Mordvanian Premier League

The Mordvanian Premier League (Mordvanscina Premierno liga), sometimes referred to as Mordvanian Premiership, is professional football league in Mordvania and the football league iwth the highest average stadium attendance in Marzanna. At the top of the Mordvanian football league system, the Mordvanian Premier League is Mordvania's primary football competition. The Mordvanian Premier League comprises 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Mordvania's First Division. Seasons run from Nueva to Fein. All of Mordvanian Premier League clubs qualify for the Mordvanian Republican Cup, joining in the Round 32. The Mordvanian Premier League is considered one of the best football leagues in Brigidna, along the leagues of Florinthus, Oslanburg, and Valland. The Mordvanian Premier League is broadcast on television in over 100 countries.

30 clubs have completed in the Mordvanian Premier League since its founding in 1567. NK Slovograd has won the Mordvanian Premier League the most, winning the title 13 times. Other five clubs have won the Mordvanian Premier League, with ND Seznica and NK Brezedina winning the title 6 times, Slovograd 1566 5 times, and LKS Slawowo and FK Mazenskai 3 times.

The Mordvanian Premier League was founded in 1567.

History

Mordvanian Championship

Prior to the formation of the Mordvanian League in 1544, Mordvanian football was played at an amateur level in a large number of sub-regional leagues. Regional champions and, from 1521 onwards, runners-up played a series of playoff matches for the right to compete in a final game for the national championship, named Mordvanian Championship and established in 1486. The first recognised national championship team was Amsberg FC, who beat ND Slovograd in a game played in Mestarka on 14 March 1486.

Mordvanian League

After the 1544 Mordvanian republican revolution, the Mordvanian government assisted the Mordvanian Football Association, under the leadership of Bogdan Jansek, to the creation a professional football league. Therefore, the Mordvanian First Division was created, with 16 clubs, the first season starting in 1545. More than sixty clubs applied for admission to the new league. The sixteen clubs were selected based on their success on the field, economic criteria, and seniorship.

NK Slovograd, which only had won the Mordvanian Championship four times between 1501 and 1543, became the most successful club in Mordvanian football, winning the Mordvanian League 15 times from 1545 and 1566. Only other three clubs were able to win the Mordvanian League: NK Brezedina (four times), ND Seznica (12 times), and LKS Slawowo (1).

Foundation of the Mordvanian League

By the earlier 1560s, Mordvanian professional football was experiencing a period of stagnation. Many stadiums were crumbling, supporters endured poor facilities, hooliganism was rife, many clubs faced severe financial problems, and top Mordvanian players had moved abroad.

Zelko Gorshek, chairman of the Mordvanian Football Association since 1558, introduced reforms to improve stadium safety standards and financial fair play. Although Gorshek's reforms seemed to improve Mordvanian football as a whole, they found the resistence of several major Mordvanian clubs, as the reforms increased the costs while limited their revenue. Although attendance and quality of the league seemed to improve, several historical clubs found themselves bankrupt and were removed from the league system, causing their quick disapparance.

In the 1550s, major Mordvanian clubs had begun to transform into business ventures, applying commercial principles to club administration to maximise revenue. Maximilian Dolenz, a former NK Brezedina player and manager, who became president of the club in 1549, was one of the pioneers, leading NK Brezedina to break NK Slovograd's command of the league -at least for a while- winning three Mordvanian league titles and three Republican Cups from 1553 to 1558. But the commercial imperative led to the top clubs seeking to increase their power and revenue, and a conflict with the Mordvanian Football Association was only a matter of time. In 1564, several top clubs threatened to break away from the Football League. Zeljko Gorshek was forced to increase the voting power of the First Division clubs and gain more favourable financial arrangement regarding television rights, and in 1565, the Mordvanian Football Association introduced some changes in the Republican Cup, introducing a two-leg system as many First Division clubs demanded.

However, the compromise proved short-lived when a new television and sponsorship contract was to be negotiated in 1566. That season, six First Division clubs tabled a proposal for the establishment of a new league that would bring more money into the game overall. Despite the opposition of the Mordvanian Football Asociation, it seemed unstoppable when ND Seznica -the only top club which had not joined the initial proposal- joined the negotiations. Two weeks after the end of the 1566 season, First Division clubs resigned from the Mordvanian League en masse and only one month later the Mordvanian Premier League was formed as a limited company. The Mordvanian Football Association threatened to expel the clubs which joined the new league. However, the Mordvanian Football Association was finally forced to accept the breakaway from the Football League. Zeljko Gorshek resigned and he was replaced by Miroslav Loshek, who amended ways with the Mordvanian Premier League. As a consequence, the Mordvanian Premier League would operate with a single division and the Mordvanian Football League would operate with three, with two or three First Division (Mordvanian Football League's top division) clubs promoting to the Mordvanian Premier League every season.

The Mordvanian Premier League held its first season in 1567-1568. It was composed of 18 clubs for that season, two clubs more than the First Division the season before. The first Mordvanian Premier League goal was scored by Ludvik Peterlek of GKS Wojek in a 3-0 win against NK Krasnevje. The 18 inaugural members of the Mordvanian Premier League were Amsberg FC, NK Brezedina, Olimpija Brezedina, NK Dzen, NK Idredina, ND Izolska, NK Krasnevje, FK Mazenskai, FK Mestarka, NK Mestarka, ND Paviemes, ND Seznica, LKS Slawowo, NK Slovograd, Slovograd 1566, ND Snogen, NK Visnja, and GKS Wojek. ND Seznica was the first club to win the Mordvanian Premier League.

Competition format

Each club plays every other club once at home and once away. The club with the most points at the end of the season becomes Mordvanian Premier League champion. The two teams at the bottom of the table are relegated into the Mordvanian First Division, while the top two teams in the First Division are promoted to the Mordvanian Premier League. The 16th-placed team (third-last), and third and fourth placed team in the First Division play a play-off to decide which club plays the next season in the Mordvanian Premier League.

If teams are level on points, tie-breakers are applied in the following order:

• Goal difference for the entire season
• Total goals scored for the entire season
• Head-to-head results (total points)
• Head-to-head goals scored
• Head-to-head away goals scored
• Total away goals scored for the entire season

If two clubs are still tied after all of these tie-breakers have been applied, a single match is held at a neutral site to determine the placement. However, this has never been necessary in the history of the Mordvanian Premier League.

See also

• Republican Cup (Mordvania)