- Prva HNL
-
Prva HNL 
Countries Croatia Confederation UEFA Founded 1992 Number of teams 16 Levels on pyramid 1 Relegation to Druga HNL Domestic cup(s) Croatian Cup
Croatian Super CupInternational cup(s) UEFA Champions League
UEFA Europa LeagueCurrent champions Dinamo Zagreb
(2010–11)Most championships Dinamo Zagreb (13) TV partners Arenasport Website http://www.prva-hnl.hr 
2011–12 seasonThe Prva HNL (Croatian: Prva hrvatska nogometna liga), also known as 1. HNL or for sponsorship reasons the MAXtv Prva Liga, is the top Croatian football league competition, established in 1992. The winners qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Dinamo Zagreb are the current champions, having won their sixth consecutive title in the 2010–11 season, and are the most successful club with 13 titles overall, followed by Hajduk Split with 6 titles.
Since 2003, Prva HNL has been named after its sponsor, giving it the following names:
- Prva HNL Ožujsko (2003 to 2007), sponsored by Zagrebačka pivovara and their Ožujsko beer brand.[1]
- T-Com Prva HNL (2007 to 2011), sponsored by T-Hrvatski Telekom, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom.[2]
- MAXtv Prva Liga (2011 to present), sponsored by T-Hrvatski Telekom, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom.[3]
Contents
Overview
The Prva HNL was formed in 1991, following the dissolution of the Yugoslav First League, and is operated by the Croatian Football Federation. The first season started in February 1992. Since its formation, the league went through many changes in its system and number of participating clubs. Currently, there are 16 teams participating in the league.
Each season of the Prva HNL starts in late July or early August and ends in May, with a two-month hiatus between December and February. Historically, the teams were split into two groups of six which continued to play separately starting in March. These two groups were known as the Championship League and the Relegation League. However, the 2006-07 season introduced a new system in which everybody plays everybody three times in the season. Upon the end of the first part of the season, consisting of 22 matchdays, a draw is held to pair the teams and decide host teams for the last 11 matchdays of the season. This system brought one additional matchday in comparison to the preceding seasons.
At the end of each season, the last team is directly relegated to the Druga HNL and the second-last team goes in the relegation play-off, a two-legged tie against the second-placed team from the Druga HNL. The champions qualify for the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, the runners-up, as well as the winners of the Croatian Cup, for the UEFA Europa League qualifying, with the third-placed team also winning a spot in the UEFA Europa League qualifying. UEFA currently ranks the league 27th in Europe. The main sponsor of Prva HNL is T-Com Croatia, part of German telecommunications firm Deutsche Telekom. The president of T-Com HNL is Robert Markulin.
Members for 2011–12
The following 16 clubs competed in the Prva HNL in the 2010–11 season. The clubs in bold also had spells in the Yugoslav First League before Croatian clubs abandoned it in 1991 (as of the 2010–11 season 8 out of 9 Croatian clubs which had appeared in the Yugoslav top division compete in the Croatian championship, the remaining one being the fourth level side Trešnjevka).
Six of the twelve founding members were never relegated from the Prva HNL - Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk Split, Osijek, Rijeka, Varaždin and NK Zagreb. RNK Split had their Prva HNL debut in the 2010–11 season, marking their return to top flight after 49 years, having been relegated from the 1960–61 Yugoslav First League.[4]
For the 2011–12 season Lučko gained promotion, appearing in top level for the first time in their history. HNK Gorica and NK Pomorac Kostrena also were awarded promotion, but declined it due to first league licensing conflicts.
Club Position
in 2010–11First season in
top divisionNumber of seasons
in top divisionNumber of seasons
in Prva HNLFirst season of
current spell in
top divisionTop division
titlesLast top division title Cibalia a 4th 1982–83 24 19 2005–06 0 N/A Dinamo Zagreb a,b 1st 1946–47 66 21 1946–47 17 c 2010–11 Hajduk Split a,b 2nd 1923 84 21 1923 15 d 2004–05 Inter Zaprešić a 5th 1992 14 14 2007–08 0 N/A Istra 1961 15th 2004–05 6 6 2009–10 0 N/A Karlovac b 6th 2009–10 3 3 2009–10 0 N/A Lokomotiva b 14th 1946–47 13 3 2009–10 0 N/A Lučko 2nd in 2. HNL 2011–12 1 1 2011–12 0 N/A Osijek a,b 8th 1953–54 36 21 1981–82 0 N/A Rijeka a,b 9th 1958–59 50 21 1974–75 0 N/A Slaven Belupo b 7th 1997–98 15 15 1997–98 0 N/A RNK Split b 3rd 1957–58 4 2 2010–11 0 N/A Šibenik a 12th 1992 18 18 2006–07 0 N/A Varaždin a,b 11th 1992 21 21 1992 0 N/A Zadar a 10th 1992 16 16 2006–07 0 N/A NK Zagreb a,b 13th 1952 39 21 1992 1 2001–02 a: Founding member of the Prva HNL
b: Never been relegated from Prva HNL
c: Dinamo Zagreb tally includes 4 Yugoslav and 13 Prva HNL titles
d: Hajduk Split tally includes 9 Yugoslav and 6 Prva HNL titlesAttendance
League matches
Season Total attendance Number of
matchesAverage attendance
per matchRef 1998–99 745,728 192 3,884 [5] 1999–2000 515,790 198 2,605 [5] 2000–01 546,624 192 2,847 [5] 2001–02 573,840 240 2,391 [5] 2002–03 635,520 192 3,310 [5] 2003–04 570,816 192 2,973 [5] 2004–05 541,440 192 2,820 [5] 2005–06 633,792 192 3,301 [5] 2006–07 622,908 198 3,146 [5] 2007–08 616,572 198 3,114 [5] 2008–09 617,050 198 3,116 [6] 2009–10 500,002 240 2,083 [6] 2010–11 458,746 240 1,911 [7] HNL Teams in Champions League
Only four times in history have HNL teams entered the UEFA Champions League. In the 1994-95 season, Hajduk Split qualified over Legia Warsaw (1-0 A, 4-0 H). They qualified for the quarterfinals (from group with Benfica 0-0 H, 1-2 A, Steaua Bucuresti 1-0 A, 1-4 H, and Anderlecht 2-1 H,0-0 A), but lost to Ajax 0-0 H, 0-3 A. Ajax won CL that year. In the 1998-99 season, NK Croatia Zagreb (Dinamo) qualified over Celtic (0-1 A, 3-0 H). They were drawn in the same group with Olympiacos 1-3 A, 1-1 H, Porto 0-3 A, 3-1 H, and Ajax 1-0 A, 0-0 H. They finished in 2nd place, but failed to go to the next round because in that season only first place teams went through. Next season, 1999–2000, Dinamo also played in CL, in the same group as defending champion Manchester United, Olympique de Marseille and Austrian side SK Sturm Graz. They started their campaign with a famous 0-0 draw at Old Trafford. After that they lost to OM 0-1 in Zagreb, won against Sturm 3-0, lost against Sturm away 0-1, lost 0-2 against Manchester United in Zagreb, and in the last match they drew against OM at Velodrome 2-2 (Bakayoko scored for Marseille in 91'). They finished fourth. In 2011 Dinamo qualified for the CL o er the Swedish Malmo, beating them 4-1 at home and narrowly losing 2-0 away. in the first 4 games they failed to score a goal, conceding 9 and losing all four.
Rankings
Source: Bert Kassies' website (country rankings; team rankings); last updated 3 November 2011
Country
Current
RankingLast Season
RankingMovement League Coefficient 17 15 
Scotland20.891 18 17 
Israel20.750 19 18 
Czech Republic19.350 20 22 
Croatia18.874 21 14 
Romania18.324 22 23 
Belarus18.208 23 24 
Poland18.166 Team
Rank Team Points 75 Dinamo Zagreb 24.774 173 Hajduk Split 7.774 227 Varaždin 4.774 RNK Split 4.774 Slaven Belupo 4.774 Rijeka 4.774 239 Šibenik 4.274 Cibalia 4.274 TV
In past, TV coverage was only for one match in each round (derby match). In the 2008–09 season there were some changes. Croatian national TV Network (HRT) started the new TV show Volim Nogomet (I Love Football), made in association with league's main sponsor T-Com. In the show, five matches were broadcasted combined on Sunday afternoons, while the derby match was on program at 20.15 CET, so viewers could watch all the matches. There were also experts in the studio, commenting on matches and other things non-related to football. Main initiator of the project was famous Croatian football player and then president of T-Com 1. HNL organisation Igor Štimac.[8] Most of the clubs weren't satisfied with the scheduling of fixtures and demanded a move from Sunday afternoon to Saturday evening. This was done at the start of the following season and the only match played on Sunday was the derby match.[9][10] However, during the mid-season project was cancelled and the old system with one broadcast per round was returned.[11]
In November 2010, broadcasting rights were sold to marketing agency Digitel Komunikacije for a period of five years, beginning with 2011–12 season. After the negotiations fell through with public broadcasting television HRT, which covered Prva HNL for the past twenty seasons, Digitel signed a deal with T-Hrvatski Telekom. The matches are broadcasted on Arenasport, a cable television network, available to subscribers of MAXtv, IPTV solution from T-HT subsidiary T-Com. All matches involving Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split will be broadcasted in the basic programming package, while other matches mostly involving Rijeka and Osijek are available through purchasing additional sports package.[12][13]
Winning clubs
- Key
† League champions also won the Croatian Cup, e.g. the domestic Double. Notes on name changes:
- Dinamo Zagreb changed their name to "HAŠK Građanski" in June 1991 and then again in February 1993 to "Croatia Zagreb". They won five league titles and participated in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League group stages carrying that name before reverting back to "Dinamo Zagreb" in February 2000.
- The present-day NK Varaždin were called "Varteks" from 1958 until June 2010.
- Koprivnica-based Slaven Belupo were formerly known as "Slaven" until 1992. They were known as "Slaven Bilokalnik" from 1992 to 1994 before adopting their current name in 1994 for sponsorship reasons. Since UEFA does not recognize sponsored club names, the club is listed as "Slaven Koprivnica" in European competitions and on UEFA's official website.
Top scorers
All-time top scorers in the Prva HNL Rank Player Goals 1 Igor Cvitanović126 2 Davor Vugrinec123 3 Joško Popović111 4 Miljenko Mumlek107 5 Tomislav Erceg97 6 Renato Jurčec87 7 Nino Bule87 8 Robert Špehar86 9 
Marijo Dodik84 10 Veldin Karić75 (Bold denotes players still playing in the Prva HNL,
italics denotes players still playing professional football).[14]Players in the Prva HNL compete for the Prva HNL Top scorer trophy, awarded to the top scorer at the end of each season. Former Dinamo Zagreb striker Igor Cvitanović holds the record for most Prva HNL goals with 126. Cvitanović finished among the top ten goal scorers in 7 out of his 11 seasons in the Prva HNL and won the top scorer title two times. During the 1997–98 season he became the first player to score 100 Prva HNL goals. Since then, only three other players have reached the 100-goal mark.
Since the first Prva HNL season in 1992, fifteen different players have won the top scorers title. Goran Vlaović, Robert Špehar, Igor Cvitanović, Tomislav Šokota and Ivica Olić have won two titles each. Dinamo Zagreb provided most top scorers in Prva HNL, their strikers topped the table ten times. Eduardo da Silva holds the record for most goals in a season (34) – scored for Dinamo Zagreb in the 2006–07 season.[15] Six goals is the record individual scoring total for a player in a single Prva HNL game held by Marijo Dodik.[16]
Dinamo Zagreb became the first team to have scored 1,000 goals in the league after Etto scored in a 4–0 victory over NK Zagreb in the 2005–06 season.[17] Hajduk Split is the only other team to have reached the 1,000-goal mark.[18] The highest-scoring match to date in the Prva HNL occurred on 12 December 1993 when Dinamo Zagreb beat Pazinka 10–1.[19]
Awards
- Sportske novosti Yellow Shirt award for Prva HNL Player of the Year
References
- ^ "Prva HNL Ožujsko" (in Croatian). Vjesnik. 19 September 2003. http://ns1.vjesnik.com/Html/2003/09/19/Clanak.asp?r=spo&c=4. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
- ^ "Prva HNL promijenila ime u T-Com Prva hrvatska nogometna liga" (in Croatian). T-Hrvatski Telekom. 24 May 2007. http://www.t.ht.hr/press/novosti_disp.asp?id=1260. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
- ^ "MAXtv PRVA LIGA službeni naziv lige" (in Croatian). Prva-HNL.hr. 9 September 2011. http://prva-hnl.hr/blog/2011/09/maxtv-prva-liga-sluzbeni-naziv-lige/. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ "Split u prvoj ligi nakon punih 49 godina" (in Croatian). Index.hr. 2 May 2010. http://www.index.hr/sport/clanak/split-u-prvoj-ligi-nakon-punih-49-godina/489204.aspx. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j (in Croatian). Jutarnji list. 6 April 2010. p. 97.
- ^ a b Redžić, Dea (14 May 2010). "2.092 gledatelja po utakmici: Nas je sramota, srami li se i HNS?" (in Croatian). Index.hr. http://www.index.hr/sport/clanak/2092-gledatelja-po-utakmici-nas-je-sramota-srami-li-se-i-hns/491304.aspx. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ^ "Prva HNL 10/11: Broj gledatelja po klubovima - Domaći" (in Croatian). Prva-HNL.hr. 23 May 2011. http://prva-hnl.hr/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Broj-gledatelja-po-klubovima-Domaci.pdf. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
- ^ "HTV i HNL spremni za nogometnu nedjelju" (in Croatian). Sportnet.hr. 16 September 2008. http://www.hrsport.net/vijesti/365349/nogomet-1-hnl/htv-i-hnl-spremni-za-nogometnu-nedjelju. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
- ^ "Klubovi ne dobivaju dovoljno za Volim nogomet" (in Croatian). Sportnet.hr. 17 June 2009. http://www.hrsport.net/vijesti/378621/nogomet-1-hnl/klubovi-ne-dobivaju-dovoljno-za-volim-nogomet. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
- ^ Vuković, Marin (3 July 2009). "HNL opet u subotnjem terminu" (in Croatian). Sportnet.hr. http://www.hrsport.net/vijesti/379526/nogomet-1-hnl/hnl-opet-u-subotnjem-terminu. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
- ^ Strahija, Ivana (22 January 2010). "Jukić: Gotovo je s Volim nogomet" (in Croatian). Sportnet.hr. http://www.hrsport.net/vijesti/390286/nogomet-1-hnl/jukic-gotovo-je-s-volim-nogomet. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
- ^ "HRT ove sezone bez HNL-a" (in Croatian). Sportnet.hr. 6 July 2011. http://www.hrsport.net/vijesti/420512/nogomet-1-hnl/hrt-ove-sezone-bez-hnl-a. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ Štrbinić, Lovro (19 July 2011). "Laljak: Klubovi su zadovoljni" (in Croatian). Sportnet.hr. http://www.hrsport.net/vijesti/421325/nogomet-1-hnl/laljak-klubovi-su-zadovoljni. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ "Lista strijelaca 1. HNL (zbirno)". Prva HNL. http://prva-hnl.hr/blog/dokumenti/LISTA-STRIJELACA-ZBIRNO.pdf. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
- ^ "Eduardo osvojio Trofej T-Com najbolji strijelac" (in Croatian). Prva-HNL.hr. 26 April 2008. http://prva-hnl.hr/blog/2007/05/eduardo-osvojio-trofej-t-com-najbolji-strijelac/. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
- ^ So., D. (26 October 2000). "Dodik: Jurčec i ja najbolji smo dvojac Lige!" (in Croatian). Sportnet.hr. http://www.hrsport.net/vijesti/2791/intervju/dodik-jurcec-i-ja-najbolji-smo-dvojac-lige. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
- ^ Pacak, Tomislav (18 September 2005). "Zagreb - Dinamo: Et(t)o tisućitog pogotka" (in Croatian). Sportnet.hr. http://www.hrsport.net/vijesti/279133/nogomet/zagreb-dinamo-etto-tisucitog-pogotka. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
- ^ "Hajduk postigao 1 000-ti gol u HNL-u" (in Croatian). Prva-HNL.hr. 26 April 2008. http://prva-hnl.hr/blog/2008/04/hajduk-postigao-1-000-ti-gol-u-hnl-u/. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
- ^ Bariša, Mladen (24 September 2001). "Bez kormilara" (in Croatian). Sportnet.hr. http://arhiv.slobodnadalmacija.hr/20010924/prilozi.htm. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
External links
- Official website (Croatian)
- Division 1 - Prva HNL - Presentation — All time table for 10 most succesful clubs and all results since 1991 with links to entire results and winners, second and third.
Prva HNL 2011–12 teams Cibalia · Dinamo Zagreb · Hajduk Split · Inter Zaprešić · Istra 1961 · Karlovac · Lokomotiva · Lučko · Osijek · Rijeka · Slaven Belupo · RNK Split · Šibenik · Varaždin · Zadar · NK ZagrebFormer teams Belišće · Čakovec · Croatia Sesvete · Dubrava · Dubrovnik · Hrvatski Dragovoljac · Istra Pula · Kamen Ingrad · Marsonia · Međimurje · Neretva · Orijent · Pazinka · Pomorac · Primorac 1929 · Radnik Velika Gorica · Samobor · Segesta · Suhopolje · TŠK Topolovac · Vukovar '91Statistics and awards Associated competitions Seasons Top level football leagues of Europe (UEFA) Albania · Andorra · Armenia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus · Czech Republic · Denmark · England · Estonia · Faroe Islands · Finland · France · Georgia · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Israel · Italy · Kazakhstan · Latvia · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Macedonia · Malta · Moldova · Montenegro · Netherlands · Northern Ireland · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Republic of Ireland · Romania · Russia · San Marino · Scotland · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey · Ukraine · WalesFootball in Croatia Croatian Football Federation National teams League system Domestic cups Seasons 2000–01 · 2001–02 · 2002–03 · 2003–04 · 2004–05 · 2005–06 · 2006–07 · 2007–08 · 2008–09 · 2009–10 · 2010–11 · 2011–12List of clubs · List of venues · List of players Categories:- 1992 establishments
- National association football premier leagues
- Football competitions in Croatia
- Prva HNL
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