First Macedonian Football League

Прва македонска Фудбалска Лига
First Macedonian Football League
Country	Republic of Macedonia
Confederation	UEFA
Founded	1992
Divisions	1
Number of teams	12
Levels on pyramid	1
Relegation to	2. MFL
Domestic cup(s)	Macedonian Cup
International cup(s)	UEFA Champions League; UEFA Europa League
Current champions	Vardar; (2011-12)
Most championships	Vardar (6)
TV partners	MRT
Website	www.ffm.com.mk
	2012–13

This article is about the association football competition. For the basketball competition, see Macedonian Prva Liga (basketball).

The First Macedonian Football League (Macedonian: Прва македонска Фудбалска Лига, Prva Мakedonska Fudbalska Liga; also called 1. MFL and Prva Liga) is the highest professional football competition in the Republic of Macedonia. It is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Macedonian football league system and has been operating for about twenty years since the 1992-1993 season. It is organized by the Football Federation of Macedonia (FFM).

Since 1909, many clubs have been formed, with the most prominent Macedonian club from Skopje, Gragjanski Skopje being officially established in 1912. Within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Macedonian teams had been a part of the Belgrade Football Subassociation (until 1927), Skopje Football Subassociation (1927-1941) and later after WWII in the Yugoslav football league system (1945-1991). The championship titles won before 1992 are officially recognized by the Macedonian League as domestic regional cups.^[1]

Vardar, 11th on the All-Time First Federal Yugoslav League Table and most championships won (6) since the establishment of the 1. MFL. Rabotnički, formed 1937, All-Time record of 10 domestic Republic League championships and many European appearances. Pelister was formed in 1945, with 4 Republic League championships, an appearance in the Federation of six Republics, FederalYugoslav First League and producing some of the best young players in the country.

Format [edit]

Throughout the 1. MFL history, the number of clubs competing at the top level has been gradually decreased. Below is a complete record of how many teams played in each season throughout the league's history;

18 clubs = 1992–1993
16 clubs = 1993–1995
15 clubs = 1995–1996
14 clubs = 1996–2001
12 clubs = 2001–present

The league has 12 teams, and each team plays the other sides three times, for a total of 33 matches each.^[2]

Due to the UEFA Ranking coefficients ranking (shown below); The winner of the league enters into the Qualifying Rounds of the Champions League, while the second and third placed teams are entered into the Qualifying Rounds of the Europa League along with the winner of the Macedonian Cup. At the end of the season, the bottom 2 teams are relegated to the Macedonian Second League while the 9th and 10th placed teams enter a play-off with the 3rd and 4th placed teams of the Macedonian Second League.

UEFA Rankings [edit]

UEFA Country Ranking for league participation in 2012-13 European football season (Previous year rank in italics) ^[3]^[4]

39 (38) Latvian League
40 (41) Icelandic League
41 (39) Macedonian League
42 (42) Montenegro
43 (44) Albania

History [edit]

In 1923 it was organised the first edition of leagues in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia where, beside the top-level national Yugoslav Football Championship, regional championships were also played. The clubs of the Vardarska Banovina, territorially similar to present day Macedonia, played within the Belgrade Football Subassociation League until 1927,^[5] when a separate Skoplje Football Subassociation League was formed.^[6] The champions of Subassociation Leagues were granted a place in the qualifiers to the Yugoslav Championship, a top national level. Gragjanski Skopje became the only club to menage to participate in the national league, first in 1935–36 when the championship was played in a cup system,^[7] and in 1938–39, when it was played in normal league system with Gragjanski finishing 10th out of 12 teams.^[8] In 1939 the Yugoslav league system was changed, with the creation of separate Serbian and Croato-Slovenian Leagues which will serve as qualifying leagues for the final phase of the Yugoslav Championship.^[9] The clubs from the Skopje Subassociation played their qualifications to the Serbian League, however only Gragjanski managed to participate, and it did it in both occasions, in 1939–40 (5th place)^[10] and 1940–41 (8th place).^[11] That became the last season before the beginning of the Second World War in which the region Vardarska Banovina was invaded by Axis allies Albania and Bulgaria.

During the war period, 1941 to 1945, the region became part of Bulgaria, and most of the clubs were incorporated into the Bulgarian league system. Four seasons were played, in which FK Makedonija, a club from Skopje formed by the Bulgarian authorities by merging the previously existing clubs Gragjanski, SSK Skopje and ŽSK into one, became the most proeminent.

After the liberation of Yugoslavia and the creation of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia within the socialist Yugoslavia, Macedonian clubs participated in the Yugoslav League system that consisted of two or three, depending on time period, national leagues. Bellow the national leagues, the Republic Leagues were created in each one of the 6 Yugoslav Socialist Republics. The Republic League of SR Macedonia was played between 1945 and 1992, and the top placed teams had access to the Yugoslav national leagues. The most successful clubs from this period were FK Vardar, FK Rabotnički and FK Pobeda, which only don´t count more regional titles because they usually competed in higher national leagues. In 1992 Macedonia declared idependence and formed its own league system.

Champions [edit]

Royal League [edit]

The clubs from the territory of Vardarska Banovina (part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia) had a league organised by the Skoplje Football Subassociation. The winners qualify in the Yugoslav Championship.

1926-1941
1927 - SK Bitola
1928 - not finished
1929 - Pobeda Skopje
1930 - JUG Skopje, SSK and Sparta, all clubs from Skopje, finished the season with eaqual number of points.
1931 - JUG Skopje ,SSK Skopje -Few Legs were Not finished 1)JUG was first and 2)SSK second when it was stopped.
1932 - SSK Skopje
1933 - SSK Skopje
1934 - SSK Skopje
1935 - not finished
1936 - Gragjanski Skopje
1937 - not finished
1938 - Gragjanski Skopje
1939 - Gragjanski Skopje
1940 - SSK Skopje
1941 - SSK Skopje
1942 - Makedonija Skopje
1943 - ŽSK Skopje
1944 - ŽSK Skopje

Republic League (1945-1992) [edit]

Main article: List of Macedonian Football Champions

MFL after 1945

Club	Titles	Years Won
Rabotnički Skopje	10	1952,1954,1955,1957,1958,1966,1968,1973,1977,1980
Pobeda Prilep	7	1953,1959,1962,1963,1979,1981,1986
Teteks Tetovo	4	1965,1969,1974,1985
Bregalnica Štip	4	1964,1967,1976,1984
Pelister Bitola	4	1960,1961,1975,1982
Vardar Skopje	2	1947,1956
11 Oktomvri Kumanovo	2	1949,1950
Tikveš Kavadarci	2	1972,1978
Belasica Strumica	2	1983,1988
Sasa Makedonska Kamenica	1	1992
Makedonija Gj.P. Skopje	1	1991
Balkan Skopje	1	1990
Borec Veles	1	1989
Metalurg Skopje	1	1987
Kumanovo	1	1971
Skopje	1	1970
Rabotnik Bitola	1	1951
Dinamo Skopje	1	1948
Pobeda Skopje	1	1946
Makedonija	1	1945