Latvian Higher League
| Virslīga |
|---|
 2008 season |
| Founded |
| 1996 |
| Nation |
 Latvia |
| Relegation To |
| Latvian First League |
| Number of Teams |
| 10 |
| Level on Pyramid |
| Level 1 |
| European Qualification |
| Champions League UEFA Cup Intertoto Cup |
| Domestic Cups |
| Latvian Cup |
| Current Champions (2007) |
| FK Ventspils |
| Website |
| Latvian Football Federation |
The Latvian Higher League (Latvian: Virslīga) is the top tier of football in Latvia and is organised by the Latvian Football Federation. The new season kicks off in April of every year, and runs until early November. There are no games in winter because of the harsh climate. Since 2006 the Latvian Higher League is sponsored by Latvijas Mobilais Telefons and officially called LMT Virslīga. Some of the matches of the Virslīga are transmitted by the Latvian TV channel LTV7.
Contents |
League format
Up to and including the 2007 season, there were eight clubs in the Virslīga. During the course of the season each club played all the other clubs four times, twice at their home stadium and twice at that of their opponents, completing a total of 28 games.
However, for the 2008 season the league has expanded to ten clubs, and the fixture format has changed. To expand to ten clubs there was no relegation at the end of the 2007 season, and the top two clubs from the 1. līga 2007 season, champions FK Vindava from Ventspils, and second placed SK Blāzma from Rēzekne were both promoted. From the 2008 season, the league will be in two rounds. In the first round each club will play all the other nine clubs twice, home and away starting with Matchday 1 on 5 April and finishing with Matchday 18 on 10 August. In the second round there will be two "mini leagues", with the top six clubs playing each other twice and the clubs in 7th to 10th place playing each other twice.[1]
At the end of the season, the club finishing bottom of the Virslīga is automatically relegated to the 1. līga, and the champions of the 1. līga are automatically promoted, taking the place of the relegated club. The club that finishes next to bottom in the Virslīga play a two-legged playoff for the final place in the Virslīga for the next season with the club that finishes second in the 1. līga.[1]
Virslīga clubs (2008)
- FK Blāzma Rēzekne
- FK Daugava Daugavpils
- Dinaburg FC
- FK Jūrmala
- FK Liepājas Metalurgs
- JFK Olimps Rīga
- FK Rīga
- Skonto FC
- FK Ventspils
- FK Vindava Ventspils
Past Virslīga winners
| Season | Winner | Total wins* | Remarks | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | FK Ventspils | 2 (2) | Also won the Latvian Cup | FHK Liepājas Metalurgs |
| 2006 | FK Ventspils | 1 (1) | FHK Liepājas Metalurgs | |
| 2005 | FK Liepājas Metalurgs | 1 (1) | Skonto FC | |
| 2004 | Skonto FC | 13 (14) | FHK Liepājas Metalurgs | |
| 2003 | Skonto FC | 12 (13) | FHK Liepājas Metalurgs | |
| 2002 | Skonto FC | 11 (12) | Also won the Latvian Cup | FK Ventspils |
| 2001 | Skonto FC | 10 (11) | Also won the Latvian Cup | FK Ventspils |
| 2000 | Skonto FC | 9 (10) | Also won the Latvian Cup | FK Ventspils |
| 1999 | Skonto FC | 8 (9) | FHK Liepājas Metalurgs | |
| 1998 | Skonto FC | 7 (8) | Also won the Latvian Cup | FHK Liepājas Metalurgs |
| 1997 | Skonto FC | 6 (7) | Undefeated in the league, also won the Latvian Cup |
Daugava Rīga |
| 1996 | Skonto FC | 5 (6) | Daugava Rīga | |
| 1995 | Skonto FC | 4 (5) | Undefeated in the league, also won the Latvian Cup |
Dinaburg FC |
| 1994 | Skonto FC | 3 (4) | Undefeated in the league | RAF Jelgava |
| 1993 | Skonto FC | 2 (3) | Olimpija Rīga | |
| 1992 | Skonto FC | 1 (2) | Also won the Latvian Cup | RAF Jelgava |
| 1944 | - | - | Tournament interrupted due to Soviet invasion | - |
| 1943 | ASK | 3 (3) | Undefeated in the league, also won the Latvian Cup |
Olimpija Liepāja |
| 1942 | ASK | 2 (2) | Undefeated in the league | Olimpija Liepāja |
| 1940-41 | - | - | Tournament interrupted due to Soviet invasion | - |
| 1939-40 | Rīgas FK | 5 (8) | Also won the Latvian Cup | Olimpija Liepāja |
| 1938-39 | Olimpija Liepāja | 7 (7) | ASK | |
| 1937-38 | Olimpija Liepāja | 6 (6) | Rīgas FK | |
| 1936 | Olimpija Liepāja | 5 (5) | Undefeated in the league | ASK |
| 1935 | Rīgas FK | 4 (7) | Olimpija Liepāja | |
| 1934 | Rīgas FK | 3 (6) | Rīga Wanderer | |
| 1933 | Olimpija Liepāja | 4 (4) | Rīgas FK | |
| 1932 | ASK | 1 (1) | Rīga Wanderer | |
| 1931 | Rīgas FK | 2 (5) | Olimpija Liepāja | |
| 1930 | Rīgas FK | 1 (4) | Olimpija Liepāja | |
| 1929 | Olimpija Liepāja | 3 (3) | Undefeated in the league | Rīgas FK |
| 1928 | Olimpija Liepāja | 2 (2) | Rīgas FK | |
| 1927 | Olimpija Liepāja | 1 (1) | Rīgas FK | |
| * Virslīga championships (total Latvian football championships) Up to 1927, the winners of the First Division of the Football League were the Latvian football champions. From 1945 till 1991, the winners of the First Division of the Football League were the Latvian SSR football champions. |
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Riga football league winners
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Champions of Latvia before Virslīga
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Latvian SSR champions
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hartmanis, Martins (2007-12-01). "LMT Virsliga new season calendar published", Latvian Football Federation. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
External links
- Latvian Football Federation
- Latvian Football Federation news in English
- Virslīga news (Latvian)
- Unofficial Website of Virsliga
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Latvian Higher League 2008
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Latvian Higher League seasons
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1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
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Football in Latvia
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