Veikkausliiga
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Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 13 clubs of the country. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name. Veikkausliiga was founded in 1990; before that the top division was called Mestaruussarja (championship series) since 1930. Between 1908 and 1930 the championship was decided in a cup competition.
Ykkönen (division one) has been the second highest level of Finnish football since 1973.
Just like in other Northern European countries, Veikkausliiga matches are played in the summer, with a schedule usually from April to October. In current format each team plays all other teams twice, both at home and away. At the end of the season, the lowest-placed (13th) team is relegated to Ykkönen, whose winner will be promoted to Veikkausliiga. The team placed 12th will play a two-legged relegation/promotion match with the second-placed team in Ykkönen.
Clubs
The Veikkausliiga clubs in the 2006 season are (with their home towns in brackets):- FC Haka (Valkeakoski)
- FC Honka (Espoo)
- FC Inter (Turku)
- FC KooTeePee (Kotka)
- FC Lahti (Lahti)
- FF Jaro (Pietarsaari)
- HJK (Helsinki)
- IFK Mariehamn (Mariehamn)
- KuPS (Kuopio)
- MyPa (Anjalankoski)
- Tampere United (Tampere)
- TPS (Turku)
- VPS (Vaasa)
Champions
The following clubs have won either the Veikkausliiga (between 1990 and 2005) or the Mestaruussarja (between 1908 and 1989) championship :- 21 wins: HJK
- 9 wins: FC Haka, HPS
- 8 wins: TPS
- 7 wins: HIFK
- 5 wins: KuPS, Kuusysi1
- 4 wins: KIF
- 3 wins: Lahden Reipas1, Tampere United2, VIFK, ÅIFK
- 2 wins: FC Jazz4, KTP3, OPS, VPS
- 1 win: HT, KPV, PUS, Turun Pyrkivä, Viipurin Sudet, Unitas, TPV Tampere, MyPa
1 Kuusysi and Lahden Reipas merged their professional teams in 1997 to form FC Lahti, taking Kuusysi's Veikkausliiga place. Both teams, however, continue in junior football.
2 Ilves-Kissat Tampere merged with TaPa Tampere in 1975 to form Ilves Tampere, who took over Ilves-Kissat's place. Ilves Tampere were renamed United Tampere before the 1999 season as a result of failed merger. Although Ilves continues also as its own club all predecessors' titles are included here in the figure for Tampere United.
3 FC KooTeePee was established to continue top-level football in Kotka when the former Kotka team known as KTP went bankrupt. However as KTP also continues to play in lower divisions its titles are not usually considered to be inherited by FC KooTeePee.
4FC Jazz was formely known as PPT (Porin Pallotoverit)
See also
External links
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| FC Haka | FC Honka | HJK | IFK Mariehamn | FC Inter | FF Jaro | FC KooTeePee KuPS | FC Lahti | MyPa | Tampere United | Turun Palloseura | VPS | |
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