Ecuadorian Serie A
The Serie A is the highest Ecuadorian Football League. It exists since 1957 and is operated and organized by the Federación de Fútbol Ecuatoriana. Currently play 12 teams in the league. The Championship will be held in three stages. The first two stages consist of round-trip games between all teams. In the third stage, the top four teams determine the champion. For commercial reasons, the championship between 2003 and 2008 were held under the official name Copa Pilsener. From 2009 to 2011, was the sponsor Banco Pichincha, was the official name Copa Credife. The following year, was abandoned in a foreign name. In 2013, they returned again to the name Copa Pilsener back. The league system in Ecuador is divided as follows:
- Serie A (12 teams)
- Series B (12 teams)
- Second category (22 provincial groups)
- Campeonato de Reserva (12 teams)
History
The first football clubs in Ecuador were established in 1899. From 1922, the provinces of Pichincha and Guayas organized regional amateur championships. Between 1940 and 1949, the first amateur championships were held at the state level and in the fifties, the first professional championships at the regional level. In 1957, the first official championship was held as Campeonato Nacional de clubes en Ecuador, which was indeed exposed in the following two years, but is discharged continuously since 1960. It was not until the seventies, participated in the Championship clubs also from other cities as Quito and Guayaquil part. The first Master, who did not come from one of these two cities were in 2000, the club Olmedo Riobamba and 2004, Deportivo Cuenca. In the seventies took 10 teams in the championship part. The number of participating teams faltered in the eighties and had now risen to 16 and 18 respectively. Since 1989, 12 teams took part in the championship, in 2000 the number was reduced to 10. 2005, two masters were played in the Apertura and Clausura in order to adapt the system to the leagues of other Latin American countries. In 2006, they returned back to the system but with a master per year. Since 2008, 12 teams again take part in the championship. In 2008, it succeeded for the first time a club from Ecuador to win an international title. Liga de Quito won the premier club competition in South America, Copa Libertadores. Since then, the club went on to win the Copa Sudamericana in 2009 and two times the Recopa Sudamericana.
Mode
Championship
The mode in which the Ecuadorian champion is determined has changed several times over the years. Currently fighting 12 teams in three stages for the title. The first two stages each consisting of 22 match days, where all teams meet in home-and -away basis. In the third stage, the winner of the round-trip round play in a finals round-trip games from the masters. If a team wins both semi- series, it is automatically champion. The two runners-up of the accumulated table from return series play from the third place.
Qualification for the continental competitions
For the Copa Libertadores, the Master, the vice-champion and the winner of the game to qualify for the third place. For the Copa Sudamericana, the first two teams in the Hinserie and the winner of the return series qualify. Since the Copa Libertadores will be held in the first half of the calendar year and the Copa Sudamericana in the second half of the calendar year may participate in both team competitions.
Clubs in Serie A in 2014
The following teams will take part in the season 2014.
The Masters
1 In 2005, two masters were played, a champion of Apertura (A) and the Clausura (C).
Scorers
1 In the years 1972 and 1977, the top scorer of the Serie B was declared the overall scorer.