History of the Tippeligaen
The Norwegian Premier League is currently the top professional football league in Norway. It is known in Norwegian as Tippeligaen. Over the years, the soccer league has gone through a series of name changes. Since 1991, the football league is known by its current name Tippeligaen. When the soccer league was first formed in 1937-38 it was called Norgesserien, meaning the League of Norway. It was re-christened Hovedserien in the 1948-49 season. The name remained till 1963, after which it was called 1. Divisjon, which is the name given to the second highest professional soccer league in Norway today.
Tippeligaen consists of 16 teams in its current form. The football team with the maximum number of points at the end of the season wins the coveted League Winner title. The last two teams from the Tippeligaen are directly relegated to the First Division, the top two teams from the First Division fill up those slots. The 14th placed football team enters the playoffs along with a team from the First Division to decide the final spot. Rosenborg have been one of the most successful soccer teams in the Norwegian Football League history with 20 wins. Fredrikstad are at a distant second with 9 winner trophies and close on their heels are Viking with 8.
Previous Tippeligaen season(s)
Brann proved to be too good for the others in the Tippeligaen in 2007, as they won the football league with two soccer games to go. At the end of the 24th round, Brann had a seven point advantage over the second placed football team making them eventual Tippeligaen winners. Sandefjord and Start were the two teams that were automatically relegated, while Odd Grenland was relegated through the playoffs. The 2008 Tippeligaen football season was much more exciting, as Tippeligaen saw a new football team crowned as winners. Against all odds, Stabæk emerged first time Tippeligaen winners. Going in to the season, everybody was betting on defending champions Brann to do it again, but as it turned out Stabæk defied everyone to come out on top. HamKam were the only team to be relegated.
