Faroe Islands Premier League
The Faroe Islands Premier League (known as Betri deildin menn for sponsorship reasons) is the top level of football in the Faroe Islands. It was founded in 1942 as Meistaradeildin, and holds the Premier League name since 2005, when it replaced the 1. deild as the country's top football division. The league is organised by the Faroe Islands Football Association.
 | |
| Founded | 1942 (as Meistaradeildin) |
|---|---|
| First season | 1942 |
| Country | Faroe Islands |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | 1. deild |
| Domestic cup(s) | Faroe Islands Cup |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Europa Conference League |
| Current champions | Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag (18th title) |
| Most championships | Havnar Bóltfelag (23 titles) |
 | |
It is contested by 10 clubs. At the end of each season, two teams are relegated and two promoted from 1. deild. All teams in the league have semi-professional status.
As of August 2019, the Faroe Islands Premier League is ranked 53rd out of 55 leagues in the UEFA coefficient.[1]
History
The league was founded in 1942,[2] although clubs did not take part in European competitions until 1992,[3] because the Faroe Islands Football Association joined UEFA only in 1990.[4] From 1942 to 1946, the competition was played in a knockout format, and from 1947 onwards in a league format.
Before the creation of the Faroe Islands Football Association in 1979, the league was organized by the Faroe Islands Sports Association. The only time a season wasn't played was during the British occupation in 1944, when a lack of footballs caused the season to be cancelled.[3]
The league was known by several names; from its foundation in 1942 until 1975, it was known as Meistaradeildin. It changed its name to 1. deild in 1976 and introduced promotion and relegation system.[5] Since 2005, it holds the Premier League name.
Sponsorship names
Since 2005 and the league rebranding, four sponsor league names were used:
Formuladeildin (2005–2008)
Vodafonedeildin (2009–2011)
Effodeildin (2012–2017)
Betrideildin (2018–present)
Since 2018, the Faroe Islands Premier League is known as Betri deildin menn, after FSF signed a five year deal with the Faroese bank and insurance company Betri.
Competition format
The league is contested by 10 teams, who play each other thrice. A draw is made before the elaboration of the next season's fixtures to decide which teams will have an additional home game. Formerly this was decided based on clubs' performance in the previous season.
Promotion and relegation
At the end of the season, two teams are relegated and two are promoted to and from 1. deild. Like in Spain, the teams are allowed to put their B and C teams in the lower divisions, and there will only be relegation if at least one non-reserve team finish in the 1. deild top three.[6]
In the past, the league used a promotion-relegation playoff between the 9th placed team and the 2nd placed team in 1. deild, played from 1995 until 2005.
European qualification
Currently, the Faroese champion qualify to the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, while the second and third placed teams enter the UEFA Europa League at the Preliminary round. An additional berth in the Europa League preliminary round is granted to the Faroe Islands Cup winners. If the winners of that competition have already qualified to a European competition, the berth is given to the fourth placed team in the league.
Current teams
List of seasons
Bold indicates teams who also won the Faroe Islands Cup that season, an achievement known as the double.[7]
| Season | Champion | Runner-up | Top scorer (club)[8] | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | KÍ | TB | not available | |
| 1943 | TB | MB | ||
| 1944 | No tournament due to lack of footballs during the British occupation of the Faroe Islands.[9] | |||
| 1945 | KÍ (2) | SÍ | not available | |
| 1946 | B36 | VB | ||
| 1947 | SÍ | KÍ | ||
| 1948 | B36 (2) | HB | ||
| 1949 | TB (2) | HB | ||
| 1950 | B36 (3) | TB | ||
| 1951 | TB (3) | KÍ | ||
| 1952 | KÍ (3) | TB | ||
| 1953 | KÍ (4) | HB | ||
| 1954 | KÍ (5) | HB | ||
| 1955 | HB | TB | ||
| 1956 | KÍ (6) | TB | ||
| 1957 | KÍ (7) | VB | ||
| 1958 | KÍ (8) | HB | ||
| 1959 | B36 (4) | KÍ | ||
| 1960 | HB (2) | B36 | ||
| 1961 | KÍ (9) | B36 | ||
| 1962 | B36 (5) | KÍ | ||
| 1963 | HB (3) | KÍ | ||
| 1964 | HB (4) | B36 | ||
| 1965 | HB (5) | B36 | ||
| 1966 | KÍ (10) | HB | ||
| 1967 | KÍ (11) | HB | ||
| 1968 | KÍ (12) | B36 | ||
| 1969 | KÍ (13) | HB | ||
| 1970 | KÍ (14) | HB | ||
| 1971 | HB (6) | KÍ |  |
20 |
| 1972 | KÍ (15) | HB | |
16 |
| 1973 | HB (7) | KÍ | |
13 |
| 1974 | HB (8) | KÍ | |
10 |
| 1975 | HB (9) | KÍ | |
8 |
| 1976 | TB (4) | HB | |
14 |
| 1977 | TB (5) | HB | not available | |
| 1978 | HB (10) | TB | |
9 |
| 1979 | ÍF | TB | |
17 |
| 1980 | TB (6) | HB |  |
15 |
| 1981 | HB (11) | TB | |
12 |
| 1982 | HB (12) | TB | |
7 |
| 1983 | GÍ | HB | |
10 |
| 1984 | B68 | TB | |
10 |
| 1985 | B68 (2) | HB | |
10 |
| 1986 | GÍ (2) | HB |  |
13 |
| 1987 | TB (7) | HB | |
10 |
| 1988 | HB (13) | B68 | |
9 |
| 1989 | B71 | HB | |
16 |
| 1990 | HB (14) | B36 | |
10 |
| 1991 | KÍ (16) | B36 | |
15 |
| 1992 | B68 (3) | GÍ | |
14 |
| 1993 | GÍ (3) | HB | |
11 |
| 1994 | GÍ (4) | HB | |
21 |
| 1995 | GÍ (5) | HB | |
24 |
| 1996 | GÍ (6) | KÍ | |
20 |
| 1997 | B36 (6) | HB | |
24 |
| 1998 | HB (15) | KÍ | |
20 |
| 1999 | KÍ (17) | GÍ | |
17 |
| 2000 | VB | HB | |
16 |
| 2001 | B36 (7) | GÍ | |
19 |
| 2002 | HB (16) | NSÍ | |
18 |
| 2003 | HB (17) | B36 | |
13 |
| 2004 | HB (18) | B36 | |
13 |
| 2005 | B36 (8) | Skála | |
18 |
| 2006 | HB (19) | EB/Streymur | |
18 |
| 2007 | NSÍ | EB/Streymur |  |
18 |
| 2008 | EB/Streymur | HB | |
20 |
| 2009 | HB (20) | EB/Streymur | |
19 |
| 2010 | HB (21) | EB/Streymur | |
22 |
| 2011 | B36 (9) | EB/Streymur | |
21 |
| 2012 | EB/Streymur (2) | ÍF |  |
22 |
| 2013 | HB (22) | ÍF | |
21 |
| 2014 | B36 (10) | HB | |
22 |
| 2015 | B36 (11) | NSÍ | |
21 |
| 2016 | Víkingur | KÍ | |
23 |
| 2017 | Víkingur (2) | KÍ |  |
17 |
| 2018 | HB (23) | NSÍ | |
20 |
| 2019 | KÍ (18) | B36 | |
26 |
| 2020 | ||||
Titles by club
| Club | Location | Titles | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| HB | Tórshavn | 23 | 25 |
| KÍ | Klaksvík | 18 | 13 |
| B36 | Tórshavn | 11 | 10 |
| TB | Tvøroyri | 7 | 10 |
| GÍ [lower-alpha 1] | Norðragøta | 6 | 3 |
| B68 | Toftir | 3 | 1 |
| EB/Streymur | Eiði / Streymnes | 2 | 5 |
| Víkingur | Norðragøta / Leirvík | 2 | 0 |
| NSÍ | Runavík | 1 | 3 |
| VB | Vágur | 1 | 2 |
| ÍF | Fuglafjørður | 1 | 2 |
| SÍ | Sørvágur | 1 | 1 |
| B71 | Sandur | 1 | 0 |
| MB | Miðvágur | 0 | 1 |
| Skála | Skála | 0 | 1 |
Clubs in bold are currently playing in the top-tier.
Clubs in italics are no longer active in adult football.
Notes
- GÍ merged with LÍF to form Víkingur in 2008.
References
- "Country coefficients". UEFA.
- Hans Pauli Joensen (9 October 2009). "Season review: Faroe Islands". UEFA. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- "Introduction to Faroese Soccer". Soccer and Equipment. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- "Faroese future in safe hands". UEFA. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- Dinant Abbink. "Faroe Islands – List of Second Level Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- Karel Stokkermans. "Faroe Islands 2018". RSSSF. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- "Menn – Meistarar og steypavinnarar" (in Faroese). Faroe Soccer. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- "Meistaradeildin – Toppskorarar" (in Faroese). Faroe Soccer. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- Gerd Heuser and Hans Schöggl. "Faroe Islands – List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
External links
- League at UEFA
- League at FSF
- League at Faroe Soccer
- List of football stadiums on the Faroe Islands – Nordic Stadiums
| League competitions |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup competitions |
| ||||
| National teams |
| ||||
| |||||