Zambia National League
| Founded | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Country | Zambia |
| Confederation | CAF |
| Number of clubs | 18 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | Zambia Super League |
| Relegation to | Provincial Division One |
| Domestic cup(s) | ABSA Cup[1]
Eden University Charity Shield (Samuel 'Zoom' Ndhlovu Charity Shield)[2] (top 2 clubs) |
| Current champions | Nchanga Rangers |
| Most championships | Indeni, Konkola Blades, Lumwana Radiants, Trident FC, Nchanga Rangers (1 title) |
| Current: 2024/25 | |
The Zambian National League (formerly the Zambian National Division One) is the second highest football division for men in Zambia and was introduced for the 2019/20 season with 18 teams. The league is administered by Zambian Premier League[3] and is because of sponsorship reasons called Eden University National Division One League, as Eden University and FAZ signed a five year's agreement prior the inaugural season.[4] The league operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Zambia Super League and Zambian Division One, and is played over 34 games.
On October 8, 2024, the Zambian National Division One was rebranded as the Zambian National League.[5]
Structure of the league
[edit]The league comprises 18 teams. Over the course of a season, each team plays twice against the others in the league, once at 'home' and once 'away', resulting in each team competing in 34 games in total. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. At the end of the season, the four top teams and the[clarification needed] are promoted to the Super League and the bottom four teams are relegated to the provincial division one. The top two teams will compete in the Charity Shield ahead of next season while the top two after 17 games will join six teams from the top flight in the ABSA Cup.
Sponsorship
[edit]On 24 November 2020, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) signed a tripartite broadcast sponsorship deal with Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) and TopStar (StarTimes) that will see National Division One matches beamed live on TV.[6]
Qualification to the league
[edit]The teams placed 5-14 are automatically qualified for the next season. The four promoted teams will be replaced by four relegated teams from the Super League. The four relegated teams will be replaced by four teams that win the National Division One qualifier which consists of the ten provincial division one champions.
Inaugural season
[edit]Teams that was qualified for the first season 2019/20 came from both the Zambia Super League and the old Zambian Division One. Four teams were relegated from the 2019 Zambian Super League, two from each stream (Kitwe United and Prison Leopards FC from Stream A and F.C MUZA and Circuit City F.C. (who were acquired by and absorbed into Nchanga Rangers F.C. from Provincial division one, and took over the spot)[7][8] from Stream B). Losing teams of the qualifiers to the 2019–20 Zambian Super League (which was played between division one zone-winners) (National Assembly F.C. and Young Green Eagles FC) along with teams placed 2nd, 3rd and 4th from each of the four provincial division one zones.[9][10][11] (Zone 1: Police College F.C, Zesco Malaiti Rangers FC, Kafue Celtic FC Zone 2: Gomes FC, Indeni, Chambishi F.C. Zone 3: Zambeef FC, Mpulungu Harbour FC, Chindwin Sentries FC Zone 4: Zesco Shockers F.C, Mumbwa Medics, Sinazongwe United)
Promoted teams to Super League
[edit]| Season | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019/20 | Indeni[12] | Prison Leopards[12] | Young Green Eagles FC[13] | Kitwe United[13] |
| 2020/21 | Konkola Blades F.C. | Kafue Celtic F.C. | Kansanshi Dynamos F.C. | Chambishi F.C. |
| 2021/22 | Lumwana Radiants F.C. | F.C MUZA | NAPSA Stars F.C. | Nchanga Rangers |
| 2022/23 | Trident FC | Mutondo Stars[14] | Mufulira Wanderers F.C. | Konkola Blades F.C. |
| 2023/24[15] | Nchanga Rangers | Lumwana Radiants | Atletico Lusaka | Indeni |
References
[edit]- ^ "ABSA Cup 2019". RSSSF. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Nkana, Indeni face off in 2020-21 Charity Shield". Zambian Soccer Network. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "FAZ president discusses newly-formed Zambia Premier League". Council of Southern Africa Football Associations. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Division One gets Eden aid". Zambia Daily Mail Limited. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀!". Zambian Premier League Facebook Page. 8 October 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ "FAZ SEALS BROADCAST DEAL WITH TOP STAR, ZNBC FOR NATIONAL DIVISION ONE GAMES". Zambian Football. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ^ "Nchanga Rangers acquires Circuit City of Lusaka". The Independent Observer Zambia. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ "Nchanga Rangers acquires Circuit City of Lusaka to play in the National Division league". Facebook/News and Media - Zambia. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ "Current league tables". league321. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ "ROAD TO THE 2019/2020 ZAMBIA PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON". Facebook/Football Association of Zambia (FAZ). Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Reality Check :Will the introduction of the national league improve competition?". Zambia24. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Indeni win Maiden National Division One league". SOKA 25 East. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ a b "NATIONAL DIVISION ONE: INDENI CROWNED CHAMPIONS…AS PRISON LEOPARDS, YOUNG GREEN EAGLES AND KITWE UNITED WIN PROMOTION". ZamFoot. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Mufulira Wanderers and Mutondo win promotion as Livingstone Pirates are relegated". Zamfoot. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
- ^ "Zambia 2023/24". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-07-07.