A Lyga
| |
Founded | 1991 |
---|---|
Country | Lithuania |
Confederation | UEFA |
Number of teams | 8 (from 2016) |
Level on pyramid | 1 |
Relegation to | I Lyga |
Domestic cup(s) |
Lithuanian Football Cup Lithuanian Supercup |
International cup(s) |
Champions League Europa League |
Current champions |
Sūduva (1st title) (2017) |
Most championships | FBK Kaunas (8 titles) |
TV partners | |
Website | Alyga.lt |
|
The A Lyga is the top division of professional football in Lithuania. It is organized by LFF (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Futbolo Federacija). League size has varied between 8 and 12 teams over the past few years; from 2016 season, the league features 8 teams. The season usually kicks off in late March/early April every year; because of the harsh climate there are no games in the winter.
Clubs
The following eight clubs are participating in the 2017 season.
Club | Location | Position in 2016 | First season in A Lyga |
Seasons in A Lyga |
First season of current spell |
Top division titles |
Last title |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atlantasa | Klaipėda | 4th | 1990 | 27 | 2011 | 4 | 1984 |
Jonavab | Jonava | 6th (5th after regular season) | 2016 | 2 | 2016 | — | |
Kauno Žalgirisb | Kaunas | 8th | 2015 | 3 | 2015 | — | |
Stumbrasb | Kaunas | 5th (6th after regular season) | 2015 | 3 | 2015 | — | |
Sūduvaa | Marijampolė | 3rd | 1990 | 18 | 2002 | — | |
Trakaib | Trakai | 2nd | 2014 | 4 | 2014 | — | |
Utenisb | Utena | 7th | 2015 | 3 | 2015 | — | |
Žalgirisa | Vilnius | 1st | 1990 | 28 | 2010 | 7 | 2016 |
a Founding member of the A Lyga
b Never been relegated from the A Lyga
Sponsorship
From 2012 to 2016, the A Lyga had title sponsorship rights sold to two companies; Credit Service was the most recent title sponsor, having sponsored league from 2013 through 2016.[1]
Period | Sponsor | Name |
---|---|---|
1991–1999 | No sponsor | Lietuvos Lyga |
1999–2000 | LFF Lyga | |
2001–2003 | LFF A Lyga | |
2004–2008 | NFKA A Lyga | |
2009–2011 | LFF A Lyga | |
2012 | General Financing | LFF General Financing A Lyga[2] |
2013–2016 | Credit Service | SMScredit.lt A Lyga[3] |
2017– | No sponsor | LFF A Lyga |
As well as sponsorship for the league itself, the A Lyga has a number of official partners and suppliers.[4] The official ball supplier for the league is Nike who have had the contract since the 2013 season when they took over from Adidas.[3]
Results
Interbellum and WWII
Seasons
Season | Winner | Runner-up | Third place |
---|---|---|---|
Interbellum (Independent Lithuania) | |||
1922 | LFLS Kaunas | LFLS Šančiai | LFLS-2 Kaunas |
1923 | LFLS Kaunas | KSK Kaunas | Kovas Kaunas |
1924 | Kovas Kaunas | Sportverein Klaipėda | LFLS Kaunas / MTV Klaipėda |
1925 | Kovas Kaunas | LFLS Šiauliai | Freya Klaipėda |
1926 | Kovas Kaunas | KSS Klaipėda | LFLS Šiauliai |
1927 | LFLS Kaunas | Sportverein Pagėgiai | LFLS Šiauliai |
1928 | KSS Klaipėda | LFLS Kaunas | LDS Šiauliai |
1929 | KSS Klaipėda | LFLS Kaunas | KSK Kultus Kaunas / Freya Klaipėda |
1930 | KSS Klaipėda | LFLS Kaunas | Sveikata Kybartai / Makabi Šiauliai |
1931 | KSS Klaipėda | Kovas Kaunas | Freya Klaipėda |
1932 | LFLS Kaunas | KSS Klaipėda | LGSF Kaunas |
1933 | Kovas Kaunas | LFLS Kaunas | LGSF Kaunas |
1934 | MSK Kaunas | LFLS Kaunas | LGSF Kaunas |
1935 | Kovas Kaunas | KSS Klaipėda | Sakalas Šiauliai / Šaulys Ukmergė |
1936 | Kovas Kaunas | LFLS Kaunas | LGSF Kaunas |
1937 | KSS Klaipėda | Kovas Kaunas | LFLS Kaunas |
1937–38 | KSS Klaipėda | LGSF Kaunas | Švyturys Klaipėda |
1938–39 | LGSF Kaunas | Kovas Kaunas | KSS Telšiai |
1939–40 | Competition abandoned | ||
World War II (1st Soviet and German Occupations) | |||
1941 | Competition not finished due to World War II (Spartakas Kaunas had the best record) | ||
1942 | LFLS Kaunas | MSK Panevėžys | Gubernija Šiauliai / LFLS Vilnius |
1942–43 | Tauras Kaunas | MSK Panevėžys | Gubernija Šiauliai / LGSF Vilnius |
1943–44 | Competition not finished due to World War II (Tauras Kaunas had the best record) | ||
Note: In 1924–1930, 1935, 1942, 1942–1943 and 1945 seasons there was no unified league and winners were decided using either a play–off format or a single game between winners of separate divisions.
Performance by club
Club | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd | Winning Seasons |
---|---|---|---|---|
Kovas Kaunas | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1924, 1925, 1926, 1933, 1935, 1936 |
KSS Klaipėda | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1937, 1937–38 |
LFLS Kaunas | 5 | 6 | 2 | 1922, 1923, 1927, 1932, 1942 |
LGSF Kaunas | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1938–39 |
MSK Kaunas | 1 | – | – | 1934 |
Tauras Kaunas | 1 | – | – | 1942–43 |
All champions from this period are defunct.
Lithuanian SSR Championship
The competition was not contested by teams participating in the Soviet Union football league system.
Seasons
Note: Some clubs like Žalgiris Vilnius played in Soviet Divisions like Soviet Top League instead of Lithuanian SSR Divisions.
Performance by club
Club | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd | Winning Seasons |
---|---|---|---|---|
Elnias Šiauliai† | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1948, 1949, 1953, 1957, 1958, 1959–60, 1960–61 |
Inkaras Kaunas† | 5 | 6 | 5 | 1950, 1951, 1954, 1964, 1965 |
Atlantas Klaipėda | 4 | 7 | - | 1978, 1980, 1981, 1984 |
Karininkų Namai / Raudonoji Žvaigždė / Saliutas Vilnius† | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1952, 1958–59, 1967 |
Nevėžis Kėdainiai | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1966, 1972, 1973 |
Pažanga Vilnius† | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1971, 1982, 1983 |
Statybininkas Šiauliai† | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1969, 1977 |
Statyba Panevėžys† | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1962–63, 1968 |
FK Atletas Kaunas† | 2 | 1 | - | 1961–62, 1970 |
Atmosfera Mažeikiai† | 2 | - | 2 | 1976, 1979 |
Banga Kaunas† | 2 | - | 1 | 1986, 1989 |
Ekranas Panevėžys† | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1985 |
Tauras Šiauliai† | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1974 |
SRT Vilnius† | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1988 |
Lima Kaunas† | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1955 |
Spartakas Kaunas† | 1 | 1 | - | 1945 |
Tauras Tauragė† | 1 | 1 | - | 1987 |
Linų Audiniai Plungė | 1 | - | 2 | 1956 |
Dainava Alytus | 1 | - | 2 | 1975 |
Dinamo Kaunas† | 1 | - | - | 1946 |
Lokomotyvas Kaunas† | 1 | - | - | 1947 |
Clubs currently playing in A Lyga are written in Bold.
† - Defunct clubs.
A Lyga
Seasons
Performance by club
Club | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd | Winning Seasons |
---|---|---|---|---|
FBK Kaunas† | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 |
Žalgiris Vilnius | 7 | 9 | 4 | 1991, 1991–92, 1998–99, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 |
Ekranas Panevėžys† | 7 | 4 | 5 | 1992–93, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 |
Kareda Šiauliai† | 2 | 2 | - | 1996–97, 1997–98 |
Inkaras Kaunas† | 2 | - | 1 | 1994–95, 1995–96 |
Sūduva Marijampolė | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2017 |
Sirijus Klaipėda† | 1 | - | 1 | 1990 |
ROMAR Mažeikiai† | 1 | - | 1 | 1993–94 |
Clubs currently playing in A Lyga are written in Bold.
† - Defunct clubs.
References
- ↑ "SMScredit.lt A lyga". LFF.lt. Lietuvos futbolo federacijos. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑ ""General Financing" - LFF A lygos pagrindinis rėmėjas" (in Lithuanian). Lithuanian Football Federation. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- 1 2 "2013 metų A lygos startas - su naujais partneriais ir didesnėmis ambicijomis" (in Lithuanian). Lithuanian Football Federation. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ↑ "Oficialūs partneriai". A Lyga. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
External links
- Official website (in Lithuanian)
- Futbolo.TV - A lyga streaming and video center (in Lithuanian)
- One Nil Up - Digital Magazine focusing on football in the Baltic States
- RSSSF.com - List of Champions
- Lithuanian Football: History & Statistics by Almis - Championship statistics