Tippeligaen - last updated on 8 June 2008
(Courtesy of Johnny Beaufays)
Competition name: Tippeligaen
Foundation: 1937
Country: Norway
Website: no website
A bit of history:
Tippeligaen is the top division for football in Norway. Its official Norwegian name is Tippeligaen after its sponsor Norsk Tipping, the national lottery and bookmaking service. It is also colloquially known as Eliteserien ("The Elite Series"), although the name has never been official.
Between 1963 and 1990 the name of the league was 1. divisjon ("1st Division"), a name that has later been used for the second level league from 1991. (In 2005 the second level league was officially named Adeccoligaen after its sponsor Adecco.) From the fall of 1948 to 1962 the top division was called Hovedserien ("The Main League"), and between 1937 and the summer of 1948, it was called Norgesserien ("The League of Norway").
The league has enjoyed tremendous popularity in Norway. Viking of Stavanger won the first year the league bore the name Tippeligaen, followed by Rosenborg of Trondheim, claiming 13 consecutive titles (1992-2004). During the first years Rosenborg won with a substantial margin, only partly challenged by Molde, Lillestrøm and Brann. However, this was streadily narrowing down towards a dramatic finish in 2004, where the Trondheim team tied with Vålerenga of Oslo in game points, but finished ahead on goals scored. However, in 2005 the winning streak came to an end as Vålerenga clinched the title, one point ahead of Start of Kristiansand. Rosenborg was never in contention that season and would finish only 7th. In 2006, Rosenborg returned to the top of the league, coming back from 10 points behind Brann at the halfway point to clinch the title with a match to spare. Brann won the league in 2007.
Competition crests: (roll on the crest to get more informations)
Tippeligaen
