Esiliiga
| Country | Estonia |
|---|---|
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Divisions |
Esiliiga Esiliiga B |
| Number of teams | 20 (10 in each division) |
| Levels on pyramid | 2–3 |
| Promotion to | Meistriliiga |
| Relegation to | II Liiga |
| Domestic cup(s) | Estonian Cup |
| Current champions |
Infonet (2012) |
| Most championships | Levadia II (5 titles) |
| Website | Estonian Football Association |
 2013 Esiliiga | |
Esiliiga is the second-top league arranged by the Estonian Football Association. Esiliiga contains second and third level of football league competition in Estonia. Esiliiga features amateur clubs and reserve teams of Meistriliiga clubs of which reserve teams can not get promoted according to the rules set by the Estonian Football Association. As in most countries with low temperatures in winter time, the season starts around March and ends in late November.
Competition
Since 2013 Esiliiga has 20 clubs evenly divided into two divisions, Esiliiga and Esiliiga B. During the season a club plays each of the others in the same division four times, twice at their home stadium and twice at that of their opponents. This makes for a total of 36 games played each season. Clubs gain three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a defeat.[1]
Promotion and relegation between divisions is a central feature of the League. At the end of the season, clubs at the top of their division win promotion to the next higher division, while those at the bottom will be relegated to the next lower one. At the top end of the competition, one Esiliiga club gains promotion to the Meistriliiga. This is providing that the Esiliiga club meets the licensing criteria of the Meistriliiga. Reserve teams of higher division clubs can only take part of competition one division lower than their first team. Two bottom end clubs Of Esiliiga are relegated and two top clubs of Esiliiga B are promoted. Two clubs from the bottom end of the Esiliiga B are relegated to the II Liiga.
One promotion and relegation place between each division is decided according to playoffs between clubs. The playoff for Meistriliiga spot are contested between the ninth placed (second bottom) club in Meistriliiga and the second in Esiliiga, playoff for Esiliiga spot are contested between the eight placed (third bottom) club in Esiliiga and the third in Esiliiga B and playoff for Esiliiga B spot are contested between the eight placed (third bottom) club in Esiliiga B and the winner of the playoff between second placed clubs of II Liiga regional divisions.[2]
Esiliiga clubs 2013
Esiliiga
The following clubs are competing in Esiliiga during the 2013 season.
| Club | 2012 | Seasons in Esiliiga |
Current run since |
Titles | Last title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flora IIb,c | 2nd | 8 | 2006 | 0 | n/a |
| Irbisa,b | 6th | 6 | 2008 | 0 | n/a |
| Levadia IIa,b,c | 5th | 10 | 2004 | 5 | 2010 |
| Jõhvi Lokomotivb,c | 1st (II.East/North) | 2 | 2013 | 0 | n/a |
| Puumaa,b | 7th | 3 | 2011 | 0 | n/a |
| SK 10a,b | 4th | 2 | 2012 | 0 | n/a |
| Tammeka IIb,c | 8th | 4 | 2012 | 0 | n/a |
| Tarvasb | 3rd | 5 | 2012 | 0 | n/a |
| Tulevika | 2nd (II.West/South) | 5 | 2013 | 0 | n/a |
| Vändra Vaprusa,b | 3rd (II.West/South) | 1 | 2013 | 0 | n/a |
a – never been relegated from Esiliiga
b – never played in Meistriliiga
c – ineligible for promotion to Meistriliiga
Esiliiga B
The following clubs are competing in Esiliiga B during the 2013 season.
| Club | 2012 | Seasons in Esiliiga |
Current run since |
Titles | Last title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pärnu LM | 9th | 8 | 2009 | 1 | 2003 |
| Järve | 10th | 8 | 2011 | 1 | 2005 |
| Emmasteb | 1st (II.West/South) | 1 | 2013 | 0 | n/a |
| Sillamäe Kalev IIb | 2nd (II.East/North) | 1 | 2013 | 0 | n/a |
| Nõmme Kalju IIb | 3rd (II.East/North) | 1 | 2013 | 0 | n/a |
| Elvab | 4th (II.West/South) | 1 | 2013 | 0 | n/a |
| TJK Legionb | 4th (II.East/North) | 1 | 2013 | 0 | n/a |
| Ararat TTÜb | 5th (II.East/North) | 1 | 2013 | 0 | n/a |
| Tallinna Dünamo | 6th (II.East/North) | 5 | 2013 | 2 | 1996–97 |
| Flora IIIb,c | 8th (II.West/South) | 1 | 2013 | 0 | n/a |
a – never been relegated from Esiliiga
b – never played in Meistriliiga
c – ineligible for promotion to Esiliiga
Champions
| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Third | Top scorer | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Kreenholm | Tempo | Lokomotiiv | ||
| 1992–93 | Tervis | Sadam | Kreenholm | ||
| 1993–94 | Pärnu JK4 | Vall | Pena |  Vadim Dolinin (Pärnu Kalev) |
21 |
| 1994–95 N | Dünamo | Jalgpallikool | Pena | ||
| 1994–95 S | FC Lelle | Tervis | Tulevik | ||
| 1995–96 | Norma | Vall | Jalgpallikool | ||
| 1996–97 | Dünamo | Jalgpallikool | Pärnu JK | Igor Bratšuk (Olümp) | 8 |
| 1997–98 | Vall | Olümp | Dokker | Andrei Afanassov & Aleksei Titov (Vall) |
13 |
| 1998 | Levadia1 | Vigri Tallinn | Lootus | Igor Bratšuk (Levadia) | 9 |
| 1999 | Kuressaare | Lootus | FC Maardu5 |  Svajunas Rauckis (Kuressaare) |
27 |
| 2000 | FC Maardu | Tervis | FC Viljandi | Vladimir Tšelnokov (FC Maardu) | 26 |
| 2001 | Levadia Pärnu | Warrior2 | S.C. Real | Andrei Afanassov (S.C. Real) | 26 |
| 2002 | Warrior2 | Kuressaare | Maardu JK | Andrei Afanassov (Maardu JK) | 25 |
| 2003 | Lootus | Tervis | M.C. | Aleksei Titov (Estel3) |
29 |
| 2004 | Tammeka | Levadia II | Tervis | Oliver Konsa (Tammeka) |
25 |
| 2005 | Vaprus | Levadia II | Ajax Lasnamäe |  Nikita Andreev (Ajax Lasnamäe) |
29 |
| 2006 | Levadia II | Kuressaare | Tallinna Kalev | Kaimar Saag (Levadia II) |
37 |
| 2007 | Levadia II | Flora II | Sillamäe Kalev | Andrus Mitt (Kalju) |
24 |
| 2008 | Levadia II | Kuressaare | Flora II | Sergei Jegorov (TVMK II) |
20 |
| 2009 | Levadia II | Lootus | Warrior | Tõnis Starkopf (Tamme Auto & Levadia II) |
32 |
| 2010 | Levadia II | Flora II | Ajax Lasnamäe | Tõnis Starkopf (Tamme Auto) |
28 |
| 2011 | Tallinna Kalev | Infonet | Tamme Auto | Maksim Rõtškov (Infonet) |
40 |
| 2012 | Infonet | Flora II | Tarvas |  Manucho (Infonet) |
31 |
| 2013 | Levadia II | Jõhvi Lokomotiv | Flora II | Tõnis Starkopf (Kiviõli Irbis) |
28 |
- ^1 as FC Levadia Maardu.
- ^2 as FC Valga.
- ^3 as F.C.A. Estel Tallinn.
- ^4 as JK Pärnu Kalev.
- ^5 as KSK Vigri Tartu.
Performance by club
| Club | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Winning seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Levadia II | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 |
| Dünamo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1994–95 N, 1996–97 |
| Tervis | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1992–93 |
| Kuressaare | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1999 |
| Vall | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1997–98 |
| Lootus | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2003 |
| Warrior | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2002 |
| Infonet | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2012 |
| Kreenholm | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1992 |
| Pärnu JK | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1993–94 |
| FC Maardu | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2000 |
| Tallinna Kalev | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2011 |
| FC Lelle | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1994–95 S |
| Norma | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1995–96 |
| Levadia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1998 |
| Levadia Pärnu | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2001 |
| Tammeka | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2004 |
| Pärnu Linnameeskond | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2005 |
| Flora II | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| Jalgpallikool | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| Tempo | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Sadam | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Olümp | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Vigri Tallinn | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Jõhvi Lokomotiv | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Pena | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Ajax Lasnamäe | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Lokomotiiv | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Tulevik | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Dokker | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| FC Viljandi | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| S.C. Real | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Maardu JK | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| M.C. | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Sillamäe Kalev | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Tamme Auto | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Tarvas | 0 | 0 | 1 |
References
- ↑ http://www.jalgpall.ee/news.php?st=style_fp.css&news_id=3867 Estonian Football Association (in Estonian). Esiliiga expanded with B division. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
- ↑ http://www.jalgpall.ee/docs/Eesti%202013.a%20meistriv%F5istluste%20Meistri-ja%20Esiliiga%20juhend.pdf Estonian Football Association (in Estonian). Estonian 2013. Meistri- and Esiliiga championship directive. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
External links
- Esiliiga news EJL (Estonian)
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