07-04-08, 03:37 PM | #1 (permalink) |
| Hot Prospect Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Dublin Posts: 93 Thanks: 5 Thanked 29 Times in 28 Posts Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTW/F/M Award(s): 0 | Danish League - SAS Ligaen The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest league of football (soccer) in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year. Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) is the main sponsor of the Superliga, and the official name of the tournament is SAS Ligaen Competition Format Since 1996, 12 clubs have played in the league, playing each other thrice. Each team meets each one of the other teams one time at home, one time away, plus one more time home or away dependent of the clubs placement in the previous season. The two teams with the fewest points are relegated to the Danish 1st Division. The Danish champion will play in the UEFA Champions League in the upcoming season where they will start in the 2nd qualifying round. The runner-up will play the UEFA Cup along with the winner of the Danish Cup. Both teams will start in the 2nd qualifying round. The third-placed team will play in the UEFA Intertoto Cup in the upcoming season and will start in the 2nd round. Teams finishing 1st to 4th are all qualified for the Royal League A Brief History Founded in 1991, the Danish Superliga replaced the Danish 1st Division as the highest league of football in Denmark. From the start in 1991, 10 teams were participating. The opening Superliga season was played during the spring of 1991, with the ten teams playing each other twice for the championship title. From the summer of 1991, the tournament structure would stretch over two years. The 10 teams would play each other twice in the first half of the tournament. In the following spring, the bottom two teams would be cut off, the points of the teams would be cut in half, and the remaining eight teams would once more play each other twice, for a total of 32 games in a season. This practice was abandoned before the 1995-96 season, when the number of teams competing were increased to 12, playing each other thrice for 33 games per Superliga season. For the first season of this new structure, Coca-Cola became the name sponsor of the league, which was then named Coca-Cola Ligaen. After a single season under that name, Faxe Brewery became sponsors and the league changed its name to Faxe Kondi Ligaen. Before the 2001-02 season, Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) became the head sponsor, and the name of the tournament changed to SAS Ligaen Clubs Aalborg BK - Esbjerg fB -Lyngby BK - Aarhus GF - F.C. Copenhagen - Odense BK - AC Horsens - FC Midtjylland - Randers FC - Brøndby IF - FC Nordsjælland - Viborg FF Previous winners 91 Brondby 92 Lyngby 93 FC Copenhagen 94 Silkeborg 95 Aalborg 96 Brondby 97 Brondby 98 Brondby 99 Aalborg 00 Herfolge 01 FC Copenhagen 02 Brondby 03 FC Copenhagen 04 FC Copenhagen 05 Brondby 06 FC Copenhagen 07 FC Copenhagen Conclusion In the history of this league, it has only ever been won by 6 clubs and over the last 7 years it has been dominated by Brondby and Copenhagen. This league would not be regarded as the strongest of European leagues but it is far from the worst. Over the last few years we have seen the Danish clubs represent them self well in European football and although a lot of the top Danish players play their football in other European countries, the standard of football in Denmark is not bad. Financially the big 3 clubs have average bank balances and can attract half decent Eastern European and South American players. This is a good challenging league and a challenge to take on one of the smaller clubs and brake the dominance of the big 2 clubs. Also could you guide a Danish club back to the top in European football |
League Champions 1951/52, 1954/55, 1955/56, 1989/90, 1995/96, 1996/98, 1998/99, 2001/02 Runners-Up 1960/61, 1987/88 F.A.I. Cup Winners 1958/59, 1960/61 Runners-Up 1954, 1967, 1974, 1980, 1996, 2003, 2006 |
| |