Costa Rican Primera División

Primera División de Costa Rica is a professional league for association football clubs in Costa Rica. At the top of the Costa Rican league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 12 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Segunda División. The seasons are separated by two single tournaments each year, the Apertura, from August to December, and the Clausura, February to June. Thus, there are two champions each season with teams playing anywhere from 32 to 44 games each totalling 412 games in the season. Most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays, with a few games played during weekday evenings. The Campeonatos de Invierno y Verano are sponsored by Scotiabank for the 2010-2011 season.

The competition formed on June 13, 1921 following an invitation presented by Guatemala to Costa Rica to participate in its Centenary Games. A total of 12 clubs have won the title. The current champions are Alajuelense, who won the 2011 Torneo Apertura.

Format

The current Primera División season has two championships.The format both championship is the same. The twelve clubs are divided into two groups of six. They play all the clubs in a single round-robin format for 11 matches, and then within their own group for the remaining five. The three best clubs in each group advance to a single elimination playoff system. The teams that finishes 2 & 3 in their groups play against the opposite seed from the other group over two legs. The winner of that tie advances to the semifinals and play against one of the top clubs from the groups. The winners of that tie advances to the finals, which determines the tournament champion.

The Primera División operates system of promotion and relegation with the Segunda División and third division Primera División de Liga Nacional de Futbol Aficionado (LINAFA).

History

In the year 1921, the Liga Nacional de Fútbol is created by Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, Club Sport Cartaginés, Club Sport Herediano, Club Sport La Libertad, Sociedad Gimnástica Española de San José, Club Sport La Unión de Tres Ríos and Sociedad Gimnástica Limonense, and the Primera División was born. In 1931 the league was centralized and renamed Federación Deportiva de Costa Rica, then Federación Nacional de Fútbol and in the 1970s to Federación Costarricense de Fútbol (FEDEFUTBOL). In 1999, the FEDEFUTBOL, created UNAFUT to operate the Primera División and the Alto Rendimiento y Juvenil Especial (Youth Development Leagues from clubs of First Division).

The Classic

The Classic (derby) in Costa Rica is played between Alajuelense and Deportivo Saprissa the two teams have the biggest support groups in the country, the largest stadiums, and the largest number of national and international titles in their cases. The first Classic was played in 1949 when Deportivo Saprissa was promoted to the Primera División de Costa Rica and the score was 6-5 (Alajuela's win). The statistics said that Saprissa defeated Alajuelense in 104 matches and Alajuelense defeated Saprissa in 83 matches in Costa Rica's championship. It is important to mention that before the Deportivo Saprissa's promotion to the Primera Division, the Classic was played between Club Sport Herediano and Club Sport La Libertad (now in the Third Division), but gradually began to lose intensity until it lost that "classic" title.

Other Classic and Derbys

Note that there is a difference between Classic and Derby, the classic is the party where there is a rivalry that as the years have passed be increasing, and the derby is when two teams that falls in the same town or city.

• Costa Rican Classic of Classics: Deportivo Saprissa vs. Alajuelense.
• "Clasico del Buen Futbol": Deportivo Saprissa vs Club Sport Herediano
• Provincial Classic: Club Sport Herediano vs. Alajuelense, Club Sport Herediano vs. Club Sport Cartagines (Oldest).
• Sa-Sa Classic: Deportivo Saprissa vs Sagrada Familia (Second Division).
• Alajuelan Derby: Alajuelense vs. Asociación Deportiva Carmelita (Second Division).
• Caribbean Derby: Santos de Guápiles vs Limon F.C..
• Ports Classic: Limon F.C. vs. Puntarenas.
• Capital Derby: Brujas FC vs. Deportivo Saprissa.

Clubs in 2011-2012 season

The league currently consists of the following 11 clubs. For the 2011-2012 season, teams are aligned as follows:

Defunct Franchises

List of champions year by year

Champion Titles by club (1921–2011)

Short Championships (Opening and Closure) Titles by club (2007–2011)

External links

• http://www.futboltico.com/
• http://www.futboldecostarica.com/
• (Spanish) UNAFUT - Primera Division
• (Spanish) Federación Costarricense de Fútbol (Federation of Costa Rican Football)
• Main article: List of soccer clubs in Costa Rica