First_League_of_the_Republika_Srpska
First League of the Republika Srpska
Association football league in Republika Srpska, Bosni and Herzegovina
The First League of the Republika Srpska (Serbo-Croatian: Prva liga Republike Srpske / Прва лига Републике Српске) is a second level football competition in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
| Founded | 1995 |
|---|---|
| First season | 1995–96 |
| Country |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 18 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | Premier League |
| Relegation to | Second League of RS |
| Domestic cup(s) | Bosnian Cup, Republika Srpska Cup |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Europa Conference League (The winner of the Bosnian Cup earns an automatic spot in the UEFA Europa Conference League) |
| Current champions | Krupa (4th title) (2022–23) |
| Most championships | Borac Banja Luka (5 titles) |
| TV partners | RTRS |
| Website | fsrs.org (in Serbian) |
| Current: 2023–24 First League | |
The league champion is promoted to the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Relegated teams, depending on how many get relegated, fall to the Second League of the Republika Srpska.
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 before 2002. However, the champions of this League were not recognized by UEFA. In 2002, the top clubs from the Republika Srpska joined the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the First League was kept as one of two second level divisions. It is still run by the Football Association of Republika Srpska, 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.
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 Second League of the Republika Srpska (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.[1]
On 13 June 2022, it was confirmed that the league will be expanded from 16 to 18 teams in the 2022–23 season.[2]
| Team | Last season |
|---|---|
| Leotar | Relegated |
| Laktaši | 3. |
| Slavija Sarajevo | 4. |
| Sloboda Novi Grad | 5. |
| Rudar Prijedor | 6. |
| Radnik Bijeljina | 7. |
| Sutjeska Foča | 8. |
| Kozara Gradiška | 9. |
| Željezničar Banja Luka | 10. |
| Ljubić Prnjavor | 11. |
| Famos Vojkovići | 12. |
| Sloboda Mrkonjić Grad | 13. |
| Omarska | 14. |
| Drina Zvornik | 15. |
| Alfa Modriča | 16. |
| Borac Kozarska Dubica | Promoted |
| Romanija Pale | Promoted |
| Velež Nevesinje | Promoted |
Previous champions and winners of the league are:[3]
| Season | Champion | Runners Up | Top Goalscorer | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–96 | Boksit Milići | Rudar Prijedor | Siniša Đurić Zoran Majstorović | Kozara Gradiška Boksit Milići | 16 Goals 16 Goals |
| 1996–97 | Rudar Ugljevik | Sloga Trn | Mladen Zgonjanin Marić | Sloga Trn Glasinac Sokolac | 14 Goals 14 Goals |
| 1997–98 | Rudar Ugljevik | Borac Banja Luka | Nikola Bala | Rudar Ugljevik | 31 Goals |
| 1998–99 | Radnik Bijeljina | Rudar Ugljevik | Mladen Zgonjanin | Sloga Trn | 23 Goals |
| 1999–2000 | Boksit Milići | Rudar Ugljevik | Nedo Zdjelar | Sloboda Novi Grad | 29 Goals |
| 2000–01 | Borac Banja Luka | Sloboda Novi Grad | Milanko Đerić | Boksit Milići | 26 Goals |
| 2001–02 | Leotar | Kozara Gradiška | Pavle Delibašić Siniša Jovanović | Leotar Glasinac Sokolac | 21 Goals 21 Goals |
Since the 2002–03 season, it became a second national level competition. The league champion gets direct promotion to the Bosnian Premier League.
- 2002–03 - Modriča
- 2003–04 - Slavija Sarajevo
- 2004–05 - Radnik Bijeljina
- 2005–06 - Borac Banja Luka
- 2006–07 - Laktaši
- 2007–08 - Borac Banja Luka
- 2008–09 - Rudar Prijedor
- 2009–10 - Drina Zvornik
- 2010–11 - Kozara Gradiška
- 2011–12 - Radnik Bijeljina
- 2012–13 - 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 - Krupa
- 2022–23 - Krupa
| Club | Winners | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| Borac Banja Luka | 5 |
2001, 2006, 2008, 2017, 2019 |
| Krupa | 4 |
2016, 2020, 2022, 2023 |
| Radnik Bijeljina | 3 |
1999, 2005, 2012 |
| Rudar Prijedor | 3 |
2009, 2015, 2021 |
| Rudar Ugljevik | 2 |
1997, 1998 |
| Boksit Milići | 2 |
1996, 2000 |
| Drina Zvornik | 2 |
2010, 2014 |
| Leotar | 1 |
2002 |
| Alfa Modriča | 1 |
2003 |
| Slavija Sarajevo | 1 |
2004 |
| Laktaši | 1 |
2007 |
| Kozara Gradiška | 1 |
2011 |
| Mladost Velika Obarska | 1 |
2013 |
| Zvijezda 09 | 1 |
2018 |
- Goran Karać (12 June 2020). "Potvrđeno proširenje Prve lige RS u fudbalu" (in Bosnian). nezavisne.com. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- "Izvršni odbor FSRS: Prva liga sa 18 klubova, jedinstva Druga od sledeće sezone, lopta kreće 6. avgusta!" (in Bosnian). pravdabl.com. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- "Prvaci prve lige Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine". bihsoccer.com. 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
- Football Association of Republika Srpska (in Serbian)