Gibraltar Football League Explained

Gibraltar Football League
Country:Gibraltar
Confed:UEFA
Founded:2019
Levels:1
Teams:11
Domest Cup:Rock Cup
Confed Cup:UEFA Champions League
UEFA Europa Conference League
Champions:Lincoln Red Imps (4th title)
Season:2023–24
Tv:Gibraltar FA TV
Current:2024–25 Gibraltar Football League
Top Goalscorer:Kike Gómez
(90)

The Gibraltar Football League is the only senior tier of association football in Gibraltar, founded in 2019 as the Gibraltar National League after a merger of the Gibraltar Premier Division, which served as the top division of football on the Rock since 1905, and the Gibraltar Second Division, which had existed since 1909. It was announced in August 2019 by the Gibraltar Football Association.[1] The league is supported by the Gibraltar Intermediate League for U23 sides and Hound Dogs.

Format

Rumours of the new league began in 2018, when the Gibraltar FA announced plans for a single tier format in its league constitution for the 2018–19 Gibraltar Premier Division.[2] On 1 August 2019, the GFA confirmed details of the restructure of domestic football in Gibraltar, and the format of the new 16 team league.[3] After 4 teams left the league, the remaining 12 teams are to follow the same league format.[4] For the first 4 editions of the competition, teams played one round of games as a single league, before splitting into two groups: the Championship Group contested by the top 6 sides, and the Challenge Group between the bottom 6 sides. The winners of the Challenge Group will receive the GFA Challenge Trophy and receive a bye to the second round of the next season's Rock Cup. Hound Dogs, who participated in the final season of the Gibraltar Second Division, were granted special dispensation to compete in the Gibraltar Intermediate League.

The first season of the Gibraltar National League had no champion, as the season was declared null and void by the Gibraltar FA as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, the Gibraltar FA announced that every game of the 2021–22 Gibraltar National League season would be streamed online through a broadcasting deal with Footters.[5]

In July 2022, the league rebranded as the Gibraltar Football League, with a new identity and logo.[6] The following year saw a change of format for the league. Instead of a single round-robin before the league split, the league instead returned to a double round robin format, with each team playing each other twice. At the end of the regular season, only the top 6 progressed to the next stage, entering the GFL Championship Group to decide the champion.[7]

Teams

Of the 17 teams that formed the initial league, three founder teams withdrew before the inaugural season started: Gibraltar Phoenix, Gibraltar United, and Leo. Additionally, Olympique 13 were expelled from the league after forfeiting the first two matches of the 2019-20 season.[8] Hound Dogs, while a founding member, opted not to join the National League, instead competing in the Gibraltar Intermediate League for financial reasons. In December 2020, Boca Gibraltar were also expelled from the league. As such, the following 11 teams currently contest the competition.

Current clubs!Team!Formed!Joined!Previous season!Premier Division titles!GFL titles!GFA Challenge Trophies!Head coach
FCB Magpies201320193rd001 Nathan Rooney
College 19751975201911th000 Óscar León
Europa192520198th700 Michele Di Piedi
Europa Point201420194th000 Roberto Carrasco
Glacis United196520199th1700
Lincoln Red Imps197620191st2440 Javi Muñoz
Lions Gibraltar1966201910th000 David Wilson
Lynx200720197th000 Albert Parody
Manchester 62196220196th701 Jamie McDonough
Mons Calpe201320195th001 Juan Marí Sánchez
St Joseph's191220192nd100 Abraham Paz
Former clubs!Team!Formed!Joined!Last season
Gibraltar Phoenix20112019N/A
Gibraltar United19432019N/A
Leo20042019N/A
Olympique 13201320192019–20
Boca Gibraltar201220192020–21

List of winners

Table includes top three of the Championship Group (top half of table) and Challenge Group (bottom half of table)

SeasonChampionship GroupChallenge Group
ChampionsRunners UpThird PlaceFirst PlaceSecond PlaceThird Place
2019–20none awarded
2020–21Lincoln Red ImpsEuropaSt Joseph'sBruno's MagpiesGlacis UnitedManchester 62
2021–22Lincoln Red ImpsEuropaSt Joseph'sManchester 62College 1975Lynx
2022–23Lincoln Red ImpsEuropaBruno's MagpiesMons CalpeManchester 62Lions Gibraltar
2023–24Lincoln Red ImpsSt Joseph'sBruno's MagpiesNot awarded

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.gibraltarfa.com/news/restructuring-of-the-domestic-mens-senior-league-83 Restructuring of the Domestic Men's Senior League
  2. Web site: Senior League Rules . GFA . 13 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190414003723/https://www.gibraltarfa.com/uploads/documents/gibraltar-fa-league-rules-season-2018-2019.pdf . 14 April 2019 . dead .
  3. https://www.chronicle.gi/key-changes-to-the-domestic-league-revealed-to-clubs/ Key changes to the domestic league revealed to clubs
  4. Web site: FC Olympique expelled from all GFA competitions.. Gibraltar Football Association. en. 2019-10-04.
  5. https://www.gibraltarfa.com/news/gibraltar-national-league-to-launch-with-new-historic-partnerships-355 Gibraltar National League to launch with new historic partnerships
  6. https://www.gibraltarfa.com/news/introducing-a-new-identity-for-the-gibraltar-football-league-469 Introducing a new identity for the Gibraltar Football League
  7. https://www.gibraltarfa.com/news/mens-domestic-football-season-to-kick-off-on-friday-15th-september-with-the-traditional-pepe-reyes-memorial-cup-597 Mens Domestic Football Season to Kick off on Friday 15th September with the traditional Pepe Reyes Memorial Cup
  8. Web site: FC Olympique expelled from all GFA competitions . Gibraltar Football Association . 17 September 2019 . 11 September 2019.