Kelssek Championship
 | |
| Number of teams | 20 |
|---|---|
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Kelssek National |
| Domestic cup(s) | Patriotes Cup |
| International cup(s) | Champions League Challengers Cup |
The Kelssek Championship (Frankish: Championnat du Kelssek) is a professional league for soccer clubs which is the highest level of competition in Kelssek. The league is the top division of the Kelssek Football League, which also consists of 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 16 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.
Championship matches are televised nationally in Kelssek on the Twelve broadcast network, on Twelve local affiliates, the G/S cable channels, and in French on SRK-Télé and SportVu. Broadcasting rights revenue is evenly divided among teams. The traditional time slot for the flagship nationally broadcast live match each week is TV12's Saturday Soccer, which has been broadcast on Saturdays at 4pm Coastal Time since 1983. The Kelssek Championship ranks third in television viewership in Kelssek, after ice hockey and rugby union.
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, but since season 66 teams have declined to enter. Burnaby SC was the most successful KFL club in the UICA era, recognized as the UICA Kelssek Club of the Century for reaching the Globe Cup group stage twice. Shearwater was the first (and so far only) club to win a major international trophy with its win in the Champions League 11 final.
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
- Correct as of season 75
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASC Arvika | Arvika | Community Stadium | 34,700 |
| Burnaby SC | Burnaby | Stadium Konoha | 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 |
| Hamiltonian Cambria | Hamilton | B.A. Johnston Field | 27,400 |
| Kirkenes FC | Kirkenes | Exhibition Place | 38,600 |
| Langlois Océanic | Langlois | Stade des Pacifiques | 32,400 |
| Latrobe Athletic | Latrobe | Macquarie Docklands | 55,700 |
| Mazinaw Vanorian | Mazinaw | Crowchilds | 18,100 |
| NGSA Ulyanof | Ulyanof | Stadium of the Stars | 44,600 |
| Passerine | Kirkenes | Portedowns Park | 26,400 |
| CF Saint-Richard | Saint-Richard | Stade Michel-Beaulieu | 19,400 |
| Shearwater | 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 |
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
|
| 73 | CF Outineau |
Shearwater |
CS Saint-Rémy
|
| 74 | Burnaby SC |
Latrobe Athletic |
CS Saint-Rémy
|
| 75 | Kirkenes FC |
CF Outineau |
Burnaby SC
|
| 76 | CF Outineau |
Burnaby SC |
Strathcona Internationals
|
| 77 | Langlois Océanic |
CF Outineau |
Latrobe Athletic
|
| 78 | Latrobe Athletic |
CF Outineau |
Langlois Océanic
|
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 |  Andreas Bjerk
|
 Burnaby SC
|
 Tanrısal
|
Midfielder | 15.0 | 76 |
| 2 | Thamior Liadon
|
Burnaby SC
|
 Myana
|
Full-back | 13.0 | 66 |
| 3 | Template:Country data Juvencus Ceferino Audiol | Kirkenes FC
|
 Serrapince
|
Forward | 12.5 | 76 |
| 4 | Lynne Crossley
|
Strathcona Internationals
|
Crossroads
|
Midfielder | 12.0 | 75 |
 Hermann Eld
|
Latrobe Athletic
|
Template:Country data SRS Chalesm | Forward | 12.0 | 76 | |
| 6 | Seamus Wylten
|
Clayquot City
|
Hondo FC
|
Forward | 10.0 | 64 |
| 7 |  Anne-Marie Roux
|
FC Novonaya
|
Crisisbless
|
Midfielder | 8.0 | 68 |
| Êsêkïl dí Völará
|
Association Ariddienne
|
Crossroads
|
Midfielder | 8.0 | 66 | |
| Laura Adler
|
Mazinaw Vanorian
|
 Mipojoseon
|
Full-back | 8.0 | 66 |