Kelssek Football League
| File:Kelssek football league logo.png | |
| 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 (Frankish: 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. Burnaby SC is the most successful club with 15 league titles.
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.
All KFL clubs are non-profit societies. While this is not a formal requirement of the league, any club in the KFL must be a member in good standing of the national governing body, Football Kelssek. In turn, FK's rules assume and require compliance with the relevant law on public organizations (generally the republic's Societies Act). FK also enforces transparency and anti-corruption regulations including a rule requiring club members to elect the board of directors, which makes Kelssek clubs unattractive for private investors. A notable feature of the KFL in comparison to other countries is the prestige attached to an absence of sponsorships. While most clubs do in fact need the money, the top clubs make a point of not having sponsor logos on their shirts or "donating" the slot to publicize a charity or public campaign.
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.
With Latrobe Athletic reaching the final of the 6th Challengers Cup, the league's ranking improved further to 10th in the world. It peaked at third in the IFCF rankings for the 8th and 9th IFCF seasons. Fans and media continued to debate whether this was an accurate reflection of the league's quality, largely regarding it as among the world's top leagues but clearly a tier below leagues like Audioslavia's National League and the Nepharim Zenith that were consistently winning IFCF trophies.
Clubs
KFL Championship
- Correct as of season 71
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Association Ariddienne | Outineau | Stade Pailler | 4,500 |
| Burnaby SC | Burnaby | Stadium Konueira | 60,300 |
| Clayquot City | Clayquot | Kanard Park | 32,600 |
| Coquitlam United | Coquitlam | Maillardville Park | 20,300 |
| CF Outineau | Outineau | Stade Olympique | 55,200 |
| CS Saint-Rémy | Saint-Rémy | Stade Intersat | 36,900 |
| FC Novonaya | Novonaya | Griffin Park | 39,200 |
| Hamiltonian Cambria | Hamilton | B.A. Johnston Field | 27,400 |
| Kirkenes FC | Kirkenes | Exhibition Place | 38,600 |
| Langlois Océanic | Langlois | Stade de la Pacifique | 28,800 |
| Latrobe Athletic | Latrobe | Macquarie Docklands | 55,700 |
| Mazinaw Vanorian | Mazinaw | Crowchilds | 18,100 |
| Passerine | Kirkenes | Portedowns Park | 26,400 |
| Saintsport Heath | Saintsport | Admiralty Terrace | 11,200 |
| Shearwater FC | Breton | Kingswharf | 40,500 |
| Star of Confederation | Neorvins | The Domain | 17,600 |
| Strathcona Internationals | Vickery | Bowreach | 27,300 |
| Torbay Thunder | Torbay | Armidale Plain | 10,300 |
| Union Lachaîne | Outineau | Allée des Écluses-Noires | 9,400 |
| Wynleth Flyers | Wynleth-an-Glyndr | Cathysceau | 16,300 |
Selected lower-division clubs
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASC Arvika | Arvika | Community Stadium | 34,700 |
| CF Les Castors | Outineau | Place Saint-Luc | 20,200 |
| CF Saint-Richard | Saint-Richard | Stade Michel-Beaulieu | 19,400 |
| Colwynian Vale | Colwyn | Ironworkers Road | 22,600 |
| Metropolitan FC | Mineru | Swangard | 21,500 |
| NGSA Ulyanof | Ulyanof | Stadium of the Stars | 44,600 |
| Port City | Willsden Harbour | Dartmoor | 10,700 |
| St. David Wanderers | St. David | Doecross Meadow | 11,300 |
| Sitka Valley FC | Pembina | Varsity Stadium | 29,200 |
| Trenton AC | Trenton | Northcoast Telecom Stadium | 18,400 |
| Kingstown Athletic | Kingstown | Larkhamfield | 28,800 |
| Kawarthas District | Llandewi | Redmord Point | 16,500 |
Major rivalries
- Burnaby SC vs. Kirkenes FC (Anglian Derby): 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. Kirkenes FC (War of the Crowns/Guerre des Couronnes): The Kirkenes-Outineau rivalry is driven by many of the divisions that fuelled the historical war its name references: sectarian, linguistic, and cultural. It is one of the most intense and sometimes violent sporting rivalries in Kelssek; ultras groups have spilled over from its origins in ice hockey, resulting in a spike in rioting and hate crimes attached to the events.
- CF Outineau vs. CS Saint-Rémy and Langlois Océanic (Battaile du Beaulac): These are the three biggest clubs of the republic of Beaulac, but in something of a tall-poppy syndrome the smaller cities of Langlois and St-Rémy have a much stronger rivalry with Outineau than with each other.
- Langlois Océanic vs. CF Saint-Richard (Derby du sel): Fought between the two major cities of the Salt 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.
- Burnaby SC vs. Coquitlam United (Lakeland Derby): The city derby of the region in Kelssek where football has traditionally had the highest levels of popularity.
- Clayquot City vs. Latrobe Athletic (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 |
File:Coquitlam United logo.png Coquitlam United | Kirkenes FC
|
| 53 |  Latrobe AFC |
Clayquot City |
Burnaby SC
|
| 54 | Burnaby SC |
File:Castors Outineau logo.png Castors d'Outineau | Langlois Oceánic
|
| 55 |  CS Saint-Rémy |
Latrobe AFC |
Kirkenes FC
|
| 56 | Langlois Océanic |
Burnaby SC |
File:ASC Arvika logo.png 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 Athletic |
Kirkenes FC
|
| 65 | Burnaby SC |
Latrobe Athletic |
 Shearwater
|
| 66 | Langlois Océanic |
File:Coquitlam United logo.png Coquitlam United | Burnaby SC
|
| 67 | CF Outineau |
Burnaby SC |
Langlois Océanic
|
| 68 | Burnaby SC |
Strathcona Internationals |
Shearwater
|
| 69 | Latrobe Athletic |
Shearwater |
Strathcona Internationals
|
| 70 | Shearwater |
Kirkenes FC |
CF Outineau
|
| 71 | Shearwater |
Langlois Océanic |
Burnaby SC
|
| 72 | Strathcona Internationals |
CS Saint-Rémy |
Langlois Océanic
|
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 |
| 65 | Saintsport Heath | NGSA Ulyanof | Colwynian Vale |
| 66 | Passerine | Star of Confederation | Torbay Thunder |
| 67 | NGSA Ulyanof | Wynleth Flyers | St. David Wanderers |
| 68 | Passerine | Mazinaw Vanorian | Pembina City |
| 69 | Colwynian Vale | Port City | ASC Arvika |
| 70 | Wynleth Flyers | Kawarthas District | St. David Wanderers |
| 71 | Association Ariddienne | Saintsport Heath | Union Lachaîne |
| 72 | ASC Arvika | CF Saint-Richard | St. David Wanderers |
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 |
| 64 | Llandlaff City | AS Concordia | AS Grands-Sources Arlingsdale City |
| 65 | Redswyth Red Stars | Franche-Contamine | Sudbury Rangers Jeunesse Lunaire |
| 66 | Llandlaff City | Delta Sorthern | Bramerlea Bulldogs Stade Laneux |
| 67 | CS Rivière-du-Nord | West Haligonia Spartan | Chateâufroid Miramichi Lakers |
| 68 | Wickham Warriors | Jeunesse Lunaire | Southbank Mariners Union Lachaîne |
| 69 | Miramichi Lakers | West Haligonia Spartan | Bramerlee Bulldogs Gagliano Mariners |
| 70 | Natanel Royals | Delta Sorthern | AS Grands-Sources Stade Laneux |
| 71 | Wickham Warriors | Franche-Contamine | Sudbury Rangers Miramichi Lakers |
| 72 | NGSA Ulyanof | Arlingsdale City | Paracuttis Stade Laneux |
History
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.
Transfers
KFL Championship clubs typically have annual transfer budgets of USD 4 to 7 million. The record transfer fee for a Kelssekian player is for Loïc Maçon-Petrault, who was the subject of a USD 18 million transfer within the Euraleague from Unioneers to Directus in the 31st transfer window (prior to KFL season 66).
| Rank | Player | From | To | Position | Fee (USD mln) |
Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Thamior Liadon
|
Burnaby SC
|
 Myana
|
Full-back | 13.0 | 66 |
| 2 | Seamus Wylten
|
Clayquot City
|
 Hondo FC
|
Forward | 10.0 | 64 |
| 3 |  Anne-Marie Roux
|
FC Novonaya
|
 Crisisbless
|
Midfielder | 8.0 | 68 |
| Êsêkïl dí Völará
|
Association Ariddienne
|
Crossroads
|
Midfielder | 8.0 | 66 | |
| 5 | Bryan Hartpoach
|
Strathcona Internationals
|
Alnio
|
Forward | 7.0 | 72 |
| 6 | Catheline Matthias
|
Chenoworth Harriers
|
Kirkenes FC
|
Forward | 7.0 | 69 |
 Kira Dormann
|
Mazinaw Vanorian
|
 Kingsbury United
|
Defender | 6.0 | 72 | |
| 8 | Eamon Breault
|
Torbay Thunder
|
 Olympique Chuckio
|
Forward | 5.5 | 72 |
| 9 | Eva Karven
|
Kirkenes FC
|
 Blacklake Blues
|
Forward | 5.0 | 65 |
 Maiev Feldhlim
|
Burnaby SC
|
CS Saint-Rémy
|
Winger | 5.0 | 69 | |
| Danielle Maradrogba
|
Association Ariddienne
|
Newrook City
|
Forward | 5.0 | 66 | |
| 12 |  Tzevaada Muur
|
Crisisbless United
|
Shearwater FC
|
Defender | 4.0 | 65 |
 Tara Kreidel
|
Concord Heights
|
Shearwater FC
|
Defender | 4.0 | 66 | |
| 14 |  Fabio Coimbra
|
Valencia
|
Clayquot City
|
Forward | 3.6 | 69 |
| 15 | Brion Stienno
|
Emerald Coast
|
Burnaby SC
|
Forward | 3.5 | 62 |