Czech National Football League

(Redirected from Fotbalová národní liga)

The Czech National Football League (Czech: Fotbalová národní liga, FNL), known as Chance Národní Liga due to sponsorship reasons, is the second level professional association football league in the Czech Republic. Before 2013 it was known as 2. liga or Druhá liga. The top two teams each season are eligible for promotion to the Czech First League.

Chance Národní Liga
Founded1993
CountryCzech Republic
ConfederationUEFA
Number of teams16
Level on pyramid2
Promotion toCzech First League
Relegation toČFL
MSFL
Domestic cup(s)Czech Cup
Current championsFK Dukla Prague (2nd title)
(2023–24)
Most championshipsMFK Karviná,
SK Dynamo České Budějovice,
FC Hradec Králové (3 titles)
Websitewww.fnliga.cz
Current: 2024–25 Czech National Football League

The league replaced the I.ČNL (I. Česká národní liga; First Czech National League), which had been established following the end of the nationwide Czechoslovak Second League in 1977. The league became known as simply II. liga (Second League) in 1993 following the establishment of the Czech Republic as an independent state.[1]

Structure

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There are 16 clubs in the FNL. During the season, which runs from August to May or June, with a winter break between November and February or March, each club plays each of the other clubs twice (once at home, once away) and is awarded three points for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the top-ranked team is promoted to the Czech First League, providing they obtain a license and meet league requirements, and is replaced by the team that finished 16th in that league. The two teams positioned 2nd and 3rd play a play-out with two teams from the first league positioned 14th and 15th in a home and away format. The two teams that finished at the bottom of the FNL are relegated to either the Bohemian Football League or the Moravian-Silesian Football League, based on geographical criteria. In turn, the champions of each of these regional divisions are promoted to the FNL.

 
Fortuna Národní Liga (2016–2024)

In the 1993–94 season the league was played with 16 teams, before expanding to 18 teams in the 1994–95 season. Since 1995, the league is usually played with 16 teams, but on two occasions a team did not fulfil its fixtures and the full 30 rounds were not completed. Firstly in the 1997–98 Czech 2. Liga as Ústí nad Labem did not fulfil their fixtures and their results were cancelled,[2] and secondly in the 2004–05 Czech 2. Liga as Bohemians' results were expunged after playing only the first half of the season.[3] In the 2020–21 season, only 14 teams competed because of the suspension of the first league in the previous season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participating teams

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The following 16 clubs are competing in the 2024–25 Czech National Football League.

Club Location Stadium Capacity 2023–24 position
FC Zlín Zlín Letná Stadion 5,898 16th in First League
SK Sigma Olomouc B Olomouc Andrův stadion 12,483 2nd
FC Silon Táborsko Sezimovo Ústí Sportovní areál Soukeník 5,000 3rd
MFK Vyškov Vyškov Sportovní areál Drnovice 6,616 4th
MFK Chrudim Chrudim Za Vodojemem 1,500 5th
SFC Opava Opava Stadion v Městských sadech 7,758 6th
FC Sellier & Bellot Vlašim Vlašim Stadion Kollárova ulice 6,000 7th
FK Viktoria Žižkov Prague eFotbal Arena 5,037 8th
FC Zbrojovka Brno Brno Městský fotbalový stadion Srbská 10,200 9th
SK Líšeň Brno Stadion SK Líšeň 2,100 10th
AC Sparta Prague B Prague eFotbal Arena 5,037 11th
1. SK Prostějov Prostějov Stadion Za Místním nádražím 4,500 12th
FK Varnsdorf Varnsdorf Městský stadion v Kotlině 5,000 13th
FC Vysočina Jihlava Jihlava Stadion v Jiráskově ulici 4,500 14th
SK Slavia Prague B Prague Stadion Olympia Radotín 1,500 1st in ČFL
FC Baník Ostrava B Ostrava Městský stadion (Ostrava) 15,123 1st in MSFL

FNL champions

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Season Winners Runners-up
1993–94 Sklobižu Jablonec nad Nisou FK Švarc Benešov
1994–95 Uherské Hradiště Ostroj Opava
1995–96 FC Karviná FK Teplice
1996–97 FC Dukla Prague AFK Atlantic Lázně Bohdaneč
1997–98 FK Chmel Blšany FC Karviná
1998–99 Bohemians Prague SK České Budějovice
1999–2000 Synot Staré Město FC Viktoria Plzeň
2000–01 FC Hradec Králové SFC Opava
2001–02 SK Dynamo České Budějovice FK Zlín
2002–03 FC Viktoria Plzeň SFC Opava
2003–04 FK Mladá Boleslav FK Drnovice
2004–05 FK SIAD Most FC Vysočina Jihlava
2005–06 SK Kladno SK Dynamo České Budějovice
2006–07 FK Viktoria Žižkov Bohemians 1905
2007–08 Bohemians Prague FK Marila Příbram
2008–09 Bohemians 1905 FC Zenit Čáslav
2009–10 FC Hradec Králové FK Ústí nad Labem
2010–11 FK Dukla Prague FK Viktoria Žižkov
2011–12 FK Ústí nad Labem FC Vysočina Jihlava
2012–13 1. SC Znojmo Bohemians 1905
2013–14 SK Dynamo České Budějovice FC Hradec Králové
2014–15 SK Sigma Olomouc FK Varnsdorf
2015–16 MFK Karviná FC Hradec Králové
2016–17 SK Sigma Olomouc FC Baník Ostrava
2017–18 SFC Opava 1.FK Příbram
2018–19 SK Dynamo České Budějovice FC Vysočina Jihlava
2019–20 FK Pardubice FC Zbrojovka Brno
2020–21 FC Hradec Králové SK Líšeň
2021–22 FC Zbrojovka Brno FC Sellier & Bellot Vlašim
2022–23 MFK Karviná MFK Vyškov
2023–24 FK Dukla Prague SK Sigma Olomouc B

Teams promoted to the First League since 1993

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Top scorers

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All information in this table can be found at[7] except for the 2003–04 season, which is sourced from the following link.[8]

Season Top scorer Club Goals
1993–94   Tibor Mičinec Benešov 18
1994–95   Bedřich Hamsa LeRK Brno 22
1995–96   Patrik Holomek Poštorná 16
1996–97   Václav Koloušek Dukla Prague 18
1997–98   Vítězslav Tuma Karviná 19
1998–99   Patrik Holomek Staré Město 18
1999–00   Vladimír Malár Staré Město 24
2000–01   Pavel Černý Hradec Králové 17
2001–02   Radek Drulák HFK Olomouc 16
2002–03   Petr Švancara Opava 20
2003–04   Tomáš Kaplan Jihlava 10
  Roman Bednář Mladá Boleslav
  Vojtěch Schulmeister Sigma Olomouc B
2004–05   Horst Siegl Most 16
2005–06   Petr Faldyna České Budějovice 19
2006–07   Petr Faldyna Jihlava 15
2007–08   Petr Faldyna Jihlava 13
2008–09   Martin Jirouš Sokolov 18
2009–10   Pavel Černý Hradec Králové 14
  Dani Chigou Dukla Prague
  Karel Kroupa Zlín
2010–11   Dani Chigou Dukla Prague 19
2011–12   Jiří Mlika Sokolov 19
2012–13   Lukáš Železník Zlín 13
2013–14   David Vaněček Hradec Králové 17
2014–15   Václav Vašíček Sigma Olomouc 13
2015–16   Jan Pázler Hradec Králové 17
2016–17   Jakub Plšek Sigma Olomouc 18
2017–18   Jan Pázler Hradec Králové 21
2018–19   David Ledecký České Budějovice 18
2019–20   Stanislav Klobása Jihlava 17
2020–21   Jaroslav Málek Líšeň 13
2021–22   Jakub Řezníček Zbrojovka Brno 18
2022–23   Tomáš Wágner Viagem Příbram 17
2023–24   Jakub Řezníček Zbrojovka Brno 13

Notes

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  1. ^ Due to dissolution of Czechoslovakia
  2. ^ Union Cheb was relegated due to bankruptcy
  3. ^ Drnovice were refused a Czech First League license so Plzeň were promoted to replace them[4]
  4. ^ Čáslav wasn't able to play 1st liga due to financial problems.[5]
  5. ^ Ústí wasn't able to play 1st liga due to problems with their stadium[6]

References

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  1. ^ Jeřábek, Luboš (2007). Ceský a ceskoslovenský fotbal – lexikon osobností a klubu (in Czech). Prague: Grada Publishing. pp. 34–35. ISBN 978-80-247-1656-5.
  2. ^ "Czech Republic 1997/98". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  3. ^ "Bohemians přišli o licenci, ve 2. lize končí" (in Czech). iDNES.cz. 28 February 2005. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  4. ^ "Drnovice v první lize končí, na řadě je Plzeň" (in Czech). iDNES.cz. 14 June 2005. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  5. ^ "Slovácko se vrací do ligy, koupilo postup od Čáslavi". denik.cz (in Czech). 10 June 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  6. ^ Novák, Jaromír (6 June 2012). "Brno postupuje do první ligy, Ústí doplatilo na nevyhovující stadion" (in Czech). idnes.cz. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  7. ^ "FOTBAL.CZ – Historie Fotbalové národní ligy". nv.fotbal.cz. Football association of Czech Republic. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  8. ^ "Czech Republic 2003/04". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
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