Myanmar National League
 | |
| Country |
 Myanmar |
|---|---|
| Confederation | AFC |
| Founded | 4 March 2009 |
| First season | 2009 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | MNL-2 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Charity Cup |
| League cup(s) | General Aung San Shield |
| International cup(s) |
AFC Cup AFC Champions League |
| Current champions |
Yadanarbon (2016) |
| Most championships |
Yangon United Yadanarbon (4 titles each) |
| TV partners |
For Sport (Live) |
| Website |
www |
 2017 season | |
The Myanmar National League (Burmese: မြန်မာ နေရှင်နယ် လိဂ်; abbreviated MNL) is the premier national professional football league of Myanmar. In 2009, the league replaced the Myanmar Premier League, which consisted only of 14 Yangon-based football clubs, with eight professional clubs representing different regions across the nation.[1] On 16 May 2009, the league launched its inaugural two-month tournament, the Myanmar National League Cup 2009 in preparation for the first full season in 2010.[2] Despite its national ambitions, the league held the MNL Cup 2009 matches in the country's two main stadiums in Yangon due to the lack of adequate facilities elsewhere. On 5 July 2009, Yadanabon FC defeated Yangon United FC in the MNL Cup final to become the first-ever MNL Champions.
The league added three clubs for the 2010 season[3] and one more club joined for the 2011 season, bringing the total to twelve clubs.[4] Two more clubs representing the Chin and Shan States will participate in the MNL season starting in January 2012.[5]
Promotion and relegation will be added by the 2014 season as the MNL looks to expand once again.[6]
History
In the past, professional football competition in Myanmar has only existed in a limited form. All premier leagues up to this point have been made up of Yangon-based football clubs, most of which were affiliated with government Ministries. It was only after 1996, when the Premier League (Burmese: ပထမတန်း) was relaunched as the Myanmar Premier League that non-government clubs were invited to join the league. Still, the league was based only in Yangon, and never caught the imagination of Burmese football fans, who follow European football with near religious fervor.
The Myanmar Football Federation sought approval from the government to launch a nationwide league in February 2008, and finally received permission to set up private clubs in December 2008. Each club was permitted to sign at most five foreign players and one foreign coach. The government granted each club tax exemptions for an initial three-year period, while each club owner must provide a minimum initial investment of K200 million (approximately US$200,000). It was expected that the annual operating cost for each club would be about K500 million (US$500,000).[1] The investment apparently covers costs such as salaries, transportation and equipment, but does not include the club stadiums, which are all nationalized.[7]
Official logo
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2009–2014
Myanmar National League
Ooredoo Myanmar National League
2015–present
Champions
(For Burmese Champions before 2009, see Myanmar Premier League)
| # | Year | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009 | Yadanarbon | Ayeyawady United |
| 2 | 2010 | Yadanarbon | Zeyar Shwe Myay |
| 3 | 2011 | Yangon United | Ayeyawady United |
| 4 | 2012 | Yangon United | Kanbawza FC |
| 5 | 2013 | Yangon United | Nay Pyi Taw |
| 6 | 2014 | Yadanarbon | Yangon United |
| 7 | 2015 | Yangon United | Yadanarbon |
| 8 | 2016 | Yadanarbon | Yangon United |
Wins by club
| Club | Champions | Runners-up | Winning Seasons | Runners-up Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yangon United | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 | 2014, 2016 | ||
| Yadanarbon | 2009, 2010, 2014, 2016 | 2015 | ||
| Ayeyawady United | 2009, 2011 | |||
| Kanbawza FC | 2012 | |||
| Nay Pyi Taw | 2013 | |||
| Zeyar Shwe Myay | 2010 | |||
Clubs
Horizon and Southern Myanmar were relegated to the 2017 Myanmar National League after finishing the 2016 season in the bottom two places. But Zeyar Shwe Myay quited from 2017 Myanmar National League. Southern Myanmar was stilled in Myanmar National League.
They were replaced by Manaw Myay, G.F.A from MNL-2. Manaw Myay abandoned their club because of their finance problem. Nay Pyi Taw will replace in Manaw Myay.
Stadiums
| Club | Home City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayeyawady United | Pathein | Ayar Stadium | 6,000 |
| Chin United | Hakha | Wammathu Maung Stadium* | 4,000 |
| Hantharwady United | Bago | Bago Stadium(temporary-Taungoo Stadium) | 4,000 |
| Magwe | Magway | Magway Stadium* | 3,000 |
| Nay Pyi Taw | Nay Pyi Taw | Wunna Theikdi Stadium | 30,000 |
| Rakhine United | Sittwe | Weithali Stadium | 7,000 |
| Shan United | Taunggyi | Taunggyi Stadium | 7,000 |
| Southern Myanmar | Mawlamyaing | Ramanya Stadium | 10,000 |
| Yadanarbon | Mandalay | Mandalarthiri Stadium | 30,000 |
| Yangon United | Yangon | Yangon United Sports Complex | 3,500 |
| G.F.A | Chin | ||
| Zwegapin United | Hpa-An | Aung Than Lwin Stadium | 3,000 |
(*) - not ready to play. MNL clubs that have not had their home stadia ready to host home matches currently use Aung San Stadium and Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon. [8]
Awards
Prize money
Top scorers
| Year | Nation | Player | Club | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | |
Win Naing Soe | Yadanarbon | 16 |
 |
Keith Martu Nah | |||
 |
Christopher | Ayeyawady United | ||
| 2015 |  |
César Augusto | Yangon United | 28 |
| 2014 | |
César Augusto | Yangon United | 26 |
| 2013 | |
César Augusto | Yangon United | 20 |
| 2012 |  |
Saša Ranković | Zeya Shwe Myay | 20 |
| 2011 | |
Charles Obi | Yangon United | 18 |
| 2010 |  |
Jean-Roger Lappé-Lappé | Hantharwady United | 20 |
| 2009-10 | |
Soe Min Oo | Kanbawza | 12 |
| 2009 | |
Yan Paing | Yadanarbon | 8 |
Coach of the Year
| Season | Coach | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | .svg.png){kind=small} René Desaeyere |
Yadanarbon |
| 2015 | Saric |
Yangon United |
| 2014 | U Khin Maung Tint |
Yadanarbon |
| 2013 |  Eric Williams |
Yangon United |
| 2012 |  Ivan Venkov Kolev |
Yangon United |
| 2011 | Eric Williams |
Yangon United |
| 2010 |  Yoan |
Yadanarbon |
| 2009 | Yoan |
Yadanarbon |
Player of the Year
Competition format and sponsorship
Competition
There are 12 clubs in the Myanmar League. During the course of a season, which lasts from January to October, each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 22 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then head-to-head, then goal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned champion. If points are equal, the head-to-head, the goal difference and then goals scored determine the winner. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank. The two lowest placed teams are relegated into the MNL-2 and the top two teams from the MNL-2 are promoted in their place.
Qualification for Asian competitions
In the past the champions will play in AFC Champions League playoffs and AFC Cup for the champions of General Aung San Shield. Due to reforms from the AFC for the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup format, there will be no more a direct qualification spot for the AFC Champions League for that Myanmar Champion, for the time being.
Sponsorship
The Myanmar League has been sponsored since 2009 until 2010 and has been sponsored again since 2015. The sponsor has been able to determine the league's sponsorship name. The list below details who the sponsors have been and what they called the competition:
- 2009-2010: Grand Royal (Grand Royal Myanmar National League)
- 2010-2014: None (Myanmar National League)
- 2015–Present: Ooredoo (Ooredoo Myanmar National League)
Match balls
The 2009–2016 season uses the Nike.
See also
References
- 1 2 Han Oo Khin (March 9–15, 2009). "New era for football". The Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on February 15, 2012.
- ↑ Han Oo Khin (March 30 – April 5, 2009). "MFF announces May domestic cup competition". The Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012.
- ↑ "MNL season opens in style". Myanmar Times. 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- ↑ "MNL expands ahead of 2011 season launch". Myanmar Times. January 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- ↑ "၂၀၁၂ ပြိုင်ပွဲတွင် ချင်းကိုယ်စားပြု အသင်းတစ်သင်း ပါဝင် ယှဉ်ပြိုင်မည်". Soccer Myanmar. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- ↑ "MNL TO INTRODUCE PROMOTION-RELEGATION SYSTEM BY 2014". ASEAN Football. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ↑ Min Lwin (2009-04-20). "Burmese Soccer League an Election Ploy?". The Irrawaddy.
- ↑ MNL, MFF (21 September 2016). "Eight seasons in for MNL, three teams drop out". Stdium. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
External links
| League competitions |
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|---|---|
| Cup competitions | |
| National teams | |
| Lists |
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| Awards |
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