The Bulgarian football league system or the Bulgarian football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Bulgaria. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, and allows even the smallest club to dream of rising to the very top of the system.

Contents 1 History 2 The system 3 References 4 External links

[edit] History

The first organised national tournament was founded in 1924. It was called the National championship (Bulgarian: Държавно първенство). The teams taking part in the tournament were separated in different regional divisions and the winners of each division then played for the Championship title via play-offs.

In 1948 A Republican Football Group (Bulgarian: „А“ Републиканска футболна група) was founded, a new national top division. The second level of the football league system - the B Republican Football Group (Bulgarian: „Б“ Републиканска футболна група) was founded two years later. The lower levels of the pyramid - V Republican Football Group (Bulgarian: „В“ Републиканска футболна група) and below - were structured in 1959.

This system (with minor changes during the years) existed until year 2000. Then experimentally a new Bulgarian Premier Football League (Bulgarian: Висша лига по футбол) was founded replacing A Football Group. B Football Group was replaced by the new Bulgarian First Football League (Bulgarian: Първа лига по футбол). But these changes lasted for just three years - in 2003 the old A and B Football Groups were restored at the top of the football pyramid.

[edit] The system

Currently the Bulgarian football league system consists of 56 different divisions forming 5 levels of the pyramid.^[1][2]:

Level	Group(s)
1	A PFG 16 teams
2	West B PFG 14 teams		East B PFG 14 teams
3	North-West V AFG 16 teams	South-West V AFG 20 teams	North-East V AFG 18 teams	South-East V AFG 18 teams
4	Regional Football Groups (Oblast Football Groups - OFG) 39 in total (all divisions run in parallel): A OFG Blagoevgrad Struma A OFG Blagoevgrad Bistritsa A OFG Blagoevgrad Mesta A OFG Burgas A OFG Varna A OFG Veliko Tarnovo A OFG Vidin A OFG Vratsa A OFG Gabrovo West A OFG Gabrovo East A OFG Dobrich West A OFG Dobrich East A OFG Kardzhali A OFG Kyustendil Osogovo A OFG Kyustendil Rila A OFG Lovech A OFG Montana A OFG Pazardzhik A OFG Pernik North A OFG Pernik South A OFG Pleven A OFG Plovdiv A OFG Razgrad A OFG Rousse West A OFG Rousse East A OFG Silistra A OFG Sliven A OFG Smolyan A OFG Sofia (capital) North A OFG София (capital) South A OFG Sofia West A OFG Sofia East A OFG Stara Zagora A OFG Targovishte East A OFG Targovishte Middle A OFG Targovishte West A OFG Haskovo A OFG Shumen A OFG Yambol
5	B Regional Football Groups (B Oblast Football Groups - OFG) 10 in total (all divisions run in parallel): B OFG Burgas North B OFG Burgas South B OFG Veliko Tarnovo B OFG Pazardzhik North B OFG Pazardzhik South B OFG Pleven West B OFG Pleven East B OFG Plovdiv North B OFG Plovdiv Centre B OFG Plovdiv South

[edit] References

1. ^ Bulgarian Football Union Regulation on the Divisions and Cup Tournaments for Season 2006/07, visited on 22.11.2007
2. ^ Bulgarian Football Union Information System, visited on 22.11.2007

[edit] External links

• bulgarian-football.com - information, results, fixtures and tables from all levels of Bulgarian club football
• Bulgarian Football Union Information System - includes information, results, fixtures and tables from the lower levels of Bulgarian club football (levels 3-5)

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