Ykkönen

Ykkönen Template:Fi icon Ettan Template:Sv icon
Ykkönen 2009 League Table
Founded
1995
Nation
Finland
Number of Teams
14
Promotion To
Veikkausliiga
Relegation To
Kakkonen
Current Champions
AC Oulu
Website
Miesten Ykkönen

Ykkönen (Finnish for 'Number One'; Template:Lang-sv) is the first division of the Finnish football league system as managed by the Football Association of Finland.

It is, however, overall only the second highest level in Finnish football, as the Veikkausliiga is managed independently of the Football Association and serves as the highest division.

Competition

Like the Veikkausliiga, the first division is played mainly during the summer. It comprises 14 clubs, all of whom play two matches against all other clubs in the division. The winner of the Ykkönen attains promotion directly to the top level, while the second-placed team plays a two-legged knockout tie with the second-last team of the Veikkausliiga.

A similar promotion/relegation system takes place between the Ykkönen and the Kakkonen ('second division', or the third level of Finnish football), with the bottom two teams being relegated and the next two playing knockout ties with two teams from Kakkonen.

Clubs

2010 Finnish Football League Structure
Nation
Finland
First Level
Veikkausliiga
Second Level
Ykkönen - First Division
Third Level
Kakkonen - Second Division
Fourth Level
Kolmonen - Third Division
Fifth Level
Nelonen - Fourth Division
Sixth Level
Vitonen - Fifth Division
Seventh Level
Kutonen - Sixth Division
Eighth Level
Seiska - Seventh Division

2009 Finnish Football League Tables

The clubs in the Ykkönen for the upcoming 2010 season are (with their home towns in brackets):

FC Espoo (Espoo) FC Hämeenlinna (Hämeenlinna) FC Viikingit (Helsinki) JIPPO (Joensuu) Klubi-04 (Helsinki) FC KooTeePee (Kotka) KPV (Kokkola)

MP (Mikkeli) OPS (Oulu) PK-35 (Vantaa) PS Kemi Kings (Kemi) PoPa (Pori) RoPS (Rovaniemi) TPV (Tampere)

For the 2010 season RoPS have been relegated from the Veikkausliiga to the Ykkönen. AC Oulu were promoted to the Veikkausliiga. FC Espoo, MP and OPS, were promoted to the Ykkönen from the Kakkonen for the 2009 season. Atlantis, FC Kiisto and TP-47 were relegated to the Kakkonen.

Notable former foreign players

Dritan Stafsula Feras Abid Luiz Antonio Rafinha Tinho Frank Jonke Denis Mikanba Marc Ndikumade Saša Kolić Noam Surrier Dawda Bah Giorgi Nikuradze Abeiku Adams Manga Ekongollo

Norbert Kerényi Tibor Márkus Mihály Szeróvay Ramon Bailey Ilja Fomitsev Aleksandr Roslovs Toni Banduliev Edgar Lugo Babatunde Wusu Ojembe Olatuga Michael Ozor Dayo Oyetuga Krzysztof Klosinski Dragan Pejić

Andraš Strapak Unisa Bangura Alimamy Jalloh Hassan Sesay Chad Botha Dmitri Brovkin Jon Burklo Colin Burns Dejan Godar Chileshe Chibwe Stephen Kunda Chanda Mwaba Nchimunya Mweetwa Zeddy Saileti

Aleksei Zhukov Aleksander Baranov Vyacheslav Malakeev

External links

• League information; at the Football Association of Finland
• List of League Second Level tables since 1930