Primera División de Costa Rica (also known as the Costa Rican FPD) is a professional league for association football clubs in Costa Rica.[1] At the top of the Costa Rican league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 12 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Segunda División de Costa Rica. The seasons consist of two tournaments each year, the Invierno (Winter), from July to December, and the Verano (Summer), from January to May. Thus, there are two champions each season with teams playing anywhere from 32 to 44 games each, totalling 412 games in the season. Most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays, but recently there have been games programmed on Friday afternoons and Monday nights. Also the league has some Wednesday nights available to program games if any club needs it. The Campeonatos de Invierno and Verano are sponsored by Junta Protección Social-ProGol.
The competition formed on June 13, 1921 following an invitation presented by Guatemala to Costa Rica to participate in its Centenary Games. A total of 12 clubs have won the title. The current champions are Saprissa, who won the Torneo Invierno 2015.
Format
The current Primera División season has two championships. The 12 teams play each other twice (home and away) for a total of 22 games in each championship. The top four teams qualify for the semi-finals with the semi-final winners meeting to determine the tournament champion. The winners of both tournaments (Invierno and Verano) qualify to the CONCACAF Champions League. Where one team wins both tournaments, the next best team in the aggregate table (Invierno and Verano combined) qualifies.
History
In the year 1921, the Liga Nacional de Fútbol was created by Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, CS Cartaginés, CS Herediano, Club Sport La Libertad, Sociedad Gimnástica Española de San José, Club Sport La Unión de Tres Ríos and Sociedad Gimnástica Limonense, and the Primera División was born. In 1931 the league was centralized and renamed as Federación Deportiva de Costa Rica, then Federación Nacional de Fútbol and in the 1970s to Federación Costarricense de Fútbol (FEDEFUTBOL).
In 1999, the FEDEFUTBOL, created UNAFUT to operate the Primera División and the Alto Rendimiento and Juvenil Especial (both Youth Development Leagues from Primera Division clubs).
Classics and Derbys:
Note that there is a difference between a Classic and a Derby. The classic is a game in which there is a big rivalry between the teams and remains fiercely fought over the years. A derby is played between two teams that falls in the same town or city.
Clubs in 2014 Apertura season
The league currently consists of the following 12 clubs. For the 2014 Apertura season, teams are aligned as follows:
| Club |
City |
Stadium |
Capacity |
Founded |
Head Coach |
|---|
| Liga Deportiva Alajuelense |
El Llano, Alajuela |
Alejandro Morera Soto |
18,000 |
1919 |
 Javier Delgado |
| Belén |
Belén, Heredia |
Estadio Polideportivo de Belén |
3,000 |
1979 |
 José Giacone |
| CS Cartagines |
Cartago, Cartago |
José Rafael "Fello" Meza |
13,500 |
1906 |
 César Eduardo Méndez |
| Deportivo Saprissa |
San Juan, San José |
Ricardo Saprissa Aymá |
23,000 |
1935 |
Carlos Watson |
| Club Sport Herediano |
Heredia, Heredia |
Eladio Rosabal Cordero |
8,500 |
1921 |
Hernán Medford |
| Limón F.C. |
Limón, Limón |
Estadio Juan Gobán |
3,000 |
1964 |
Horacio Esquivel |
| Asociación Deportiva Carmelita |
El Carmen, Alajuela, Alajuela |
Alejandro Morera Soto |
18,000 |
1975 |
Vinicio Alvarado |
| Club Sport Uruguay de Coronado |
Coronado, San José |
Municipal el Labrador |
4,005 |
1936 |
Rónald González |
| Municipal Pérez Zeledón |
San Isidro del General, San José |
Municipal de Pérez Zeledón |
6,000 |
1962 |
Mauricio Wright |
| Municipal Liberia |
Liberia, Guanacaste |
Estadio Edgardo Baltodano Briceño |
6,000 |
1977 |
Erick Rodríguez |
| Universidad de Costa Rica |
Montes de Oca, San José |
Estadio Ecológico |
1,800 |
1941 |
 Guilherme Farinha |
| Santos de Guápiles |
Guápiles, Limón |
Ebal Rodríguez Aguilar |
3,000 |
1961 |
Johnny Chaves |
|
Defunct franchises
| Club |
City |
Stadium |
Capacity |
Founded |
Ceased Operations |
|---|
| Defunct Franchises |
| Club Deportivo Alajuela Junior |
|
|
|
1933 |
1936 |
| Club Sport Buenos Aires |
|
|
|
1932 |
1935 |
| Club Sport Costa Rica |
|
|
|
1924 |
1924 |
| Club Sport México |
|
|
|
1932 |
1934 |
| Brujas F.C. |
|
|
|
2004 |
2011 |
| Club Sport Progreso |
|
|
|
1923 |
1925 |
| Corsarios Fútbol Club |
|
|
|
1930 |
1930 |
| Hispano Atlético |
|
|
|
1932 |
1932 |
| Juventud |
|
|
|
1927 |
1927 |
Sociedad Gimnástica Española de
San José |
|
|
|
1912 |
|
| Unión Deportiva Moravia |
|
|
|
1926 |
1955 |
|
List of champions year by year
Champion titles by club (1921–2015)
Short championships titles (2007–2013)
Short championships (opening and closure) titles by club (2007–2013)
References
External links
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| | 2014–15 teams | |
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| Seasons
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- 1921
- 1922
- 1923
- 1924
- 1925
- 1926
- 1927
- 1928
- 1929
- 1930
- 1931
- 1932
- 1933
- 1934
- 1935
- 1936
- 1937
- 1938
- 1939
- 1940
- 1941
- 1942
- 1943
- 1944
- 1945
- 1946
- 1947
- 1948
- 1949
- 1950
- 1951
- 1952
- 1953
- 1954*
- 1955
- 1956*
- 1957
- 1958
- 1959
- 1960
- 1961
- 1962
- 1963
- 1964
- 1965
- 1966
- 1967
- 1968
- 1969
- 1970
- 1971
- 1972
- 1973
- 1974
- 1975
- 1976
- 1977
- 1978
- 1979
- 1980
- 1981
- 1982
- 1983
- 1984
- 1985
- 1986
- 1987
- 1988
- 1989
- 1990*
- 1991
- 1992
- 1992-93
- 1994-95
- 1995-96
- 1996-97
- 1997-98
- 1998-99
- 1999-00
- 2000–01
- 2001–02
- 2002–03
- 2003–04
- 2004–05
- 2005–06
- 2006–07
- 2007–08
- 2008–09
- 2009–10
- 2010–11
- 2011–12
- 2012–13
- 2013-14
- 2014-15
- 2015-16
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| | Associated competitions | |
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| | Related articles | |
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| | Former teams | |
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| | North America | |
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| | Central America | |
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| | Caribbean | |
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- 1: Canada and the United States share one major league.
- 2: North American member but affiliated to CFU.
- 3: South American member but affiliated to CONCACAF and to CFU.
- 4:Full CONCACAF member, but not affiliated to FIFA.
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| | League system | |
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| | Domestic cups | |
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| | Awards |
- Footballer of the Year
- Top scorers
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| | Lists |
- All-time Table
- Champions
- Clubs
- International footballers
- Foreign players
- Venues
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- Men's clubs
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2015-16