The 2013 Latvian Higher League was the 22nd season of top-tier football in Latvia. FC Daugava were the defending champions. The season started on 29 March 2013.
The league comprised ten teams. The champions of this season were FK Ventspils, followed by Skonto FC
Teams The league had a ten-team circuit like the 2012 season. 2012 Latvian First League champions Ilūkstes NSS from Ilūkste were directly promoted.
FK Daugava Rīga finished the 2012 season in ninth place and were therefore required to compete in a two-legged promotion/relegation play-off against First Division runners-up BFC Daugava. FK Daugava Riga won the play-off 4–1 on aggregate and therefore stayed in the Higher League.
Stadiums and locations
Club Location Stadium Capacity FC Daugava Daugavpils Daugava Stadium 4,100 FK Daugava Rīga Riga Daugava Stadium 5,000 Ilūkstes NSS Ilūkste Ilūkstes pilsētas stadions 500 FK Jelgava Jelgava Zemgales Olimpiskais Sporta Centrs 2,200 FC Jūrmala Jūrmala Slokas Stadium 5,000 SK Liepājas Metalurgs Liepāja Daugava Stadium 6,000 FS Metta/LU Riga Stadions Arkādija 500 Skonto FC Riga Skonto Stadium 10,000 FK Spartaks Jūrmala Jūrmala Slokas Stadium 5,000 FK Ventspils Ventspils Olimpiskais Stadium 3,200
Personnel and kits Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsorFC Daugava Daugavpils Ivan Tabanov Daniel Ola Erreà —FK Daugava Rīga Virginijus Liubšys Mantas Savenas Nike —Ilūkstes NSS Alens Vinakurovs Dmitri Kozlov Erreà —FK Jelgava Sergejs Golubevs Deniss Petrenko Macron IgateFC Jūrmala Mihails Koņevs Alberts Nikoļskis Givova —SK Liepājas Metalurgs Jānis Intenbergs Antons Jemeļins Adidas —FS Metta/LU Andris Riherts Artūrs Biezais Nike SMS Credit.lvSkonto FC Tamaz Pertia Juris Laizāns Jako Granat InvestmentFK Spartaks Jūrmala Jurijs Popkovs Dmitrijs Daņilovs Nike —FK Ventspils Jurģis Pučinsks Vitālijs Smirnovs Adidas VK Tranzīts
Managerial changes TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointment Jelgava Dainis Kazakevičs Own decision 4 December 2012 Pre-Season Jānis Dreimanis 20 December 2012 Skonto Marians Pahars Own decision 22 December 2012 Pre-Season Tamaz Pertia 22 December 2012 FK Daugava Rīga Jurijs Popkovs End of contract 27 December 2012 Pre-Season Virginijus Liubšys 27 December 2012 FC Jūrmala Vladimir Pachko End of contract 9 January 2013 Pre-Season Mihails Koņevs 9 January 2013 Spartaks Arminas Narbekovas End of contract 10 December 2012 Pre-Season Oleg Kubarev 7 February 2013 Ilūkste Alens Vinakurovs Own decision 6 March 2013 Pre-Season Vladimir Pachko 6 March 2013 Jelgava Jānis Dreimanis Health issues 22 March 2013 Pre-Season Sergejs Golubevs 22 March 2013 Spartaks Oleg Kubarev Sacked 27 July 2013 5th Aleksandrs Stradiņš 27 July 2013 Spartaks Aleksandrs Stradiņš Sacked 22 September 2013 6th Jurijs Popkovs 22 September 2013 Ilūkste Vladimir Pachko Own decision End of September 10th Alens Vinakurovs End of September
Broadcasting As in the previous season most of the matches are being transmitted live via sportacentrs.com online and TV channel. In June 2012 broadcasting rights were also bought by the English company Bet365. Since 2012, the league's homepage futbolavirsliga.lv has been active and since September 2012 this website has been accompanied by the InStat Football system, showing information and analysis of each match individually. Since October 2012, the Virslīga has also had its own analytical broadcast after each round of matches with football experts discussing the games and future events connected to Latvian football. It is transmitted via TV.
League table
Relegation play-offs The 9th-placed sides will face the runners-up of the 2013 Latvian First League in a two-legged play-off, with the winner being awarded a spot in the 2014 Higher League competition.
FS METTA/LU won 5–2 on aggregate.
Results
Season statistics
Top scorers
RankPlayerClubGoals1 Artūrs KarašausksSkonto FC16 Andrejs KovaļovsFC Daugava2 Valērijs ŠabalaSkonto FC153 Mantas SavėnasDaugava Rīga12 Vadim YanchukFK Ventspils4 Daniils TurkovsFK Ventspils115 Povilas LukšysDaugava Rīga10
Player of the Month MonthPlayerClubMarch/April Mantas SavenasFK Daugava RīgaMay Patrick TwumasiFK Spartaks JūrmalaJune Andrejs KovaļovsFC DaugavaJuly Paulius GrybauskasSkonto FCAugust Ruslan MingazowSkonto FCSeptember Juris LaizānsSkonto FCOctober/November Kaspars IkstensFK Jelgava
Manager of the Month MonthManagerClubMarch/April Virginijus LiubšysFK Daugava RīgaMay Jurģis PučinsksFK VentspilsJune Tamaz PertiaSkonto FCJuly Jurģis PučinsksFK VentspilsAugust Jurģis PučinsksFK VentspilsSeptember Sergejs GolubevsFK JelgavaOctober/November Jurģis PučinsksFK Ventspils
Team of the Tournament
LFF version PositionPlayerClubGoalkeeper Paulius GrybauskasSkonto FCDefender Antons KurakinsFK VentspilsDefender Vitālijs SmirnovsFK VentspilsDefender Nauris BulvītisSkonto FCDefender Vladislavs GabovsSkonto FCMidfielder Jurijs ŽigajevsFK VentspilsMidfielder Aleksandrs FertovsSkonto FCMidfielder Juris LaizānsSkonto FCMidfielder Ruslan MingazovSkonto FCForward Vadim YanchukFK VentspilsForward Valērijs ŠabalaSkonto FCManager Jurģis PučinsksFK Ventspils
Sporta Avīze version PositionPlayerClubGoalkeeper Paulius GrybauskasSkonto FCDefender Vladislavs GabovsSkonto FCDefender Kaspars DubraFK VentspilsDefender Renārs RodeSkonto FCMidfielder Jurijs ŽigajevsFK VentspilsMidfielder Valērijs AfanasjevsFK Liepājas MetalurgsMidfielder Juris LaizānsSkonto FCMidfielder Ruslan MingazovSkonto FCMidfielder Andrejs KovaļovsFC DaugavaForward Artūrs KarašausksSkonto FCForward Valērijs ŠabalaSkonto FCManager Tamaz PertiaSkonto FC
sportacentrs.com version PositionPlayerClubGoalkeeper Paulius GrybauskasSkonto FCDefender Antons KurakinsFK VentspilsDefender Renārs RodeSkonto FCDefender Kaspars DubraFK VentspilsDefender Vladislavs GabovsSkonto FCMidfielder Juris LaizānsSkonto FCMidfielder Jurijs ŽigajevsFK VentspilsMidfielder Andrejs KovaļovsFC DaugavaMidfielder Ruslan MingazovSkonto FCForward Daniils TurkovsFK VentspilsForward Artūrs KarašausksSkonto FCManager Jurģis PučinsksFK Ventspils
Awards LFF awards 2013CategoryWinnerClubBest goalkeeper Paulius GrybauskasSkonto FCBest defender Vladislavs GabovsSkonto FCBest midfielder Jurijs ŽigajevsFK VentspilsBest forward Valērijs ŠabalaSkonto FCTop scorer Artūrs Karašausks / Andrejs KovaļovsSkonto FC / FC DaugavaBest U-21 player Jevgēņijs KazačoksFK Spartaks JūrmalaBest player Jurijs ŽigajevsFK VentspilsBest manager Jurģis PučinsksFK VentspilsGoal of the season Jurijs Žigajevs vs FK Spartaks JūrmalaFK VentspilsFair play awardClub awardFC JūrmalaBest match organisationClub awardFK Liepājas Metalurgs
References