The First League of the Republika Srpska ( sh, Prva liga Republike Srpske / ) is a second level football competition in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. The league champion is promoted to the

Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina The m:tel Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( bs, m:tel Premijer liga Bosne i Hercegovine / м:тел Премијер лига Босне и Херцеговине), also known as Liga 12, is the top tier football league in Bosnia and He ...

. Relegated teams, depending on how many get relegated, fall to the

Second League of the Republika Srpska The Second League of the Republika Srpska ( sr, Друга лига Републике Српске / Druga liga Republike Srpske) is a third level football league competition in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is divided into two leagues, based on geog ...

History

Separate and second tier league

Since there were three different football championships in the country, organized on ethnic principles, the "First League of the Republika Srpska" was the top flight in the

Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, lit=Serb Republic, also known as Republic of Srpska, ) is one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is locat ...

before 2002. However, the champions of this League were not recognized by

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

. In 2002, the top clubs from the Republika Srpska joined the

and the First League was kept as one of two second level divisions. It is still run by the

Football Association of Republika Srpska The Football Association of Republika Srpska ( sr, Фудбалски савез Републике Српске, ФСРС / ''Fudbalski savez Republike Srpske'', ''FSRS'') is the official football association of the Republika Srpska entity of B ...

, and has ended its boycott of Bosnian football on a federal level.

New format and expansion

The league changed format in the 2014–15 season and was split into two stages, the regular season and the playoffs. Each of the 12 competitors in the First League hosts every other team once in the regular season, for a total of 22 matches. A playoff phase is then played from April to May. The point system in the championship playoff is the same as during the regular season, except that each team starts with half of the points they won in the regular season, rounded up to the nearest integer. The points gained by rounding are deducted in the case of a tie. Similar systems are also used in the Belgian First Division A and the Polish

Ekstraklasa Poland Ekstraklasa (), meaning "Extra Class" in Polish, named PKO Ekstraklasa since the 2019–20 season due to its sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is the top Polish professional league for men's association football teams. Contested by 18 ...

. The top six teams from the regular season enter the championship playoff, with the first-placed team winning the First League and teams ranked from 7 to 12 after the regular season enter the relegation playoffs. Each team plays their opponents once. The League champion is promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season, and the bottom clubs are relegated to the

(third level). The number of relegated teams depends on how many clubs are entering the league. Those are the winners of the two third level league groups, the winner of the relegation play-off, and Republika Srpska clubs relegated from the Premier League. So, sometimes two clubs get relegated, and sometimes three or even four. On 12 June 2020, it was confirmed that the league will be expanded from 10 to 16 teams in the 2020–21 season.

Member clubs for 2020–21

League champions

Previous champions and winners of the league are: Since the 2002–03 season, it became a second national level competition. League champion gets direct promotion to the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

. * 2002–03 -

Modriča Modriča ( sr-cyrl, Модрича) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013 census, the town has a population of 10,137 inhabitants, while the municipality has a population of 25,72 ...

* 2003–04 -

Slavija Sarajevo Fudbalski klub Slavija Sarajevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Славија Сарајево) is a professional association football club from the city of Istočno Sarajevo, Republika Srpska that is situated in Bosnia and Herze ...

* 2004–05 - Radnik Bijeljina * 2005–06 - Borac Banja Luka * 2006–07 -

Laktaši Laktaši ( sr-cyrl, Лакташи) is a city located in Republika Srpska, an entity of the state Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the municipality had a population of 34,966 inhabitants, while the town has a population of 5,879 inhabita ...

* 2007–08 - Borac Banja Luka * 2008–09 - Rudar Prijedor * 2009–10 - Drina Zvornik *

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

- Kozara Gradiška * 2011–12 - Radnik Bijeljina *

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

- Mladost Velika Obarska * 2013–14 - Drina Zvornik * 2014–15 - Rudar Prijedor * 2015–16 - Krupa * 2016–17 - Borac Banja Luka * 2017–18 - Zvijezda 09 * 2018–19 - Borac Banja Luka * 2019–20 - Krupa * 2020–21 - Rudar Prijedor * 2021–22 -

Performance by club

References

External links

Football Association of Republika Srpska
{{UEFA second leagues 2 1

Bos ''Bos'' (from Latin '' bōs'': cow, ox, bull) is the genus of wild and domestic cattle. ''Bos'' is often divided into four subgenera: ''Bos'', ''Bibos'', ''Novibos'', and ''Poephagus'', but including these last three divisions within the gen ...

Recurring sporting events established in 1995 1995 establishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina