The S1 League ( si, එස්1 ලීගය; ta, எஸ்1 லீக்), or simply S1, also known as Sri Lanka Champions League, is the second tier division of the Sri Lankan football league system and was succeeded by the professional Sri Lanka Super League which serves as the first division. Until 2019 it was sponsored by Dialog Axiata and was thus officially known as the Dialog Champions League. The league was conducted in various formats. Apart from the league system, a playoff stage was included in 2013–14 season. Currently, 18 clubs are participating in the tournament. Saunders have won the most titles in the league, winning 12 titles. Rathnam have won the title 5 times,

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4 times, and Colombo 3 times. In recent times, different clubs have been able to win the championship title.

History

The competition was started in 1985 and it was held every year. The 2016 Sri Lanka Football Premier League is the 32nd season of the Sri Lanka Football league. The tournament was conducted in various formats. Apart from the league system a playoff stage was included in the 2013–14 season. Currently 18 clubs participate in the tournament. Saunders are the most time champion with 12 titles. Rathnam have won the title five times and

four times. In recent times different clubs have been able to win the championship title. Colombo have won the title three times and are the current champions.

Competition format

In the current structure of the league 18 clubs compete for the title. In the first stage the teams are divided into two groups of nine. Those teams compete in a round robin format. The best four teams from each group qualify for the Championship Stage. In that stage the 8 teams compete in a round robin format and the group winner is the champion of the season. The bottom two teams of each group in the first stage are relegated to the Division I.

Qualification for international competitions

The champion of the league will earn the chance to play in the

AFC Cup The AFC Cup is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Under its current rules, the competition is played primarily between clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying s ...

tournament which is organized by Asian Football Confederation. Also they qualify for the SAFF Club Championship. However the title holders didn't compete in any of the above competitions until 2014. The first team to play in the

was Colombo FC, which won the title in 2015.

Previous winners

Champions so far:

Most championships

The number of national championships that clubs in Sri Lanka have attained.

Sponsorship

The title sponsor of the current season in Dialog. So the league is known as Dialog Champions League. Other than dialog Cargills also sponsor the previous events. The official ball is supplied by

Molten Melting, or fusion, is a physical process that results in the phase transition of a substance from a solid to a liquid. This occurs when the internal energy of the solid increases, typically by the application of heat or pressure, which i ...

. The official broadcast partner is ''Football Sri Lanka TV''.

Stadiums

Most of the clubs in this league haven't any FIFA Standard Stadiums. So most of the matches are played in the 25,000-capacity

Sugathadasa Stadium Sugathadasa Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is currently used for football, rugby union, and athletics. The stadium holds 25,000 people and has an on-site hotel. History The concept of an outdoor sporting stadium was ...

and Kelaniya Football Complex. Some clubs play their matches in their home stadiums which are located in Colombo, Anuradhapura, Kelaniya and Kalutara.

Topscorers

References

External links

League
at FIFA
League
at soccerway.com {{AFC second leagues 1 Second level football leagues in Asia Sports leagues established in 1985 1985 establishments in Sri Lanka