 08-04-08, 11:48 AM | #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 |  Allsvenskan - Swedish National League
Allsvenskan (literally, "The All Swedish") is the highest league in the league system of Swedish football. The league was created in 1924. Before that, the top league in Sweden had been called Svenska Serien. As of 2008 season 16 teams will participate instead of earlier 14 Competition Format There are 16 clubs in Allsvenskan, increased from 14 participants from 2008 onwards. During the course of a season (starting in March and ending in October) each club plays the others twice (home and away) for a total of 30 games. The two lowest placed teams at the end of the season are relegated to Superettan and the top two teams from Superettan were promoted in their place. The third lowest team in Allsvenskan plays a relegation/promotion play-off against the third placed team in Superettan. The winners of Allsvenskan qualify for the UEFA Champions League, and enters the competition at the first qualifying round. The runner-up team qualify for the UEFA Cup, and enters the competition at the first qualifying round. The third placed team enters the UEFA Intertoto Cup. This also depends on which team wins Svenska Cupen, as that team is assured a place in the UEFA Cup. Since the start of Royal League in 2004, the four top placed teams enter that tournament together with four teams from Norway and four from Denmark. A Brief History The winners of Allsvenskan are considered Swedish Champions since 1931. The winners of Allsvenskan before that, between 1924 and 1930, were only considered league winners. The same is true for the years 1982 through 1990 when the champions were decided through play-offs and 1991–1992 when the champions were decided through a continuation league called Mästerskapsserien Clubs AIK Djurgårdens IF IF Elfsborg GAIS Gefle IF IFK Göteborg Halmstads BK Hammarby IF Helsingborgs IF Kalmar FF Ljungskile SK Malmö FF IFK Norrköping GIF Sundsvall Trelleborgs FF Örebro SK Player rules No restrictions on players. Conclusion Currently ranked the 28th in the rankings of European leagues, Swedish football has seen a decline in recent years. Once their clubs were feared in Europe with the like of IFK Göteborg beating Man United and Barcelona in 93 to win their Champions League group. Sweden has been a breathing ground for some really good European footballers and these players have gone on to make an impact at the top European clubs. The current standard of players in Sweden is off a decent standard with a few of Sweden’s international players playing in their own league. Financially the league is stable but it will not attract the top players, neither could the clubs afford them nor would they want to come. To be successful in this league you need to concentrate on bringing through the youth players and finding a few gems in Eastern Europe Overall this is a great league with a good standard of football, with the big clubs you can be competitive in Europe and with the smaller clubs you can be competitive in Sweden |
 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 |
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