The Réunion Premier League or Championnat de La Réunion de football is the top division of football on the

French overseas territory Overseas France (french: France d'outre-mer) consists of 13 French-administered territories outside Europe, mostly the remains of the French colonial empire that chose to remain a part of the French state under various statuses after decoloni ...

of Réunion. The league is run and managed by the

Réunionese Football League The Réunionese Football League (french: Ligue Réunionnaise de Football) is the governing body of association football in Réunion. It is not a FIFA member and only an associate member of the Confederation of African Football since 1992.

under the watch of the French Football Federation. Réunion Premier League was created in 1950 and the most successful club is JS Saint-Pierroise, who have won 17 league titles. The defending champions are JS Saint-Pierroise. The winner of the competition earns a berth in the CAF Champions League. In the French pyramid system, the Réunion Premier League is positioned in the Division d'Honneur, the sixth level of

French football Association football is the most popular sport in France. The French Football Federation (FFF, Fédération Française de Football) is the national governing body and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of association football in the cou ...

. The league has produced several professional Ligue 1 players, as well as players who have gone on to have successful careers abroad. Players such as

Jean-Pierre Bade Jean-Pierre Bade (born 18 March 1960 in Saint-Louis, Réunion) is a retired French football player who played with RC Lens, Marseille, FC Nantes, RC Strasbourg, Racing Paris and Bordeaux. After retitiring as a player, Bade has managed a numbe ...

Guillaume Hoarau Guillaume Hoarau (born 5 March 1984) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward. Club career Early career Hoarau started his football career at JS Saint-Pierroise in his native Réunion. In 1995, Le Havre AC scouts co ...

Florent Sinama Pongolle Florent Stéphane Sinama Pongolle (born 20 October 1984) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was signed at only 16 by Liverpool, but could never impose himself in the first team. He also spent several seasons ...

Dimitri Payet Dimitri Payet (; born 29 March 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays for Ligue 1 club Marseille. A set-piece specialist, known for his accurate, bending free kicks, he primarily plays as an attacking midfielder, and is described a ...

, and

Jean-Pascal Fontaine Jean-Pascal Fontaine (born 11 September 1989) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. Career Fontaine was born in Saint-Louis, Réunion. In July 2002, he joined Le Havre from JS Saint-Pierroise. He played his first game fo ...

all began their careers on the island before achieving success abroad.

Competition format

There are 14 clubs in the Réunion Premier League. During the course of a season, usually from March to November, each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 26 games. Like all other amateur leagues in France, the league operates using a 4–2–1 points system meaning four points for a win, two for a draw, and one for a defeat. If points are equal following the season, the goal difference and then goals scored determine the winner. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank. The two lowest placed teams are relegated to second division and the top two teams from the second division are promoted in their place. The Réunionese Football League runs the Coupe de la Réunion, which is the national cup of the territory. The organization also runs a

Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...

cup competition that is independent to the Coupe de la Réunion. The Coupe de France competition serves as qualifying rounds for the actual Coupe de France. The competition usually lasts six rounds and the winner of the competition qualifies for the 7th round of the Coupe de France.

Premier League Clubs 2016

Previous winners

Performance by club

Top scorers

External links

RSSSF competition history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reunion Premier League Football competitions in Réunion Top level football leagues in Africa Football leagues in Overseas France Sports leagues established in 1950 1950 establishments in Réunion