Czech National Football League

The Czech National Football League (Czech: Fotbalová národní liga, FNL), currently known as Fortuna národní liga due to sponsorship reasons, is the second level professional association football league in the Czech Republic. Before 2013 it was known as 2. liga or Druhá liga. The top two teams each season are eligible for promotion to the Czech First League.

Czech National Football League
Founded1993
CountryCzech Republic
ConfederationUEFA
Number of teams16
Level on pyramid2
Promotion toCzech First League
Relegation toČFL
MSFL
Domestic cup(s)Czech Cup
Current championsFK Pardubice
Most championshipsSK Dynamo České Budějovice (3 titles)
WebsiteOfficial
2019–20 Czech National Football League

The league replaced the I.ČNL (I. Česká národní liga; First Czech National League), which had been established following the end of the nationwide Czechoslovak Second League in 1977. The league became known as simply II. liga (Second League) in 1993 following the establishment of the Czech Republic as an independent state.[1]

Structure

There are 16 clubs in the FNL. During the season, which runs from August to May or June, with a winter break between November and February or March, each club plays each of the other clubs twice (once at home, once away) and is awarded three points for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. From these points a league table is constructed.

Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference and then goals scored. At the end of each season the top two teams are promoted to the First League, providing they obtain a license and meet league requirements, and are replaced by the two teams that finished bottom of that division.

Similarly the two teams that finished at the bottom of the FNL are relegated to either the Bohemian Football League or the Moravian–Silesian Football League, based on geographical criteria. In turn, the champions of each of these regional divisions are promoted to the FNL.

In the 1993–94 season the league was played with 16 teams, before expanding to 18 teams in the 1994–95 season. Since 1995, the league has always been played with 16 teams, but on two occasions a team did not fulfil its fixtures and the full 30 rounds were not completed. Firstly in the 1997–98 Czech 2. Liga as Ústí nad Labem did not fulfil their fixtures and their results were cancelled,[2] and secondly in the 2004–05 Czech 2. Liga as Bohemians' results were expunged after playing only the first half of the season.[3]

Participating teams in 2018–19

The following 16 clubs were competing in the 2018–19 Czech National Football League.

Club Location Stadium Capacity 2017–18 Position
Zbrojovka BrnoBrnoMěstský fotbalový stadion Srbská12,550First League 16th
Dynamo České BudějoviceČeské BudějoviceStřelecký ostrov12,0006th
ChrudimChrudimStadion Za Vodojemem1,500ČFL 1st
Hradec KrálovéHradec KrálovéVšesportovní stadion7,2204th
Vysočina JihlavaJihlavaStadion v Jiráskově ulici4,082First League 15th
PardubicePardubicePod Vinicí2,5003rd
ProstějovProstějovStadion Za Místním nádražím3 500MSFL 1st
SokolovSokolovStadion FK Baník Sokolov5,0007th
TáborskoSezimovo ÚstíSportovní areál Soukeník5,00014th
TřinecTřinecStadion Rudolfa Labaje2,2005th
Ústí nad LabemÚstí nad LabemMěstský stadion (Ústí nad Labem)4,00010th
VarnsdorfVarnsdorfMěstský stadion v Kotlině5,00011th
VítkoviceOstravaMěstský stadion (Ostrava)15,12315th
VlašimVlašimStadion Kollárova ulice6,0008th
Viktoria ŽižkovPragueFK Viktoria Stadion5,03712th
ZnojmoZnojmoMěstský stadion5,0009th

FNL champions
Season Winners Runners-up
1993–94 Sklobižu Jablonec nad Nisou FK Švarc Benešov
1994–95 Uherské Hradiště Ostroj Opava
1995–96 FC Karviná FK Teplice
1996–97 FC Dukla Prague AFK Atlantic Lázně Bohdaneč
1997–98 FK Chmel Blšany FC Karviná
1998–99 Bohemians Prague SK České Budějovice
1999–2000 Synot Staré Město FC Viktoria Plzeň
2000–01 FC Hradec Králové SFC Opava
2001–02 SK Dynamo České Budějovice FK Zlín
2002–03 FC Viktoria Plzeň SFC Opava
2003–04 FK Mladá Boleslav FK Drnovice
2004–05 FK SIAD Most FC Vysočina Jihlava
2005–06 SK Kladno SK Dynamo České Budějovice
2006–07 FK Viktoria Žižkov Bohemians 1905
2007–08 Bohemians Prague FK Marila Příbram
2008–09 Bohemians 1905 FC Zenit Čáslav
2009–10 FC Hradec Králové FK Ústí nad Labem
2010–11 FK Dukla Prague FK Viktoria Žižkov
2011–12 FK Ústí nad Labem FC Vysočina Jihlava
2012–13 1. SC Znojmo Bohemians 1905
2013–14 SK Dynamo České Budějovice FC Hradec Králové
2014–15 SK Sigma Olomouc FK Varnsdorf
2015–16 MFK Karviná FC Hradec Králové
2016–17 SK Sigma Olomouc FC Baník Ostrava
2017–18 SFC Opava 1.FK Příbram
2018–19 SK Dynamo České Budějovice FC Vysočina Jihlava
2019–20 FK Pardubice FC Zbrojovka Brno

Teams promoted to the First League since 1993

Top scorers

All information in this table can be found at [7] except for the 2003–04 season, which is sourced from the following link.[8]

Season Top scorer Club Goals
1993–94 Tibor Mičinec Benešov 18
1994–95 Bedřich Hamsa LeRK Brno 22
1995–96 Patrik Holomek Poštorná 16
1996–97 Václav Koloušek Dukla Prague 18
1997–98 Vítězslav Tuma Karviná 19
1998–99 Patrik Holomek St. Město 18
1999–00 Vladimír Malár St. Město 24
2000–01 Pavel Černý Hradec Králové 17
2001–02 Radek Drulák HFK Olomouc 16
2002–03 Petr Švancara Opava 20
2003–04 Tomáš Kaplan Jihlava 10
Roman Bednář Mladá Boleslav 10
Vojtěch Schulmeister Sigma Olomouc B 10
2004–05 Horst Siegl Most 16
2005–06 Petr Faldyna České Budějovice 19
2006–07 Petr Faldyna Jihlava 15
2007–08 Petr Faldyna Jihlava 13
2008–09 Martin Jirouš Sokolov 18
2009–10 Pavel Černý Hradec Králové 14
Dani Chigou Dukla Prague 14
Karel Kroupa Tescoma Zlín 14
2010–11 Dani Chigou Dukla Prague 19
2011–12 Jiří Mlika Sokolov 19
2012–13 Lukáš Železník Zlín 13
2013–14 David Vaněček Hradec Králové 17
2014–15 Václav Vašíček Sigma Olomouc 13
2015–16 Jan Pázler Hradec Králové 17
2016–17 Jakub Plšek Sigma Olomouc 18
2017–18 Jan Pázler Hradec Králové 21
2018–19 David Ledecký České Budějovice 18

Notes
  1. Due to dissolution of Czechoslovakia
  2. Union Cheb was relegated due to bankruptcy
  3. Drnovice were refused a Czech First League license so Plzeň were promoted to replace them[4]
  4. Čáslav wasn't able to play 1st liga due to financial problems.[5]
  5. Ústí wasn't able to play 1st liga due to problems with their stadium[6]
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References
  1. Jeřábek, Luboš (2007). Ceský a ceskoslovenský fotbal - lexikon osobností a klubu (in Czech). Prague: Grada Publishing. pp. 34–35. ISBN 978-80-247-1656-5.
  2. "Czech Republic 1997/98". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  3. "Bohemians přišli o licenci, ve 2. lize končí" (in Czech). iDNES.cz. 28 February 2005. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  4. "Drnovice v první lize končí, na řadě je Plzeň" (in Czech). iDNES.cz. 14 June 2005. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  5. "Slovácko se vrací do ligy, koupilo postup od Čáslavi". denik.cz (in Czech). 10 June 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  6. Novák, Jaromír (6 June 2012). "Brno postupuje do první ligy, Ústí doplatilo na nevyhovující stadion" (in Czech). idnes.cz. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  7. Republic., Football association of Czech. "FOTBAL.CZ - Historie Fotbalové národní ligy". nv.fotbal.cz. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  8. "Czech Republic 2003/04". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
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