Country Niger Domestic cup(s) Niger Cup Most championships Sahel SC (13) Current champion AS Douanes Levels on pyramid 1 | Level on pyramid 1 Current champions AS Douanes
(2014–15) Number of teams 14 Date founded 1966 | |
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Confederation Confederation of African Football International cups CAF Champions League, CAF Confederation Cup Teams Sahel SC, AS FAN, Olympic FC de Niamey, AS Douanes, AS GNN | ||
The Niger Premier League (fr. Championnat National de Première Division or Championnat D1) is the highest division in football in Niger. The league's first year of operation was 1966.
Contents
Structure
Although the Premier League Championship has been contested since 1966, the structure has changed over time, and a number of years the competition has been canceled or shortened. Most recently the Championship was canceled completely in 2002, and several major clubs dropped out in 2004 and 2005 for financial reasons and because of the 2005 Famine afflicting the south center of the nation. In 2004, for instance, three clubs in the first round were disqualified, and more than two dozen matches were annulled or awarded after the fact for a variety of offences.
Since the 1990s, the clubs compete in a group stage, the winners of which advance to the "Super League" which contests the second half of the season, with the losers contesting a league to determine what clubs will be relegated to the Regional leagues. The Leagues in each of the Nigerien regions (called the Nigerien D2 Championships) then send champions to a play-off to determine which two clubs will be promoted. Historically, Niamey has had the most accomplished regional league, and has provided most clubs in the national championship. Only two clubs from outside Niamey have ever won the championship. The Ligue de Niamey has been powerful enough that, after disputes over relegation on 2000, five Niamey clubs formed their own rival competition (the "Coupe des Sponsors"), and played only the Ligue de Niamey championship in the 2002 season, when Fenifoot cancelled the season due to funding shortfalls.
In 2008 there were 20 clubs entered, broken down into four groups (Groupe A, B, C, D) of five. The top two teams from each group go on to the Super League, while the bottom club in each group goes into a relegation play-off, in which two clubs are relegated. The first stages were played in ten rounds March–June, the relegation play-off in three rounds in July, and the Super league in seven rounds in July to August.
The Niger Cup, as well as a number of invitational and regional trophies, are played simultaneously.
From 2010 the league will be broken down to two groups of ten .