FKF Division One is the third tier in the Kenyan football league system. It has a promotion and relegation system with the Kenyan National Super League and the Kenyan Provincial League. It is controlled by the Football Kenya Federation. Most member clubs are semi-professional, though some clubs are either fully professional or amateur.
| Founded | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Country | Kenya |
| Confederation | CAF |
| Divisions | Zone A (Eastern) Zone B (Western) |
| Number of teams | 14 (Zone A) 14 (Zone B) |
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Promotion to | National Super League |
| Relegation to | Regional Leagues |
| Domestic cup(s) | President's Cup |
| Current champions | Zone A Bandari Zone B Kakamega Homeboyz (2012) |
| Most championships | Zone A Bandari Zone B Kakamega Homeboyz (1 title each) |
| Current: Current season | |
History
editThe league was formed after the Kenyan Nationwide League was divided into two 16-team zones in 2008. In 2009, the two zones were later restructured to form "Nationwide League Division One" and "Nationwide League Division Two", representing the second and third divisions of Kenyan football.[1] Division One was later renamed the FKL Nationwide League after former governing body Football Kenya Limited, while Division Two was renamed the KFF Nationwide League after former governing body, the Kenya Football Federation. The two leagues were merged after the 2011 season, and the consequent league was divided into Zone A and Zone B, with teams from the eastern and western halves of Kenya, respectively. Due to a lack of enough teams from Zone B, a number of teams were promoted from the provincial leagues in the western half.
For the 2013 season, all Division One teams endorsed a decision to split both Zone A and Zone B into two groups of 12 teams each, increasing the total number of teams in the league to 48. The first group from Zone A comprised teams from the Nairobi, Aberdares and Mount Kenya regions while the second group comprise teams from the Eastern, North and South Coast regions. The first group from Zone B is to comprise teams from the South Nyanza, Central and South Rift regions, while the second group comprise teams from the North Nyanza, North Rift, and Western regions. Winners from each of these four groups will play the winners from the other group in their zone in a two-legged playoff to determine who gains promotion to the Kenyan Premier League for the following season.[2][3][4]
From the beginning of the 2014 season, FKF Division One was lowered to the third tier of the Kenyan football league system to give way to the Kenyan National Super League, now putting it above the Kenyan Provincial League, in line with the introduction of a new six-tier system by the Football Kenya Federation to take effect at the beginning of that season.[5]
Competition
editThere are 24 clubs in each of the two divisions of the FKF Division One. These two divisions are further divided into two groups of 12 teams each. During the course of a season, each club plays the others twice (a double round-robin system), once at their home ground and once at that of their opponents. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the winners of each of the 4 groups play the winners of the other group in their zone in a two-legged play-off tie to determine who advances to the Kenyan National Super League, in place of the last two teams from that league, who are then placed in their respective zones depending on their locations of origin. Promoted teams from the Provincial League are also placed in their respective zones depending on their locations of origin.
If points are equal, the goal difference and then goals scored determine the winner. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank.
Clubs
editZone A
editZone A teams are based in Nairobi, Central, Eastern, North Eastern and Coast, representing the Eastern half of Kenya.
| Club |
Position in 2012 |
Number of D1 titles |
Last D1 title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administration Police | 5th | 0 | n/a |
| Admiral | 3rd | 0 | n/a |
| Bidco United | 2nd | 0 | n/a |
| Coast United | 12th | 0 | n/a |
| Congo JMJ United | 11th | 0 | n/a |
| Green Berets | 13th | 0 | n/a |
| Jericho AllStars | 1st in Nairobi | 0 | n/a |
| Kambakia Christian Centre | 1st in Eastern | 0 | n/a |
| Kariobangi Sharks | 7th | 0 | n/a |
| Kenya Revenue Authority | 10th | 0 | n/a |
| Kibera Celtic | 14th | 0 | n/a |
| Ligi Ndogo | 6th | 0 | n/a |
| Magongo Rangers | 15th | 0 | n/a |
| Mahakama | 4th | 0 | n/a |
| Malindi | 1st in North Coast | 0 | n/a |
| Maweni City | 1st in South Coast | 0 | n/a |
| MOYAS | 9th | 0 | n/a |
| Nairobi Stima | 8th | 0 | n/a |
| Nyeri Stima | 1st in Central | 0 | n/a |
| Rangers | 16th in KPL | 0 | n/a |
Zone B
editZone B teams are based in Rift Valley, Western and Nyanza, representing the Western half of Kenya.
| Club |
Position in 2012 |
Number of D1 titles |
Last D1 title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agrochemical | 3rd | 0 | n/a |
| Comply | 16th | 0 | n/a |
| Finlays Horticulture | 5th | 0 | n/a |
| G.F.C. 105 | 10th | 0 | n/a |
| Kisumu Municipal | 12th | 0 | n/a |
| Kolongolo | 1st in Western | 0 | n/a |
| Longonot Horticulture | 9th | 0 | n/a |
| Mumcop | 2nd in Western | 0 | n/a |
| Nakuru AllStars | 4th | 0 | n/a |
| Nzoia United | 2nd | 0 | n/a |
| Oserian | 15th in KPL | 0 | n/a |
| Raiders | 1st in Nyanza | 0 | n/a |
| Rush | 11th | 0 | n/a |
| Shabana Kisii | 14th | 0 | n/a |
| SOIN Fluorspar | 7th | 0 | n/a |
| St. Joseph | 1st in Rift Valley | 0 | n/a |
| Timsales | 13th | 0 | n/a |
| Utawala | 15th | 0 | n/a |
| West Kenya Sugar | 6th | 0 | n/a |
| Zoo Kericho | 8th | 0 | n/a |
Previous winners
editZone A
edit- 2012: Bandari (Mombasa)
- 2013: Kenya Revenue Authority (Nairobi)
Zone B
edit- 2012: Kakamega Homeboyz (Kakamega)
- 2013: Top Fry AllStars (Nakuru)
Top scorers in recent seasons
edit| Year | Zone A | Zone B | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Goals | Player | Club | Goals | |
| 2012 |  Roosevelt Blaty
|
Admiral | 32 |  Valen Semi Mahero
|
Nzoia United | 26 |
| 2013 | Nelson Simwa
|
West Kenya Sugar | 14 | Musa Ochieng
|
Busia United Stars | 11 |
| Martin Oliech
|
Oserian | |||||
References
edit- ^ Kenyafootball.com, 4 February 2009: FK splits Nationwide League in two Archived 1 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "National Div.1 Club New Format". FKF.co.ke. 11 February 2013. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- ^ Patrick Korir (9 February 2013). "Official; Division One to be split". Futaa.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- ^ Francis Marangu (9 February 2013). "Division one League assumes new format". SportsNewsArena.com. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- ^ Amos Abuga (10 July 2013). "New FKF soccer Structure to be implemented next year". MichezoAfrika.com. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
External links
edit- Futaa.com Archived 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine – Kenyan Football Website