- Costa Rican Primera División
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Unión de Clubes de Fútbol
de la Primera División
The UNAFUT logoCountries 
Costa RicaConfederation CONCACAF Founded June 13, 1921 Number of teams 12 Levels on pyramid 1 Relegation to Segunda División International cup(s) CONCACAF Champions League Current champions Alajuelense
(Torneo Invierno 2010)Most championships Saprissa (29) TV partners Teletica Canal 7, Extra TV 42 Website Official website 
2011–12Primera División de Costa Rica is a professional league for association football clubs in Costa Rica. At the top of the Costa Rican league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 12 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Segunda División. The seasons are separated by two single tournaments each year, the Apertura, from August to December, and the Clausura, February to June. Thus, there are two champions each season with teams playing anywhere from 32 to 44 games each totalling 412 games in the season. Most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays, with a few games played during weekday evenings. The Campeonatos de Invierno y Verano are sponsored by Scotiabank for the 2010-2011 season.
The competition formed on June 13, 1921 following an invitation presented by Guatemala to Costa Rica to participate in its Centenary Games. A total of 12 clubs have won the title. The current champions are Alajuelense, who won the 2010 Torneo Clausura.
Contents
Format
The current Primera División season has two championships.The format both championship is the same. The twelve clubs are divided into two groups of six. They play all the clubs in a single round-robin format for 11 matches, and then within their own group for the remaining five. The three best clubs in each group advance to a single elimination playoff system. The teams that finishes 2 & 3 in their groups play against the opposite seed from the other group over two legs. The winner of that tie advances to the semifinals and play against one of the top clubs from the groups. The winners of that tie advances to the finals, which determines the tournament champion.
The Primera División operates system of promotion and relegation with the Segunda División and third division Primera División de Liga Nacional de Futbol Aficionado (LINAFA).
History
In the year 1921, the Liga Nacional de Fútbol is created by Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, Club Sport Cartaginés, Club Sport Herediano, Club Sport La Libertad, Sociedad Gimnástica Española de San José, Club Sport La Unión de Tres Ríos and Sociedad Gimnástica Limonense, and the Primera División was born. In 1931 the league was centralized and renamed Federación Deportiva de Costa Rica, then Federación Nacional de Fútbol and in the 1970s to Federación Costarricense de Fútbol (FEDEFUTBOL). In 1999, the FEDEFUTBOL, created UNAFUT to operate the Primera División and the Alto Rendimiento y Juvenil Especial (Youth Development Leagues from clubs of First Division).
The Classic
The Classic (derby) in Costa Rica is played between Alajuelense and Deportivo Saprissa the two teams have the biggest support groups in the country, the largest stadiums, and the largest number of national and international titles in their cases. The first Classic was played in 1949 when Deportivo Saprissa was promoted to the Primera División de Costa Rica and the score was 6-5 (Alajuela's win). The statistics said that Saprissa defeated Alajuelense in 104 matches and Alajuelense defeated Saprissa in 83 matches in Costa Rica's championship. It is important to mention that before the Deportivo Saprissa's promotion to the Primera Division, the Classic was played between Club Sport Herediano and Club Sport La Libertad (now in the Third Division), but gradually began to lose intensity until it lost that "classic" title.
Other Classic and Derbys
Note that there is a difference between Classic and Derby, the classic is the party where there is a rivalry that as the years have passed be increasing, and the derby is when two teams that falls in the same town or city.
- Costa Rican Classic of Classics: Deportivo Saprissa vs. Alajuelense.
- "Clasico del Buen Futbol": Deportivo Saprissa vs Club Sport Herediano
- Provincial Classic: Club Sport Herediano vs. Alajuelense, Club Sport Herediano vs. Club Sport Cartagines (Oldest).
- Sa-Sa Classic: Deportivo Saprissa vs Sagrada Familia (Second Division).
- Alajuelan Derby: Alajuelense vs. Asociación Deportiva Carmelita (Second Division).
- Caribbean Derby: Santos de Guápiles vs Limon F.C..
- Ports Classic: Limon F.C. vs. Puntarenas.
- Capital Derby: Brujas FC vs. Deportivo Saprissa.
Clubs in 2011-2012 season
The league currently consists of the following 11 clubs. For the 2011-2012 season, teams are aligned as follows:
Defunct Franchises
Club City Stadium Capacity Founded Ceased Operations Defunct Franchises Club Deportivo Alajuela Junior 1933 1936 Club Sport Buenos Aires 1932 1935 Club Sport Costa Rica 1924 1924 Club Sport México 1932 1934 Club Sport Progreso 1923 1925 Corsarios Fútbol Club 1930 1930 Hispano Atlético 1932 1932 Juventud 1927 1927 Sociedad Gimnástica Española de
San José1912 Unión Deportiva Moravia 1926 1955 List of champions year by year
Champion Titles by club (1921–2007)
Club Championships Runner-Up Saprissa 29 15 Alajuelense 26 18 Herediano 21 10 La Libertad 6 7 Cartaginés 3 10 Orión 2 6 Municipal Puntarenas 1 3 Uruguay de Coronado 1 1 Universidad de Costa Rica 1 0 Carmen 1 0 Brujas F.C. 1 0 Liberia Mía 1 0 Gimnástica Española 0 7 Alajuela Junior 0 2 Barrio México 0 1 Limonense 0 1 Pérez Zeledón 0 1 Puntarenas 0 1 Santos de Guápiles 0 1 Short Championships (Opening and Closure) Titles by club (2007–2011)
Club Apertura
ChampionshipsRunner-Up Saprissa 2 0 Alajuelense 1 1 Brujas 1 0 Herediano 0 2 Puntarenas 0 1 Club Clausura
ChampionshipsRunner-Up Saprissa 2 0 Alajuelense 1 1 Liberia Mía 1 0 San Carlos 0 2 Herediano 0 1 External links
- http://www.futboltico.com/
- http://www.futboldecostarica.com/
- (Spanish) UNAFUT - Primera Division
- (Spanish) Federación Costarricense de Fútbol (Federation of Costa Rican Football)
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Main article: List of soccer clubs in Costa Rica
Primera División (Costa Rica) · 2010–11 Clubs Alajuelense · Barrio México · Brujas · Cartaginés · Herediano · Limón · Pérez Zeledón · Puntarenas · Santos · San Carlos · Saprissa · Universidad de Costa RicaOther List of football clubs in Costa RicaPrimera División seasons Top level association football leagues of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) North America Central America Caribbean - Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Aruba
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Bermuda2
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Cuba
- Curaçao
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- French Guiana3 4
- Grenada
- Guadeloupe4
- Guyana3
- Haiti
- Jamaica
- Martinique4
- Montserrat
- Puerto Rico
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Martin4
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Sint Maarten4
- Suriname3
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- United States Virgin Islands
- 1: Canada and the United States share one major league.
- 2: North American member but affiliated to CFU.
- 3: South American member but affiliated to CONCACAF and to CFU.
- 4:Full CONCACAF member, but not affiliated to FIFA.
Categories:- Primera División de Costa Rica
- Football competitions in Costa Rica
- National association football premier leagues
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