NIFA Superleague 1

Superleague 1
Upcoming season or competition: 2023 NIFA Superleague 1 season
Founded	1892 (1892) as NIFA Premiership 1951 (1951) as First Division 1995 (1995) as Superleague 1
No. of clubs	12
Level	1
Relegation to	NIFA Superleague 2
Most titles	Port Frederick (23)
TV partner(s)	RTNI Galaxy Television
Sponsor(s)	Red Lion Brewing
Related competitions	Challenge Cup

The NIFA Superleague 1 is the premier Huruball competition in New Ingrea, and is run by the New Ingrean Football Association (NIFA). The competition was established in 1892 as the NIFA Premiership, and is played from April to October every year. The Superleague 1 has long been acknowledged as the most prestigious Huruball competition in the world.

The Superleague is made up of 12 teams from all over New Ingrea. The clubs play over 22 rounds for the premiership plate, followed by a three week finals series for the championship trophy, totalling 136 matches in the season. The 2023 season is sponsored by Red Lion Brewing, who have sponsored the competition since 2005.

History

Early years and expansion

A Premiership match, 1938.

The league began as an eight team competition in 1892. The foundation clubs were Corfe Harbour, Earnestvale, Hillsborough, Kingsbury, Philipstown, Port Frederick, Swanbrook, and Williamsdene. The early days of the league were characterised by fierce competition, with matches often resulting in physical altercations between players. Despite this, the league managed to attract a large following, with supporters becoming increasingly passionate about their respective teams.

As the years went by, the league continued to grow in popularity, and more and more teams began to express an interest in joining. In 1914, Pasquale and Lunenborough were added to the competition, bringing the total number of teams to ten. This was seen as a major milestone in the history of the league, as it marked the first time that the league had expanded beyond its original eight teams.

In 1925, two more teams, Axport and Shepton, were added, bringing the total number of teams to twelve. This expansion was met with mixed feelings, with some arguing that it would dilute the quality of the league, while others believed it would make the competition more exciting. However, these fears proved unfounded, and the league spent the 1920s and 30s with record attendances and the highest revenue earnings of any sporting competition in the country.

However, the league was soon faced with a major setback when the Great War broke out in 1939. With many players being called up to serve in the military, the league was forced to go on hiatus for six years. When the competition resumed in 1946, it was clear that the sport had undergone a major transformation, with many war-weary players returning from home having a new-found appreciation for the game.

Postwar divisions

As the league began to rebuild itself in the aftermath of the war, there was renewed pressure from teams in the lower leagues to be admitted to the top flight competition. However, the league officials were resistant to the idea of expanding the league beyond twelve teams, believing that it would compromise the quality of the competition.

This resistance eventually led to a number of teams splitting away in 1946 to form their own competition, the Harrison Shield. The Shield consisted of ten teams, and was named in honour of H.C.A Harrison, one of the founders of the game. Despite initial scepticism from some quarters, the Harrison Shield quickly gained a following, with many fans drawn to its fast-paced, high-scoring matches, with innovations such as allowing throw passes, and awarding free kicks against player who kicked or forced the ball out of bounds were introduced.

For five seasons, the Shield and the NIFA Premiership ran in direct competition to each other, with fans and pundits alike debating the merits of each competition. However, it soon became clear that the practicality of having two national competitions was untenable, and in late 1950, the two rivals agreed to merge.

To accommodate the additional influx of teams, a promotion and relegation system was introduced for the first time in time for the 1951 season. The 22 teams were placed into two divisions, with each division ranked according to their final standing in wins and losses from the previous season. At the same time, the league was renamed the First Division.

Boom years

The 1960s saw a period of significant change and upheaval for the First Division. With the sport becoming increasingly popular among young people, the league was under pressure to modernise its image and appeal to a new generation of fans.

One of the key changes made during this period was the introduction of regular night matches under floodlights. Previously, all matches had been played during daylight hours, but with the advent of floodlights, it became possible to play matches in the evening, opening up a new world of possibilities for the league. Friday night matches became a regular fixture for the first time.

In the 1970s, another major development was the formalisation of the transfer market. Previously, players had been more or less tied to their clubs for life, with inter-club transfers being exceptionally rare and only allowed under exceptional circumstances (usually for family or career reasons, but there were other reasons given from time to time. With the introduction of transfers, players could now move freely between teams, providing more opportunities for talented players and giving teams the chance to strengthen their squads.

During this period, the league also saw the emergence of some of its most iconic players. Names like Simon Leach, Vic Neal, and Kevin Tarrant became synonymous with the First Division, and helped to cement the reputation of the era as one of the most exciting and competitive in the history of the game. Neal in particular is fondly remembered as the first player to win the prestigious Goodwin Medal three times for being the best and fairest in a season.

Crisis and renewal

The 1980s were a tumultuous time for the league, with many teams struggling financially and several facing bankruptcy. In an effort to address these issues, the league introduced a system of revenue sharing, whereby the proceeds from media broadcasting rights and other sources of income were distributed more evenly among all teams.

The 1980s also the introduction of a salary cap and player draft. This was designed to prevent wealthy teams from dominating the league, and to ensure that all teams had a fair chance of success. While controversial at first, the salary cap soon became an accepted part of the league's structure, and is still in place today.

Recent years

In 1995, as part of a general refresh by the governing body to promote the game to a new generation, the competition was renamed Superleague 1. This move was seen as a reflection of the league's continued evolution and growth, and was widely welcomed by fans and players alike.

Despite its many changes over the years, the Superleague 1 remains one of the most exciting and unpredictable sporting competitions in the world. Its matches are watched by hundreds of thousands of fans around the globe, with supporters of each team displaying a fierce loyalty to their respective clubs.

Teams

Stadiums and locations

#	Team	Home city	Stadium	Capacity
1	Ashmarsh Sharks	Ashmarsh	Richardson Park
2	Corfe Harbour Seagulls	Corfe Harbour	Fitzroy Oval
3	Earnestvale Eagles	Earnestvale	Arthur V Oval
4	Hillsborough Wildcats	Hillsborough	Chase Park
5	Kingsbury Roosters	Kingsbury	Kingsbury Stadium
6	Lunenborough Lions	Lunenborough	Jubilee Oval
7	Ossulstone Saxons	Ossulstone	Andrews Park
8	Port Frederick Wasps	Port Frederick	Glebe Park Stadium
9	Poundyard Bay Pirates	Poundyard Bay	Borough Park
10	Shepton Rams	Shepton	Shepton Domain
11	Swanbrook Maroons	Swanbrook	Varley Oval
12	Williamsdene Tigers	Williamsdene	Fisher Park

Statistics

Winners

Further information: List of winners of the NIFA Superleague 1 and predecessors

Team statistics

Club	Winners	Runners-up	Winning seasons	Runner-up seasons
Port Frederick	23		1892, 1894, 1896, 1903, 1912, 1914, 1916, 1920, 1927, 1930, 1936, 1945, 1958, 1960, 1969, 1973, 1978, 1980, 1988, 1994, 2001, 2005, 2007
Kingsbury	16		1897, 1900, 1907, 1911, 1918, 1924, 1933, 1946, 1954, 1961, 1970, 1975, 1990, 2002, 2011, 2016
Swanbrook	13		1893, 1905, 1915, 1922, 1926, 1938, 1955, 1965, 1982, 1993, 2003, 2008, 2012
Corfe Harbour	12		1898, 1906, 1929, 1934, 1947, 1983, 1989, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2013, 2017
Lunenborough	12		1925, 1935, 1951, 1957, 1959, 1963, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1984, 1991, 2006
Hillsborough	10		1895, 1899, 1901, 1921, 1937, 1948, 1964, 1968, 1987, 2018
Earnestvale	9		1902, 1904, 1909, 1953, 1976, 1992, 2004, 2019, 2020
Williamsdene	8		1908, 1913, 1917, 1931, 1952, 1974, 1985, 2000
Axport	5		1939, 1962, 1966, 1981, 2021
Pasquale	5		1923, 1950, 1977, 2009, 2010
Philipstown	3		1910, 1919, 1932
Shepton	3		1928, 1949, 1979
Ashmarsh	2		2014, 2015
Beaconsfield	2		1956, 1986
Ossulstone	2		1996, 1999
Warnock	1		2022