Football Championship of the Belarusian SSR

Football Championship of the Belarusian SSR – Pershaja Liha
Founded	1922 (unofficial); 1934
Folded	1991 (reformed)
Country	Belarusian SSR
Level on pyramid	Soviet football: 4-5; Belarusian (republican) football: 1-2
Relegation to	Regional competitions (in regions of Belarus); (Football Championship of the Byelorussian SSR – Druhaja Liha)
Domestic cup(s)	Football Cup of the Byelorussian SSR
Last champions	Metalurh Maladzechna (1st title) ; (1991)
Most championships	8 - SKA Minsk (Belarusian Military District)

The Championship of the Belarusian SSR in football – First League (Belarusian: Першая ліга чэмпіянату БССР па футболе, Pershaja Liha chempijanatu BSSR pa futbole) was a top competition of association football in the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1922-91.

The first unofficial republican competition took place in 1922.^[1] Six years after (1928) as part of the Belarusian Spartakiade there took place the next unofficial football competitions of the republic.^[1] Since 1934 the competitions take place regularly on annual basis.^[1] Throughout its history there were 55 winners of the tournament.^[1] For some time there also existed second division of the competition.

In the system of leagues of the Soviet football, the Football Championship of the Belarusian SSR had a status as competitions of "collective of physical culture" (amateurs, the other status was "teams of masters").^[1]

Winners of the competition qualified for "super cup" format competition known as the Season's Cup and was played between a winner of the republican championship and a republican cup holder.^[1]

Unofficial competitions

Season	Champion	Runner-up	3rd Position

1922	Minsk	Bobruisk	Borisov

1923	no competitions

1924	Minsk	Vitebsk	Borisov Bobruisk

1925	no competitions

1926	Bobruisk	Orsha	Minsk Polotsk

1927	no competitions

1928	Gomel	Polotsk	Minsk Bobruisk

1929	no competitions

1930	no competitions

1931	no competitions

1932	no competitions

1933	Gomel	no data

Republican competitions among sports societies (First League)

The competitions were considered to be amateur. In Soviet Union officially all sports players were amateur athletes, however to differentiate level of teams, there were teams of sports societies and agencies (amateurs) and teams of masters (professionals).

At least since 1966 there were two all-republican divisions First League (Pershaja Liha) and Second League (Druhaja Liha).

In 1956, 1959 the competition was conducted among collective teams of regions (oblasts).^[2] In 1957, 1958 the competition was conducted among collective teams of cities.^[2]

Season	Champion	Runner-up	3rd Position

1934	Belarusian Military District	Dinamo Minsk	Trade Union Minsk

1935	Belarusian Military District	Dinamo Minsk	Spartak Minsk

1936	Belarusian Military District^[a]	Vitebsk	Bobruisk

1937	Dinamo Minsk	Spartak Minsk	Temp Minsk

1938	Dinamo Minsk	KIM Vitebsk^[b]	Spartak Minsk

1939	Dinamo Minsk	Dinamo Vitebsk	Spartak Minsk

1940	DKA Minsk^[c]	Voskhod Minsk	Dinamo Minsk ‡

1941–1944	no competitions World War II

1945	Dinamo Minsk	Dinamo Brest	Dinamo Grodno

1946	ODOKA Minsk^[d] ‡	Dinamo-2 Minsk	Spartak Bobruisk

1947	Torpedo Minsk ‡	Spartak Bobruisk	Dinamo Minsk

1948	Traktor-MTZ Minsk	Lokomotiv Gomel	Spartak Bobruisk

1949	Torpedo-MTZ Minsk	Spartak Bobruisk	Dinamo Molodechno

1950	ODO Minsk ‡	Torpedo-MTZ Minsk	Spartak Bobruisk

1951	Dinamo Minsk	ODO Minsk ‡	Spartak Minsk

1952	ODO Minsk	Dinamo Minsk	Spartak Minsk ‡

1953	Spartak Minsk ‡	Iskra SKIF Minsk	Dinamo Pinsk

1954	ODO Pinsk	Zavod imeni Kirova Vitebsk	ODO Minsk^[e]

1955	FShM Minsk	Zavod imeni Molotova Minsk	Dinamo Volkovysk

1956	Minsk-1 (Spartak Minsk)	Mogilev Oblast	Gomel Oblast

1957	Energiya Minsk^[f]	Bobruisk city team	Dinamo Volkovysk

1958	Spartak Bobruisk	Krasnoye Znamye Minsk	Gomel city team

1959	Minsk I	Grodno Oblast	Molodechno Oblast

1960	Sputnik Minsk ‡	Metallurg Mogilev	ODO Pinsk

1961	DO Volna Pinsk	Spartak Molodechno	Sputnik Minsk ‡

1962	Torpedo Minsk ‡	Spartak Molodechno	Sputnik Minsk

1963	Spartak Molodechno	Torpedo Minsk	Lokomotiv Brest

1964	SKA Minsk	Gvardeets Uručča^[g]	Volna Pinsk

1965	SKA Minsk^[h]	Khimik Grodno	Naroch Molodechno

1966	Torpedo Minsk	Sputnik Minsk ‡	SKA Minsk

1967	Torpedo Minsk	Sputnik Minsk ‡	Khimik Grodno

1968	Sputnik Minsk	Torpedo Minsk ‡	Metallurg Mogilev

1969	Torpedo Minsk	Impuls Brest	Gvardeets Uruchie

1970	Torpedo Zhodino	Sputnik Minsk ‡	Stroitel Bobruisk

1971	Torpedo Zhodino ‡	Stroitel Bobruisk	Impuls Brest

1972	Stroitel Bobruisk	Torpedo Zhodino ‡	Torpedo Minsk

1973	Stroitel Bobruisk	Sputnik Minsk	Motor Minsk

1974	BATE Borisov	Motor Minsk	SKA Minsk

1975	Dinamo-2 Minsk	Stroitel Bobruisk ‡	Torpedo Zhodino

1976	BATE Borisov ‡	Berezina Bobruisk	Torpedo Minsk

1977	Sputnik Minsk	Dinamo-2 Minsk	Burevestnik Minsk

1978	Shinnik Bobruisk	BATE Borisov	Temp Orsha

1979	BATE Borisov	Burevestnik Minsk	Torpedo Mogilev

1980	Torpedo Zhodino	Shinnik Bobruisk	Burevestnik Minsk ‡

1981	Torpedo Zhodino ‡	Impuls Brest^[i]	Metallist Molodechno

1982	Torpedo Mogilev	Burevestnik Minsk	Torpedo Zhodino ‡

1983	Obuvshchik Lida	Torpedo Minsk ‡	Orbita Minsk

1984	Orbita Minsk ‡	Torpedo Mogilev	Traktor Minsk

1985	Obuvshchik Lida	Torpedo Zhodino	Traktor Minsk

1986	Obuvshchik Lida	Shinnik Bobruisk	Sputnik Minsk

1987	Shinnik Bobruisk	Sputnik Minsk	Obuvshchik Lida

1988	Sputnik Minsk	Shakhter Soligorsk ‡	Obuvshchik Lida

1989	Obuvshchik Lida	Sputnik Minsk ‡	Shakhter Soligorsk

1990	Sputnik Minsk	Shakhter Soligorsk	Torpedo Minsk

1991	Metallurg Molodechno ‡	Torpedo Mogilev	SKB^[j] Vitebsk

‡ – winners of the Football Cup of the Belarusian SSR

Football Championship of the Belarusian SSR – Second League laureates

Season	Group	Champion	Runner-up	3rd Position

1966	no data

1967	no data

1968	no data

1969	no data

1970	1	Obuvshchik Lida	Motor Minsk	Traktor Minsk

	2	Start Orsha	Temp Baran	Trud Gomel

1971	1	DOK Gomel	Trud Gomel	Neftianik Novopolotsk

	2	Pripiat Minsk	SKA Minsk	Shakhter Soligorsk

1972	1	SKA Minsk	Stankostroitel	Lokomotiv Osipovichi

	2	Obuvshchik Lida	Selena Molodechno	Metallist Dzerzhinsk

1973	1	Selena Molodechno	Orbita Minsk	Shakhter Soligorsk

	2	BATE Borisov	DSK Minsk	Temp Baran

1974–1988	no competitions / no data

1989	1	KIM Vitebsk	Torpedo Mogilev	Almaz Gomel

	2	Metallurg Molodechno	Traktor Minsk	Olimp Grodno

1990	1	Traktor Bobruisk	Berezina Borisov	Vedrich Rechitsa

	2	Veras Grodno	Neman Mosty	Stankostroitel Smorhon

1991	1	Vedrich Rechitsa	Kolos Ustie	Shinnik Bobruisk

	2	Luch Minsk	Kommunalnik Pinsk	Niva Samokhvalovichi

Source

List of all champions

Performance by club

Club	Winners	Runners-up	Winning seasons	Notes
SKA Minsk	8	1	1934, 1935, 1940, 1946, 1950, 1952, 1964, 1965	Belarusian Military District, DKA Minsk, ODOKA
Dinamo Minsk	6	5	1937, 1938, 1939, 1945, 1951, 1975	(including Dinamo-2 Minsk)
Sputnik Minsk	5	6	1960, 1968, 1977, 1988, 1990
Torpedo Minsk	5	3	1947, 1962, 1966, 1967, 1969
Torpedo Zhodino	4	2	1970, 1971, 1980, 1981
Obuvshchik Lida	4	0	1983, 1985, 1986, 1989
BATE Borisov	3	1	1974, 1976, 1979
Minsk-1 city team	3	0	1936, 1956, 1959	Minsk city team
Shinnik Bobruisk	2	3	1978, 1987	Berezina Bobruisk
Stroitel Bobruisk	2	2	1972, 1973
MTZ Minsk	2	1	1948, 1949	Torpedo-MTZ Minsk, Traktor-MTZ Minsk
DO Volna Pinsk	2	0	1954, 1961	DO Pinsk
Spartak Bobruisk	1	2	1958
Spartak Molodechno	1	2	1963
Torpedo Mogilev	1	2	1982
Spartak Minsk	1	1	1953
FShM Minsk	1	0	1955
Energiya Minsk	1	0	1957
Orbita Minsk	1	0	1984
Metallurg Molodechno	1	0	1991
Impuls Brest	0	2
Burevestnik Minsk	0	2
Shakhter Soligorsk	0	2
Vitebsk city team	0	1
KIM Vitebsk	0	1
Dinamo Vitebsk	0	1
Voskhod Minsk	0	1
Dinamo Brest	0	1
Dinamo-2 Minsk	0	1
Lokomotiv Gomel	0	1
Iskra SKIF Minsk	0	1
Zavod imeni Kirova Vitebsk	0	1
Zavod imeni Molotova Minsk	0	1
Mogilev Oblast team	0	1
Bobruisk city team	0	1
Krasnoje Znamje Minsk	0	1
Grodno Oblast team	0	1
Metallurg Mogilev	0	1
Gvardeets Uruchie	0	1
Khimik Grodno	0	1
Motor Minsk	0	1

Qualification to All-Union competition

Before the World War II, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was rarely represented at the Soviet competitions among teams of masters. There were Dinamo Minsk in 1937 (undetermined conditions), Spartak Minsk in 1939 (placed 3rd at republican competitions), and one more time Dinamo Minsk in 1940 (champion of the BSSR).

Following the war, Belarusian teams rejoined the all-Union competition in 1945 by the Belarusian Dinamo Minsk which continued to play among teams of masters until dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. In 1947 the competitions among teams of masters joined the 1946 Belarusian champion ODOKA Minsk that entered the 1947 Vtoraya Gruppa playing as DO Minsk (1947–1949).

In 1948 the all-Union competitions joined Spartak Minsk (1948–1949).

In 1950 took place reorganization of the Soviet football competitions and most Belarusian clubs were removed from competitions except for Dinamo.

In 1954 the all-Union competitions joined Pischevik Minsk (1954).

In 1957 the all-Union competitions joined Urozhai Minsk (1957–1960).

In 1960 the all-Union competitions joined Spartak (Lokomotiv) Gomel (1960–1991), Dvina (Krasnoje Znamja) Vitebsk (1960–1991), Spartak (Khimik) Mogilev (1960–1991), Dinamo (Spartak) Brest (1960–1991).

In 1961 the all-Union competitions joined Bobruisk (1961).

In 1962 the all-Union competitions joined SKA Minsk (1962–1963).

In 1964 the all-Union competitions joined Neman Grodno (1964–1991).

In 1963 Dvina, Spartak Mg, Spartak Br, SKA played in the Union republics Class B.

In 1964–1965 Dvina, Spartak Mg, Spartak Br, and Neman played in the Ukrainian Class B. In 1970 Spartak Br, Gomselmash and Neman played in Ukrainian competitions of Class A Second Group.

Notes

^ Possibly, it could have been the Minsk city team.
^ Possible, KIM Minsk
^ DKA is an abbreviation for Dom Krasnoi Armii which means the House of the Red Army.
^ ODOKA is an abbreviation for Okruzhnoi Dom Ofitserov Krasnoi Armii which means the District House of the Red Army Officers.
^ Possibly, ODO Borisov (Borisov is a city in Minsk Oblast.)
^ Possibly, Sputnik Minsk ‡
^ or Gvardeets Minsk ‡
^ SKA Minsk Oblast
^ or Gomel
^ SKB is abbreviation for Special Design Bureau (Spetsialnoe Konstruktorskoe Biuro).^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Football Championship of the Belarusian SSR. Kick-off.by (Peter A. Karnaugh).
^ ^a ^b ^c History of Belaursian clubs. Lena-Dvorkina.narod.ru

External links

List of top runners. Kick-off.by (Peter A. Karnaugh). (in Russian)
Lars Kubusch and Hans Schöggl. Belarus - Championships before Independence. RSSSF.
Football championship of the BSSR (Чемпионат БССР). Footballfacts.ru. (in Russian)

[3] Possibly, it could have been the Minsk city team.

[4] Possible, KIM Minsk

[5] DKA is an abbreviation for Dom Krasnoi Armii which means the House of the Red Army.

[6] ODOKA is an abbreviation for Okruzhnoi Dom Ofitserov Krasnoi Armii which means the District House of the Red Army Officers.

[7] Possibly, ODO Borisov (Borisov is a city in Minsk Oblast.)

[8] Possibly, Sputnik Minsk ‡

[9] r Gvardeets Minsk ‡

[10] SKA Minsk Oblast

[11] r Gomel

[12] SKB is abbreviation for Special Design Bureau (Spetsialnoe Konstruktorskoe Biuro).^[2]

[kickoff-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Football Championship of the Belarusian SSR. Kick-off.by (Peter A. Karnaugh).

[narod-2] History of Belaursian clubs. Lena-Dvorkina.narod.ru

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