Goulong First League
 | |
| Founded | 7 September 1901 |
|---|---|
| Country |  Goulong (20 teams) |
| Confederation | FFA |
| Number of teams | 20 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Goulong Division B |
| Domestic cup(s) | GFA Cup Emperor's Shield |
| League cup(s) | Goulong Professional Cup |
| International cup(s) | FFA Champions Cup |
| Current champions | 1905 Zhongwan (19th title) (2018–19) |
| Most championships | 1905 Zhongwan (19 titles) |
| Most appearances | Du Hong (653) |
| Top goalscorer | Lam Chun-kit (368 goals) |
| TV partners | TVG Sport and FootballNow (live matches) 1Goulong (highlights) |
 2018–19 Goulong First League | |
The Goulong First League (often referred to as the First League or GFL within Goulong), is the top level of the Goulongese football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the second-tier Goulong Division B.
Seasons run from August to May with each team playing 38 matches (playing each other home and away). Most games are played on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, but postponed or rescheduled matches due to cup or continental matches may be played mid-week, on Wednesday afternoons. The First League has featured 64 clubs since its inception in 1901.
The League was founded with the creation of the Goulongese Football Association in 1900, and after 24 professional and amateur teams applied to join, the Goulongese Division One started play on 1901 September 7. The league has undergone several structural and organizational changes, including reducing the number of contesting teams to 20 in 1959 and renaming the competition to the present-day Goulong First League in 1988.
The league generates $1.9 billion per year in domestic and international television rights. In 2016–17, teams were apportioned revenues of $1.4 billion, rising sharply to $2.2 billion in 2017–18.
The First League is the most-watched sports league in Goulong, and is broadcast to almost all Aeian nations with a potential audience of 1.4 billion people. The league attracted an average attendance of 35,000 people per match in the 2017-18 season, with the average First League stadium reaching full or near capacity each match.
Sixty-four clubs have competed since the inception of the First League in 1992. Nine of them have won the title, with the reigning champions 1905 Zhongwan F.C. claiming 19 titles, the most of any First League club.
Format
The Goulong First League is comprised of twenty teams from around the nation. The First League operates on a double round-robin system- each club plays all 19 other clubs in the league with one home and away fixture for a total of 38 matches per club per season. Under FFA rules, three points are awarded for a win, with one point for a draw and none for a loss.
Promotion and relegation
A system of promotion and relegation exists across the GFA-sanctioned Goulong football league system. All leagues are interconnected through a system of promotion and relegation, as three clubs from Division B are promoted to the First League each season, with three First League clubs relegated to Division B. Below Division B is Division C, followed by Division D and the Premier Football Conference, Goulong's lowest professional football league. Any leagues below this and the clubs that populate them are considered amateur and regional.
The First League's bottom three teams are automatically relegated with no relegation playoff taking place. However, the Division B operates with a promotion system- the top two teams are automatically promoted, with four teams from third to sixth competing in a promotion playoff for the third and final promotion berth.
Ranking of clubs on equal points
If points are equal between two or more clubs, the sides in question are ranked based on:
- Total goal difference
- Goals scored
- Away points
- Red cards
- Yellow cards
During the regular season, if clubs are evenly matched they are deemed to occupy the same position. If clubs are tied with the above criteria following the end of the regular season, a play-off match will be held at a neutral venue to determine rank.
Qualification for international competition
FFA coefficients allow Goulong to send three clubs to the FFA Champions Cup, an Aeia-wide club football competition. The top three Goulongese clubs at the end of the season qualify for next season's Champions Cup competition.
Teams
A total of 20 teams contest the league in its current season, including 17 sides from the 2017-18 season and three promoted from Division B. These are two clubs promoted directly from that division, Royal Barracks and Lai King Town, and the winner of the Division B play-offs, Pingshan United.
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. AFC Metropolitan | Zhongwan | MetroCentre | 36000 |
| 1. Ölgii FC | Ölgii | BetTwenty Field | 28750 |
| 1905 Zhongwan | Zhongwan | ZhongwanInternational | 98000 |
| AFC Oceania | Haibian | Haibian Community Stadium | 52000 |
| Athletic Tsuen Wan | Zhongwan | Tsuen Wan Sports Complex | 72100 |
| Bei’an City | Bei'an | Mandarin Park | 41300 |
| Canton SC | Zhongwan | Red Dragon Stadium | 65000 |
| Dongcheng United | Dongcheng | Arena of the North | 62000 |
| Donghai Shiyi | Donghai | stadium:donghai | 31840 |
| Lai King Town | Lai King | LKT Stadium | 28900 |
| Pingshan United | Pingshan | Union Field | 24300 |
| Royal Barracks | Yilan | Yilan Palisade | 45600 |
| Sham Shui Po | Sham Shui Po | KDOT Stadium | 32000 |
| Sporting Yilan | Yilan | SportStar Stadium | 46710 |
| Wan Chai | Wan Chai | Riverbend Park | 54000 |
| Xiaolian SC | Xiaolian | Xingzong Stadium | 32800 |
| Xucheng Town | Xucheng | Zeng Weihai Stadium | 42300 |
| Yau Tsim Mong | Zhongwan | Royal District Stadium | 33140 |
| Yilan Shoudu | Yilan | Capital Field | 67100 |
| Yuejiang FC | Yuejiang | Riverside Centre | 56000 |
Player records
Top scorers
As of 31 November 2018.
| Rank | Nat | Name | Club | Years | Goals | Apps | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Lam Chun-kit | 1905 Zhongwan | 1966–1984 | 368 | 729 | 0.5 |
| 2 |
|
Du Chun | Chengdong United | 2008– | 312 | 401 | 0.78 |
| 3 |
|
Cheung Ng-ming | 1905 Zhongwan | 1916-1929 | 311 | 365 | 0.85 |
| 4 |
|
Siu Ka-yip | 1905 Zhongwan & Lai King Town | 1986–1999 | 215 | 258 | 0.83 |
| 5 |
|
Hu Li | Athletic Tsuen Wan & Vestby | 2006- | 550 | 228 | 0.41 |
Italics denotes players still playing professional football,
Bold denotes players still playing in First League.
Most appearances
| Rank | Nat | Name | Years | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Lam Chun-kit | 1966–1984 | 729 | 368 |
| 2 |
|
Zhang Yuhai | 1947–1962 | 550 | 0 |
| 3 |
|
Cheung Ng-ming | 1983–2002 | 543 | 311 |
| 4 |
|
Yip Ka-chun | 1980–1997 | 542 | 27 |
| 5 |
|
Chan Long-keung | 1983–2001 | 523 | 142 |
| 6 |
|
Siu Ka-yip | 1995–2012 | 510 | 259 |
| 7 | 
|
Ingvar Bylund | 1998–2015 | 505 | 58 |
| 8 |
|
Zhang Kai | 1983–2003 | 504 | 0 |
| 9 |
|
Chan Tsz-ki | 1987–2003 | 497 | 198 |
| 10 |
|
Emile Odegaard | 1980–1997 | 483 | 139 |