Finland
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Finnish football
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Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name.
Veikkausliiga was founded in 1990 but before that the top division was called Mestaruussarja (championship series) since 1930 which was an amateur or semi-professional league. Between 1908 and 1930 the championship was decided in a cup competition. The most successful club in the history of Finnish football has been HJK Helsinki. Below the Veikkausliiga the league system is maintained by the Finnish Football Association (Suomen Palloliitto), with Ykkönen, or First Division, as the second highest division, with 10 teams. Beneath Ykkönen, each division is divided into 'groups' based on the location of the clubs. For instance, the Second Division, or Kakkonen, has 40 teams divided into four regional groups, each of 10 teams. The lower divisions in the league system are administered by the 12 district organisations of the Suomen Palloliitto. The Suomen Cup is Finland's national cup competition, open to all member clubs of the Finnish Football Association. In the 2012 season, 198 clubs signed up to take part in the competition. |
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