© EuroFootball.com
On Sunday at 5 p.m. in Vilnius, the closing event of the Sunday Football League (Sekmadienio futbolo lyga) first season will take place at the "All Stars" bar. The champions, winners, and most efficient players of the seventeen teams (almost 500 football players!) will be awarded at the event. The concert will be performed by the group "Biplan."
SFL was founded this spring. The establishment of such a league is a good example of enthusiasm and love for football. The initiators of SFL are one of the most popular football websites in Lithuania EuroFootball.com and the Vilnius football club "Prelegentai" (www.prelegentai.lt). The website EuroFootball.com announced the intention to create an amateur football league with matches played only on Sundays. Fourteen teams registered - 13 from Vilnius and 1 from Kaunas. Some teams existed before, while others got together for the creation of SFL.
After several club meetings, the league format, championship system, and drawing of the teams into two groups of seven were created. The chief referee of the championship became FIFA category referee Paulius Malžinskas.
After the first round in the spring, teams were divided into two divisions based on their rankings - six went to Division A, six to Division B. The teams that finished in fourth place in the groups played play-off matches to qualify for Division A. The matches were played at the Vilnius "Žalgiris" stadium, where Vilnius "Kiemas" defeated Kaunas "Viči" 1-0.
In the fall, the battles of the second round in divisions A and B started. Additionally, four more clubs joined SFL, forming Division C. The championship maintained a sporting principle - the winner of Division A became the SFL champion, teams from Divisions B and C were promoted to higher divisions, and the last teams in Divisions A and B were relegated. The second-to-last teams played with the runner-ups from lower divisions for the right to play at a higher level. Kaunas "Viči" from Division B won 5-4 on penalties against Vilnius "Navigatorius" from Division A and was promoted. Vilnius "F.1.C." from Division C also defeated Vilnius "Studentus" 2-0 and rose to a higher division.
Interestingly, in both play-off matches, victories were celebrated by teams from lower divisions. Nonetheless, the championship was fierce. Until the last round, the champion and the third-place owner were unclear. Three teams, vying for third place in Division A, had an equal number of points, so positions were determined by additional indicators.
The Sunday Football League was the fruit of a collective initiative, and although there is still much to be fixed and improved, the project fundamentally met all expectations. SFL gathered people to dedicate their leisure time to a beloved sport. The championship lacked intense, combative, and unpredictable matches. Despite some generally common episodes in football, the matches were cultured and disciplined. Over a hundred spectators watched some matches in the first season. Competition statistics and descriptions were published on EuroFootball.com. Almost all clubs have their websites and played in neat uniforms. Throughout the championship, which was played in the spirit of "fair play," only one series of matches did not take place, and one team did not finish the competition. The biggest problem - as old as Vilnius itself: where to play football? The capital city disastrously lacks normal football fields...
SFL believes in a bright future. Next season, the league's informational partner will also be the television channel "5 kanalas." As in the first season, information about SFL will be published on the EuroFootball.com portal. The sport bar "All Stars" is also becoming a league partner - here teams will have the opportunity to watch their game videos on a big screen. Negotiations are underway with other potential SFL partners. It is possible that SFL will expand even further since there is no shortage of those who want to play in it. It is also hoped that during the winter break, SFL will establish a legal entity that will help further develop the Sunday Football League, which already has about 500 amateur football players registered!
