Imperial Football League
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| Country |  Daehanjeiguk
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|---|---|
| Association | Imperial Football Association |
| Established | 4707 |
| Divisions | Heavenly Division Majestic Division Premier Division National Division *Academy Division *Amateur's League |
| Number of teams | 100 (IFL affiliated clubs) |
| Level(s) on pyramid | Four |
| Domestic cup(s) | IFA Cup, Emperor's Cup |
| Current champions | Seoan Gukjei (1st title) (Season 12) |
| Most successful team | Hangyeong (four) |
| Media partners | MBC |
Imperial Football League (Korean: 국제축구리가 | Chinese: 國帝蹴球理哥) is the premier league of football in Daehanjeiguk, sponsored by the Imperial Football Association. The IFL was preceded by the National Football League, and when recording the seasons, the IFL continues with the final Season 7 of the NFL; hence, the first official season for the IFL was Season 8. The IFL began with 60 teams, divided into 3 tiers of professional football teams, with a standing system of promotion and relegation among the tiers. The top tier of the IFL is called the Heavenly Division (天神理哥|천신리가); the middle tier is called the Majestic League (王朝理哥|왕조리가); and the final tier is called the Premier Division (先陽理哥|선양리가).
The IFL currently possesses two cups - the IFA Cup, which features all of the IFA-affiliated teams in a massive cup-style tournament; and the Emperor's Cup, which features the top performing 8 teams from each division in another cup-style tournament. In addition to winning their respective leagues, winning the cups are a great honor for any team that manages the feat.
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[edit] History
[edit] National Football League
- Main article: National Football League (Daehanjeiguk)
The National Football League began as the first attempt to create a professional football league. The misnomer "National" confused some people attending matches, not to mention NFL was by then a popular acronym in some other countries. After eight rather successful seasons, the IFA decided to apply reforms to the system, opting for a name change as well as structural changes, in what became the Imperial Football League.
[edit] Beginnings of the IFL (Season 8-12)
The beginning of the IFL saw the introduction of a unique promotion/relegation system among 3 tiers and the introduction of a new domestic cup - the IFA Cup. The final standings from Season 7 were used to determine the seeding for teams entering into Season 8, with a play-off between the 19th-22nd and 20th-21st ranked teams, out of 40 total. The top twenty teams formed the Heavenly Division, while the bottom twenty teams formed the Majestic Division. A number of jaebeol and academic teams were introduced to form the third tier, the Premier Division.
Season 11 saw a number of rearrangements in the qualification of teams to tournaments, particularly of the ICC. Before Season 11, it was possible for Heavenly Division teams to compete in the SBCC, and on a number of occasions, such teams did compete. As a matter of principle, the IFA revised the qualification scheme to ensure that Heavenly Divisions could not qualify for the SBCC. Furthermore, the new qualification scheme restricted teams from lower divisions to compete in any tournament higher than the Globe Cup. The IFA Cup also saw some modifications to streamline the competition; where once there were numerous rounds decided by complex second elimination criteria with ambiguous tiebreakers established, the IFA Cup Coordinators made the Cup a single-elimination tournament, with 56 teams (minus the four TQCC qualifiers) competing in the first round in h/a fixtures; the four TQCC qualifiers would then be entered into Round 2. The Emperor's Cup was also established firmly as a single fixture cup as well.
Season 12 saw the end of the jaebeol clubs that had featured predominantly in the Premier Division. Anticipating such changes, FC Samseong sold out to Somewhereistonian outfits Hawks Sporting Academy to form Han Hawks FC. After a very exciting start that saw Seoan Gukjei steal away the Heavenly Division, the last two matchdays saw the pole position switch between Cheonjin and Seoan Gukjei, finally resting upon Seoan Gukjei. After finally clinching the league title, they went on to defeat Seojang in the Emperor's Cup Final.
Unfortuantely, while preparing for Season 13, the Han Empire was thrust into regional crisis, culminating in the Gyeimyo Calamity. For the next three years, the IFL went into remission, along with the rest of the country. While most foreign players wisely returned home for the duration of the conflict, most Han players - along with their compatriots and foreign denizens - endured nearly 2 years of warfare as the Han Empire fought vigorously against the Mujeongbu. Many, if not most, died in the calamity.
[edit] (Season 13- )
Among the reorganization following the Gyeimyo Calamity, Season 13 saw the introduction of a new fourth-tier, consisting of two divisions: National Division East-West, and National Division South-North. With the expansion of the Han Empire, the IFL saw a dire need to expand the League to accommodate the new entries, even as the majority of the new clubs were forced to play in the lower tier divisions at first. The first IFL League title was given to Cafundelense outfits Kapundae, who won the league comfortably over their nearest opponents, Seoan Cheonma, formerly Seoan Gukjei. Season 14 saw Kapundae defend its title by an even more comfortable margin, although they failed to make any progress towards winning a cup title. Malla Yeonhap also saw some success, coming in as runners-up in an all Jonam TQCC qualification bid. Seoan Cheonma, for the part, ended a modestly disappointing season with two cup titles - the IFA Cup and Emperor's Cup, both against seasoned rivals Shilla and Yongsan, formerly Hanseong Gukjei.
[edit] League Structure
The current structure of the league is a relatively simple four-tier system, with each tier holding 20 teams (the exception being the fourth-tier National Divisions, which hold two divisions of 20 teams each, for a total of 40 teams). In League play, each team plays the other teams twice, for a total of 38 league matches. League play is officially divided into two sections; the Gaeshi-dae (開始代;개시대) and the Pyeiswae-dae (閉鎖代;폐쇄대). The Gaeshi-dae is basically the first opening 19 matches, while the last 19 matches form the Pyeiswae-dae. In between these matches are cup matches, either domestic or international if they qualify. The system also uses promotions and relegations, but its manner of promotion and relegation is somewhat different from other leagues. Whereas most foreign leagues automatically promote, teams qualifying for promotion must defeat the respective teams that they are replacing in the relegation zone. The Divisional Play-off is a highlight of the IFL, and in one sense it allows teams that have failed in the higher division one chance at redemption. The winners of the divisional play-off are entered into a simple cup whereby the winner of the cup is considered the Promotion Champion.
[edit] Tournaments
| IFL History | |||
| IFL Season | League Champions | IFA Cup Winners | Emperor's Cup Winners |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jikyei | --- | Hangyeong |
| 2 | Cheonjin | --- | Gwangdong |
| 3 | Joseon | --- | Gwangdong |
| 4 | Gangso | --- | Gwangdong |
| 5 | Hangyeong | --- | Junggyeong |
| 6 | Hangyeong | --- | Shilla |
| 7 | Shilla | --- | Hanseong |
| 8 | Sanghae | Shilla | Hangyeong |
| 9 | Hangyeong | Shimyang | Cheonjin |
| 10 | Hangyeong | Armed Forces FC | Seoan Gukjei |
| 11 | Shilla | Hangyeong | Shilla |
| 12 | Seoan Gukjei | Hanseong Gukjei | Seoan Gukjei |
| 13 | Kapundae | Sanghae Haetae | Gwangju |
| 14 | Kapundae | Seoan Cheonma | Seoan Cheonma |
| 15 | --- | --- | --- |
At the moment, the IFL sponsors two domestic cup competitions: the IFA Cup and the Emperor's Cup. The Emperor's Cup began in Season 1 with creation of the NFL. The Emperor's Cup was remodeled with the NFL to create a present 24 team up competition, featuring the best 8 teams of each tier in a cup competition. The IFA Cup is the only domestic cup thusfar to feature all IFA-affiliated teams in a competitive cup format. In addition to the domestic cups, the IFL also has established qualifying criteria for IFL member clubs to compete internationally in the International Club Cups.
[edit] IFA Cup
- Main article: IFA Cup (Daehanjeiguk)
The IFA Cup was first played in Season 8, as a way to bring all of the teams together in one grand cup. At the moment, the current IFA Cup has 56 teams compete in the first round, adding the 4 TQCC qualifiers into Round 2. For all rounds except the final match, each fixture is organized randomly into a home/away series. The team that wins by aggregate score wins the series. Previously, there are no exterior rules (such as away goals) considered in the aggregate score. If an aggregate score is tied at the end of the series, the match precedes into extra time and penalties if need be.
Following the IFL reforms after the Gyeimyo Calamity, the IFA Cup remained open to all clubs in the IFL, as well as opening up to the numerous amateur clubs from each Province. The IFA Cup reverted to a random single-match system as follows:
| Round | Teams | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 Amateur Clubs 20 non-Divisional Academy League Clubs 20 National Division EW Clubs 20 National Division SN clubs | 88 |
| 2 | 44 Round 1 Winners 20 Premier Division Clubs 16 Majestic Division Clubs (non-SBCC qualifiers) 16 Heavenly Division Clubs (non-TQCC/GC Qualifiers - depending upon Season criteria) | 96 |
| 3 | 48 Round 2 Winners | 48 |
| 4 | 24 Round 3 Winners 8 UICA qualifers(SBCC/GC/TQCC - depending upon Season criteria) | 32 |
| 5 | 16 Round 4 Winners | 16 |
| 6 (QTF) | 8 Round 5 Winners | 8 |
| 7 (SMF) | 4 Round 6 Winners | 4 |
| 8 (FINAL) | 2 Round 7 Winners Single fixture at ##STADIUM## | 2 |
| Updated as of Season 13 | ||
[edit] Emperor's Cup
- Main article: Emperor's Cup (Daehanjeiguk)
The Emperor's Cup is the longest running domestic cup in the Han Empire, and the basic tenets of its competition structure has remained virtually unchanged. The top 8 teams in the division compete for the cup title. In the NFL, there was only one division, and hence only one run; but with the development of three additional divisions, the Emperor's Cup now operates with the top teams of the lower two divisions playing a "qualifying" match for the opportunity to play against the top teams of the top tier. Although the tournament began as a home-and-away series fixed according to the rank of each team, matches became a single fixture after Season 8. With the IFA Cup reverting to a single-fixture cup, the Emperor's Cup is now once again a home-and-away series cup, with the best team on aggregate score (away rules apply) winning the series. Traditionally, the Emperor's Cup was an end-of-season tournament, but with the rise of the IFL, the tournament is now concurrent with the end of the season, taking the top 8 teams rated at the end of the Gaeshi-dae (MD19) into consideration.
The Emperor's Cup now holds the top 8 teams from 5 divisions in two-legged series in the following format:
| Round | Teams | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Pre | 8 National Division EW Clubs vs 8 National Division SN Club | 16 |
| 1 | 8 Pre-Round Winners (National Division) vs 8 Heavenly Division Clubs 8Premier Division Clubs vs 8 Majestic Division Clubs | 32 |
| 2 | 8 National-Heavenly Round 1 Winners 8 Premier-Majestic Round 1 Winners | 16 |
| 3 (QTF) | 8 Round 2 Winners | 8 |
| 4 SMF | 4 Round 3 Winners | 4 |
| 5 (FINAL) | 2 Round 4 Winners Single fixture at ##STADIUM## | 2 |
| Updated as of Season 13 | ||
[edit] International Club Cups
- Main articles: UICA, International Club Cups and TakilQuip Champions’ Cup
At the moment, the IFL competes in the International Club Cups Series, which is composed of the TakilQuip Champions' Cup, the Globe Cup, and the Samseong Series B Champions’ Cup. The IFL uses an unusual qualification format, principally because the IFL season is much more extended than the seasons in other countries, owing in part to the extended time-lapse that occurs in the Han Empire. For this reason, qualification for the TQCC and associated cups occurs twice in one season; for this reason, Gaeshi-dae qualification scheme varies from the Pyeiswae-dae qualification scheme. In the Gaeshi-dae, the top four teams in the Heavenly Division qualify for the TQCC; the top four teams in the Majestic Division qualify for the Majestic Division; and the winner and runner-up of the IFA Cup qualify for the Globe Cup. If a team qualifies more than once, the team will take the spot as according to the highest-ranked spot (from TQCC to Globe Cup to SBCC); the empty spots made by that team's selection will be filled by the next best team of the Heavenly Division for the TQCC and Globe Cup, or the next best team of the Majestic Division for the SBCC. In the Pyeiswae-dae, the top four teams of the Heavenly Division qualify for the TQCC; the top four teams of the Majestic Division qualify for the SBCC; and the winner and runner-up of the Emperor's Cup qualify for the Globe Cup. The tie-breaking criteria for the Gaeshi-dae apply for the Pyeiswae-dae as well.
So far, the best performance by a team from the Han Empire in the International Club Cups Series was Seoan Gukjei, in GC11. After place 3rd in their group during TQCC14, Seoan Gukjei qualified to knock-out stages of the Globe Cup, losing out to the eventual champions Caires City of the CMSC. In general, teams from the IFL have not performed well and seldom reach significant levels of competitiveness against other international teams. A study following the restructuring of the IFL in Season 8 suggested that IFL teams did not receive the same amount of exposure in international competitions; the study's conclusion eventually were addressed when the IFA allowed bi-seasonal international qualification. Thus far, the changes have yet to see any real changes in the development IFL competitiveness in the International Club Cups Series.
[edit] Domestic and International Sponsors
In a deal following Season 12, all jaebeol-owned clubs in the IFL were forced to be sold either to the public or to overseas investors in return for nearly equal representation and sponsorship for all Han companies in the League. While direct club sponsorship by Han jaebeol is forbidden in the new rules, individual jaebeol companies can use their finances to fund activities for certain clubs, even if competing with other jaebeol members. Furthermore, every IFL match now bears the mark for all nationally-recognized jaebeol members sponsoring the League, ranging from the top-flight Heavenly Division to the lowliest Amateur teams. As a result, foreign investment and corporate sponsorship of the IFL is forbidden. Companies are nonetheless encouraged to sponsor their own clubs (within reason) in the IFL itself. In fact, many clubs are owned or sponsored by foreign companies as it stands currently.
[edit] Foreign-Owned Clubs
Only clubs owned or sponsored (in IFL terms, there is little difference, since if you have the money, you own the team according to a contract) are listed here. Domestic clubs are typically owned by the locale in which the club plays.
| Club | Owner(s) | Business | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kapundae FC |  Banco Economico
| Banking | HD |
| Goguryeo |  Tae-Mart
| Consumer Retail | MD |
| Namgyeong Songhan |  WendellCorp
| ooh Nethies! | MD |
| Sanghae Haetae |  C4
| random shiz | HD |
| Seoan Cheonma |  Orcinus
| Drinks | HD |
| Yongsan FC |  Viella Incorporated
| random other shix | HD |
| Hayan Horangi |  Ousevale Borough
| Sports Club | MD |
| Han Hawks FC |  Hawks Sporting Academy
| Sports Academy | MD |
[edit] Media Coverage
While corporate sponsorship of the IFL is limited to the jaebeol corporations, and similarly MBC holds the rights to all domestic broadcasts (in languages officially recognized by the Imperial Government, as well as a few minority languages), foreign broadcasters can apply to have their own broadcasting rights in whatever language that they may please; nonetheless, all game feeds are exclusively supplied by MBC.
| Country | Broadcaster(s) | Language(s) |
|---|---|---|
 Daehanjeiguk
| MBC (International) | English, Spanish |
| Valanora
| VIB | English & Sindarian (Elven) |
[edit] Honors
After a brief stint in Season 9 and Season 10, the IFL stopped issuing awards because the existing bureaucracy at the time was unable to support the massive records-keeping and statistical hardware to make any conclusive awards meaningful. A fortunate side-effect of the Gyeimyo Calamity was that the organization was forced to reorganize, and in the pursuit of rewarding individual players, a separate bureau for records-keeping was established for Season 13. Only players in the Heavenly Division are eligible for League Player awards at the moment.
[edit] Player Awards
| Season | Golden Boot | Best Goalkeeper | Best Defender | Best Midfielder | Best Striker | Yong-Gu (Best Player) | Best Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Suiawë Feldireth (32 goals, Yongsan FC) | Dong Sei-Yeong (Cheonjin FC) | Wang Nam-Dong (Yeonseong FC) | Shin Seok-Gyo (Yeonseong FC) | Rosário (Cheonjin FC) | Rosário (Cheonjin FC) | Ioshido Toki (Kapundae FC) |
| 14 | Yi Suk-Yun (25 goals, Seoan Cheonma) | Yi Mi-Tae (Malla Yeonhap) | Haesumé (Kapundae FC) |  Marino (Kapundae FC) | Paulinho (Kapundae FC) | Paulinho (Kapundae FC) | Ioshido Toki (Kapundae FC) |
[edit] International Awards
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First division football leagues
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