Norwegian football league champions
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Norwegian_football_league_champions".

The Norwegian football league champions (Norwegian: Seriemestere i fotball ) are the winners of the highest level league competition in Norwegian football, currently the Norwegian Premier League. Note that the winners of this league are not actually crowned "Norwegian football champions"; this title is reserved for winners of the Norwegian Football Cup. Teams in bold are those who won the double of League Championship and Norwegian Cup in that season.

History

The first football league competition in Norway involving teams from more than one local association was the unofficial "Test League" run by the Football Association of Norway during 1914-16. It was contested by Drafn, Frigg, Kvik Fredrikshald, Larvik Turn, Mercantile and Odd, and would have yielded Odd as the first League champions (they won all their games) had it not been abandoned.

The first season of the official league began in 1937 and was organized into eleven district leagues, with the winners of each league progressing to the championship playoffs. At the end of the 1937-38 season, Fredrikstad were the first club to be crowned champions after defeating Lyn in the final. By also winning the 1938 Norwegian Cup, Fredrikstad effectively became the first double-winners.

Rosenborg, with 20 titles, have been crowned champions more times than any other club, having dominated during the 1990s and the beginning of the new millennium. They are followed by Fredrikstad (9), who dominated in the early decades of the league before the best clubs were gathered in a single top division. The third most successful club are Viking (8), who won their first title in the 1957-58 season and have since won in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Their achievements put them at the top of the All-time Norwegian Premier League table when counting from 1948 onwards (Rosenborg are at the top when counting from 1963 onwards). Lillestrøm (5) achieved success mainly in the 1970s and 1980s, while Vålerenga (5), who enjoyed great success in the 1980s, have re-surfaced as a strong club in the 2000s, becoming the first team other than Rosenborg to win the championship since 1991.

Larvik Turn (1955-56), Brann (1962-63), Lillestrøm (1976-77), and Vålerenga (1983-84) have all retained the league title once, while Fredrikstad (1938-39, 1951-52 and 1960-61) have managed to do so on three occasions. Viking (1972-75) have retained the title for four consecutive seasons. Rosenborg (1992-2004) have achieved a win-streak of 13 championships in a row, second in the world only to the 14-year streak of the Latvian club Skonto Riga.

League of Norway (1937-48)

The first official league competition in Norway, known as the League of Norway (Norgesserien), was contested from 1937. Only two full seasons had been completed, however, when the league was suspended as a result of the German invasion in 1940. The league resumed in 1947 but was reorganized into the Main League after just one season.

Main League (1948-62)

The Main League (Hovedserien) comprised two regional groups with eight teams in each. At the end of the season, the group winners would meet in a final match to determine the champions. Bronze finals were played in 1960 and 1961; before that, no bronze medalist was decided. The 1961-62 season pitted all sixteen clubs against each other over a period of one and a half years, with the top eight clubs qualifying for the new First Division along with two clubs promoted from the level below the Main League.

First Division (1963-90)

The 1963 season was the first in which the ten best clubs in Norway were gathered in a single top division, the First Division (Førstedivisjon). It was also the first year in which the contestants were ranked by total number of points, and bronze medals were from now on awarded for a third place finish. Note that clubs from Northern Norway were not allowed to participate in the top division until 1972. This was also the year in which the number of teams was increased from ten to twelve.

Tippeligaen (1991-present)

In 1991, the First Division was renamed Tippeligaen ("The Betting League") as part of a sponsorship deal with the national lottery and bookmaking service, Norsk Tipping. It is also known as the Norwegian Premier League (Eliteserien). The term "First Division" is now used to denote the second highest level, which had previously been known as the Second Division. In 1995, the number of teams increased from twelve to fourteen.

Total titles won

Fourteen clubs have been champions.

Medalists by club name

The following clubs have won one or more league medals since 1937-38:

Titles by county

Titles by city

See also

• Football in Norway

External links

• (Norwegian) Football Association of Norway
• (English) Football Association of Norway