Football in Liechtenstein
Football is in Liechtenstein - in addition to winter sports - one of the most popular sports. In the 160 square kilometers big and 36,000 inhabitants, Principality of Liechtenstein, there are seven clubs with around 1,700 active footballers. Thus, the Liechtenstein Football Association ( LFV ) one of the smallest in the world in relation to population size but one of the greatest.
The Liechtenstein clubs are not from their own championship. Founded in 1934, Liechtenstein Football Association is affiliated with its clubs the Swiss Football Association and participates in there on game point operation, but performs a separate cup competition.
The beginnings of football in Liechtenstein
Soccer sport came relatively late on in Liechtenstein. While in neighboring Switzerland and Austria in the late 19th century football was played, the sport in Liechtenstein was initially hesitant recording. The sport enjoyed no respect and was ridiculed - life in that time still mainly rural Liechtenstein was hard and the people starved too much, as that such hobbies breakthrough would have succeeded. People's Educational and ideological goals did not exist. State aid were excluded, the construction of sports facilities, a utopia. Despite the initially existing brake function of society, church and school, the football took off about 1930 in Liechtenstein slowly but surely.
Even before the founding of the first Liechtenstein Football clubs, some idealists came together to tschutten to different places without having a big idea about the rules of football. The few still available sources indicate that as of 1931, the first efforts establishing official football clubs were made . Once an interest group successfully tried hard to get assigned to the Vaduz municipality a football field, in December 1931, the founding of FC Vaduz became the first Liechtenstein Football Association. Already in the following year, the FC Balzers and FC Triesen from the baptism were lifted. While the FC Balzers and FC Triesen joined the Swiss Football Association immediately, FC Vaduz played his first championship round in 1932 nor in the Austrian Vorarlberg Football Association. Just one year later, however, also joined the FC Vaduz in the Swiss Federation in which place every Liechtenstein clubs are integrated.
In 1934, the four founded by then clubs FC Schaan, FC Balzers, FC and FC Vaduz Triesen combined to form the Liechtenstein Football Association, which since 1946 also has its own competition - the Liechtenstein Football Cup - for good. In 1954, the USV Eschen -Mauren - which was led until 1963 as FC Moors - added as an additional member. 1958 FC Ruggell was added and finally in 1972 the FC Triesenberg.
The Liechtenstein Football Association is a member of the Liechtenstein Olympic Sports Association ( LOSV ) and partner association of the eastern Swiss Football Association ( OFV ). In 1974, the Association was incorporated as a 142 Member of the World Federation FIFA, and as the 34th member of the European Football Association UEFA; eight years later the first international match of the Liechtenstein national football team was held. Meanwhile, the Liechtenstein Football already has a first small successes.
The Liechtenstein national football team was only eight years after joining the FIFA and UEFA, their first official international match from. It took place on 9 March 1982 in front of 4500 spectators in Balzers against Switzerland instead and ended with a 0-1 defeat. In the following years, only few other countries were played. There followed in 1984 a 0:6 against Austria the 50-year anniversary of the Association of LFV, which is supposed to be but was not an official international game, according to the former Association Vice - President Otto Biedermann. More games were played in 1990 against the United States (1:4) and 1991 against the Swiss neighbors ( 0:6 ). For the first time then put it under the German coach Dietrich Weise during the qualifying round of the 1996 European international competition. The previous World Cup qualifiers in 1994 would, according damaligem LFV President Ernst Nigg means too much, at this time not yet insurmountable administrative challenge, which is why they had withdrawn a message for the World Cup qualifiers again.
The home games are being played in the Rhine Park Stadium in Vaduz.
The first victory achieved Liechtenstein on 6 June of the same year in Vaduz in a test game with a 2-0 win against a club team from Beijing. Since 1994, Liechtenstein regularly takes part in the qualifiers for the European Championship and the World Cup. In their first appearances in the qualifying rounds Liechtenstein injured, some very high losses, such as against Romania ( 0:8 and 1:7 ) and Macedonia ( 1:11 ).
1998 could be on the first win in a competitive match - a 2-1 win over Azerbaijan - happy. When qualifying for the Football World Cup 2002 Liechtenstein was in his group although victorious and Last scoreless, but the defeats were no longer as high as in the past. In the preliminary round for the European Championships in Portugal in 2004, although they managed a 1-1 draw against Macedonia, but remained only the last place in the table again.
In qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, the team selection Liechtenstein caused some surprise. Against Luxembourg away the team won clearly 4-0 and reached home 3-0. Against the second- Slovakia Liechtenstein was able to secure a point. However, the biggest surprise were the games against later group winner Portugal. Home was a 0-2 deficit to caught up and achieved a sensational 2-2 draw at the end. In the return match in Aveiro Liechtenstein even went through a gate of Benjamin Fischer 1-0 lead, but Pauleta and Nuno Gomes could prevent a defeat at the end and secure the 2-1 victory for the European vice-champion. Portugal has in this qualification thus conceded three of the five goals of Liechtenstein. In qualifying Group 3 World Cup 2006 Liechtenstein occupied at the end, although the penultimate place, but reached no less than 8 points and a goal difference of 13:23.
Liechtenstein wanted to build on these successes and made a mental note in particular for the qualification for the 2008 European Cup in neighboring countries Austria and Switzerland a lot. In fact, not only appearance Liechtenstein degenerated into a goal fest, and on March 28, even the first victory could be moved into a home game, a 1-0 win against the participants of the EURO 2004 Latvia. On 17 October 2007 the national team even managed a 3-0 victory over the team from Iceland, Liechtenstein still finished second in their group the last place.
The Liechtenstein Football League
The Liechtenstein Football Association contributes due to the small number of clubs from no own championship round. The Liechtenstein Football Club since 1933 therefore take pursuant to a contractual arrangement already in the Swiss championship in part.
The Swiss league system consists of the two professional leagues Axpo Super League (formerly National League A) with ten teams and the Challenge League (formerly National League B) with ten teams. Below it since the 2012/2013 season newly created League 1 Promotion and the amateur leagues of the first league of the second league interregional and then from the second league down to the 5th league.
The most successful club of the Principality - FC Vaduz - played in 2008/ 09 for the first time in the Axpo Super League, making it the first Liechtenstein club in the Swiss first division and the only professional club in Liechtenstein. Currently, he plays in the Challenge League.
The USV Eschen -Mauren, the second- best team in the principality and plays since 2008 /09 in the 1st League, Group C, the fourth division. A further rise would not give the UPS in all probability, since, according to the agreement between Liechtenstein and the Swiss Football Association only one Liechtenstein team is allowed to play in the Swiss professional area.
The FC Balzers takes the game operation of the second inter-regional league, the fifth division, in part. A deeper League currently playing the FC Schaan, which is the second league to belong (sixth national league ). The FC and FC Ruggell Triesenberg are assigned to the 3rd league; unterklassigste the club in 2008/ 09 from Liechtenstein 's FC Triesen from the fourth league.
Since the two seventh division of Ruggell and Triesenberg different seasons belong to play in the 2008 /09 no Liechtenstein Erstmannschaften in the same league.
The Liechtenstein Cup competition
The Liechtenstein Cup, held every year since 1946. The determined in the knockout cup winners system is entitled to participate in the qualification for the UEFA Europa League.
In the first six seasons, the team of FC Triesen could win the trophy five times. After the Liechtenstein Cup stood until the early 1970s clearly under the domination of FC Vaduz, who won the Cup from 1952 to 1971 a total of 16 times. The series of FC Vaduz at this time, was only interrupted by the surprising victory of FC Schaan in 1955 and a change in rules from 1963 to 1965, due to which the FC Vaduz was no longer eligible.
Only in the 1970s and early 1980s years, the picture in the winners list changes. With FC Triesen, FC Balzers and the USV Eschen -Mauren other clubs could also again the competition for themselves. Since 1985, however, dominates again the FC Vaduz Liechtenstein's Cup and won the trophy at this time a total of 16 times and has never lost from 1998 until the finale in 2012.
The most successful teams of the Liechtenstein Cup:
- FC Vaduz (40 Cups )
- FC Balzers ( 11 Cup victories)
- FC Triesen (8 Cups )
- USV Eschen -Mauren (5 Cups )
- FC Schaan ( 3 Cups )
The FC Ruggell reached the Cup final six times, most recently in 2007, but none of them could decide for themselves. The FC Triesenberg came so far the only still existing club never the final.
Liechtenstein teams in the European Cup
According to the distribution key of the UEFA placement would actually promise in the UEFA five year ranking the Liechtenstein Football Association a place in the Champions League qualifiers and three Europa League places. However, since the Liechtenstein clubs playing in the Swiss leagues and not have their own championship unsubscribe, merely the Liechtenstein Cup winner qualifies for the Europa League ( formerly UEFA Cup ) and must first be here in the qualification.
UEFA five year ranking
Position in the UEFA five year ranking (in brackets the previous year placement). The abbreviation CL and EL countries behind the coefficients indicate the number of representatives in the 2014/15 season of the Champions League and the Europa League.
- 43 (44 ) Albania Albania (league, cup ) - coefficient: 4.166 - CL: 1, EL: 3
- 44 (45 ) Malta (league, cup ) - coefficient: 3.958 - CL: 1, EL: 3
- 45 (43 ) Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (Cup ) - coefficient: 3,500 - CL: 0 EL: 1
- 46 (49 ) Luxembourg Luxembourg (league, cup ) - coefficient: 3.375 - CL: 1, EL: 3
- 47 (48 ) Northern Ireland Northern Ireland (league, cup ) - coefficient: 3.083 - CL: 1, EL: 3
As of the end of the European campaign of 2012/13
The national championship Liechtenstein A-, B- and C- Junior will be held in the form of a championship round, the championship of the Junior D, E and F in the form of discharged usually in the months of May and June tournaments.
The selected teams Team Liechtenstein U16, U17 and U18 also participate in organized by the Swiss Football Association top-level football championship in part. This is the highest division of Liechtenstein or Swiss youth football. In addition to the team Liechtenstein also many well-known Swiss clubs such as FC Basel FC Luzern FC Sion Grasshoppers Zurich or are represented in this league.
Women's and girls' football
Women's football is widespread in Liechtenstein little. Only the FC Triesen and FC Balzers have a women's team. In addition, there are teams in the Junior Indoor at the clubs FC Schaan, USV Eschen -Mauren and FC Ruggel. To further promote the project in 2008 "Girls on the Ball" was launched.
A Liechtenstein national women's team exists so far, their structure is declared but longer-term objective of the national football association.