Ethiopian Premier League


The Ethiopian Premier League is the top association football division in Ethiopia. Regulated by the Ethiopian Football Federation, it was created in 1997 replacing the former first division. Contested by sixteen clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the other secondary and tertiary leagues in Ethiopia. The league has been an annual competition since the 1997-98 season with Saint George S.C. emerging as the country's leading club in this era with 14 titles.

History

Beginnings

The first officially recognized version of an Ethiopian football league was established in 1944. Originally five teams representing the various communities of Addis Ababa and The British Military Mission in Ethiopia contested for the title which was won by the BMME. The Ethiopian Cup was added the following year and has been contested regularly since with the exception of some gap years.
The early years of Ethiopian top division football were dominated for the most part by Mechal. The club won 6 titles throughout the 40s and 50s. St. George SC enjoyed some dominance in the late 60s after which the league went through a period of relative parity in the 70s and 80s. The league went through changes in the 1990s culminating in the founding of the Ethiopian Premier League in 1997 by the Ethiopian Football Federation and the teams that made up the top division of Ethiopian Football.

Premier League Era

The inaugural 1997-98 Ethiopian Premier League Season saw Ethio Electric lift the trophy. The following year the league decided to increase the number of teams to 10, a year that ended with perennial favorites St. George S.C lifting their first Premier League trophy. St. George would go on to repeat as champions the following year.
The 2000-01 season was a special one in the league thanks in large part to the offensive display of Ethio Electric striker Yordanos Abay. Abay scored what was then a record 24 goals during his league campaign helping Ethio Electric to its second Premier League title. His record would stand 16 years until being surpassed by Dedebit striker Getaneh Kebede who scored 25 goals during the 2016-17 season. The following season Ethio Electric were picked by many to repeat as champions, but fell short of expectation by finishing behind eventual champions St. George.
The 2002-03 season saw the first real contenders from outside the Addis Ababa push for a Premier League title. The title race came down to the last day with St. George needing a win against rivals Ethiopian Coffee to secure their 4th Premier League title. Second place side Arba Minch Textiles, based in southern city of Arba Minch, was looking to win its first title but needed a St. George S.C. lose to do so. In the end however, St. George was able to win their match and retain the title but the strong display by Arba Minch Textiles showed that teams outside the capital were indeed ready to contend in the top league once again.
The 2003-04 season turned out to be breakthrough year for teams outside of Addis Ababa as Hawassa City S.C., led by their captain Kamal Ahmed, were able to lift the Premier League trophy for the first time in their history. The title race once again came down to the last day as Hawassa City had to beat Nyala S.C. to fend off the likes of Ethiopian Coffee S.C. and Trans Ethiopia for the Premier League title. The following two season were once again dominated by St. George S.C. as they were able to lift their 5th and 6th Premier League titles.
The start of the 2006-07 season saw the league expand to 16 clubs. The season ended with Hawassa City winning their second title in as many years preventing a St. George S.C. three peat. However, the next three consecutive seasons would be again dominated by St. George, under the guide of their manager Mencho, St. George would add their 7th, 8th and 9th Premier League titles. St. George's biggest rivals, Ethiopian Coffee, would put a stop to their tremendous run by winning the 2010-11 title, their first Premier League title. However, St. George would come back the next season and win the title once again in 2011-12. St. George's attempt at a repeat would be thwarted though as the next season Dedebit F.C. would instead be crown champions for the first time in their history.
Starting from the 2013-14 season to the 2016-17 season St. George S.C. would do something that has only been done once before in first division football in Ethiopia and that was winning 4 titles in a row. Notably the 2016-17 season was the first to include 16 clubs, after the Federation decided to expand the league from the previous total of 14 clubs. In turn only two clubs were relegated from the league at the end of the previous season and they were replaced by four promoted clubs from the Higher League in order to form the new 16 club Ethiopian Premier League.
On May 2, 2018 the league was suspended by the Ethiopian Football Federation after a referee was attacked during a match between Welwalo Adigrat University and Defense. League play would not resume until two weeks later when assurances were made to the arbiters union that referees would receive insurance coverage in the near future and that previous medical expenses would be covered by the responsible clubs. The 2017-18 Ethiopian Premier League ended in dramatic fashion as debutantes Jimma Aba Jifar F.C. lifted the trophy for the first time in their history on the last day. Jimma Aba Jifar and St. George came into the last day tied on points and goal difference, but a 5-0 victory for Jimma Aba Jifar and a 2-0 result for St. George S.C. meant that the title would go to Jimma thanks to +3 goal difference advantage over St. George S.C. After the 2017-18 season the EFF and premier league clubs agreed to reduce the number of foreign players allowed on each team to three. Rising wages and the neglect of home grown players were given as some of the reasons why the move was made.

Competition Format

Competition

There are 16 clubs in the Premier League. During the course of a season each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents', for a total of 30 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored. The three lowest placed teams are relegated into the Ethiopian Higher League and the top three teams from the Higher League are promoted in their place.

Qualification for African competitions

The winner of the Ethiopian Premier League automatically qualifies for the following year's CAF Champions League. The winner of the Ethiopian Cup qualifies for the preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup.

Clubs

2019–20 season

The following 16 clubs will compete in the Ethiopian Premier League during the 2019-20 season. For a list of winners of the Ethiopian Premier League since its inception, see List of Ethiopian football champions.
ClubPosition
in
2018-19		Top
Division
Titles		Last
Top Division
Title		LocationStadium
Hawassa City6th22006-07HawassaHawassa Stadium
Mekelle 70 Enderta1st12018-19MekelleTigray stadium
Sebeta CityPromoted0NeverSebetaSebeta Stadium
Sidama Coffee2nd0NeverHawassaHawassa Stadium
Saint George4th292016-17Addis AbebaAddis Abeba
Jimma Aba Jifar5th12017-18JimmaJimma
Adama City11th0NeverAdamaAdama
Shire Endaselassie13th0NeverShireShire
Ethiopian Coffee9th22010-11Addis AbebaAddis Abeba
Wolaitta Dicha7th0NeverSodoSodo
Welwalo Adigrat University10th0NeverAdigratAdigrat University
Bahir Dar Kenema8th0NeverBahir DarBahir Dar Stadium
Hadiya HossanaPromoted0NeverHossanaHossana Stadium
Dire Dawa City12th0NeverDire DawaDire Dawa
Wolkite CityPromoted0NeverWolkiteWolkite
Fasil City3rd0NeverGondarFasiledes

2018-19 Season

In the past matches were rarely if ever broadcast live on television, with those that did airing on the national broadcaster EBC. However, the liberalization of the television market in recent years has allowed for informal transmission of live matches, especially on regional channels such as Amhara TV in the north and Debub TV in the south. Recently the Ethiopian super cup final was televised on ENN TV, a private Ethiopian satellite channel, for the first time. However, these live transmissions have come under much scrutiny from the federation as it claims that neither the clubs nor the broadcasters are informing the proper authority. The federation has threatens to take legal measures against clubs who don't cooperate in the matter.
In June 2017 as part of the Ethiopian Football Federation's digitization process the rights to broadcast the premier league were opened for bidding to five companies including Kana TV, ENN, Walta TV and Chinese Pay television broadcaster, StarTimes. However, the Federation was not satisfied with their income distribution statements in the proposals and negotiations stalled.

Champions

In total 18 clubs have won the top division of Ethiopian football, including titles before the inception of the Ethiopian Premier League, namely in the Division one. This list includes clubs from Eritrea which played their football in Ethiopia until the creation of the Eritrean Premier League in 1994.
ClubWinnersWinning years
Winning years
Saint George SC 291950, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1971, 1975, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 19961999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Mechal 111949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1976, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1989Never
Cotton FC51960, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1983Never
Asmara 41955, 1957, 1972, 1973Never
EEPCO319931998, 2001
Tele SC 31959, 1969, 1970Never
Ethiopian Coffee 219972011
Embassoria 21958, 1974Never
Ethio-Cement21961, 1964Never
Hawassa City2Never2004, 2007
British Military Mission-BMME 11944Never
Dedebit1Never2013
Jimma Aba Jifar 1Never2018
Mekelle 70 Enderta 1Never2019
Ermejachen 11981Never
Key Baher 11948Never
Medr Babur 11977Never
Ogaden Anbassa 11978Never
Omedla 11979Never
Tegl Fre 11980Never

Previous winners

Ethiopian Premier League
* Getaneh Kebede holds the record for most goals in a single Ethiopian Premier League season at 25.