At the top is the Cypriot First Division, a single-division league of 12 clubs. Below is Cyprus lower leagues, which are divided into two divisions of 16 clubs and 16 clubs. Some of these 44 clubs are full-time professional while the rest are semi-professional. Confusingly all 44 are often referred to as "league" clubs because there are only three leagues in Cyprus, but no non-leagues. Clubs outside this group are referred to as "non-league" clubs, although they all play most of their football in cup competitions. Only the Amateur leagues are referred as non-league, which is on the same level as the top divisions. The first league of Amateur Divisions is the STOK Elite Division. At the end of each season the top three clubs from the STOK Elite Division are promoted to the Cypriot Third Division and the last four clubs are relegated to the lower amateur divisions. Beyond STOK Elite Division exists a large group of other Amateur leagues. Each of these leagues has a different divisional set up, but they all have one thing in common: there are yet more leagues below them, each covering smaller and smaller geographical levels. These leagues are collectively known as the National League System and they are controlled by S.T.O.K. Each league sets its own rules, but all follow the general standard of each club playing everyone else Once with three points being awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The league table is always ordered with whoever has the most points at the top and the least at the bottom. Promotion to the STOK Elite Division is decided by the STOK play-offs. Various degrees of promotion and relegation exist between all the leagues and divisions, meaning that any team can theoretically climb to any level. However, minimum standards for grounds sometimes lead to clubs being denied promotion even though their league position would allow it.
Promotion and relegation
Cypriot First Division : Top team becomes champions,. Bottom three teams are relegated.
Cypriot Third Division : Top three teams are automatically promoted. Bottom three teams are relegated.
STOK Elite Division : Top three teams are automatically promoted. Bottom four teams are relegated.
Cup Eligibility
Being members of a league at a particular level also affects eligibility for Cup, or single-elimination, competitions.
Cypriot Cup: Levels 1-2
Cypriot Cup for lower divisions: Levels 3-4
Clubs in the S.T.O.K. competitions participate in various cup tournaments, usually local.
The system
The table below shows the current structure of the system. For each division, its official name, sponsorship name and number of clubs is given. Each division promotes to the division that lie directly above it and relegates to the division that lie directly below it.
