2016 Latvian Higher League
The 2016 Latvian Higher League was the 25th season of top-tier football in Latvia. FK Liepāja were the defending champions. The season began on 11 March 2016 and ended on 5 November 2016; the relegation play-offs took place on 9 and 13 November 2016. Teams FB Gulbene were excluded from the previous season due to suspicion of match-fixing. 2015 Latvian First League winners FC Caramba/Dinamo were promoted to the league and before the season changed their name to Riga FC. Skonto FC did not obtain a license to play in the 2016 Higher League. Skonto appealed the decision, but the appeal was denied. Since 2015 Latvian First League runners-up Valmiera Glass FK/BSS turned down the opportunity to be promoted to the Higher League, third-placed Rīgas Futbola skola (RFS) was promoted instead. Stadiums and locations Kits manufacturer and sponsors League table Relegation play-offs The 7th-placed side, FS METTA/LU, faced AFA Olaine, runners-up of the 2016 Latvian First L ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Latvian Higher League
Latvian Higher League or Virslīga is a professional football league and the top tier of association football in Latvia. Organised by the Latvian Football Federation, the Higher League is contested by 10 clubs. The full name of the league is Optibet Virslīga for sponsorship reasons since 2019. History and league format History The first all-national Latvian championship, which succeeded the Riga Football League and other regional leagues, was organized in 1927, which lasted until the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940. After World War II, between 1945 and 1991 the championship of Soviet Latvia was the main footballing competition in the Latvian SSR. With Latvia regaining full independence in August 1991, the newly established Latvian Football Federation (LFF) decided to reorganise its competitions within the Virslīga from 1992. The same year Latvia returned to FIFA and became a member of UEFA. Format After the 2007 season the league increased from eight to ten sid ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Riga FC
Riga Football Club, commonly referred to as Riga FC, is a Latvian football club, founded in 2014. The club is based at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Since 2016 the club has been playing in the Virslīga. History The club was officially registered in April 2014. The team was established before the 2015 season after a merger of two Riga based teams – ''FC Caramba'' and ''Dinamo Rīga''. In the 2015 season the team played in the Latvian First League under the name of FC Caramba/Dinamo, since Caramba had won promotion to the 1. līga after winning the Latvian Second League in 2014. After winning the First League and promotion to the Higher League, the club changed its name to Riga FC. In 2018 was appointed as coach the Ukrainian Viktor Skrypnyk, where he managed to lead to win two Latvian Higher Leagues in 2018, 2019 and the Latvian Football Cup in 2018. Domestic European ;Notes * 1QR: First qualifying round * 2QR: Second qualifying round * 3QR: Third qualifying round ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Skonto Stadium
Skonto Stadium ( lv, Skonto stadions) is a football stadium in Riga, Latvia. The stadium was built in 2000 and currently has 8,087 seats in total (open for spectators & VIP guests on matchdays). It is the 2nd-largest stadium in Latvia, behind Daugava Stadium. Riga FC has an average attendance of 500. The stadium design incorporates Skonto Hall. Description Skonto Stadium is located in the heart of Riga at 1a E. Melngaiļa street. It is the second biggest football stadium with 8,087 seats, VIP lounges, offices, a press centre and cafes. Use Skonto Stadium is mostly used for hosting football matches. Since its opening in 2000, it has been the home stadium for the Latvian Higher League club Skonto Riga and Latvia national football team, as well as Latvia U-21. International artists have performed at this venue, including Aerosmith and Metallica in 2008, both of whom reached the maximum capacity for concerts, with 32,000 and 33,000 fans, respectively. Several other artists ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Baltic Sea. Riga's territory covers and lies above sea level, on a flat and sandy plain. Riga was founded in 1201 and is a former Hanseatic League member. Riga's historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture. Riga was the European Capital of Culture in 2014, along with Umeå in Sweden. Riga hosted the 2006 NATO Summit, the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, the 2006 IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, 2013 World Women's Curling Championship and the 2021 IIHF World Championship. It is home to the European Union's office of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). In 2017, it was named the European Region of Gastronomy. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Daugava Stadium (Liepāja)
Daugava Stadium ( lv, Daugavas stadions) is a multi-purpose stadium in Liepāja, Latvia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of FK Liepāja, also it was the home stadium of FHK Liepājas Metalurgs FHK may refer to: * Feeding Hong Kong, food bank in Hong Kong * Fredericia HK, Danish handball club * "Free Hong Kong", slogan for Hong Kong democracy movement * Kempten University of Applied Sciences The Kempten University of Applied Sciences or .... The stadium holds 4,022 people, and hosted the Baltic Cup 1992. The women's national side have also played at the stadium. From 1925 to 1934 the stadium was named "Strādnieku stadions" (''workers' stadium''), from 1934 to 1990 "Pilsētas stadions" (''town stadium''). References * http://loc.lv/lv/stadioni/daugavas/ Buildings and structures in Liepāja Football venues in Latvia Multi-purpose stadiums in Latvia {{Latvia-sports-venue-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Liepāja
Liepāja (; liv, Līepõ; see other names) is a state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest-city in the Kurzeme Region and the third-largest city in the country after Riga and Daugavpils. It is an important ice-free port. The population in 2020 was 68,535 people. In the 19th and early 20th century, it was a favourite place for sea-bathers and travellers, with the town boasting a fine park, many pretty gardens and a theatre. Liepāja is however known throughout Latvia as "City where the wind is born", likely because of the constant sea breeze. A song of the same name ( lv, "Pilsētā, kurā piedzimst vējš") was composed by Imants Kalniņš and has become the anthem of the city. Its reputation as the windiest city in Latvia was strengthened with the construction of the largest wind farm in the nation (33 Enercon wind turbines) nearby. The coat of arms of Liepāja was adopted four days after the jurisdiction gained city rights on 18 March 16 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Zemgales Olimpiskais Sporta Centrs
The Zemgale Olympic Center ( Latvian: ) is a multi-sports complex located in Jelgava, Latvia. It contains many facilities including an athletics field and football stadium, which serves as the home of FK Jelgava and BK Jelgava BK Jelgava is a professional basketball club based in Jelgava, Latvia playing in the Latvian Basketball League. At the end of the 2010–11 season, its predecessor, BK Zemgale, experienced financial difficulties, failure to pay their players an .... The capacity of the football stadium is 1,560. References External linksOfficial site Football venues in Latvia Athletics (track and field) venues in Latvia Multi-purpose stadiums in Latvia Badminton venues {{Latvia-sports-venue-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jelgava
Jelgava (; german: Mitau, ; see also #Name, other names) is a state city in central Latvia about southwest of Riga with 55,972 inhabitants (2019). It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and the administrative center of the Courland Governorate (1795–1918). Jelgava is situated on a fertile plain rising only above mean sea level on the right bank of the river Lielupe. At high water the plain and sometimes the town as well can be flooded. It is a Jelgava Station, railway center and is also host to Jelgava Air Base. Its importance as a railway centre can be seen by the fact that it lies at the junction of over 6 railway lines connecting Riga to Lithuania, eastern and western Latvia, and Lithuania to the Baltic sea. Name Until 1917, the city was officially referred to as Mitau. The name Jelgava is believed to be derived from the Livonian language, Livonian word ''jālgab ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Celtnieks Stadium
Celtnieks Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Daugavpils, Latvia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of FC Daugava FC Daugava was a Latvian football club, based at the Daugava Stadium, in the city of Daugavpils. They lastly played in the Latvian Second League in 2015. They were one of two clubs with the name ''Daugava'' and should not be confused with FK .... The stadium has capacity for 1,980 people. References Daugavpils Football venues in Latvia Multi-purpose stadiums in Latvia {{Latvia-sports-venue-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Daugavpils
Daugavpils (; russian: Двинск; ltg, Daugpiļs ; german: Dünaburg, ; pl, Dyneburg; see other names) is a state city in south-eastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. The parts of the city north of the river belong to the historical Latvian region of Latgale, and those to the south lie in Selonia. It is the second-largest city in the country after the capital Riga, which is located some to its north-west. Daugavpils is located relatively close to Belarus and Lithuania (distances of and respectively), and some from the Latvian border with Russia. Daugavpils is a major railway junction and industrial centre and was an historically important garrison city lying approximately midway between Riga and Minsk, and between Warsaw and Saint Petersburg. Daugavpils, then Dyneburg, was the capital of Polish Livonia while in Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Following the first partition of Poland in 1772, the city became part ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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FS METTA/Latvijas Universitāte
FK Metta (also called FK Metta/Latvijas Universitāte from 2007 till the end of 2018 season) is a professional Latvian football club in Riga. As of 2012 they play in the Latvian Higher League. Metta play their home games at Daugava Stadium. Until June 2018, their home venue was the Riga Hanza Secondary School Stadium. History FS Metta was officially founded on May 2, 2006, though the club had been active in youth tournaments since 2000. In 2007 FS Metta and University of Latvia (Latvijas Universitāte) merged as a senior professional team and participated in the Latvian Championship first division (Traffic 1. līga). They finished the season in the fourth position. The club remained at the same level for the next four seasons. Though a professional club, Metta retained the prefix FS (Futbola Skola), since their policy was to invest in youth players. In 2011 Metta won the Latvian First League championship and were automatically promoted to the Latvian Higher League – the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |