Takht Jamshid Cup

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Takht Jamshid Cup
Sport	Football
Founded	1973
No. of teams	12
Country(ies)	Iran
Ceased	1978
Last champion(s)	Pas F.C., 1977

The Takht Jamshid Cup (Persian: جام تخت جمشید) was a national football league based in Iran which lasted from 1973 to 1978.

[edit] History

In early 70s Iran, football had become a very popular sport and several local leagues existed in various cities. Eventually the football federation of the time decided that a national league with a format similar to that which European clubs followed was necessary. This led to the creation of the Takht Jamshid Cup. The name Jamshid is an important party of ancient Iranian history, and the league was named as such to emphasize the greatness of the ancient Persians.

In 1973 the league officially started. The league followed a home and away format, with the club having the most points being declared champion. Most clubs involved in the league were connected to a government organization, but some clubs were privately owned (Persepolis F.C.). Addiontally clubs from all regions of Iran participated in the league. Persepolis became champions of the inaugural season of the league. The league was found to be very popular with fans and it continued functioning until the Iranian Revolution which caused the league to shut down halfway through the season.

After the revolution, because of the Iran-Iraq War, a national league was not established until some time later, under a different name. The Takht Jamshid Cup, despite its short lifespan, can be considered the first national football league in Iran and was extremely influential in improving Iran's football.