Kelssek Football League
Number of teams | 46 |
---|---|
Level on pyramid | 1–3 |
Relegation to | All-Kelssek Soccer League |
Domestic cup(s) | Patriotes Cup |
International cup(s) | Champions League Challengers Cup |
- For the top division of the KFL see Kelssek Championship.
The Kelssek Football League (Frankish: Ligue de football kelssekienne) is a professional league for soccer clubs which is the highest level of competition in Kelssek. The league consists of three divisions, the KFL Championship (Championnat), the National (Ligue nationale), and the Association (Association de la LFK), which is played in two geographical zones. The competition is governed by the national federation, Football Kelssek. Burnaby SC is the most successful club with 16 league titles.
Each season the bottom three clubs of the Championship are relegated to the National division. Replacing them are the winners and runner-up of the National and the winners of a playoffs tournament among the teams placing third to sixth. The bottom four clubs of the National division are relegated to the Association while the two regional winners are promoted along with the winners of the playoffs contested between the second and third-placed teams of each region.
All KFL clubs are non-profit societies. While this is not a formal requirement of the league, any club in the KFL must be a member in good standing of the national governing body, Football Kelssek. In turn, FK's rules assume and require compliance with the relevant law on public organizations (generally the republic's Societies Act). FK also enforces transparency and anti-corruption regulations including a rule requiring club members to elect the board of directors, which makes Kelssek clubs unattractive for private investors. A notable feature of the KFL in comparison to other countries is the prestige attached to an absence of sponsorships. While most clubs do in fact need the money, the top clubs make a point of not having sponsor logos on their shirts or "donating" the slot to publicize a charity or public campaign
International competitions[edit]
The winners and runners-up of the KFL qualify for the IFCF Champions League and the teams placing third through fifth qualify for the Challengers Cup. The top three teams of the KFL National qualify for the Liga B Champions Trophy, but since season 66 teams have declined to enter. Burnaby SC was the most successful KFL club in the UICA era, recognized as the UICA Kelssek Club of the Century for reaching the Globe Cup group stage twice. Shearwater FC was the first (and so far only) club to win a major international trophy with its win in the Champions League 11 final.
Until IFCF 4, CF Outineau were the only KFL club to have reached the group stage of the Champions League. IFCF 4 marked a watershed for Kelssek international club competitions as CF Outineau reached the knockout rounds of the Champions League and Burnaby SC and Strathcona Internationals advanced to the knockout rounds of the Challengers Cup, with Strathcona reaching the quarterfinals. The resulting increase in the league's coefficient ranking allowed it to gain an additional place in the Champions League for the first time.
With Latrobe Athletic reaching the final of the 6th Challengers Cup, the league's ranking improved further to 10th in the world. It peaked at third in the IFCF rankings for the 8th and 9th IFCF seasons. Fans and media continued to debate whether this was an accurate reflection of the league's quality, largely regarding it as among the world's top leagues but clearly a tier below leagues like Audioslavia's National League and the Nepharim Zenith that were consistently winning IFCF trophies.
Clubs[edit]
Selected lower-division clubs[edit]
Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
Association Ariddienne | Outineau | Stade Pailler | 4,500 |
CF Les Castors | Outineau | Place Saint-Luc | 20,200 |
Colwynian Vale | Colwyn | Ironworkers Road | 22,600 |
FC Novonaya | Novonaya | Griffin Park | 39,200 |
Port City | Willsden Harbour | Dartmoor | 10,700 |
St. David Wanderers | St. David | Doecross Meadow | 11,300 |
Saintsport Heath | Saintsport | Admiralty Terrace | 11,200 |
Sitka Valley FC | Pembina | Varsity Stadium | 29,200 |
Kingstown Athletic | Kingstown | Larkhamfield | 28,800 |
Kawarthas District | Llandewi | Redmord Point | 16,500 |
Major rivalries[edit]
- Burnaby SC vs. Kirkenes FC (Anglian Derby): The symbolic West-East rivalry. While not having the historical baggage and violence of the Outineau-Kirkenes rivalry, this takes on a cultural dimension just the same with Burnaby SC representing the rugged, free-thinking, mountaineer spirit against Kirkenes's conservative, commercial, cultural elites.
- CF Outineau vs. CS Saint-Rémy (Battaile du Beaulac)
- Langlois Océanic vs. CF Saint-Richard (Derby du sel): Fought between the two major cities of the Salt Coast, pits the underdog Saint-Richard club with its emphasis on developing local youth gars de chez nous, against the cosmopolitan money-spending Langlois club.
- CF Outineau vs. Kirkenes FC (War of the Crowns/Guerre des Couronnes): This contemporary rivalry is driven by many of the divisions that fuelled the historical war its name references: sectarian, linguistic, and cultural.
- Burnaby SC vs. Coquitlam United (Lakeland Derby)
- Clayquot City vs. Latrobe Athletic (Battle of Etnier)
KFL National[edit]
Season | North champions | South champions | |
---|---|---|---|
51 | Redswyth Red Stars | Metropolitan FC | |
53 | Saanich AFC | Strathcona Internationals | |
54 | Redswyth Red Stars | Innisfail County | |
55 | NGSA Ulyanof | Kingstown Athletic | |
56 | Metropolitan FC | Shearwater FC | |
57 | Trenton AC | Sitka Valley | |
58 | Colwynian Vale | Kingstown Athletic | |
59 | Hamiltonian Cambria | Mazinaw Vanorian | |
Season | Champions | Runners-up | Playoffs winner |
60 | North York | Castors d'Outineau | Port City FC |
61 | Torbay Thunder | FC Novonaya | Colwynian Vale |
62 | Sitka Valley | Kawarthas DFA | Association Ariddienne |
63 | Port City | Saintsport Heath | St. David Wanderers |
64 | Kingstown Athletic | ASC Arvika | Kawarthas District |
65 | Saintsport Heath | NGSA Ulyanof | Colwynian Vale |
66 | Passerine | Star of Confederation | Torbay Thunder |
67 | NGSA Ulyanof | Wynleth Flyers | St. David Wanderers |
68 | Passerine | Mazinaw Vanorian | Pembina City |
69 | Colwynian Vale | Port City | ASC Arvika |
70 | Wynleth Flyers | Kawarthas District | St. David Wanderers |
71 | Association Ariddienne | Saintsport Heath | Union Lachaîne |
72 | ASC Arvika | CF Saint-Richard | St. David Wanderers |
73 | Saintsport Heath | Union Lachaîne | Pembina City |
74 | Wynleth Flyers | ASC Arvika | NGSA Ulyanof |
75 | Pembina City | Saintsport Heath | FC Novonaya |
KFL Association[edit]
Season | North champions | South champions | Playoffs winners |
---|---|---|---|
60 | St. David Wanderers | Association Ariddienne | Torbay Thunder |
61 | Southbank Mariners | AS Concordia-Montérégie | Gagliano Mariners Arlingsdale City |
62 | Saintsport Heath | Pembina City | St. David Wanderers West Haligonia Spartan |
63 | Wynleth Flyers | Miramichi Lakers | Áfram Gimli Union Lachaîne |
64 | Llandlaff City | AS Concordia | AS Grands-Sources Arlingsdale City |
65 | Redswyth Red Stars | Franche-Contamine | Sudbury Rangers Jeunesse Lunaire |
66 | Llandlaff City | Delta Sorthern | Bramerlea Bulldogs Stade Laneux |
67 | CS Rivière-du-Nord | West Haligonia Spartan | Chateâufroid Miramichi Lakers |
68 | Wickham Warriors | Jeunesse Lunaire | Southbank Mariners Union Lachaîne |
69 | Miramichi Lakers | West Haligonia Spartan | Bramerlee Bulldogs Gagliano Mariners |
70 | Natanel Royals | Delta Sorthern | AS Grands-Sources Stade Laneux |
71 | Wickham Warriors | Franche-Contamine | Sudbury Rangers Miramichi Lakers |
72 | NGSA Ulyanof | Arlingsdale City | Paracuttis Stade Laneux |
73 | St. Kildera | AS Grands-Sources | Southbank Mariners Miramichi Lakers |
74 | Redswyth Red Stars | Arlingsdale City | Fretscray Gagliano Mariners |
75 | St. Kildera | Miramichi Lakers | New Scarborough Stade Laneux |
History[edit]
From season 49 to 59, the Championship had 18 clubs and the National Division was played in two regional leauges. The bottom two teams of the Championship were relegated to the National division and the winners of each National Division region were promoted to the Championship. The National Divison was expanded by four clubs from season 53.
The Championship expanded to 20 teams from season 60, adopting its current format, and the National Divison became KFL National with the regions abolished. A third division was added, the KFL Association, with two regions. In season 64, the National division expanded to 22 teams and the Association to two regional leagues of 15 teams, with four teams being promoted and relegated between the second and third tiers.