BWINLIGA - last updated on 12 May 2008
(Courtesy of Johnny Beaufays)
Competition name: BWINLIGA
Foundation: 1934
Country: Portugal
Website: www.lpfp.pt
A bit of history:
Before the Portuguese football reform of 1938, an experimental competition on a round-basis was already being held — the Primeira Liga (Premier League) and the winners of that competition were named League Champions. Despite that, a Portuguese Championship in a knock-out cup format was the most popular and defined the Portuguese Champion.
Then, with the reform, a round-basis competition was implemented as the most important of the calendar and began defining the Portuguese champion. From 1938 to 2000 the name Campeonato Nacional da Primeira Divis?o (National Championship of the First Division), or just Primeira Divis?o (First Division) was used. When the LPFP took control of the two nationwide leagues in 1999 it was renamed Campeonato Nacional da Primeira Liga (Premier League National Championship), or simply Primeira Liga (Premier League), and after Galp acquired the naming rights in 2002, SuperLiga Galp Energia. However a four year deal with the Austrian sports betting web portal bwin was announced on 18 August 2005, amid questioning by the other gambling authorities in Portugal (the Santa Casa da Misericórdia and the Portuguese Casinos Association), which claimed to hold the exclusive of legal gambling games in national territory. After holding the name Liga betandwin.com for the 2005/2006 season [1], a name change to BWINLIGA (all caps) was announced on 21 July 2006. Since the 1995-96 season, each win is worth 3 points instead of the usual 2.
Competition crests: (roll on the crest to get more informations)
SuperLiga Galp Energia -
2002-2005
Liga betandwin.com -
2005-2006
BWINLIGA -
2006-
