Cyprus football league system
Encyclopedia
The Cyprus football league system is a series of interconnected leagues
for club football in Cyprus
. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels. The top four leagues are organised by the Cyprus Football Association
and the rest by the S.T.O.K. ( short for Συνομοσπονδία Τοπικών Ομοσπονδιών Κύπρου, "Confederation of local federations of Cyprus").
(which may be referred to as level 1 of the league "pyramid"), a single-division league of 14 clubs. Below is Cyprus lower leagues, which are divided into three divisions of 14 clubs each (levels 2 to 4). Some of these 56 clubs are full-time professional while the rest are all full-time semi-professional. Confusingly all 56 are often referred to as "league" clubs because as there are only 4 leagues in Cyprus, but no non-leagues. Clubs outside this group are referred to as "non-league" clubs, although they all play most of their football in cup competitions.
Only the Amateur leagues are referred as non-league, which is on the same level (level 5) as the top divisions of a large group of Amateur leagues such as the Nicosia First Division, and the Nicosia Second Division.
Each of these leagues has a different divisional set up, but they all have one thing in common: there are yet more leagues below them, each covering smaller and smaller geographical levels. These leagues are collectively known as the National League System
and they are controlled by S.T.O.K.
Each league sets its own rules, but all follow the general standard of each club playing everyone else Once with three points being awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The league table is always ordered with whoever has the most points at the top and the least at the bottom (ways of distinguishing between clubs level on points differ from league to league).
At the end of each season the top three clubs from each league are promoted and the last three clubs are relegated. Promotion to the fourth division is decided by the STOK play-offs.
Various degrees of promotion and relegation exist between all the leagues and divisions, meaning that any team can theoretically climb (or fall) to any level. However, minimum standards for grounds (floodlighting, seating capacity, etc.) sometimes lead to clubs being denied promotion even though their league position would allow it.
Clubs in the S.T.O.K. competitions participate in various cup tournaments, usually local.
League system
A league system is a hierarchy of leagues in a sport, usually with a system of promotion and relegation between consecutive levels of the hierarchy. They are often called pyramids due to their tendency to split into an increasing number of regional divisions the further down the pyramid one descends...
for club football in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels. The top four leagues are organised by the Cyprus Football Association
Cyprus Football Association
The Cyprus Football Association is the governing body of football in Cyprus. It organizes the football league, whose top league is Cypriot First Division, Cypriot Cup, Cyprus FA Shield and the Cypriot national football team. It is based in Nicosia. It Football was introduced to Cyprus early in...
and the rest by the S.T.O.K. ( short for Συνομοσπονδία Τοπικών Ομοσπονδιών Κύπρου, "Confederation of local federations of Cyprus").
Structure
At the top is the Cypriot First DivisionCypriot First Division
The Cypriot Championship First Division is the top tier football league competition in Cyprus. As of 2007 it is sponsored by Marfin Popular Bank and is hence officially known as Marfin Laiki League .-Format:...
(which may be referred to as level 1 of the league "pyramid"), a single-division league of 14 clubs. Below is Cyprus lower leagues, which are divided into three divisions of 14 clubs each (levels 2 to 4). Some of these 56 clubs are full-time professional while the rest are all full-time semi-professional. Confusingly all 56 are often referred to as "league" clubs because as there are only 4 leagues in Cyprus, but no non-leagues. Clubs outside this group are referred to as "non-league" clubs, although they all play most of their football in cup competitions.
Only the Amateur leagues are referred as non-league, which is on the same level (level 5) as the top divisions of a large group of Amateur leagues such as the Nicosia First Division, and the Nicosia Second Division.
Each of these leagues has a different divisional set up, but they all have one thing in common: there are yet more leagues below them, each covering smaller and smaller geographical levels. These leagues are collectively known as the National League System
National League System
The National League System comprises the seven levels of the English football league system immediately below the level of the Premier League and The Football League. It contains 91 league competitions and more than 1,600 clubs. It comes under the jurisdiction of The Football Association...
and they are controlled by S.T.O.K.
Each league sets its own rules, but all follow the general standard of each club playing everyone else Once with three points being awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The league table is always ordered with whoever has the most points at the top and the least at the bottom (ways of distinguishing between clubs level on points differ from league to league).
At the end of each season the top three clubs from each league are promoted and the last three clubs are relegated. Promotion to the fourth division is decided by the STOK play-offs.
Various degrees of promotion and relegation exist between all the leagues and divisions, meaning that any team can theoretically climb (or fall) to any level. However, minimum standards for grounds (floodlighting, seating capacity, etc.) sometimes lead to clubs being denied promotion even though their league position would allow it.
Promotion and relegation
- Cypriot First DivisionCypriot First DivisionThe Cypriot Championship First Division is the top tier football league competition in Cyprus. As of 2007 it is sponsored by Marfin Popular Bank and is hence officially known as Marfin Laiki League .-Format:...
(level 1, 14 teams): Top team becomes champions, (no promotion). Bottom three teams relegated. - Cypriot Second DivisionCypriot Second Division- Structure :Fourteen clubs compete in the league, playing each other twice, once at home and once away for a total of 26 games per team. The topthree clubs are promoted to the first division and the bottom three are relegated to the third division.- Teams :...
(level 2, 14 teams): Top three automatically promoted. Bottom three relegated. - Cypriot Third DivisionCypriot Third DivisionCyprus Third Division is a semi-professional league of Cyprus. It's the third major league of the island.- Structure :Fourteen clubs compete in the league, playing each other twice, once at home and once away for a total of 26 games per team...
(level 3, 14 teams): Top three automatically promoted. Bottom three relegated. - Cypriot Fourth DivisionCypriot Fourth DivisionCyprus Fourth Division is a semi-professional league of Cyprus. It's the fourth major league of the island.- Structure :Fifteen clubs compete in the league, playing each other twice, once at home and once away for a total of 28 games per team...
(level 4, 14 teams): Top three automatically promoted. Bottom three relegated. - Amateur competitions (level 5): Three winners of the S.T.O.K. play-offs are promoted.
Cup Eligibility
Being members of a league at a particular level also affects eligibility for Cup, or single-elimination, competitions.- Cypriot Cup: Levels 1-2
- Cypriot Amateur Cup: Levels 3-4
Clubs in the S.T.O.K. competitions participate in various cup tournaments, usually local.
The system
The table below shows the current structure of the system. For each division, its official name, sponsorship name (which often differs radically from its official name) and number of clubs is given. Each division promotes to the division(s) that lie directly above it and relegates to the division(s) that lie directly below it.| Level | League/Division(s) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marfin Laiki League Cypriot First Division The Cypriot Championship First Division is the top tier football league competition in Cyprus. As of 2007 it is sponsored by Marfin Popular Bank and is hence officially known as Marfin Laiki League .-Format:... (First Division) 14 clubs |
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| 2 | Second Division Cypriot Second Division - Structure :Fourteen clubs compete in the league, playing each other twice, once at home and once away for a total of 26 games per team. The topthree clubs are promoted to the first division and the bottom three are relegated to the third division.- Teams :... 14 clubs |
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| 3 | Third Division Cypriot Third Division Cyprus Third Division is a semi-professional league of Cyprus. It's the third major league of the island.- Structure :Fourteen clubs compete in the league, playing each other twice, once at home and once away for a total of 26 games per team... 14 clubs |
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| 4 | Fourth Division Cypriot Fourth Division Cyprus Fourth Division is a semi-professional league of Cyprus. It's the fourth major league of the island.- Structure :Fifteen clubs compete in the league, playing each other twice, once at home and once away for a total of 28 games per team... 14 clubs |
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| 5 | Local amateur football competitions (S.T.O.K.) 261 clubs (approx.) Promotion to Fourh Division through play-offs |
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