Latvian Higher League or Virslīga, known for sponsorship reasons as Optibet Virslīga since 2019, is a professional football league and the top tier of association football in Latvia. Organised by the Latvian Football Federation, the Higher League is contested by 10 clubs.
With Latvia regaining full independence in August 1991, the newly established Latvian Football Federation (LFF) decided to reorganise its competitions within the Virslīga from 1992.[1] The same year Latvia returned to FIFA and became a member of UEFA.
Format
After the 2007 season the league increased from eight to ten sides.[2] In 2008 each side played the others four times. From 2015 till 2018 there were eight participating clubs. This was increased to nine for the 2019 season and ten for the 2020 season.[3]
At the end of the season, the lowest placed team are automatically relegated into 1. līga, and the winner of the 1. līga automatically takes their place. The second lowest placed team in Virslīga and the second team of 1. līga play two matches for a place in the Virslīga the following season. The winner of Virslīga, the champion of Latvia, plays in the UEFA Champions League qualifying round. The second and third placed clubs play in the UEFA Europa League qualifying games.[4]
A winter off-season league cup, the Virslīga Winter Cup, was played in January of each year from 2013 to 2017, which was replaced in 2018 by the Virslīga Cup (Latvian: Virslīgas kausa izcīņa).[5]
There again will be 10 teams in 2022 season. Last year participants RFS, Valmiera FC, FK Liepāja, Riga FC, FK Spartaks Jūrmala, BFC Daugavpils and FK Metta will be joined by newcomers FK Auda, FK Tukums 2000/Telms and SK Super Nova.[6]
Sponsorships and name changes
LMT Virslīga logo (2005–2010)
The League has changed sponsors for several times. From 2005 until 2010 it was known as the LMT Virslīga. No sponsorships were established for the 2011 season. Starting from the 2012 season, the league was reorganised in partnership with an NGO as "Latvijas Futbola virslīga",[7] adopting the NGO's name in the 2012 season. From 2013 to 2015, the league was known as the SMScredit.lv Virslīga due to a contract with the online microfinance company SMScredit.[8] In March 2016, it was announced that the Virslīga would be sponsored by SynotTip Sports Bar on a three-year contract.[9] They were succeeded by betting firm Optibet on a two-year contract, beginning with the 2019 season.[10]
This is a list of clubs, in order of most titles won in championships in independent Latvia (1922–1940 and 1991 to date).[11] Teams in bold are part of 2020 Virslīga.
Players of FK Ventspils celebrate after becoming champions in 2008
The most well-known rivalry is the Kurzeme Derby (Kurzemes derbijs) between Ventspils and Liepāja.[12][circular reference] The two biggest clubs in Kurzeme have played 86 matches between themselves with a record of 31–28–27 (including Metalurgs) in favor of Liepāja prior to the 2019 Virslīga.[13]
Since 2016, the Riga Derby (Rīgas derbijs) was started between Riga FC and Rīgas FS as two clubs were promoted at the same time. A 2019 match in Skonto Stadium between the two sides broke a ten-year attendance record.[14]
^. Biedrība Latvijas Futbola Virslīga. Futbolavirsliga.lv. Archived from the original on 3 June 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013. (in Latvian)
^"Latvijas futbola virslīgai nākamajā sezonā būs jauns ģenerālsponsors". Public Broadcasting of Latvia (in Latvian). 17 October 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
^"Virslīga ar "SynotTip" noslēdz vērienīgāko līgumu līgas vēsturē" (in Latvian). Sportacentrs.com. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
^"Becomes main sponsor of Latvian football league". Enlabs AB. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
^ abAlmantas Lauzadis and Hans Schöggl (23 March 2017). "Latvia – List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
Virsliga fixtures, including kick off times, at worldfootball.net
February 02, 2023
latvian, higher, league, virslīga, known, sponsorship, reasons, optibet, virslīga, since, 2019, professional, football, league, tier, association, football, latvia, organised, latvian, football, federation, higher, league, contested, clubs, founded1927, years,. Latvian Higher League or Virsliga known for sponsorship reasons as Optibet Virsliga since 2019 is a professional football league and the top tier of association football in Latvia Organised by the Latvian Football Federation the Higher League is contested by 10 clubs Latvian Higher LeagueFounded1927 96 years ago 1927 Country LatviaConfederationUEFA Europe Number of teams10Level on pyramid1Relegation to1 ligaDomestic cup s Latvian CupLatvian SupercupInternational cup s UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Europa Conference LeagueCurrent championsValmiera 1st title 2022 Most championshipsSkonto 15 TV partnersInternationalEleven SportsOneFootballWebsitehttps optibetvirsliga comCurrent 2023 Latvian Higher League Contents 1 History and league format 1 1 History 1 2 Format 2 Sponsorships and name changes 3 Clubs 2022 4 Titles by year 4 1 Riga Football League 4 2 Latvian Championship 1922 1940 independent 4 3 Football Championship of Latvian SSR 1942 1990 4 4 Since independence in 1991 5 Notable managers and players 6 Most titles 6 1 By club 7 Rivalries 8 Virsliga clubs in international competitions 9 References 10 External linksHistory and league format EditHistory Edit The first all national Latvian championship which succeeded the Riga Football League and other regional leagues was organized in 1927 which lasted until the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 After World War II between 1945 and 1991 the championship of Soviet Latvia was the main footballing competition in the Latvian SSR With Latvia regaining full independence in August 1991 the newly established Latvian Football Federation LFF decided to reorganise its competitions within the Virsliga from 1992 1 The same year Latvia returned to FIFA and became a member of UEFA Format Edit After the 2007 season the league increased from eight to ten sides 2 In 2008 each side played the others four times From 2015 till 2018 there were eight participating clubs This was increased to nine for the 2019 season and ten for the 2020 season 3 At the end of the season the lowest placed team are automatically relegated into 1 liga and the winner of the 1 liga automatically takes their place The second lowest placed team in Virsliga and the second team of 1 liga play two matches for a place in the Virsliga the following season The winner of Virsliga the champion of Latvia plays in the UEFA Champions League qualifying round The second and third placed clubs play in the UEFA Europa League qualifying games 4 A winter off season league cup the Virsliga Winter Cup was played in January of each year from 2013 to 2017 which was replaced in 2018 by the Virsliga Cup Latvian Virsligas kausa izcina 5 There again will be 10 teams in 2022 season Last year participants RFS Valmiera FC FK Liepaja Riga FC FK Spartaks Jurmala BFC Daugavpils and FK Metta will be joined by newcomers FK Auda FK Tukums 2000 Telms and SK Super Nova 6 Sponsorships and name changes Edit LMT Virsliga logo 2005 2010 The League has changed sponsors for several times From 2005 until 2010 it was known as the LMT Virsliga No sponsorships were established for the 2011 season Starting from the 2012 season the league was reorganised in partnership with an NGO as Latvijas Futbola virsliga 7 adopting the NGO s name in the 2012 season From 2013 to 2015 the league was known as the SMScredit lv Virsliga due to a contract with the online microfinance company SMScredit 8 In March 2016 it was announced that the Virsliga would be sponsored by SynotTip Sports Bar on a three year contract 9 They were succeeded by betting firm Optibet on a two year contract beginning with the 2019 season 10 Clubs 2022 Edit FK Liepaja RFSRiga FCMETTA LUSK Super Nova Spartaks Valmiera BFC Daugavpils Tukums 2000 FK Audaclass notpageimage Locations of the 2022 Latvian Higher League teams Club Positionin 2021RFS 1stValmiera 2ndLiepaja 3rdRiga FC 4thSpartaks Jurmala 5thBFC Daugavpils 6thMetta LU 7thFK Auda 1st in First League 2021 Tukums 2000 2nd in First League 2021 SK Super Nova 3rd in First League 2021 Titles by year EditSource 11 Riga Football League Edit 1908 British FC 1909 RV Union 1910 RV Union 1911 Britannia FC 1912 RV Union 1913 SV Kaiserwald 1914 Britannia FC 1915 Britannia FC Latvian Championship 1922 1940 independent Edit 1922 Kaiserwald Riga 1923 Kaiserwald Riga 1924 RFK Riga 1925 RFK Riga 1926 RFK Riga 1927 Olimpia Liepaja 1928 Olimpia Liepaja 1929 Olimpia Liepaja 1930 RFK Riga 1931 RFK Riga 1932 ASK Riga 1933 Olimpia Liepaja 1934 RFK Riga 1935 RFK Riga 1936 Olimpia Liepaja 1937 Not Played 1938 Olimpia Liepaja 1939 Olimpia Liepaja 1940 RFK Riga Football Championship of Latvian SSR 1942 1990 Edit Main article Football Championship of the Latvian SSR 1942 ASK Riga 1944 ASK Riga 1945 Dinamo Riga 1946 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepaja 1947 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepaja 1948 SA Riga 1949 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepaja 1950 AVN Riga 1951 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepaja 1952 AVN Riga 1953 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepaja 1954 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepaja 1955 Darba reserves 1956 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepaja 1957 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepaja 1958 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepaja 1959 RER Riga 1960 SKA Riga 1961 SKA Riga 1962 SKA Riga 1963 SKA Riga 1964 SKA Riga 1965 SKA Riga 1966 ESR Energija Riga 1967 ESR Energija Riga 1968 Starts Brotseny 1969 Venta Ventspils 1970 VEF Riga 1971 VEF Riga 1972 Jurnieks Riga 1973 VEF Riga 1974 VEF Riga 1975 VEF Riga 1976 Energija Riga 1977 Energija Riga 1978 Kimiks Daugavpils 1979 Elektrons Riga 1980 Kimiks Daugavpils 1981 Elektrons Riga 1982 Elektrons Riga 1983 VEF Riga 1984 Torpedo Riga 1985 Alfa Riga 1986 Torpedo Riga 1987 Torpedo Riga 1988 RAF Jelgava 1989 RAF Jelgava 1990 Gauja Valmiera Since independence in 1991 Edit 1991 Skonto Riga 1992 Skonto Riga 1993 Skonto Riga 1994 Skonto Riga 1995 Skonto Riga 1996 Skonto Riga 1997 Skonto Riga 1998 Skonto Riga 1999 Skonto Riga 2000 Skonto Riga 2001 Skonto Riga 2002 Skonto Riga 2003 Skonto Riga 2004 Skonto Riga 2005 Liepajas Metalurgs 2006 FK Ventspils 2007 FK Ventspils 2008 FK Ventspils 2009 Liepajas Metalurgs 2010 Skonto Riga 2011 FK Ventspils 2012 Daugava Daugavpils 2013 FK Ventspils 2014 FK Ventspils 2015 FK Liepaja 2016 JPFS FK Spartaks Jurmala 2017 JPFS FK Spartaks Jurmala 2018 Riga FC 2019 Riga FC 2020 Riga FC 2021 RFS 2022 ValmieraNotable managers and players Edit Aleksandrs Starkovs has won 12 league titles since independence with Skonto as a manager Three times winner with Ventspils Ukrainian Roman Hryhorchuk is the first manager who reached Europa League group stage in Virsliga history First ever Latvian who scored in Euros Maris Verpakovskis has won league titles with both Skonto and Liepaja Ukrainian born Marians Pahars has won 5 league titles before moving to Southampton Bundesliga winner Ukrainian Viktor Skrypnyk has won league title with Riga as a manager Aleksandrs Kolinko best known for playing for Crystal Palace has won 6 league titles totally with Skonto as a player and Spartaks as an assistant manager Most titles EditThis is a list of clubs in order of most titles won in championships in independent Latvia 1922 1940 and 1991 to date 11 Teams in bold are part of 2020 Virsliga Players of FK Ventspils celebrate after becoming champions in 2008 By club Edit Club No of Titles Years wonSkonto Riga 15 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2010RFK Riga 8 1924 1925 1926 1930 1931 1934 1935 1940Olimpija Liepaja 7 1927 1928 1929 1933 1936 1938 1939Ventspils 6 2006 2007 2008 2011 2013 2014Riga FC 3 2018 2019 2020Liepajas Metalurgs 2 2005 2009Kaiserwald Riga 2 1922 1923JPFS Spartaks Jurmala 2 2016 2017Valmiera 1 2022RFS 1 2021FK Liepaja 1 2015Daugava Daugavpils 1 2012ASK Riga 1 1932Rivalries EditThe most well known rivalry is the Kurzeme Derby Kurzemes derbijs between Ventspils and Liepaja 12 circular reference The two biggest clubs in Kurzeme have played 86 matches between themselves with a record of 31 28 27 including Metalurgs in favor of Liepaja prior to the 2019 Virsliga 13 Since 2016 the Riga Derby Rigas derbijs was started between Riga FC and Rigas FS as two clubs were promoted at the same time A 2019 match in Skonto Stadium between the two sides broke a ten year attendance record 14 Virsliga clubs in international competitions EditUEFA competitionsVentspils was the Latvian first club who qualified for the group stage of a UEFA club competition reaching the 2009 10 UEFA Europa League group stage 15 circular reference Skonto reached the UEFA Champions League last qualifying stage for a number of times in the late 1990s and early 2000s but lost to such teams like FC Barcelona in 1997 Internazionale FC in 1998 and Chelsea FC in 1999 Most recently RFS qualified for the 2022 23 UEFA Europa Conference League group stage finishing in fourth place with 2 points Commonwealth of Independent States Cup Skonto Runners up 3 2001 2003 2004 Ventspils Runners up 1 2007 Baltic League Metalurgs Champions 1 2007 Ventspils Champions 1 2010 Runners up 2 2007 2011 Skonto Champions 1 2011 Runners up 1 2008 References Edit Latvia UEFA All rights reserved 3 September 2018 Mike Dryomin 14 March 2008 Latvia 2007 RSSSF Retrieved 23 July 2012 Sacensibu sistemas modela apstiprinasana lff lv in Latvian Hartmanis Martins 1 December 2007 LMT Virsliga new season calendar published Latvian Football Federation Retrieved 20 February 2008 Ziemas kauss futbola vairs nenotiks to aizstas Virsligas kausa izcina LA lv in Latvian 22 December 2017 Retrieved 7 August 2019 LFF pieskir virsligas licences 10 klubiem About Virsliga Biedriba Latvijas Futbola Virsliga Futbolavirsliga lv Archived from the original on 3 June 2013 Retrieved 16 June 2013 in Latvian Latvijas futbola virsligai nakamaja sezona bus jauns generalsponsors Public Broadcasting of Latvia in Latvian 17 October 2018 Retrieved 7 August 2019 Virsliga ar SynotTip nosledz verienigako ligumu ligas vesture in Latvian Sportacentrs com 10 March 2016 Retrieved 13 March 2016 Becomes main sponsor of Latvian football league Enlabs AB Retrieved 18 March 2019 a b Almantas Lauzadis and Hans Schoggl 23 March 2017 Latvia List of Champions RSSSF Retrieved 9 June 2017 Kurzeme derby Futbola virsliga tiks aizvadits Kurzemes derbijs TVNET in Latvian 20 June 2019 Suveizda Agris 2 June 2019 Rigas derbijs labo Virsligas desmitgades apmekletibas rekordu SportaCentrs com in Latvian Europa League group stageExternal links EditAssociation Virsliga at futbolavirsliga tv in Latvian Current Virsliga table at eurorivals Virsliga fixtures including kick off times at worldfootball net Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Latvian Higher League amp oldid 1136972270, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
