Season 2003-04 Goals scored 686 | Start date 2003 Location Bulgaria Matches played 240 | |
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UEFA Cup CSKALevski SofiaLitex Relegated PFC Botev Plovdiv, PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad, FC Chernots Burgas People also search for 2004–05 A Group, 2005–06 A Group | ||
The 2003–04 A Group is the 56th season of the top Bulgarian national football league (commonly referred to as A Group) and the 80th edition of a Bulgarian national championship tournament.
Contents
This is the first season since the revision of the league rules after an unsuccessful attempt for a creation of a so-called Premier Professional Football League.
Overview
In the doorstep of the new millennium the Bulgarian Football Union decided to reform the football league system creating the Premier Professional Football League. The new top tier of Bulgarian football required all of its participants to be licensed as professional football clubs. The reforms also saw the number of teams reduced and introduced relegation play-offs during the years of its existence. The Bulgarian Premier League, however, was unsuccessful so from season 2003–04 the top Bulgarian league was re-established as the Bulgarian A Professional Football Group, returning to the traditions of A Republican Football Group and increasing the number of teams participating back to 16. Still, A Group retained the requirement of a professional status of all participants.
In the 2003–04 season Lokomotiv Plovdiv became champions for the first time in their history.
Teams
A total of 16 clubs contested the league, including 12 from the previous season in the tier, and 4 promoted from the second flight.
As before the start of the season, the top flight of Bulgarian football was once again restructured and the number of participants in the league was increased back to the traditional 16 teams from 14 the previous season, there were no promotion play-offs for the right to participate in A Group that season. Instead after the end of season 2002–03 the last two teams in the top level - Dobrudzha Dobrich placed 13th, and Rilski Sportist Samokov placed 14th - were directly relegated to B Group, while the winners and the runners-up from the two divisions of B Group in season 2002–03 - Vidima-Rakovski and Rodopa Smolyan from the East division, and Belasitsa and Makedonska slava from the West division - were directly promoted to the top level of Bulgarian football.
Stadia and Locations
Their home grounds are located as follows.
League Table
Updated to games played on 23 March 2014.
Source: A PFG (Bulgarian)
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd head-to-head points; 3rd head-to-head goal difference; 4th head-to-head goals scored; 5th head-to-head away goals scored; 6th season goal difference; 7th season goals scored; 8th "sportsmanship" (R & Y cards); 9th draw
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.
Results
Updated to games played on 24 March 2014.
Source: A PFG
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.