Gibraltar Premier Division


The Gibraltar Premier Division was a football league established by the Gibraltar Football Association in 1905, and the top tier of football in Gibraltar. It originally contained eight member clubs, but it has grown over the years. In 1909 the league was split into two divisions between which clubs can be promoted and relegated at the end of each season. In the 2013–14 season, the Premier Division contained eight clubs with the Second Division containing 12 clubs. For sponsorship reasons it is known as the Argus Insurance Premier Division.
From the 2014–15 season, as a result of the territory's membership of UEFA, the champions entered the first UEFA Champions League qualifying round. The winners of Gibraltar's cup competition, the Rock Cup, meanwhile, gained entry to the following season's UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds. From the 2016–17 season, Gibraltar got one more place in the Europa League qualifying round for the league runner-up. In 2019 the league merged with the Gibraltar Second Division and became the Gibraltar National League.

History

dates from 1892, when military personnel in the territory started playing as Prince of Wales. By 1895 the number of clubs had grown to the point that the Gibraltar Football Association was formed and a tournament, the Merchants Cup, began, with Gibraltar winning the inaugural competition. By 1907 the Premier Division had officially taken shape with Prince of Wales winning the first full season of league football in Gibraltar. The side went on to win 19 league titles before folding some time in the 1950s.
Since the league's formation, football has been played almost every season, along with the Gibraltar Second Division and a national cup competition, the Rock Cup. After the FA's admission to UEFA, the Gibraltar Premier Cup was established in 2013 to provide more competitive games for the sides in the top tier.
Due to the restricted and amateur nature of the league in the past, the competition has been prone to spells of dominance at certain times: for example, the early 20th century dominance by Prince of Wales and the 10 league titles in 11 seasons attained by Glacis United in the 1960s and 1970s. At present Lincoln Red Imps are the dominant side in the division, having won every season since 2000–01 with the exception of the 2001–02 season, until 2017. However, the UEFA acceptance and potential for increased professionalism in the league has opened the possibility of other sides closing the gap, with sides such as Manchester 62 and Lynx making inroads in the 2013–14 season. This came to pass in the 2016–17 season, when Europa FC won their first title in over 60 years.
In 2018, the Gibraltar FA announced changes to the league involving an increase in the "Home Grown Player" quota to 3 players on the pitch, per team, at any one time, as well as introducing salary caps and the introduction of the Gibraltar Intermediate League, replacing the Reserves League and Under-18 League, in order to promote local player development.
For the 2019–20 season, the Premier Division and the Second Division will be merged to create a single division for Gibraltar, known as the Gibraltar National League.

Premier Division 2018-19 season

Source:

League Champions

SeasonWinner
1895–96Gibraltar
1896–97Jubilee
1897–98Jubilee
1898–99Albion
1899–00Exiles
1900–01Prince of Wales
1901–02Exiles
1902–03Prince of Wales
1903–04Prince of Wales
1904–05Athletic
1905–06Prince of Wales
1906–07No competition
1907–08Britannia XI
1908–09Prince of Wales
1909–10South United
1910–11South United
1911–12Britannia XI
1912–13Britannia XI
1913–14Prince of Wales
1914–15Royal Sovereign
1915–16No competition
1916–17Prince of Wales
1917–18Britannia XI
1918–19Prince of Wales
1919–20Britannia XI
1920–21Prince of Wales
1921–22Prince of Wales
1922–23Prince of Wales
1923–24Gibraltar
1924–25Prince of Wales
1925–26Prince of Wales
1926–27Prince of Wales
1927–28Prince of Wales
1928–29Europa
1929–30Europa
1930–31Prince of Wales
1931–32Europa
1932–33Europa
1933–34Commander of the Yard
1934–35Chief Construction

SeasonWinner
1935–36Chief Constructor
1936–37Britannia XI
1937–38Europa
1938–39Prince of Wales
1939–40Prince of Wales
1940–41Britannia XI
1941–46No competition
1946–47Gibraltar United
1947–48Gibraltar United
1948–49Gibraltar United
1949–50Gibraltar United
1950–51Gibraltar United
1951–52Europa
1952–53Prince of Wales
1953–54Gibraltar United
1954–55Britannia XI
1955–56Britannia XI
1956–57Britannia XI
1957–58Britannia XI
1958–59Britannia XI
1959–60Gibraltar United
1960–61Britannia XI
1961–62Gibraltar United
1962–63Britannia XI
1963–64Gibraltar United
1964–65Gibraltar United
1965–66Glacis United
1966–67Glacis United
1967–68Glacis United
1968–69Glacis United
1969–70Glacis United
1970–71Glacis United
1971–72Glacis United
1972–73Glacis United
1973–74Glacis United
1974–75Manchester 62
1975–76Glacis United
1976–77Manchester 62
1977–78No competition
1978–79Manchester 62

SeasonWinner
1979–80Manchester 62
1980–81Glacis United
1981–82Glacis United
1982–83Glacis United
1983–84Manchester 62
1984–85Glacis United / Lincoln
1985–86Lincoln Red Imps
1986–87St Theresa's
1987–88St Theresa's
1988–89Glacis United
1989–90Lincoln Red Imps
1990–91Lincoln Red Imps
1991–92Lincoln Red Imps
1992–93Lincoln Red Imps
1993–94Lincoln Red Imps
1994–95Manchester 62
1995–96St Joseph's
1996–97Glacis United
1997–98St Theresa's
1998–99Manchester 62
1999–2000Glacis United
2000–01Lincoln Red Imps
2001–02Gibraltar United
2002–03Lincoln Red Imps
2003–04Lincoln Red Imps
2004–05Lincoln Red Imps
2005–06Lincoln Red Imps
2006–07Lincoln Red Imps
2007–08Lincoln Red Imps
2008–09Lincoln Red Imps
2009–10Lincoln Red Imps
2010–11Lincoln Red Imps
2011–12Lincoln Red Imps
2012–13Lincoln Red Imps
2013–14Lincoln Red Imps
2014–15Lincoln Red Imps
2015–16Lincoln Red Imps
2016–17Europa
2017–18Lincoln Red Imps
2018–19Lincoln Red Imps

Bold indicates club still playing in top division.

Italics indicates club no longer active.
TeamTitlesLast Title
Lincoln Red Imps242017–18
Prince of Wales191952–53
Glacis United171999–00
Britannia XI141962–63
Gibraltar United112001–02
Europa72016–17
Manchester 6271998–99
St Theresa's31997–98
South United21910–11
Exiles21901–02
Jubilee21897–98
Gibraltar21923–24
St Joseph's11995–96
Chief Constructor11935–36
Chief Construction11934–35
Commander of the Yard11933–34
Royal Sovereign11914–15
Athletic11904–05
Albion11898–99