The Enterprise Football League (Chinese: 企業足球聯賽), formerly known as the National Football League (Chinese: 全國足球聯賽) or the National First Division Football League (Chinese: 全國甲組足球聯賽), was the highest-ranked football league in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was governed by the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) and considered semi-professional. The competition was ended in 2009 following a change in regulations and a merger into the Intercity Football League.
Current season, competition or edition: Enterprise Football League 2008 | |
| Sport | Football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1982 |
| Ceased | 2009 |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Country |  Republic of China |
History
editThe National Football League was founded by the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) in 1982 after popular interest motivated by 1982 FIFA World Cup. The CTFA planned to include it as part of the annual football season along with the other three cup competitions: Chung Cheng Cup (中正盃), Li Hui-tang Cup (李惠棠盃), and CTFA Cup (足協盃). The first league season featured 7 teams: Flying Camel, Taipei City Bank, Taiwan Power Company, Thunderbird, Lukuang, Taiwan Provincial College of Physical Education, and Taipei Physical Education College.[1]
After 2006, the CTFA changed the name of the league to the Enterprise Football League in an attempt to attract more attention and financial support from successful Taiwanese enterprises. Fubon Financial became the major sponsor, and therefore the league was also known as the Fubon Enterprise Football League (Chinese: 富邦企業足球聯賽). The number of teams participating in the league was also reduced from eight to four by excluding college and high school teams in an attempt to make the league more professional. Nevertheless, there are currently only two semi-professional clubs remaining: Tatung F.C. and Taiwan Power Company F.C.
In November 2007, the CTFA announced that they would not hold further Enterprise Football League seasons after 2009.[2] The Intercity Football League replaced the Enterprise Football League to become the top-ranked league in Taiwan.
Teams
edit| Team | Location | Number of appearances | Record streak | First appearance | Most recent appearance | Best result (season) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese Taipei U-23 * 2008 name: Fubon Financial |
Tsoying, Kaohsiung | 3 | 3 | 2006 | 2008 | 3rd (2006, 2007) |
| I-Shou University * 2008 name: E-United Group |
Kaohsiung County | 1 | 1 | 2008 | 2008 | - |
| Ming Chuan University * 2008 name: Bros Sports |
Taipei City | 5 | 4 | 2001-02 | 2008 | 3rd (2001–02, 2004) |
| National Sports Training Center * | Tsoying District, Kaohsiung | 25 | 25 | 1983 | 2008 | 2nd (1984, 1991, 2007) |
| National Taiwan College of Physical Education * 2008 name: Molten Tso I |
Taichung City | 23 | 22 | 1983 | 2008 | 3rd (1997, 2002–03) |
| Taipei Physical Education College * 2008 name: Hun Sing |
Songshan District, Taipei | 23 | 22 | 1983 | 2008 | 6th (2005) |
| Taiwan Power Company F.C. | Fongshan City, Kaohsiung County | 25 | 25 | 1983 | 2008 | 1st (1987, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004, 2007) |
| Tatung F.C. | Taipei City | 21 | 21 | 1986 | 2008 | 1st (2005, 2006) |
* Not a club team.
Results
editPerformance by team
edit| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Winning Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taipower | 15 | 4 | 1987, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004, 2007, 2008 |
| Flying Camel | 5 | 3 | 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1993 |
| Taipei City Bank | 3 | 5 | 1986, 1989, 1991 |
| Tatung | 2 | 9 | 2005, 2006 |
| NSTC (Lukuang) | 0 | 3 |
Promotions and relegations
edit| Year | Promotions | Relegations |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Jinwen | None |
| 1986 | Tatung | Jinwen |
| 1987 | Kun Shan | Taiwan PE College |
| 1988 | Jing-feng, Taiwan PE College | Taipei PE College, Thunderbird |
| 1989 | Taipei PE College, Jinwen | Jing-feng, Kun Shan |
| 1990 | Jing-feng, Thunderbird | Taipei PE College, Jinwen |
| 1991 | Maritime College | Thunderbird, Taiwan PE College |
| 1993 | Thunderbird, Jun Li Construction | None |
| 1994 | Taiwan PE College, Hai San | Jing-feng, Thunderbird |
| 1995 | Thunderbird, Ming Chuan | Taiwan PE College, Hai San |
See also
editNotes and references
edit- ^ There were actually 8 teams in Taiwan's first division football at the time. Besides the 7 participating teams, Loyal Camel was unable to register to for the competition due to a lack of funding.
- ^ 【城市聯賽】2009城市聯賽 升降級、屬地主義上路 (in Chinese). Chinese Taipei Football Association. November 25, 2008. Archived from the original on January 3, 2009.