Belarusian Premier League

Belarusian Premier League
Country  Belarus
Confederation UEFA
Founded 1992
Number of teams 12
Level on pyramid 1
Relegation to Belarusian First League
Domestic cup(s) Belarusian Cup
International cup(s) UEFA Champions League
UEFA Europa League
Current champions BATE Borisov
(2014)
Most championships BATE Borisov (11 titles)
TV partners Belarus 5
2015 Belarusian Premier League

The Belarusian Premier League or the Vysheyshaya Liga (Belarusian: Вышэйшая ліга, top league) is the top division of professional football in Belarus, and is organized by the Belarusian Football Federation. The number of teams in the competition has varied over the years from as high as 17 to the current 14 which was first put in place in 2015. Each team plays every other team three times during the course of the season. At the end of the season one team is relegated to the Belarusian First League, and one is promoted from the First League to replace it.

BATE Borisov are the current champions and most successful team, with 11 titles.

History

The Belarusian Premier League was organized in 1992. The first participants were: Dinamo Minsk, the only Belarusian side in the former Soviet Top League, five teams from the lower tiers of the Soviet league system, and ten teams who were previous competitors in the Belarusian SSR First League.

Immediately after the organization of the league, it was decided to change its season from a Soviet-style summer season to a European-style winter season. To make that possible, the first season was shortened, consisting of a single round-robin tournament between 16 teams, finishing in mid-summer. Due to the shortened season, no team was relegated from the Premier League and only one was promoted from the First League. The 1992–93 season had 17 teams, but was reduced back to 16 teams for the following season. In 1995, the winter season experiment was proven unsuccessful due to poor weather and field conditions in Belarus in the late autumn and early spring. The season was changed back to summer, and the 1995 championship was again held as a single round-robin tournament. Every season since 1996 has been played in the summer.

Throughout the 2000s, the number of competing teams has changed several times. In 2001, the league was reduced to 14 teams, but expanded back to 16 in 2003. In 2005, after two teams withdrew before the start of the season, the league was once again reduced to 14 clubs, but expanded again to 16 teams in 2008. That same year, the decision was made to gradually reduce the number of teams even more, starting with 14 teams in 2009 and 12 in 2010 onwards. 2012 season was played with only 11 teams due to last minute exclusion of Partizan Minsk.

In its earliest years, the league was dominated by Dinamo Minsk, who won the league five times in a row between 1992 and 1995. During the next ten seasons, seven different teams finished as champions: Slavia Mozyr (1996 as MPKC Mozyr, 2000), Dinamo Minsk (1997, 2004), Dnepr-Transmash Mogilev (1998), BATE Borisov (1999, 2002), Belshina Bobruisk (2001), Gomel (2003), Shakhtyor Soligorsk (2005). Since 2006, BATE Borisov has dominated the league, winning eight championships in a row (2006–2013), and becoming the first Belarusian team to reach the group stage of the UEFA Champions League (2008, 2011 and 2012) and the UEFA Europa League (2009 and 2010).

Premier League in 2015

Team Location Venue Capacity Position in 2014
BATE Borisov Borisov Arena 12,896 1st
Belshina Bobruisk Spartak Stadium 3,700 10th
Dinamo Brest Brest OSK Brestskiy 10,060 11th
Dinamo Minsk Minsk Traktor Stadium 16,500 2nd
Gomel Gomel Central Stadium 14,307 6th
Granit Mikashevichi Polesye Stadium 3,100 First League, 1st
Minsk Minsk Torpedo Stadium 4,820 7th
Naftan Novopolotsk Atlant Stadium 4,500 5th
Neman Grodno Neman Stadium 8,500 8th
Shakhtyor Soligorsk Stroitel Stadium 4,200 3rd
Slavia Mozyr Yunost Stadium 5,300 First League, 2nd
Slutsk Slutsk City Stadium 1,896 9th
Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino Torpedo Stadium 3,020 4th
Vitebsk Vitebsk Vitebsky CSK 8,100 First League, 3rd
Locations of teams in the 2015 Belarusian Premier League

Soviet era champions

  • 1922: Minsk (city team)
  • 1923: Unknown
  • 1924: Minsk (city team)
  • 1925: Unknown
  • 1926: Bobruisk (city team)
  • 1927: Unknown
  • 1928: Gomel (city team)
  • 1929-32: Unknown
  • 1933: Gomel (city team)
  • 1934: BVO (Minsk)
  • 1935: BVO (Minsk)
  • 1936: BVO (Minsk)
  • 1937: Dinamo (Minsk)

  • 1954: ODO (Pinsk)
  • 1955: FSM (Minsk)
  • 1956: Spartak (Minsk)
  • 1957: Sputnik (Minsk)
  • 1958: Spartak (Bobruisk)
  • 1959: Minsk (city team)
  • 1960: Sputnik (Minsk)
  • 1961: Volna (Pinsk)
  • 1962: Torpedo (Minsk)
  • 1963: Naroch' (Molodechno)
  • 1964: SKA (Minsk)
  • 1965: SKA (Minsk)
  • 1966: Torpedo (Minsk)

  • 1967: Torpedo (Minsk)
  • 1968: Sputnik (Minsk)
  • 1969: Torpedo (Minsk)
  • 1970: Torpedo (Zhodino)
  • 1971: Torpedo (Zhodino)
  • 1972: Stroitel' (Bobruisk)
  • 1973: Stroitel' (Bobruisk)
  • 1974: BATE (Borisov)
  • 1975: Dinamo (Minsk)
  • 1976: BATE (Borisov)
  • 1977: Sputnik (Minsk)
  • 1978: Shinnik (Bobruisk)
  • 1979: BATE (Borisov)

  • 1980: Torpedo (Zhodino)
  • 1981: Torpedo (Zhodino)
  • 1982: Torpedo (Mogilev)
  • 1983: Obuvschik (Lida)
  • 1984: Orbita (Minsk)
  • 1985: Obuvschik (Lida)
  • 1986: Obuvschik (Lida)
  • 1987: Shinnik (Bobruisk)
  • 1988: Sputnik (Minsk)
  • 1989: Obuvschik (Lida)
  • 1990: Sputnik (Minsk)
  • 1991: Metallurg (Molodechno)

Champions and top scorers

Season Champion Runner-up Third place Top scorer
1992 Dinamo Minsk Dnepr Mogilev Dinamo Brest Belarus Andrey Skorobogatko (Dnepr Mogilev) (11)
1992–93 Dinamo Minsk KIM Vitebsk Belarus Minsk Belarus Sergey Baranovsky (Dinamo Minsk) (19)
Belarus Miroslav Romaschenko (Vedrich Rechitsa / Dnepr Mogilev) (19)
1993–94 Dinamo Minsk Dinamo-93 Minsk KIM Vitebsk Belarus Pyotr Kachuro (Dinamo-93 Minsk / Dinamo Minsk) (21)
1994–95 Dinamo Minsk Dvina Vitebsk Dinamo-93 Minsk Belarus Pavel Shavrov (Dinamo-93 Minsk) (19)
1995 Dinamo Minsk MPKC Mozyr Dinamo-93 Minsk Belarus Sergey Yaromko (MPKC Mozyr) (16)
1996 MPKC Mozyr Dinamo Minsk Belshina Bobruisk Belarus Andrey Khlebosolov (Belshina Bobruisk) (34)
1997 Dinamo Minsk Belshina Bobruisk Lokomotiv-96 Vitebsk Belarus Andrey Khlebosolov (Belshina Bobruisk) (19)
1998 Dnepr-Transmash Mogilev BATE Borisov Belshina Bobruisk Belarus Sergey Yaromko (Torpedo Minsk) (19)
1999 BATE Borisov Slavia Mozyr Gomel Belarus Valery Strypeykis (Slavia Mozyr) (21)
2000 Slavia Mozyr BATE Borisov Dinamo Minsk Belarus Raman Vasilyuk (Slavia Mozyr) (31)
2001 Belshina Bobruisk Dinamo Minsk BATE Borisov Russia Sergei Davydov (Neman-Belcard Grodno) (25)
2002 BATE Borisov Neman Grodno Shakhtyor Soligorsk Belarus Valery Strypeykis (Belshina Bobruisk) (18)
2003 Gomel BATE Borisov Dinamo Minsk Belarus Gennadi Bliznyuk (Gomel) (18)
Belarus Sergei Kornilenko (Dinamo Minsk) (18)
2004 Dinamo Minsk BATE Borisov Shakhtyor Soligorsk Belarus Valery Strypeykis (Naftan Novopolotsk) (18)
2005 Shakhtyor Soligorsk Dinamo Minsk MTZ-RIPO Minsk Belarus Valery Strypeykis (Naftan Novopolotsk) (16)
2006 BATE Borisov Dinamo Minsk Shakhtyor Soligorsk Belarus Alyaksandr Klimenka (Shakhtyor Soligorsk) (17)
2007 BATE Borisov Gomel Shakhtyor Soligorsk Belarus Raman Vasilyuk (Gomel) (24)
2008 BATE Borisov Dinamo Minsk MTZ-RIPO Minsk Belarus Gennadi Bliznyuk (BATE Borisov) (16)
Belarus Vitali Rodionov (BATE Borisov) (16)
2009 BATE Borisov Dinamo Minsk Dnepr Mogilev Brazil Maycon (Gomel) (15)
2010 BATE Borisov Shakhtyor Soligorsk Minsk Brazil Renan Bressan (BATE Borisov) (15)
2011 BATE Borisov Shakhtyor Soligorsk Gomel Brazil Renan Bressan (BATE Borisov) (13)
2012 BATE Borisov Shakhtyor Soligorsk Dinamo Minsk Belarus Dzmitry Asipenka (Shakhtyor Soligorsk) (14)
2013 BATE Borisov Shakhtyor Soligorsk Dinamo Minsk Belarus Vitali Rodionov (BATE Borisov) (14)
2014 BATE Borisov Dinamo Minsk Shakhtyor Soligorsk Belarus Mikalay Yanush (Shakhtyor Soligorsk) (15)
Teams Champion Runner-up Third place
BATE Borisov 11 (1999, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) 4 (1998, 2000, 2003, 2004) 1 (2001)
Dinamo Minsk 7 (1992, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995, 1997, 2004) 7 (1996, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2014) 4 (2000, 2003, 2012, 2013)
Slavia Mozyr 2 (1996, 2000) 2 (1995, 1999)
Shakhtyor Soligorsk 1 (2005) 4 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) 5 (2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2014)
Gomel 1 (2003) 1 (2007) 2 (1999, 2011)
Belshina Bobruisk 1 (2001) 1 (1997) 2 (1996, 1998)
Dnepr Mogilev 1 (1998) 1 (1992) 1 (2009)
Vitebsk 2 (1992–93, 1994–95) 2 (1993–94, 1997)
Dinamo-93 Minsk 1 (1993–94) 3 (1992–93, 1994–95, 1995)
Neman Grodno 1 (2002)
Partizan Minsk 2 (2005, 2008)
Dinamo Brest 1 (1992)
Minsk 1 (2010)

All-time table

As of end of 2014 season
Rank Club1 Seasons Debut Most
recent
season		 Pld2 W D L Goals Points3 Best result
1Dinamo Minsk 241992 6774041451281280–59113571st (1992, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995, 1997, 2004)
2BATE Borisov 171998 49632410468979–38610761st (1999, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
3Shakhtyor Soligorsk 241992 677305169203946–72110741st (2005)
4Neman Grodno 241992 678247177254767–8239182nd (2002)
5Dnepr Mogilev 2319922014647252161234869–7889171st (1998)
6Dinamo Brest 241992 677227165285798–9128463rd (1992)
7Gomel 201992 537224118195705–6697901st (2003)
8Vitebsk 191992 527197135195613–6457262nd (1992–93, 1994–95)
9Belshina Bobruisk 181993–94 522202111209714–7067171st (2001)
10Naftan Novopolotsk 181996 529171111247639–8076194th (2009)
11Torpedo-SKA Minsk 1419922004383151106126457–4165594th (2002, 2003)
12Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino 151992 427147108172469–5165494th (2004, 2005, 2007, 2014)
13Slavia-Mozyr 131995 36415074140548–5145241st (1996, 2000)
14Dinamo-93 Minsk 71992–931998181994339296–1573402nd (1993–94)
15Molodechno-2000 12199220033238080163339–4903204th (1994–95)
16Partizan Minsk 720042010198804276288–2812823rd (2005, 2008)
17Minsk 72007 212784787260–2542813rd (2010)
18Torpedo-Kadino Mogilev 10199220002716476131266–4442687th (1992)
19Vedrich-97 Rechytsa 8199220012084644118167–3271828th (1992)
20Darida Minsk Raion 620032008168443886165–2521708th (2006)
21Bobruisk 519921995122443444119–1451664th (1992)
22Lida 719922000182384698144–2891608th (1994–95)
23Ataka Minsk 3199519977529163086–931034th (1995)
24Lokomotiv Minsk 420032008112232564100–1879411th (2005)
25Lokomotiv Vitebsk 419921994–9510722275882–1819310th (1993–94)
26Zvezda-BGU Minsk 420022005112212368106–2288612th (2002, 2003)
27Smorgon 3200720098218263858–114808th (2008)
28Kommunalnik Slonim 3199720008915175766–1916211th (1997)
29Granit Mikashevichi 22008 5614192362–736110th (2008)
30Stroitel Starye Dorogi 319921993–947714184548–1176014th (1992, 1992–93)
31Slutsk 12014 321171426–34409th (2014)
32Transmash Mogilev 11997199730841830–522814th (1997)
33Savit Mogilev 12008200830561928–612115th (2008)
34Svisloch-Krovlya Osipovichi 11999199930442224–741615th (1999)
  1. For clubs that have been renamed, their name at the time of their most recent season in the Premier League is given. The current members are listed in bold.
  2. Includes 2002 championship play-off, 2004 relegation play-off and 14 games of Dinamo-93 in 1998 season
  3. For the purposes of this table, each win is worth 3 points. The three-points system was adopted in fall 1995 season.

Player of the year

Belarusian Premier League Player of the year is an annual award given by a sports newspaper Pressball.

Season Player Club
1992 Belarus Valyantsin Byalkevich Dinamo Minsk
1992–93 Belarus Sergey Gotsmanov Dinamo Minsk
1993–94 Belarus Yury Shukanov Dinamo Minsk
1994–95 Belarus Valyantsin Byalkevich Dinamo Minsk
1995 Belarus Valyantsin Byalkevich Dinamo Minsk
1996 Belarus Alyaksandr Kulchy MPKC Mozyr
1997 Belarus Andrei Lavrik Dinamo Minsk
1998 Belarus Aleh Konanaw Torpedo Minsk
1999 Russia Dmitri Karsakov Slavia Mozyr
2000 Belarus Aleksandr Lisovsky BATE Borisov
2001 Belarus Vitali Kutuzov BATE Borisov
2002 Belarus Dzmitry Likhtarovich BATE Borisov
2003 Belarus Timofei Kalachev Shakhtyor Soligorsk
2004 Belarus Andrey Razin Dinamo Minsk
2005 Belarus Vital Valadzyankow Dinamo Minsk
2006 Belarus Oleg Strakhanovich MTZ-RIPO Minsk
2007 Belarus Raman Vasilyuk Gomel
2008 Belarus Vitali Rodionov BATE Borisov
2009 Belarus Sergey Krivets BATE Borisov
2010 Brazil Renan Bressan BATE Borisov
2011 Brazil Renan Bressan BATE Borisov
2012 Belarus Stanislaw Drahun Dinamo Minsk
2013 Belarus Alexander Hleb BATE Borisov

Reserves League

An annual league competition is organized for the reserve teams of Premier League clubs since 2001. This tournament was won by the reserves of Dinamo Minsk (7 titles), Gomel (2 titles), Shakhtyor Soligorsk (2 titles), BATE Borisov (1 title), Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino (1 title) and Dnepr Mogilev (1 title).

External links