Wilstermann Oriente Petrolero
14
1973 Wilstermann Deportivo Municipal
15
1974 The Strongest Wilstermann
16
1975 Guabirá Bolívar
17
1976 Bolivar Oriente Petrolero

As Second Division Tournament

# Year Winner Runner-up
1
1989 Enrique Happ[1] Universidad(Santa Cruz)
2
1990 Universidad (Santa Cruz) Naval Mamoré[2]
3
1991 Enrique Happ[3] Guabirá
4
1992 Enrique Happ Universidad Católica [4]
5
1993 Real Santa Cruz Estudiantes Frontanilla
6
1994 Stormers Always Ready
7
1995 Deportivo Municipal Chaco Petrolero
8
1996 Blooming Universidad (Santa Cruz)
9
1997 Real Potosí Universitario(Cochabamba)
10
1998 Union Central) Atlético Pompeya
11
1999 Atlético Pompeya Mariscal Braun
12
2000 Iberoamericana Aurora
13
2001 San José Primero de Mayo
14
2002 Aurora Fancesa
15
2003 La Paz F.C. Real Santa Cruz
16
2004 Destroyers Primero de Mayo
17
2005 Universitario(Sucre) Guabirá
18
2006 Municipal Real Mamoré Ciclón
19
2007 Guabirá Nacional Potosí


[edit] Chuquisaca Football Association Championship

[edit] Cochabamba Football Association Championship

  • 2007 Universitario(Cochabamba)

[edit] La Paz Football Association Championships

  • 1914 The Strongest
  • 1915 Colegio Militar(football Club)
  • 1916 The Strongest
  • 1917 The Strongest
  • 1918-21 [no competition]
  • 1922 The Strongest
  • 1923 The Strongest
  • 1924 The Strongest
  • 1925 The Strongest
  • 1926 [no competition]
  • 1927 Nimbles Sport
  • 1928 Colegio Militar
  • 1929 Universitario(La Paz)
  • 1930 The Strongest
  • 1931 Nimbles Sport
  • 1932 Bolívar
  • 1933 [no competition]
  • 1934 [no competition]
  • 1935 The Strongest
  • 1936 Ayacucho
  • 1937 Bolívar
  • 1938 The Strongest
  • 1939 Bolívar
  • 1940 Bolívar
  • 1941 Bolívar
  • 1942 Bolívar
  • 1943 The Strongest
  • 1944 Ferroviario
  • 1945 The Strongest
  • 1946 The Strongest
  • 1947 CD Lítoral
  • 1948 CD Lítoral
  • 1949 CD Lítoral
  • 1950 Bolívar
  • 1951 Always Ready
  • 1952 The Strongest
  • 1953 Bolívar
  • 1954 CD Litoral
  • 1955 San José
  • 1956 Bolívar
  • 1957 Always Ready
  • 1958 Wilstermann
  • 1959 Wilstermann
  • 1960 Wilstermann
  • 1961 Deportivo Municipal
  • 1962 Chaco Petrolero
  • 1963 The Strongest
  • 1964 The Strongest
  • 1965 Municipal
  • 1966 Bolívar
  • 1967 Bolívar
  • 1968 Always Ready
  • 1969 Bolívar
  • 1970 The Strongest
  • 1971 The Strongest
  • 1972 CD Litoral
  • 1973 Municipal
  • 1974 The Strongest
  • 1975 31 de Octubre
  • 1976 Bolívar

. . .

  • 2007 Mariscal Braun

[edit] Oruro Football Association Championship

  • 2007 Huachacalla

[edit] Potosí Football Association Championship

[edit] Santa Cruz Association Championship

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Enrique Happ is a football academy from Cochabamba, being not able to turn into a professional team, the teams was barred from gaining promotion, it's spot was taken by Orcobol who was the runner-up in the Cochabamba championship
  2. ^ After Universidad failed to turn into a pro team, the spot was given to Naval Mamore (from Beni) who also bein unable to turn into a pro team gaved it's spot to Real Beni, Beni's championship runner-up
  3. ^ It's spot on the 1st division was given to Guabirá
  4. ^ On an odd decision the Bolivian FA, with both teams from Cochabamba being unable to turn into pro temas, decided to give the 1st division spo to Metalsan, the 3rd placed team in the Cochabamba championship, who didn't even play the cup but was able to be a pro team