A Lyga
The A Lyga is the top division of professional football in Lithuania. The A Lyga is an abbreviation of Aukščiausia lyga meaning Highest League. It is organized by Lithuanian Football Federation LFF (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Futbolo Federacija). The Aukščiausia lyga also existed during the Soviet period of Lithuania, but was not considered to be a professional league until dissolution of the Soviet Union.
 | |
| Founded | 1991 |
|---|---|
| Country | Lithuania |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 6 (2020)[1] |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | I Lyga |
| Domestic cup(s) | Lithuanian Football Cup Lithuanian Supercup |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Europa Conference League |
| Current champions | FK Žalgiris (8th title) (2020) |
| Most championships | FK Žalgiris, FBK Kaunas (8 titles) |
| TV partners | DELFI TV Init TV[2] |
| Website | Alyga.lt |
| Current: 2020 A Lyga | |
The league size has varied between 8 and 12 teams in the recent seasons, however 2020 A Lyga the league features only 6 teams. The final list of participants sometimes does not correlate to the final results of the previous season, as the participation is finalized through the Lithuanian Football Federation league licensing process. The season usually kicks off in late February or early March and ends in November. Because of the harsh climate, there are no games in the winter.
Due to political reasons, in 1991 Lithuania was banned by UEFA from continental competitions refusing licensing of Žalgiris to compete as a Lithuanian club rather than a Soviet club. Lithuania became affiliated with UEFA in 1992. The A Lyga champion secures the right to play in UEFA Champions League. The runner up and the 3rd place winner secure right to play in UEFA Europa League. A lyga team is yet to play in the group stage of either competition. At the end of 2018, the best performing club in Europe is FK Žalgiris, taking #179[3] in UEFA Club Coefficients table.
Clubs
Six clubs are competing in the 2020 season. No team will be relegated, and 4 teams will be promoted from I lyga.
| Club | Location | Position in 2019 | First season in A Lyga |
Seasons in top division |
First season of current spell |
Top division titles |
Last title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banga | Gargždai | 1st in I Lyga | 1994 | 17 | 2020 | — | |
| Kauno Žalgirisb | Kaunas | 4th | 2015 | 6 | 2015 | — | |
| Panevėžysb | Panevėžys | 5th | 2019 | 2 | 2019 | — | |
| Riteriaib | Vilnius | 3rd | 2014 | 7 | 2014 | — | |
| Sūduvaa | Marijampolė | 1st | 1990 | 21 | 2002 | 3 | 2019 |
| Žalgirisa | Vilnius | 2nd | 1990 | 31 | 2010 | 7 | 2016 |
a Founding member of the A Lyga
b Never been relegated from the A Lyga
Format
The season kicks off in early spring, and finishes in late autumn, due to harsh weather no games are played in winter. The 8 teams play 4 rounds in regular season. Top 6 play one more championship round after that. The 8th placed team is relegated, and the 7th placed team contests a play-off match with the 2nd placed team in I Lyga for a spot in the next year's A lyga season.
In the recent years the list of participants sometimes did not correlate to the final results of the previous season due to insolvency or other failures to meet A lyga licensing criteria. The participation is finalized through the Lithuanian Football Federation league licensing process.
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.[4]
| 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[5] |
| 2013–2016 | Credit Service | SMScredit.lt A Lyga[6] |
| 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.[7] The official ball supplier for the league is Nike who have had the contract since the 2013 season when they took over from Adidas.[6]
History
Interbellum and WWII
After Lithuania gained independence in 1918, the first ever football tournament was held in 1922.
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.
Post-War period and the Lithuanian SSR Championship
During the Lithuania's Soviet occupation, each soviet republic ran their separate football championship. The clubs could either participate in the competition of the soviet republic, or in the Soviet Union football league system.
Seasons
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Note: The biggest and most notable clubs, such as Žalgiris Vilnius played in Soviet Union's Football Premier 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.
Regained Independence and the A Lyga - present
As Lithuania regained the independence in 1991,[8] the Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF) was re-established, and A Lyga was shaped same year. The Soviet football divisions dissolved, and the teams that participated in them returned to the Lithuania's national championship.
List of champions (1991–)
Seasons
Performance by club
| Club | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd | Winning Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Žalgiris Vilnius | 8 | 11 | 4 | 1991, 1991–92, 1998–99, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020 |
| FBK Kaunas† | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 |
| Ekranas Panevėžys† | 7 | 4 | 5 | 1992–93, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 |
| Sūduva Marijampolė | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Kareda Šiauliai† | 2 | 2 | - | 1996–97, 1997–98 |
| Inkaras Kaunas† | 2 | - | 1 | 1994–95, 1995–96 |
| Sirijus Klaipėda† | 1 | - | 1 | 1990 |
| ROMAR Mažeikiai† | 1 | - | 1 | 1993–94 |
Clubs currently playing in A Lyga are highlighted in Bold.
† - Defunct clubs.
References
- https://alyga.lt/naujiena/2020-metu-a-lygoje-zais-sesios-komandos/6489
- "A lygos rungtynes transliuos ir „INIT TV"" (in Lithuanian). Aukščiausia Lietuvos futbolo lyga. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
- https://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/club/#/yr/2019
- "SMScredit.lt A lyga". LFF.lt. Lietuvos futbolo federacijos. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ""General Financing" - LFF A lygos pagrindinis rėmėjas" (in Lithuanian). Lithuanian Football Federation. 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- "2013 metų A lygos startas - su naujais partneriais ir didesnėmis ambicijomis" (in Lithuanian). Lithuanian Football Federation. 27 February 2013. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- "Oficialūs partneriai". A Lyga. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- A lyga. lfe.lt.
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
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