Meistrliiga
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| Country | |
| Association | Baltic Sporting Association (The BSA) |
| Most titles | |
| Current Holders | |
| Top scorer | |
| Division | First |
| Completed seasons | Twelve |
| Number of teams | 20 |
| Promotion to | None |
| Relegation to | Esiliiga (2 clubs) |
| Domestic Cup | Liitriik Kruus |
The Meistrliiga is the foremost Football division in Somewhereistonia, it consists on 20 teams with two being relegated to the Esiliiga each season whilst two teams move in the other direction. The Meistrliiga is sponsored by Cafundese bank, Banco Econômico.
Contents |
History
The Meistrliiga was brought in in an attempt to put the Somewhereistonian football teams among the best in the world. Prior to it's introduction Somewhereistonia used a system of regional leagues, cup tournaments and the Kaheksa super leagues. With the new system of the Meistrliiga, Esiliiga and eventually the Koliliiga for the new countrywide leagues, Somewhereistonia begun to rise through the TQCC rankings. The expansion of Somewhereistonia following the war with Kyrinskaia brought with it many new teams at many levels and caused the introduction of a new fourth division, the Neljaliiga.
Initially it was thought that the "big two" (Qasarian Sparta and Dinamo Karrakiv) would dominate the new system, as they had done in the Kahenska leagues and the first season of the Meistrliiga (finishing as the top two). Whilst Qasarian Sparta won the first two seasons of the Meistrliiga, they have since dipped in form, with their only other top two finish being in season 4. Dinamo Karrakiv have had a harder time in the new league, winning the title in season 5 and finishing second twice.
The creation of the Meistrliiga has helped fuel both investment in football and the number of foreign players playing in the nation - something seen as a key target by the Baltic Sporting Association. The first team to see major investment was Metalurgs during season 1, this was also the first team to field a non-human player; Grenda o Herrachaum of Bears Armed. Metalurgs have since become a major league team, winning the title in both season 4 and season 7 as well as finishing second in seasons 2 and 3. Atlantas Klaipaada became the largest spenders in the league from season 2, spending several hundred million Liters on new players as well as a new stadium. This has brought great success to Atlantas, winning the title in twice and finishing second twice, being the most consistent top four team in recent years. They have also been hugely successful in the Liitriik Kruus. Other teams looking to break into the new "big four" have had mixed success, with Ventspils Redwings and Qasarian City looking like the only two who could keep up regularly.
Season 8 brought huge changes to the league structure, with radical shifts in team placement across leagues as well as mass relegations to allow for new teams to come in. Atlantas Klaipaada were the team to draw success in the final season of the pre-war era. Holding off Metalurgs whilst Dinamo Karrakiv and Qasarian Sparta came third and fourth - the last time the old big two would see such success together. Season 9 was an unusual system. Due to the war delaying the previous season, there were no UICA places to be earned, so the league title was all that was up for grabs. Atlantas stormed to another title, finishing 14 points clear of Metalurgs. The new teams showed their pedigree well in this first season, with Volodiscow Resistance, Oaków Lightening and Balakka Vanguard finishing third, fourth and fifth. The old big two only managed to finish eighth and twelth, finally ending their grip on the top of the table. A loss they are still to recover.
Season 10 was one of real shock, with Atlantas seemingly going the way of the former, big two, finishing third and with seventeen less points than they had the previous season. Volodiscow Resistance getting a deserved first title in their second season in Somewhereistonian football. Metalurgs once again finished a respectable second with Qasarian City a surprise fourth. Season 11 saw Resistance retain their title after being pushed to the wire by Atlantas, who lost 4-0 on the last day of the season to gift the Volodiscow side the title on goal difference. Sparta and City were the next two in the league as Metalurgs began to show some fragility, finishing fifth; their worst result for several years. Season 12 saw Atlantas regain the title after it had spent the last two years in Volodiscow, with the new team struggling to match the performances of the previous two seasons. ISC Rig made a strong push to third, only behind Resistance on Goal difference. Qasarian City and Tammeka Kuressaare finished up the Globe Cup spots with strong performances. Metalurgs and the old big two all struggling to prove their pedigree within the new teams.
Having started in season 1 with no foreign players, there has been a huge expansion, with in excess of 100 foreign players playing in the division, as well as the now naturalized national goalkeeper; Karela Hanaterisana. This looks likely to continue to grow, with the impact of foreign players attracting many new viewers from throughout the world.
Title History
Number of league titles
- 5 - Atlantas Klaipaada
- 2 - Qasarian Sparta
- 2 - Metalurgs
- 2 - Volodiscow Resistance
- 1 - Dinamo Karrakiv
By year
Current clubs
| Club |
Position in Season |
Meistrliiga titles |
Last title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantas Klaipaada | 1st | 5 | Season 12 |
| Volodiscow Resistance | 2nd | 2 | Season 11 |
| ISC Rig | 3rd | 0 | n/a |
| Qasarian City | 4th | 0 | n/a |
| Tammeka Kuressaare | 5th | 0 | n/a |
| Ventspils Redwings | 6th | 0 | n/a |
| Qasarian Sparta | 7th | 2 | Season 2 |
| Dinamo Karrakiv | 8th | 1 | Season 5 |
| Ventspils Bluewings | 9th | 0 | n/a |
| Metalurgs | 10th | 2 | Season 7 |
| FK Koltelcia | 11th | 0 | n/a |
| Vetra Jurmala | 12th | 0 | n/a |
| Oaków Lightening | 13th | 0 | n/a |
| Skonto Liepaja | 14th | 0 | n/a |
| Balakka Vanguard | 15th | 0 | n/a |
| FK Samseong Dreiliņaja | 16th | 0 | n/a |
| Kabano Zeppelin | 17th | 0 | n/a |
| Hawks Sporting Academy | 18th | 0 | n/a |
| Vaska FK | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| FBK Karrakiv | n/a | 0 | n/a |
International club competitions
Current national league ranking
The Meistrliiga is currently the 19th highest ranking league in the world, based on the TakilQuip Champions’ Cup coëfficients.
Media Coverage
Domestic Media Partners
Somesport and VTV Spordiga both share the rights to the Meistrliiga. VTV Spordiga have a channel set aside for league matches and highlights: Spordiga Meistrlliga. Somesport show 18% of Meistrliiga matches, mainly on Somesport1. Somesport have a tendency to show derby matches whilst VTV usually get the most important matches between the best teams.
International Media Partners
| Known International Broadcasters | ||
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| Country | Broadcaster(s) | |
| BazSport | ||
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Globo a Cabo | |
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TTO Sport | |
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MBC | |
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Arena Bola | |
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CSC | |
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RMBC | |
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MalSport | |
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NPBC Sports | |
| Paripana | Aeropag Tribune | |
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PISN | |
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QP Sportscaster International | |
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SargoSport | |
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SNTV AOSport | |
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TNN Sports 2 | |
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VIB | |
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BCN International | |
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The Football Channel, RSN | |
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The Federation of Baltic States of Somewhereistonia | |
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