Ykkönen

{| class="infobox football" style="width: 16em; text-align: center;" |- ! style="font-size: 16px;" |Ykkönen
Ettan |- | style="font-size: 10px;" | 2010 |- | style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" | |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #BFD7FF;" | Founded |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | 1995 |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #BFD7FF;" | Nation |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | |- |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #BFD7FF;" | Number of Teams |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | 12 |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #BFD7FF;" | Promotion To |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | Veikkausliiga |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #BFD7FF;" | Relegation To |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | Kakkonen |- |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #BFD7FF;" | Current Champions |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | RoPS |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #BFD7FF;" | Website |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | Miesten Ykkönen |- |} Ykkönen (Finnish for 'Number One'; ) is the second highest level of the Finnish football league system (after the Veikkausliiga), although it is the highest league managed by the Football Association of Finland.

Competition

Like the Veikkausliiga, the first division is played mainly during the summer. It comprises 12 clubs, all of whom play two matches against all other clubs in the division. The winner of the Ykkönen attains promotion directly to the top level, while the second-placed team plays a two-legged knockout tie with the second-last team of the Veikkausliiga.

A similar promotion/relegation system takes place between the Ykkönen and the Kakkonen ('second division', or the third level of Finnish football), with the bottom two teams being relegated and the next two playing knockout ties with two teams from Kakkonen.

Clubs

{| class="infobox football" style="width: 16em; text-align: center;" |- ! style="font-size: 16px;" | 2011 Finnish Football League Structure |- | style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" | |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #BFD7FF;" | Nation |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #BFD7FF;" | First Level |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | Veikkausliiga |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #BFD7FF;" | Second Level |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | Ykkönen - First Division |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #BFD7FF;" | Third Level |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | Kakkonen - Second Division |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #BFD7FF;" | Fourth Level |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | Kolmonen - Third Division |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #BFD7FF;" | Fifth Level |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | Nelonen - Fourth Division |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #BFD7FF;" | Sixth Level |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | Vitonen - Fifth Division |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #BFD7FF;" | Seventh Level |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | Kutonen - Sixth Division |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #BFD7FF;" | Eighth Level |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | Seiska - Seventh Division |- |} {| class="infobox football" style="width: 16em; text-align: center;" |- ! style="font-size: 16px;" |2010 Finnish Football League Tables |- |} The clubs in the Ykkönen for the upcoming 2011 season are (with their home towns in brackets): {| | style="vertical-align: top;" |

FC Espoo (Espoo)

FC Hämeenlinna (Hämeenlinna)

FC KooTeePee (Kotka)

FC Lahti (Lahti)

FC Viikingit (Helsinki)

HIFK (Helsinki)

| style="width: 50px;" | | style="vertical-align: top;" |

JIPPO (Joensuu)

KPV (Kokkola)

OPS-jp (Oulu)

PK-35 (Vantaa)

PoPa (Pori)

PS Kemi Kings (Kemi)

|}

For the 2011 season FC Lahti have been relegated from the Veikkausliiga to the Ykkönen. RoPS were promoted to the Veikkausliiga. HIFK were promoted to the Ykkönen from the Kakkonen for the 2011 season. TPV, Klubi-04 and MP were relegated to the Kakkonen.

Source - Results & League Table 2010: RSSSF

Notable former foreign players

{| |valign="top"| Kerry Skepple Luiz Antonio Rafinha Tinho Dionísio Frank Jonke Manga Ekongollo Denis Mikanba Marc Ndikumade Saša Kolić Noam Surrier Dawda Bah Abdoulie Corr Giorgi Nikuradze |width="33"|  |valign="top"| Irakli Sirbiladze Abeiku Adams Michael Akuffu Norbert Kerényi Tibor Márkus Mihály Szeróvay Ramon Bailey Ilja Fomitsev Aleksandr Roslovs Giedrius Barevičius Gedas Butrimavičius Pavel Leus Darius Maciulevičius Toni Banduliev |width="33"|  |valign="top"| Edgar Lugo Daniel Nwoke Ojembe Olatuga Dayo Oyetuga Michael Ozor Babatunde Wusu Krzysztof Klosinski Michal Slawuta Vyacheslav Malakeev Aleksei Zhukov Dragan Pejić Andraš Strapak Unisa Bangura Alimamy Jalloh |width="33"|  |valign="top"| Hassan Sesay Chad Botha Tonton Zola Moukoko Aleksander Baranov Dmitri Brovkin Jon Burklo Colin Burns Dejan Godar Chileshe Chibwe Stephen Kunda Chanda Mwaba Nchimunya Mweetwa Zeddy Saileti |}

External links

League information; at the Football Association of Finland

List of League Second Level tables since 1930

Category:Football competitions in Finland