Portuguese football competitions

Portuguese football is divided into divisions ("divisões", singular - "divisão"). The major teams play in the Liga (Betandwin.com is the sponsor for the competition, and the current name of the liga is BWINLIGA. Until 2004-2005, Galp Energia was the main sponsor and the name of the league was Superliga GalpEnergia). The other professional teams play against each other in the League of Honour (called Liga Vitalis for sponsorship reasons). The other major competitions are the Cup of Portugal and SuperCup Cândido de Oliveira.

Early years

Before 1922, the Portuguese teams played only local games with neighbouring clubs and later in the local championships as the Lisbon Championship ("Campeonato Distrital de Lisboa") or the Porto Championship ("Campeonato Distrital do Porto").

National Championship

The nation was urging for a nationwide competition and the clubs organized a National Championship ("Campeonato Nacional") for the most important District Associations clubs (Lisbon, Oporto, Coimbra, Madeira, Algarve, and Braga). This championship was played on a knock-out basis and was very similar to today's Cup of Portugal.

But after the formation of the first Portuguese Football Union ("União Portuguesa de Futebol"), and later (1926) Portuguese Football Federation ("Federação Portuguesa de Futebol") the organization dissolved the former competitions and reformed the Portuguese football.

New names, new formats

The National Championship was turned into the Cup of Portugal (or Portuguese Cup), this time with all clubs in the nation (except for those in the colonies). The Premier League (a round-basis experimental league) was transformed into the National Championship of the First Division ("Campeonato Nacional da Primeira Divisão"), or just First Division ("Primeira Divisão") with the major clubs.

The also experimental Second League was given the name of National Championship of the Second Division ("Campeonato Nacional da Segunda Divisão"), or just Second Division ("Segunda Divisão") divided into two zones (North and South) and later into three zones (North, Central and South). The Third Division was also created with several geographical series.

The irregular local championships were assigned to the 22 Portuguese District Football Associations, and, therefore, the District Championships were created.

End of dictatorship

With the end of the dictatorship in Portugal with the Carnation Revolution of 1974, the old 1938 format of the competitions needed some changes.

Firstly, the Portuguese League for Professional Football ("Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional") - not a championship - was created. This organization inside the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) ruled the only professional league (First Division). The other competitions continued with the FPF.

A SuperCup was then introduced. The name chosen, SuperCup Cândido de Oliveira, was in honour of the Portuguese former football enthusiast and national coach in the early days. This competition was played on a yearly-basis between the First Division champion and the Cup of Portugal winner.

Since 1938 the First Division grew from 8 teams to 20 teams in 1989. The professional football was growing and a new professional competition was needed.

The 90's Reform

With the beginning of the 1990s the Portuguese Football Federation and the Portuguese League for Professional Football agreed to create a new professional competition between the First Division and the Second Division. It would be called Division of Honour or Second Division of Honour ("Segunda Divisão de Honra") and relegated the former zone-divided Second Division to third place. This competition continued to exist as "Second Division" but with B added to the name until 2005. Today the name used is Second Division again.

So, today these are the Portuguese Competitions:

* Professional (Portuguese League for Professional Football as the governing body)
** Liga / League (BWINLIGA) (formerly: First Division, Premier League, SuperLiga [Galp Energia] )
** Liga de Honra / League of Honour (Liga Vitalis) (former Second Division of Honour and Second League)
* Non-Professional
** Portuguese Football Federation as the governing body
*** Second Division (A, B, C and D) (former Second Division B and Second League)
*** Third Division (A, B, C, D, E, F and Azores Series)
** District Football Associations as the governing body in association with the Federation
*** District Championships 1st level (different names)
*** District Championships 2nd level (different names)

"Note:" Portuguese Football Federation also rules the National Teams, the Cup of Portugal, the SuperCup Cândido de Oliveira, the national youth championships, the women's football, the indoor-football (or Futsal) and the Beach Soccer national team. District Football Associations rule the Cups of the District Football Associations, the youth district championships, women's district football and district indoor football.In 2007/2008 it was also created the Portuguese League Cup or Carlsberg Cup, governed by the Professional League and played by those clubs, won firstly by Vitória FC Setúbal on the 22 of March against Sporting Clube de Portugal.

References

* [http://www.portugoal.net www.PortuGOAL.net | | The definitive Portuguese football site] (in English)