LigaPro

LigaPro

Country	Portugal
Confederation	UEFA
Founded	1990 (as Segunda Divisão de Honra)
Number of teams	22
Level on pyramid	2
Promotion to	Primeira Liga
Relegation to	Campeonato de Portugal
Domestic cup(s)	Taça de Portugal
League cup(s)	Taça da Liga
Current champions	Porto B (1st title) (2015–16)
Most championships	Paços de Ferreira (3 titles)
TV partners	Sport TV Benfica TV Porto Canal Sporting TV
Website	http://www.ligaportugal.pt/
2016–17 LigaPro

The LigaPro (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈliɣɐˈpɾɔ]; English: ProLeague), also referred to as Ledman LigaPro for sponsorship reasons,^[1] is the second-highest division of the Portuguese football league system, after the Primeira Liga. At the end of each season, the top-finishing teams are promoted to the Primeira Liga, and the lowest-ranked teams are relegated to the third-tier Campeonato de Portugal.

The LigaPro was founded in 1990 as the Segunda Divisão de Honra (Second Division of Honour), superseding the now-folded Segunda Divisão (Second Division) as the second tier of Portuguese football. When the division came under the auspices of the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP) in 1999, it was renamed to Segunda Liga (Second League), a designation that was kept until 2016, with the exception of a period between 2005 and 2012, when it was known as Liga de Honra (League of Honour). The current branding and sponsorship were introduced during the 2015–16 season.^[2]

The division is contested nationwide by 24 teams, including the reserve sides (B teams) of several top-flight clubs. This number will be reduced to 22 in the 2016–17 season, with a further reduction to 20 teams scheduled for the 2017–18 season.^[3][4]

Nineteen different teams have won the division title; the most successful is Paços de Ferreira, with three wins, including the inaugural season. The current champions are Porto B, who won the title for the first time in the 2015–16 season, becoming the first reserve team to win the Portuguese second-tier championship title.

History

Before 1990, there was only one professional nationwide football league in Portugal, the Primeira Divisão (First Division). Lower placed teams were relegated to the Segunda Divisão (Second Division), a regional league, while the top teams from that league would be promoted to the First Division. Starting with the 1990–91 season, a new second-tier professional league was created, taking the name Segunda Divisão de Honra, while the previous Segunda Divisão became the third-tier league and was renamed Segunda Divisão B.

In 1999, the Portuguese League for Professional Football (LPFP) took control of the two nationwide levels and renamed the league Segunda Liga (Second League), while in 2005 it was renamed Liga de Honra and the Segunda Divisão B reverted to its original name. In 2012, the second tier of Portuguese football was renamed again Segunda Liga and in 2016 it was renamed LigaPro.

Format

Between the 2014–15 season and 2015–16 season, there are 24 clubs in the Segunda Liga. For the 2016–17 season it is foreseen to reduce the number of teams from 24 to 22.^[5] During the course of a season, each club plays all teams twice — once at their home stadium and once at their opponent's — for a total of 46 games. At the end of each season, the two top teams are promoted to Primeira Liga and the five lowest placed teams are relegated to the Campeonato de Portugal. The B teams can't be promoted to Primeira Liga but can be demoted to the Campeonato de Portugal if they end the season in one of the relegation positions or if the main team is also relegated to the same league.

Broadcasting

Sport TV broadcasts two matches per week. Benfica TV broadcasts Benfica B and Farense home games, while Porto Canal broadcasts Porto B home games, and Sporting TV broadcasts Sporting B home games.

Clubs

Stadia and locations

Team	Location	Stadium	Capacity	2015–16 finish
Académica	Coimbra	Estádio Cidade de Coimbra	29,744	3118th (PL)
Académico de Viseu	Viseu	Estádio do Fontelo	8,046	17th
Benfica B	Lisbon	Caixa Futebol Campus	2,720	19th
Braga B	Braga	Estádio 1º de Maio	5,000	15th
Cova da Piedade	Cova da Piedade	Estádio Municipal José Martins Vieira[upper-alpha 1]	3,500	311st (CP)
Desportivo das Aves	Vila das Aves	Estádio do CD Aves	5,441	8th
Fafe	Fafe	Parque Municipal dos Desportos de Fafe[upper-alpha 2]	8,000	313rd (CP)
Famalicão	Vila Nova de Famalicão	Estádio Municipal 22 de Junho	10,000	6th
Freamunde	Freamunde	Campo do SC Freamunde	3,919	5th
Gil Vicente	Barcelos	Estádio Cidade de Barcelos	12,032	11th
Leixões	Matosinhos	Estádio do Mar	6,798	18th
Olhanense	Olhão	Estádio José Arcanjo	5,661	7th
Penafiel	Penafiel	Estádio Municipal 25 de Abril	5,230	12th
Portimonense	Portimão	Estádio Municipal de Portimão	6,000	4th
Porto B	Porto	Estádio Dr. Jorge Sampaio	8,272	1st
Santa Clara	Ponta Delgada	Estádio de São Miguel	12,500	16th
Sporting CP B	Lisbon	CGD Stadium Aurélio Pereira	1,180	10th
Sporting da Covilhã	Covilhã	Estádio Municipal José dos Santos Pinto	2,055	14th
União da Madeira	Funchal	Centro Desportivo da Madeira	2,500	3117th (PL)
Varzim	Póvoa de Varzim	Estádio do Varzim SC	7,280	9th
Vitória de Guimarães B	Guimarães	Estádio D. Afonso Henriques	30,008	13th
Vizela	Vizela	Estádio do FC Vizela	6,000	312nd (CP)

1. Cova da Piedade will play one home match at Caixa Futebol Campus, Seixal, due to renovations at their own stadium.^[6][7]
2. Fafe will play some home matches at Estádio Dr. Machado de Matos, Felgueiras, due to renovations at their own stadium.^[6][8]

Champions

For champions at this level before 1990, see Portuguese Second Division.

Season	Champion	Points	Runner-up	Points	Third place	Points	Teams	Top scorer	Club	Goals
1990–91	Paços de Ferreira	51	Estoril	46	Torreense	45	20	Eduard Eranosyan	Leixões	22
1991–92	Sporting de Espinho	50	Belenenses	48	Tirsense	45	18	Rashidi Yekini	Vitória de Setúbal	22
1992–93	Estrela da Amadora	48	União da Madeira	47	Vitória de Setúbal	47	18	Rashidi Yekini	Vitória de Setúbal	34
1993–94	Tirsense	46	União de Leiria	45	Chaves	45	18	Edinho	Portimonense	16
1994–95	Leça	46	Campomaiorense	46	Felgueiras	44	18	Tihomir Rudež	Campomaiorense	20
1995–96	Rio Ave	68	Vitória de Setúbal	62	Sporting de Espinho	62	18	Paulo Vida	Desportivo das Aves	22
1996–97	Campomaiorense	62	Varzim	59	Académica	58	18	Carlos Freitas	Desportivo de Beja	17
1997–98	União de Leiria	70	Beira-Mar	64	Alverca	62	18	Armando Santos	Moreirense	21
1998–99	Gil Vicente	68	Belenenses	61	Santa Clara	55	18	Marcão	Varzim	23
1999–2000	Paços de Ferreira (2)	65	Beira-Mar	65	Desportivo das Aves	61	18	Marcão	Varzim	27
2000–01	Santa Clara	67	Varzim	64	Vitória de Setúbal	64	18	Brandão	Santa Clara	24
2001–02	Moreirense	64	Académica	62	Nacional	62	18	Ibón Pérez Paulo Vida Rômulo Serginho	Chaves Paços de Ferreira Nacional Nacional	18
2002–03	Rio Ave (2)	63	Alverca	60	Estrela da Amadora	57	18	Igor	Maia	20
2003–04	Estoril	67	Vitória de Setúbal	64	Penafiel	61	18	Fábio Hempel	Salgueiros	25
2004–05	Paços de Ferreira (3)	69	Naval 1º de Maio	62	Estrela da Amadora	60	18	Rincón	Paços de Ferreira	18
2005–06	Beira-Mar	68	Desportivo das Aves	64	Leixões	62	18	Cássio Nuno Sousa	Maia/Chaves Gondomar	20
2006–07	Leixões	60	Vitória de Guimarães	55	Rio Ave	53	16	Roberto Alcântara	Leixões	17
2007–08	Trofense	52	Rio Ave	51	Vizela	50	16	Júlio César	Santa Clara	13
2008–09	Olhanense	58	União de Leiria	53	Santa Clara	52	16	Djalmir	Olhanense	20
2009–10	Beira-Mar (2)	54	Portimonense	54	Feirense	52	16	Reguila	Trofense	15
2010–11	Gil Vicente (2)	55	Feirense	55	Trofense	54	16	Bock	Freamunde	15
2011–12	Estoril (2)	57	Moreirense	52	Desportivo das Aves	50	16	Joeano	Arouca	19
2012–13	Belenenses	94	Arouca	73	Leixões	68	22	Joeano	Arouca	24
2013–14	Moreirense (2)	79	Porto B	77	Penafiel	73	22	Pires	Moreirense	22
2014–15	Tondela	81	União da Madeira	80	Chaves	80	24	Tozé Marreco Erivelto	Tondela Sporting da Covilhã	23
2015–16	Porto B	86	Chaves	81	Feirense	78	24	Simy	Gil Vicente	20

Statistics

Performance by club

Club	Winners	Runners-up	Winning seasons	Runner-up seasons
Paços de Ferreira	3	0	1990–91, 1999–2000, 2004–05	–
Beira-Mar	2	2	2005–06, 2009–10	1997–98, 1999–2000
Rio Ave	2	1	1995–96, 2002–03	2007–08
Moreirense	2	1	2001–02, 2013–14	2011–12
Estoril	2	1	2003–04, 2011–12	1990–91
Gil Vicente	2	0	1998–99, 2010–11	–
União de Leiria	1	2	1997–98	1993–94, 2008–09
Belenenses	1	2	2012–13	1991–92, 1998–99
Campomaiorense	1	1	1996–97	1994–95
Porto B	1	1	2015–16	2013–14
Espinho	1	0	1991–92	–
Estrela da Amadora	1	0	1992–93	–
Tirsense	1	0	1993–94	–
Leça	1	0	1994–95	–
Santa Clara	1	0	2000–01	–
Leixões	1	0	2006–07	–
Trofense	1	0	2007–08	–
Olhanense	1	0	2008–09	–
Tondela	1	0	2014–15	–
Varzim	0	2	–	1996–97, 2000–01
Vitória de Setúbal	0	2	–	1995–96, 2003–04
União da Madeira	0	2	–	1992–93, 2014–15
Académica	0	1	–	2001–02
Alverca	0	1	–	2002–03
Naval 1º de Maio	0	1	–	2004–05
Desportivo das Aves	0	1	–	2005–06
Vitória de Guimarães	0	1	–	2006–07
Portimonense	0	1	–	2009–10
Feirense	0	1	–	2010–11
Arouca	0	1	–	2012–13
Chaves	0	1	–	2015–16

All-time ranking

Last updated following the 2015–16 season.

#	Club	Seasons	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points	Goals for	Goals against	Goal difference	First season	Last season	Best placing	Notes
1	Desportivo das Aves	23	840	321	231	288	1214	1030	979	51	1991	2016	2nd
2	Feirense	20	714	256	203	255	971	858	836	22	1991	2016	2nd
3	Penafiel	20	676	255	204	217	969	784	747	37	1993	2016	3rd
4	Portimonense	18	636	219	195	222	852	769	777	-8	1991	2016	2nd
5	Santa Clara	15	506	193	152	181	731	623	596	27	1999	2016	1st (1 title)
6	Leixões	14	508	183	146	179	695	570	545	25	1991	2016	1st (1 title)
7	Varzim	13	472	178	141	153	675	553	527	26	1991	2016	2nd
8	Chaves	13	466	169	144	153	655	537	538	-1	1994	2016	2nd
9	Estoril	14	496	171	136	149	648	556	487	69	1991	2012	1st (2 titles)
10	Rio Ave	10	342	157	83	92	554	478	349	129	1992	2008	1st (2 titles)
11	Felgueiras	12	408	141	124	142	547	482	484	-2	1993	2005	3rd	Folded in 2005.
12	Académica	10	344	134	82	108	544	457	368	89	1991	2002	2nd
13	Beira-Mar	9	348	143	109	96	538	649	333	288	1996	2015	1st (2 titles)
14	União da Madeira	12	398	133	124	141	523	484	476	8	1993	2015	2nd
15	Sporting de Espinho	11	378	134	109	135	511	471	437	34	1991	2005	1st (1 title)
16	Sporting da Covilhã	13	436	125	132	179	507	414	492	-76	1997	2016	4th
17	Paços de Ferreira	8	274	132	87	67	483	368	289	79	1991	2005	1st (3 titles)
18	Moreirense	10	310	127	95	118	476	440	413	27	1996	2014	1st (2 titles)
19	Freamunde	12	390	119	117	154	474	460	527	-67	1991	2016	5th
20	Maia	9	344	125	80	139	455	477	496	19	1991	2006	4th
21	Naval 1º de Maio	9	312	113	103	96	442	419	384	35	1999	2014	2nd
22	Ovarense	11	374	130	104	163	431	445	581	-136	1992	2006	6th
23	Académico de Viseu	9	342	110	94	138	424	333	392	-59	1991	2016	4th
24	Gil Vicente	7	264	109	89	66	416	357	271	86	1998	2016	1st (2 titles)
25	Olhanense	8	244	102	85	97	391	300	295	5	1992	2016	1st (1 title)
26	Oliveirense	9	330	98	90	142	384	382	482	-100	2002	2016	4th
27	União de Lamas	9	306	98	68	140	362	310	433	-123	1995	2003	6th
28	Trofense	9	280	90	79	111	349	295	366	-72	2007	2015	1st (1 title)
29	União de Leiria	6	204	94	56	54	337	280	184	94	1991	2009	1st (1 title)
30	Nacional	8	272	86	76	110	334	322	351	-29	1992	2002	3rd
31	Leça	7	238	92	55	91	331	290	317	-27	1994	2003	1st (1 title)
32	Vitória de Setúbal	5	170	89	43	38	310	302	169	133	1992	2004	2nd
33	Belenenses	5	170	83	49	38	298	250	162	88	1992	2013	1st (1 title)
34	Estrela da Amadora	5	170	75	57	48	282	222	163	59	1992	2005	1st (1 title)	Folded in 2010.
35	Sporting B	4	176	77	48	51	279	247	214	33	2013	2016	4th
36	Porto B	4	176	78	41	56	278	254	208	50	2013	2016	1st (1 title)
37	Benfica B	4	176	72	48	56	264	288	234	54	2013	2016	5th
38	Campomaiorense	5	170	73	34	63	253	240	208	32	1993	2002	1st (1 title)	Ended football team in 2013.
39	Alverca	5	180	67	44	59	245	196	165	31	1996	2005	2nd
40	Atlético CP	6	206	53	60	93	219	211	279	-69	2012	2016	11th
41	Farense	4	168	57	48	63	217	177	186	-9	2003	2016	10th
42	Gondomar	5	158	52	41	65	201	191	186	5	2005	2009	5th
43	Tondela	4	130	53	40	37	199	163	149	14	2013	2015	1st (1 title)
44	Braga B	4	176	51	48	77	199	182	227	-45	2013	2016	15th
45	Marco	5	170	51	45	74	197	209	274	-65	2001	2006	4th
46	Torreense	5	174	48	48	78	192	188	255	-67	1991	1998	3rd
47	Louletano	4	140	49	32	59	179	164	180	-16	1991	1994	9th
48	Vizela	4	124	40	45	39	165	139	135	4	2006	2009	3rd
49	Vitória de Guimarães B	3	134	42	35	57	161	161	180	-19	2013	2016	9th
50	Tirsense	3	102	42	31	30	157	98	88	10	1992	1997	1st (1 title)
51	Arouca	3	102	39	33	30	150	144	125	19	2011	2013	2nd
52	Famalicão	3	114	39	28	47	145	123	141	-18	1995	2016	6th
53	Marítimo B	4	130	35	28	67	133	115	171	-56	2013	2015	16th
54	Benfica Castelo Branco	3	106	29	31	46	118	90	140	-50	1991	1993	5th
55	Oriental	2	92	24	27	41	99	94	126	-32	2015	2016	15th
56	Salgueiros	2	68	25	18	25	93	86	93	-7	2003	2004	5th
57	Fátima	3	90	18	32	40	86	85	131	-36	2008	2011	8th
58	Esposende	2	68	16	18	34	66	55	99	-44	1999	2000	14th
59	Imortal	2	68	15	21	32	66	76	108	-32	2000	2001	15th
60	Amora	2	68	14	23	31	65	57	95	-38	1993	1995	17th
61	Barreirense	2	72	12	24	36	60	57	117	-60	1991	2006	15th
62	Vitória de Guimarães	1	30	16	7	7	55	44	20	24	2007	2007	2nd
63	Mafra	1	46	12	18	16	54	37	40	-3	2016	2016	21st
64	O Elvas	1	38	14	10	14	52	45	45	0	1991	1991	14th
65	Desportivo de Beja	1	34	9	10	15	37	44	55	-11	1997	1997	17th
66	Recreio de Águeda	1	38	10	5	23	35	41	73	-32	1991	1991	18th
67	Boavista	1	30	9	5	16	32	28	44	-16	2009	2009	15th
68	Olivais e Moscavide	1	30	7	6	17	27	26	42	-16	2007	2007	15th
69	Lusitano VRSA	1	38	4	13	21	25	16	45	-29	1991	1991	19th
70	Carregado	1	30	6	6	18	24	26	47	-21	2010	2010	16th
71	Cova da Piedade	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	TBD	TBD	TBD
72	Fafe	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	TBD	TBD	TBD

Competing in Primeira Liga

Competing in Segunda Liga

Competing below Segunda Liga

Not competing (See Notes)

For standardization purposes, a win is worth three points for all clubs.

References

1. "Quatro jogos televisionados da jornada 28 já com a presença do novo patrocinador" [Four televised matchday 28 games already featuring the new sponsor] (in Portuguese). Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP). Retrieved 6 February 2016.
2. "Aí está a Liga Pro!" [Here is LigaPro!] (in Portuguese). LPFP. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
3. "Conheça a nova competição construída pela Liga Portugal em conjunto com os Clubes" [Meet the new competition created by the Portuguese League together with the clubs] (in Portuguese). LPFP. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
4. "Assembleia Geral Extraordinária da Liga" [League Extraordinary General Meeting] (in Portuguese). LPFP. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
5. "Segunda Liga will have less teams in 2016/2017 season". Sapo Desporto (in Portuguese). Sapo Desporto. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
6. "Comunicado Oficial Nº 13" [Official Communicate No. 13] (PDF) (in Portuguese). LPFP. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
7. "Cova da Piedade arranca a época a jogar no Seixal" [Cova da Piedade start season playing in Seixal] (in Portuguese). SAPO Desporto. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
8. "Fafe vai estrear-se com quatro reforços" [Fafe will debut with four new entries] (in Portuguese). SAPO Desporto. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.

External links

• Official webpage (Portuguese)