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EspañolNORWEGIAN PREMIER LEAGUE
Tippeligaen is the top division for football (soccer) in Norway. Its official Norwegian name is 'Tippeligaen' after its sponsor Norsk Tipping, the national lottery and bookmaking service. It is also colloquially known as 'Eliteserien' ("The Elite League"), although the name has never been official.
Between 1963 and 1990 the name of the league was '1. divisjon' ("1st Division"), a name that has later been used for the second level league from 1991. (In 2005 the second level league was officially named Adeccoligaen after its sponsor Adecco.) From the fall of 1948 to 1962 the top division was called 'Hovedserien' ("The Main League"), and between 1937 and the summer of 1948, it was called 'Norgesserien' ("The League of Norway").
Format
Competition
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Tromsø
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Rosenborg
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Aalesund
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Brann
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Viking
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Start
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Lillestrøm
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Vålerenga, Lyn
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Stabæk
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Fredrikstad
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Strømsgodset
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Sandefjord
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Odd Grenland
There are 14 clubs in the Norwegian Premier League, though there are plans to extend to 16. During the course of a season, each club plays the others twice, home and away, for a total of 26 games for each club, and a total of 182 games in a season. The season starts in early April and lasts until early November. Rounds played during the weekends are broken up into one game on Saturdays, five games on Sundays and one game on Mondays. Midweek rounds are broken up into six games on Wednesdays and one game on Thursdays. For the final two rounds, all games start simultaneously so that no club may gain an unfair advantage by knowing the results of other games in advance of kicking off their own.
The May 16 round, which is played one day ahead of Norway's Constitution Day on May 17, is one of the most anticipated rounds of the season. It is often referred to as the "national day of football" and, because it always precedes a national holiday, games are attended by more spectators than for any other round.
Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, goals scored, and then head to head records used to separate teams on equal points. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned champion. The two lowest placed teams are automatically relegated to the First Division and the top two teams from the First Division take their place. The twelfth placed team in the Premier League is also in danger of being relegated and must win a two-legged playoff against the third best team from the First Division to stay in the top flight.
European qualification
The winners of the Norwegian Premier League enter the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, while the second and third placed teams enter the first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup. The fourth placed team may also qualify, depending on what happens in the Norwegian Cup. Normally the winners of the Cup receive the final spot (entering the UEFA Cup in the first round proper). If the winners have already qualified for Europe, the spot is transferred to the losing finalist. If the cup champions and runners-up both finish in the top three of the league, the spot goes to the fourth placed team. The highest placed team that has not qualified for the UEFA Cup is allowed the opportunity to compete in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Incidentally, the cup competition is The Championship, while the winners of the League are merely that - League Winners...
The top four teams in Norway also qualify for the Scandinavian Royal League.
The Norwegian Premier League is eighteenth in the UEFA rankings of European leagues based on their performances in European competitions over a five year period, behind Switzerland's Super League and ahead of Serbia's Superliga.[1] This also make it the best league in Scandinavia.
History
'Tippeligaen title holders
'
The league has enjoyed tremendous popularity in Norway. Viking of Stavanger won the first year the league bore the name Tippeligaen, followed by Rosenborg of Trondheim, claiming 13 consecutive titles (1992-2004). During the first years Rosenborg won with a substantial margin, only partly challenged by Molde, Lillestrøm and Brann. However, this was streadily narrowing down towards a dramatic finish in 2004, where the Trondheim team tied with Vålerenga of Oslo in game points, but finished ahead on goals scored. However, in 2005 the winning streak came to an end as Vålerenga clinched the title, one point ahead of Start of Kristiansand. Rosenborg was never in contention that season and would finish only 7th. In 2006, Rosenborg returned to the top of the league, coming back from 10 points behind Brann at the halfway point to clinch the title with a match to spare.
Current members
The following fourteen clubs will compete in the Norwegian Premier League during the 2007 season.
| Club | Finishing position in 2006 | First season in top division[2] | First season of current spell in top division |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brann | 2nd | 1963 | 1987 |
| Fredrikstad | 8th | 1963 | 2004 |
| Lillestrøm | 4th | 1975 | 1975 |
| Lyn | 7th | 1963 | 2001 |
| Odd Grenland | 12th | 1965 | 1999 |
| Rosenborg | 1st | 1967 | 1979 |
| Sandefjord | 9th | 2006 | 2006 |
| Stabæk | 5th | 1995 | 2006 |
| Start | 6th | 1969 | 2005 |
| Strømsgodset | 1st in the First Division | 1967 | 2007 |
| Tromsø | 10th | 1986 | 2002 |
| Viking | 11th | 1963 | 1989 |
| Vålerenga | 3rd | 1963 | 2002 |
| Aalesund | 2nd in the First Division | 2003 | 2007 |
Top flight champions
The following clubs have won the top division in Norwegian football since 1938. Note that this list is in a way misleading, due to the fact that clubs from Northern Norway were not allowed to take part in the league system before 1972. This odd league system caused considerable bitterness in the north in the 50's, 60's and 70's (see also: F.K. Bodø/Glimt and List of Premier League Champions from 1938 to present time).
★ 20 wins: Rosenborg
★ 9 wins: Fredrikstad
★ 8 wins: Viking
★ 5 wins: Lillestrøm, Vålerenga
★ 3 wins: Larvik Turn
★ 2 wins: Brann, Lyn, Start
★ 1 win: Fram Larvik, Freidig, Moss, Skeid, Strømsgodset
League Winners
Below is a list of the gold, silver and bronze medalists in the Norwegian Premier League for men since its beginning in 1937/38. (The Norwegian football cup has been played since 1902.) During 1937-1948 the name of the league was Norgesserien ("The League of Norway"), 1948-1962 Hovedserien ("The Main League"), 1963-1990 1. divisjon ("1st Division"), and from 1991 Tippeligaen (sponsored name) or Eliteserien ("The Elite League", a generic name).
Before 1961, the league was decided by a final match, after that through a league table. Bronze finals were played in 1960 and 1961, before that no bronze medals were awarded. Note that clubs from Northern Norway (including Bodø/Glimt and Tromsø) were not allowed in the top division until 1972, but a separate Northern Norwegian Cup was played. The league did not play during the period 1940-1946 because of the 2nd World War.
See below for a list of medalists by club name.
Medalists by year
The following medals have been awarded:
Medalists by club name
The following clubs have won one or more Premier League medals since 1937/38:
| Club | Founded | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Last merits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bodø/Glimt | 1916 | - | 3 | 1 | League silver 2003; cup gold 1993, silver 2003 |
| Brann | 1908-09-26 | 2 | 5 | 3 | League gold 1963, silver 2006; cup gold 2004 |
| Bryne | 1926 | - | 2 | - | League silver 1982; cup gold 1987, silver 2001 |
| Eik-Tønsberg | 1928-03-14 | - | 1 | 1 | League silver 1960/61 |
| Fram Larvik | 1894 | 1 | - | - | League gold 1949/50 |
| Fredrikstad | 1903-04-07 | 9 | 8 | 1 | League gold 1960/61, silver 1972; cup gold 2006 |
| Freidig | 1903 | 1 | - | - | League gold 1947/48 |
| Ham-Kam | 1918 | - | - | 1 | League bronze 1970 |
| Kongsvinger | 1892-01-31 | - | 1 | 2 | League silver 1992 |
| Larvik Turn | 1906 | 3 | - | - | League gold 1955/56; cup silver 1956 |
| Lillestrøm | 1917-04-02 | 5 | 8 | 3 | League gold 1989, silver 2001; cup gold 1985, silver 2005 |
| Lyn | 1896-03-03 | 2 | 5 | 4 | League gold 1968, silver 1971, bronze 2005; cup gold 1968, silver 2004 |
| Mjøndalen | 1910 | - | 2 | - | League silver 1986; cup gold 1937, silver 1968 |
| Molde | 1911-06-19 | - | 6 | 3 | League silver 2002; cup gold 2005 |
| Moss | 1906-08-28 | 1 | 1 | - | League gold 1987; cup gold 1983 |
| Odd Grenland | 1894-03-31 | - | 2 | - | League silver 1956/57; cup gold 2000, silver 2002 |
| Rosenborg | 1917-05-19 | 20 | 5 | 1 | League gold 2006; cup gold 2003 |
| Sarpsborg | 1903-05-08 | - | - | 2 | League bronze 1965; cup gold 1951, silver 1964 |
| Skeid | 1915 | 1 | 5 | 1 | League gold 1966, silver 1967; cup gold 1974 |
| Sparta Sarpsborg | 1928-11-23 | - | 1 | - | League silver 1947/48; cup gold 1952 |
| Stabæk | 1912-03-16 | - | - | 2 | League bronze 2003; cup gold 1998 |
| Start | 1905-09-19 | 2 | 1 | 7 | League gold 1980, silver 2005 |
| Steinkjer | 1910 | - | 1 | - | League silver 1961/62 |
| Strømsgodset | 1907 | 1 | - | 3 | League gold 1970, bronze 1997; cup gold 1991, silver 1997 |
| Tromsø | 1920 | - | 1 | 1 | League silver 1990; cup gold 1996 |
| Viking | 1899-08-10 | 8 | 2 | 8 | League gold 1991, bronze 2001; cup gold 2001 |
| Vålerenga | 1913-07-29 | 5 | 2 | 3 | League gold 2005; cup gold 2002 |
Attendance
From 1995 the league was expanded with two teams, and has 182 matches a year. Before that the number was 132 matches a year.
There are plans to expand the league to 16 team from the 2009 season. These is though not yet official.
| Year | Total | Average |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 581 177 | 4 403 |
| 1986 | 426 349 | 3 229 |
| 1987 | 469 030 | 3 553 |
| 1988 | 576 257 | 4 365 |
| 1989 | 624 679 | 4 732 |
| 1990 | 647 489 | 4 905 |
| 1991 | 706 508 | 5 352 |
| 1992 | 671 903 | 5 083 |
| 1993 | 731 565 | 5 542 |
| 1994 | 688 589 | 5 216 |
| 1995 | 841 717 | 4 624 |
| 1996 | 841 368 | 4 622 |
| 1997 | 772 197 | 4 242 |
| 1998 | 959 317 | 5 270 |
| 1999 | 983 630 | 5 404 |
| 2000 | 1 024 722 | 5 639 |
| 2001 | 1 013 264 | 5 567 |
| 2002 | 1 092 359 | 6 002 |
| 2003 | 1 198 798 | 6 587 |
| 2004 | 1 458 258 | 8 012 |
| 2005 | 1 727 101 | 9 489 |
| 2006 | 1 655 572 | 9 097 |
Individual all-time records
Most matches played
| Player | Time | Matches[3] |
|---|---|---|
| Roar Strand | 1989-2006 ★ | 361 |
| Ola By Rise | 1977-1995 | 346 |
| Erik Hoftun | 1992-2005 | 336 |
| Bjørn Johansen | 1987-2005 | 334 |
| Svein Mathisen | 1973-1989 | 327 |
| Christer Basma | 1993-2006 ★ | 323 |
| Arne Vidar Moen | 1991-2005 | 310 |
| Tom Gulbrandsen | 1983-1997 | 307 |
| Torgeir Bjarmann | 1988-2003 | 306 |
| Charles Berstad | 1983-1998 | 303 |
Roar Strand and Christer Basma are still active in the Premier League.
Most goals scored
| Player | Time | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Harald Brattbakk | 1990-2005 | 166 |
| Petter Belsvik | 1989-2003 | 159 |
| Odd Iversen | 1967-1982 | 158 |
| Per Kristoffersen | 1957-1968 | 145 |
| Sigurd Rushfeldt | 1992-2006 ★ | 129 |
| Jostein Flo | 1987-2001 | 114 |
| Jan Fuglset | 1967-1982 | 109 |
| Arne Pedersen | 1951-1966 | 107 |
| Svein Mathisen | 1973-1989 | 106 |
| Mini Jakobsen | 1988-1999 | 98 |
Sigurd Rushfeldt is still active in the Premier League.
Notable foreign former players
See also
★ List of Premier League Champions from 1938 to present time
★ List of football clubs in Norway
★ Norwegian Premier League 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
★ Norwegian Premier League for women
★ Norwegian top scorers
★ Sports league attendances
Notes and references
1. UEFA Country Ranking 2007
2. Counting from 1963, the first season with a single top division.
3. Adressa.no - Players with the most appearances in the Norwegian Premier League
External links
★ Football Association of Norway
★ All-time Premier League table from 1963 to 2004
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