Tanzanian Premier League

Last updated
Tanzanian Premier League
TFF Ligi Kuu Premier League Tanzania Logo.jpg
Founded
  • 1921;103 years ago (1921) [1]
    (as "Dar es Salaam Football League")
  • 1965;59 years ago (1965) (as "National League")
Country Flag of Tanzania.svg Tanzania
Confederation Confederation of African Football
Number of teams16
Level on pyramid1
Relegation to Championship
Domestic cup(s)
International cup(s)
Current champions Young Africans
(2023–24)
Most championships Young Africans S.C (30 titles)
Top goalscorer John Bocco
(155 goals)
TV partnersAzam TV
(live matches and highlights)
Website ligikuu.co.tz
Current: 2024–25 Tanzanian Premier League

The Tanzania Mainland Premier League (Swahili : Ligi Kuu Tanzania Bara) is a top-level Tanzanian professional football league, governed by the Tanzania Football Federation.

Contents

History

The league was first organized in Dar es Salaam in 1921 [2] and by 1929 had six participants. In the 1930s, the league included street teams such as Arab Sports (Kariakoo) and New Strong Team (Kisutu), which primarily consisted of Arab and African players. The Sudanese community had a team that joined the league in 1941 although by the mid-1940s the team had split up. Other teams in the league's early history included the Khalsas, an exclusively Sikh team, and the Ilala Staff, a team of Ilalan residents.

In 1942, clubs from public institutions such as the Government School, Post Office, Railways SC, King's African Rifles SC, Police SC, and the Medical Department started to dominate the league. However, most teams disbanded in the aftermath of World War II, with many European players ceasing their participation in the league and their clubs. This included Gymkhana Club, Police Club, King's African Rifles, and Railways, who eventually withdrew from the league. Starting in the 1940s, they were replaced by African street teams such as Young Africans (Yanga) and Sunderland (known as Old Boys in 1942 and later renamed Simba in 1971), as well as the Goan's Club manned by Goans, and the Agha Khan Club by Ismaili Khojas.

From this period onwards, Yanga and Sunderland gradually became the most prominent clubs in Dar es Salaam. Yanga, founded in 1935, entered the first division and won four major cups in 1942. Sunderland joined the first division soon after Yanga and won four major trophies in 1946.

By 1955, the Dar es Salaam League had 38 registered clubs. It became the "National League" by 1965, incorporating most of the major teams in Tanzania. The name was later changed to the "First Division Soccer League" and later to the "Premier League" in 1997. Tanzania Breweries became the sponsor of the championship, after which the league was called the Tanzania Breweries League (TBL). The contract with Breweries was terminated in 2001 after a conflict with the Tanzania Football Association. In 2002, a contract was signed with the telecommunication company Vodacom, which lasted until 2009, after which they were renewed the same year.

Competition format

Tanzanian Premier League match between Kagera Sugar and Mbeya City on 17 January 2015 CCM Kirumba Stadium Mwanza.JPG
Tanzanian Premier League match between Kagera Sugar and Mbeya City on 17 January 2015

Competition

The Tanzanian Premier League (TPL) follows a typical double round-robin format with each team playing the other twice, home and away. Each win earns three points, a draw earns a point for both teams, and a loss earns zero points.

Promotion & Relegation

The bottom two-placed teams are automatically demoted to the Championship and are replaced by the winners and runners-up from the championship. The third and fourth worst-ranked teams enter a play-off with the 3rd and 4th placed teams from the First Division. [3]

International Competitions

Confederation of African Football (CAF) teams based in Tanzania compete in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.

Recent positive performances by TPL clubs in continental competitions have seen Tanzania rise in the CAF 5-year ranking. As a result, more teams from the league have had the opportunity to compete on the continental stage.

CAF Champions League

The league champion qualifies for the CAF Champions League for the following season.

Starting in the 2021-22 season, the second-placed team from the previous season also qualifies for the CAF CL.

CAF Confederation Cup

Since the 2015–16 season, the winner of the Tanzania FA Cup has qualified for the CAF Confederations Cup. This qualification place had previously been awarded only to the runner-up in the Premier League.

From the 2021-22 season onwards, the champions of the FA Cup and the third-placed team in the Premier League have also qualified for the tournament.

Clubs

Starting from the 2018–19 season, the league was composed of 20 teams, which was further lowered to 18 in 2020 and then 16 in 2021.

2023-2024 season clubs

class=notpageimage|
Location of clubs in Tanzania for the 2023–24 Tanzanian Premier League season

Champions


Wins by year

Previous champions are: [4]

YearsChampions
1965 Simba SC (1)
1966 Simba SC (2)
1967 Cosmopolitans (1)
1968 Young Africans SC (4)
1969 Young Africans SC (5)
1970 Young Africans SC (6)
1971 Young Africans SC (7)
1972 Young Africans SC (8)
1973 Simba SC (3)
1974 Young Africans SC (9)
1975 Mseto Sports (1)
1976 Simba SC (4)
1977 Simba SC (5)
1978 Simba SC (6)
1979 Simba SC (7)
1980 Simba SC (8)
1981 Young Africans SC (10)
1982 Pan African (1)
1983 Young Africans SC (11)
1984 KMKM FC (1)
1985 Maji Maji FC (1)
1986 Maji Maji FC (2)
1987 Young Africans SC (12)
1988 Coastal Union (1)
1989 Young Africans SC (13)
1990 Pamba SC (1)
1991 Young Africans SC (14)
1992 Young Africans SC (15)
1993 Simba SC (9)
1994 Simba SC (10)
1995 Simba SC (11)
1996 Young Africans SC (16)
1997 Young Africans SC (17)
1998 Maji Maji FC (3)
1999 Prisons SC (1)
2000 Young Africans SC (18)
2001 Simba SC (12)
2002 Simba SC (13)
2003 Simba SC (14)
2004 Simba SC (15)
2005 Young Africans SC (19)
2006 Young Africans SC (20)
2007 Simba SC (16)
2008 Young Africans SC (21)
2009 Young Africans SC (22)
2010 Simba SC (17)
2011 Young Africans SC (23)
2012 Simba SC (18)
2013 Young Africans SC (24)
2014 Azam FC (1)
2015 Young Africans SC (25)
2016 Young Africans SC (26)
2017 Young Africans SC (27)
2018 Simba SC (19)
2019 Simba SC (20)
2020 Simba SC (21)
2021 Simba SC (22)
2022 Young Africans SC (28)
2023 Young Africans SC (29)
2024 Young Africans SC (30)
ClubWins [5]
Young Africans 30
Simba (includes Sunderland)22
Maji Maji 3
Malindi 2
Prisons 1
Pan African 1
Azam 1
Cosmopolitans 1
Mseto Sports 1
Coastal Union 1
Pamba 1
KMKM 1

Top goalscorers

SeasonNat.Best scorersTeamGoals
1997 Flag of Tanzania.svg Mohamed Hussein "Mmachinga" Young Africans26
2004 Flag of Tanzania.svg Abubakar Ally Mkangwa Mtibwa Sugar
2005 Flag of Tanzania.svg Abdallah JumaMtibwa Sugar25
2006n/an/a
2007 Flag of Tanzania.svg Mashiku SC United ]17
2007–08 Flag of Tanzania.svg Michael Katende Kagera Sugar
2008–09 Flag of Kenya.svg Boniface Ambani Young Africans18
2009–10 Flag of Tanzania.svg Musa Hassan Mgosi Simba18
2010–11 Flag of Tanzania.svg Mrisho Ngasa Azam18
2011–12 Flag of Tanzania.svg John Raphael Bocco Azam19
2012–13 Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg Kipre Tchetche Azam17
2013–14 Flag of Burundi.svg Amissi Tambwe Simba19
2014–15 Flag of Tanzania.svg Simon Msuva Young Africans17
2014–15 Flag of Tanzania.svg Abdulrahman Mussa Ruvu Shooting17
2015–16 Flag of Burundi.svg Amissi Tambwe Young Africans21
2016–17 Flag of Tanzania.svg Simon Msuva Young Africans14
2017–18 Flag of Uganda.svg Emmanuel Okwi Simba20
2018–19 Flag of Rwanda.svg Meddie Kagere Simba23
2019–20 Flag of Rwanda.svg Meddie Kagere Simba22
2020–21 Flag of Tanzania.svg John Bocco Simba16 [6]
2021–22 Flag of Tanzania.svg George MpoleGeita Gold17 [7]
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Fiston Kalala Mayele Young Africans
2022–23 Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Fiston Kalala Mayele Young Africans17 [8]
Flag of Burundi.svg Saidi Ntibazonkiza Simba
2023-24 Flag of Burkina Faso.svg Stephane Aziz Ki Young Africans21

All-time goalscorers

RankPlayerGoalsYears
1 Flag of Tanzania.svg John Bocco 1552008
2 Flag of Uganda.svg Emmanuel Okwi 972009-2019

Assists

SeasonNat.PlayerTeamAssists
2021-22 Flag of Senegal.svg Pape Sakho Simba6
2022-23 Flag of Zambia.svg Clatous Chama Simba14
2023-24 Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg Kipre JuniorAzam9

Clean sheets

SeasonNat.GoalskeeperTeamClean sheets
2022-23 Flag of Mali.svg Djigui Diarra Yanga14
2023-24 Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Ley Matampi Coastal Union15

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References

  1. ↑ "Tanzania – List of champions". RSSSF.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  2. ↑ Football, in Tanzania (18 November 2008). "POPULAR MUSIC, SPORTS, AND POLITICS: A DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN CULTURAL MOVEMENTS IN DAR ES SALAAM, the 1930s-1960s" (PDF). TSURUTA, Tadasu. POPULAR MUSIC, SPORTS, AND POLITICS: A DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN CULTURAL MOVEMENTS IN DAR ES SALAAM, the 1930s–1960s. African Study Monographs 2003, 24(3): 195–222. 24 (3): 206. doi:10.14989/68221. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  3. ↑ "About the Premier League". Tanzania Football Federation. 26 February 2010. Archived from the original on 28 October 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  4. ↑ "Tanzania – List of Champions". RSSSF . Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  5. ↑ "Tanzania - List of Champions". RSSSF . Archived from the original on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  6. ↑ "Table of top scorers Tanzania Premier League 2021". www.besoccer.com. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  7. ↑ "Table of top scorers Tanzania Premier League 2022". www.besoccer.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  8. ↑ "Wafungaji bora NBC Premier League 2022/2023 Top Scorers". https://wasomiajira.com/ . 9 June 2023. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.{{cite news}}: External link in |work= (help)
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