Norwegian Premier League
The
Norwegian Premier League is the top division for
football (soccer) in
Norway. Its official
Norwegian name is
Tippeligaen after its sponsor
Norsk Tipping, the national
lottery and
bookmaking service. It is also
colloquially known as
Eliteserien ("The Elite League"), although the name has never been official.
Between
1963 and
1990 the name of the league was
1. divisjon ("1st Division"), a name that has later been used for the second level league from 1991. (In
2005 the second level league was officially named
Adeccoligaen after its sponsor
Adecco.) From the fall of
1948 to
1962 the top division was called
Hovedserien ("The Main League"), and between
1937 and the summer of 1948 it was called
Norgesserien ("The League of Norway").
The Norwegian Premier League consists of 14 teams that play each other twice (home and away) during a season which lasts from April until October.
Teams are ranked by:
* Number of points (3 points per win, 1 point per draw). If two teams are tied they are ranked by
* Goal difference (Goals scored minus goals conceded during the season). If this is also tied the teams are ranked by
* Goals scored, and finally
* Results between the tied teams.
The two last standing teams at the end of a season are relegated, while the third last team has to play two qualifying matches (home and away) against the third best team in the
First Division for continued participation. The league champion qualifies for the
UEFA Champions League and the four highest ranked teams (including the winner) qualify for the Scandinavian
Royal League.
Tippeligaen title holders
The league has enjoyed tremendous popularity in Norway.
Viking of
Stavanger won the first year the league bore the name Tippeligaen, followed by
Rosenborg of
Trondheim, claiming 13 consecutive titles (1992-2004). During the first years Rosenborg won with a substantial margin, only partly challenged by
Molde,
Lillestrøm and
Brann. However, this was streadily narrowing down towards a dramatic finish in 2004, where the Trondheim team tied with
Vålerenga of
Oslo in game points, but finished ahead on goals scored. However, in 2005 the winning streak came to an end as Vålerenga clinched the title, one point ahead of
Start of
Kristiansand. Rosenborg was never in contention this year and would finish only 7th.
The following clubs have won the top division in Norwegian football since
1938. Note that this list is in a way misleading, due to the fact that clubs from
Northern Norway were not allowed to take part in the league system before 1972. This odd league system caused considerable bitterness in the north in the 50's, 60's and 70's (see also:
F.K. Bodø/Glimt and
List of Premier League Champions from 1938 to present time).
*19 wins:
Rosenborg*9 wins:
Fredrikstad*8 wins:
Viking*5 wins:
Lillestrøm,
Vålerenga*3 wins:
Larvik Turn*2 wins:
Brann,
Lyn,
Start*1 win:
Fram Larvik,
Freidig,
Moss,
Skeid,
StrømsgodsetBelow is a list of the gold, silver and bronze medalists in the Norwegian Premier League for men since its beginning in 1937/38. (
The Norwegian football cup has been played since 1902.) During 1937-1948 the name of the league was Norgesserien ("The League of Norway"), 1948-1962 Hovedserien ("The Main League"), 1963-1990 1. divisjon ("1st Division"), and from 1991 Tippeligaen (sponsored name) or Eliteserien ("The Elite League", a generic name).
Before 1961, the championship was decided by a final match, after that through a league table. Bronze finals were played in 1960 and 1961, before that no bronze medals were awarded. Note that clubs from Northern Norway (including Bodø/Glimt and Tromsø) were not allowed in the top division until 1972, but a separate
Northern Norwegian Cup was played. The league did not play during the period 1940-1946 because of the 2nd World War.
See below for a list of
medalists by club name.
Medalists by year
The following medals have been awarded:
Medalists by club name
The following
clubs have won one or more Premier League medals since 1937/38:
| Club | Founded | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Last merits |
|---|
| Bodø/Glimt | 1916 | - | 3 | 1 | League silver 2003; cup gold 1993, silver 2003 |
| Brann | 1908-09-26 | 2 | 4 | 3 | League gold 1963, silver 2000, bronze 2004; cup gold 2004 |
| Bryne | 1926 | - | 2 | - | League silver 1982; cup gold 1987, silver 2001 |
| Eik-Tønsberg | 1928-03-14 | - | 1 | 1 | League silver 1960/61 |
| Fram Larvik | 1894 | 1 | - | - | League gold 1949/50 |
| Fredrikstad | 1903-04-07 | 9 | 8 | 1 | League gold 1960/61, silver 1972; cup gold 1984 |
| Freidig | 1903 | 1 | - | - | League gold 1947/48 |
| Ham-Kam | 1918 | - | - | 1 | League bronze 1970 |
| Kongsvinger | 1892-01-31 | - | 1 | 2 | League silver 1992 |
| Larvik Turn | 1906 | 3 | - | - | League gold 1955/56; cup silver 1956 |
| Lillestrøm | 1917-04-02 | 5 | 8 | 3 | League gold 1989, silver 2001; cup gold 1985, silver 2005 |
| Lyn | 1896-03-03 | 2 | 5 | 4 | League gold 1968, silver 1971, bronze 2005; cup gold 1968, silver 2004 |
| Mjøndalen | 1910 | - | 2 | - | League silver 1986; cup gold 1937, silver 1968 |
| Molde | 1911-06-19 | - | 6 | 3 | League silver 2002; cup gold 2005 |
| Moss | 1906-08-28 | 1 | 1 | - | League gold 1987; cup gold 1983 |
| Odd Grenland | 1894-03-31 | - | 2 | - | League silver 1956/57; cup gold 2000, silver 2002 |
| Rosenborg | 1917-05-19 | 19 | 5 | 1 | League gold 2004; cup gold 2003 |
| Sarpsborg | 1903-05-08 | - | - | 2 | League bronze 1965; cup gold 1951, silver 1964 |
| Skeid | 1915 | 1 | 5 | 1 | League gold 1966, silver 1967; cup gold 1974 |
| Sparta Sarpsborg | 1928-11-23 | - | 1 | - | League silver 1947/48; cup gold 1952 |
| Stabæk | 1912-03-16 | - | - | 2 | League bronze 2003; cup gold 1998 |
| Start | 1905-09-19 | 2 | 1 | 7 | League gold 1980, silver 2005 |
| Steinkjer | 1910 | - | 1 | - | League silver 1961/62 |
| Strømsgodset | 1907 | 1 | - | 3 | League gold 1970, bronze 1997; cup gold 1991, silver 1997 |
| Tromsø | 1920 | - | 1 | 1 | League silver 1990; cup gold 1996 |
| Viking | 1899-08-10 | 8 | 2 | 8 | League gold 1991, bronze 2001; cup gold 2001 |
| Vålerenga | 1913-07-29 | 5 | 2 | 3 | League gold 2005; cup gold 2002 |
From
1995 the league was expanded with two teams, and has 182 matches a year. Before that the number was 132 matches a year.
| Year | Total!Average | | 1985 | 581 177 | 4 403 |
| 1986 | 426 349 | 3 229 |
| 1987 | 469 030 | 3 553 |
| 1988 | 576 257 | 4 365 |
| 1989 | 624 679 | 4 732 |
| 1990 | 647 489 | 4 905 |
| 1991 | 706 508 | 5 352 |
| 1992 | 671 903 | 5 083 |
| 1993 | 731 565 | 5 542 |
| 1994 | 688 589 | 5 216 |
| 1995 | 841 717 | 4 624 |
| 1996 | 841 368 | 4 622 |
| 1997 | 772 197 | 4 242 |
| 1998 | 959 317 | 5 270 |
| 1999 | 983 630 | 5 404 |
| 2000 | 1 024 722 | 5 639 |
| 2001 | 1 013 264 | 5 567 |
| 2002 | 1 092 359 | 6 002 |
| 2003 | 1 198 798 | 6 587 |
| 2004 | 1 458 258 | 8 012 |
| 2005 | 1 727 101 | 9 489 |
Most matches played
Roar Strand and Christer Basma are still active in the Premier League during the 2006 season.
Most goals scored
*
List of Premier League Champions from 1938 to present time*
List of football clubs in Norway*
Norwegian Premier League 1998,
1999,
2000,
2001,
2002,
2003,
2004,
2005,
2006*
Norwegian Premier League for women*
Norwegian top scorers*
Sports league attendances*
Norwegian Football Association*
All-time Premier League table from 1963 to 2004
