The Marianas Soccer League 1 is the men's top level professional football competition of the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association. It is above the Marianas Soccer League 2, but there is no regular promotion/relegation between the two competitions.
 | |
| Founded | 2005[1] |
|---|---|
| Country | Northern Mariana Islands |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of teams | 5 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| International cup(s) | AFC Challenge League Marianas Club Championship |
| Current champions | Spring: Kanoa (1st title) (2024) |
| Most championships | Tan Holdings (6 titles)[2] |
| TV partners | FIFA+ YouTube (live streaming) |
| Website | www |
| Current: 2024 Marianas Soccer League 1 | |
History
editThe league began as an invitational event in the Northern Mariana Islands. The league has been operating since 2005[1] and grew to include eight teams in the 2008 season.[3][4]
On 2 August 2012 the competition was re-branded as the M-League, following the suit of many other AFC national competitions. In September 2012, the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association (NMIFA) officially launched a two tier completion, usually without promotion and relegation. In the inaugural season there were 5 teams in Division 1 and 4 teams in generally amateur Division 2.
After the 2020 season was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league was relaunched in Spring 2021 as the Marianas Soccer League.
Marianas Club Championship
editSince 2023, the winners of the Marianas Soccer League 1 and the Guam Soccer League compete against each other in the Marianas Club Championship.[5]
Previous winners
editWinners so far are:[2]
Northern Mariana Invitational Championship
edit- 2005: not held
- 2006–07: L&S/Lyung-Seung
- 2007: Fiesta Inter Saipan[6]
- 2008 Spring: Inter Godfather's
- 2008 Fall: Inter Godfather's
- 2009: Inter Godfather's
- 2010: MP United
- 2011: Inter Godfather's[7]
M-League Division 1
edit- 2012 Spring: Wild Bills
- 2012 Fall: Tan Holdings
- 2013 Spring: Wild Bills
- 2013–14: Wild Bills
- 2014 Fall: MP United
- 2015 Spring: Tan Holdings
- 2015 Fall: not held
- 2016 Spring: Tan Holdings
- 2016 Fall: MP United
- 2017 Spring: MP United
- 2017 Fall: Tan Holdings
- 2018 Spring: MP United
- 2018 Fall: abandoned
- 2019 Spring: Teen Ayuyu
- 2019 Fall: All Blue
- 2020 Spring: abandoned
- 2020 Fall: not held
Marianas Soccer League
edit- 2021 Spring: Tan Holdings
- 2021 Fall: All Blue
- 2022 Spring: Eleven Tiger FC
- 2022 Fall: Tan Holdings
- 2023 Spring: Eleven Tiger FC
- 2023 Fall: Kanoa FC
- 2024 Spring: Kanoa FC
Top goalscorers
edit- Note: 2007–10 top goalscorers for Northern Mariana Invitational Championship.
| Year | Top scorer | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 |  Masatoshi Otsuka[6] |
Fiesta Inter Saipan | |
| 2009 |  Joe Wang Miller |
MP United | 23[8] |
| 2010 | Joe Wang Miller |
MP United | 15[4] |
| 2016 |  Martin Jambor |
Tan Holdings | 14 |
| 2018 | Sunjoon Tenorio |
MP United | 15 |
Hat-tricks multiple
edit| Rank | Country | Player | Hat-tricks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Sunjoon Tenorio | 1 |
References
edit- ^ a b "about the NMIFA". NMIFA. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
- ^ a b "Northern Marianas — List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
- ^ Schöggl.H (2010) Northern Marianas 2010, Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, 2010-08-11. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
- ^ a b 'MP United rules men's league' Archived 2012-03-23 at the Wayback Machine, Saipan Tribune, 2010-07-27. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
- ^ "Wings FC ready for first-ever Marianas Club Championship". Pacific Daily News. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ a b 'Fiesta Inter takes football crown' Archived 2012-03-23 at the Wayback Machine, Saipan Tribune, 2007-09-10. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
- ^ 'Inter Godfather's Bags Men's League Title', Marianas Variety, 2011-12-19. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
- ^ Schöggl.H (2010) Northern Marianas 2009, Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, 2010-03-25. Retrieved 2011-05-14.