Kelssek Football League
 | |
| Number of teams | 46 |
|---|---|
| Level on pyramid | 1–3 |
| Relegation to | All-Kelssek Soccer League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Patriotes Cup |
| International cup(s) | Champions League Challengers Cup Liga B Champions Trophy |
The Kelssek Football League (French: Ligue de football kelssekienne) is a professional league for soccer clubs which is the highest level of competition in Kelssek. The league consists of three divisions, the KFL Championship (Championnat), the National (Ligue nationale), and the Association (Association de la LFK), which is played in two geographical zones. The competition is governed by the national federation, Football Kelssek.
Each season the bottom three clubs of the Championship are relegated to the National division. Replacing them are the winners and runner-up of the National and the winners of a playoffs tournament among the teams placing third to sixth. The bottom four clubs of the National division are relegated to the Association while the two regional winners are promoted along with the winners of the playoffs contested between the second and third-placed teams of each region.
Media coverage
KFL Championship matches are televised nationally in Kelssek on the TV12 broadcast network, on Twelve local affiliates, the NSN cable channels, and in French on SRK-Télé and SportVu. Broadcasting rights revenue is evenly divided among teams. The traditional time slot for the most-anticipated live match each week is TV12's Saturday Soccer, which has been broadcast on Saturdays at 4pm Coastal Time since 1983.
International competitions
The winners and runners-up of the KFL qualify for the IFCF Champions League and the teams placing third through fifth qualify for the Challengers Cup. The top three teams of the KFL National qualify for the Liga B Champions Trophy. Burnaby SC is the most successful KFL club on the world stage, recognized as the UICA Kelssekian Club of the Century for reaching the Globe Cup group stage twice. Until IFCF 4, CF Outineau were the only KFL club to have reached the group stage of the Champions League. IFCF 4 marked a watershed for Kelssek international club competitions as CF Outineau reached the knockout rounds of the Champions League and Burnaby SC and Strathcona Internationals advanced to the knockout rounds of the Challengers Cup, with Strathcona reaching the quarterfinals. The resulting increase in the league's coefficient ranking allowed it to gain an additional place in the Champions League for the first time.
Clubs
KFL Championship
- Correct as of season 65
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASC Arvika |  Arvika |
Community Stadium | 34,700 |
| Association Ariddienne |  Outineau |
PEPSUO | 9,100 |
| Burnaby SC |  Burnaby |
Stadium Konoha | 60,300 |
| Clayquot City |  Clayquot |
Kanard Park | 32,600 |
| Coquitlam United | Coquitlam |
Maillardville Park | 20,300 |
| CF Outineau | Outineau |
Parc de la Crémazie | 37,800 |
| CS Saint-Rémy | Saint-Rémy |
Stade Intersat | 36,900 |
| CF Saint-Richard | Saint-Richard |
Stade Michel-Beaulieu | 19,400 |
| FC Novonaya |  Novonaya |
Griffin Park | 39,200 |
| Hamiltonian Cambria |  Hamilton |
B.A. Johnston Field | 27,400 |
| Kawarthas District | Llandewi |
Redmord Point | 16,500 |
| Kingstown Athletic | Kingstown |
Larkhamfield | 28,800 |
| Kirkenes FC | Kirkenes |
Exhibition Place | 38,600 |
| Langlois Océanic | Langlois |
Stade de la Pacifique | 28,800 |
| Latrobe AFC | Latrobe |
Macquarie Docklands | 55,700 |
| Mazinaw Vanorian |  Mazinaw |
Crowchilds | 18,100 |
| Shearwater FC |  Breton |
Kingswharf | 40,500 |
| St. David Wanderers | St. David |
Doecross Meadow | 11,300 |
| Strathcona Internationals | Vickery |
Bowreach | 27,300 |
| Torbay Thunder |  Torbay |
Armidale Plain | 10,300 |
Selected lower-division clubs
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| CF Les Castors | Outineau |
Place Saint-Luc | 20,200 |
| Colwynian Vale | Colwyn |
Ironworkers Road | 22,600 |
| Metropolitan FC | Mineru |
Swangard | 21,500 |
| North York FC | Kirkenes |
Portedowns Park | 26,400 |
| NGSA Ulyanof | Ulyanof |
Stadium of the Stars | 44,600 |
| Port City | Willsden Harbour |
Dartmoor | 10,700 |
| Saintsport Heath | Saintsport |
Admiralty Terrace | 7,600 |
| Sitka Valley FC |  Pembina |
Varsity Stadium | 29,200 |
| Trenton AC | Trenton |
Northcoast Telecom Stadium | 18,400 |
Major rivalries
- Burnaby SC vs. Kirkenes FC: The symbolic West-East rivalry. While not having the historical baggage and violence of the Outineau-Kirkenes rivalry, this takes on a cultural dimension just the same with Burnaby SC representing the rugged, free-thinking, mountaineer spirit against Kirkenes's conservative, commercial, cultural elites.
- CF Outineau vs. CS Saint-Rémy (Battaile du Beaulac)
- Langlois Océanic vs. CF Saint-Richard (Derby du sel): Fought between the two major cities of the Beaulac coast, pits the underdog Saint-Richard club with its emphasis on developing local youth gars de chez nous, against the cosmopolitan money-spending Langlois club.
- CF Outineau vs. Kirkenes FC (War of the Crowns/Guerre des Couronnes): This contemporary rivalry is driven by many of the divisions that fuelled the historical war its name references: sectarian, linguistic, and cultural.
- Burnaby SC vs. Coquitlam United (Lakeland Derby)
- Clayquot City vs. Latrobe AFC (Battle of Etnier)
Recent seasons
| Season | Champions | Runners-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 |  Burnaby SC |
 Langlois Océanic |
 Clayquot City
|
| 51 |  CF Outineau |
North York |  Kirkenes FC
|
| 52 | Burnaby SC |
 Coquitlam United |
Kirkenes FC
|
| 53 |  Latrobe AFC |
Clayquot City |
Burnaby SC
|
| 54 | Burnaby SC |
 Castors d'Outineau |
Langlois Oceánic
|
| 55 |  CS Saint-Rémy |
Latrobe AFC |
Kirkenes FC
|
| 56 | Langlois Océanic |
Burnaby SC |
 ASC Arvika
|
| 57 | Langlois Océanic |
CS Saint-Rémy |
CF Outineau
|
| 58 | Burnaby SC |
CS Saint-Rémy |
Latrobe AFC
|
| 59 |  Strathcona Internationals |
CF Outineau |
Langlois Océanic
|
| 60 | CF Outineau |
Kirkenes FC |
Burnaby SC
|
| 61 | CS Saint-Rémy |
Kirkenes FC |
Burnaby SC
|
| 62 | CS Saint-Rémy |
Burnaby SC |
Kirkenes FC
|
| 63 | CF Outineau |
Strathcona Internationals |
Burnaby SC
|
| 64 | Burnaby SC |
Latrobe AFC |
Kirkenes FC
|
KFL National
| Season | North champions | South champions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Redswyth Red Stars | Metropolitan FC | |
| 53 | Saanich AFC | Strathcona Internationals | |
| 54 | Redswyth Red Stars | Innisfail County | |
| 55 | NGSA Ulyanof | Kingstown Athletic | |
| 56 | Metropolitan FC | Shearwater FC | |
| 57 | Trenton AC | Sitka Valley | |
| 58 | Colwynian Vale | Kingstown Athletic | |
| 59 | Hamiltonian Cambria | Mazinaw Vanorian | |
| Season | Champions | Runners-up | Playoffs winner |
| 60 | North York | Castors d'Outineau | Port City FC |
| 61 | Torbay Thunder | FC Novonaya | Colwynian Vale |
| 62 | Sitka Valley | Kawarthas DFA | Association Ariddienne |
| 63 | Port City | Saintsport Heath | St. David Wanderers |
| 64 | Kingstown Athletic | ASC Arvika | Kawarthas District |
KFL Association
| Season | North champions | South champions | Playoffs winners |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | St. David Wanderers | Association Ariddienne | Torbay Thunder |
| 61 | Southbank Mariners | AS Concordia-Montérégie | Gagliano Mariners Arlingsdale City |
| 62 | Saintsport Heath | Pembina City | St. David Wanderers West Haligonia Spartan |
| 63 | Wynleth Flyers | Miramichi Lakers | Áfram Gimli Union Lachaîne |
Historical development
From season 49 to 59, the Championship had 18 clubs and the National Division was played in two regional leauges. The bottom two teams of the Championship were relegated to the National division and the winners of each National Division region were promoted to the Championship. The National Divison was expanded by four clubs from season 53.
The Championship expanded to 20 teams from season 60, adopting its current format, and the National Divison became KFL National with the regions abolished. A third division was added, the KFL Association, with two regions. In season 64, the National division expanded to 22 teams and the Association to two regional leagues of 15 teams, with four teams being promoted and relegated between the second and third tiers.