The 2015–16 Croatian First Football League (also known as 1. HNL; officially styled as MAXtv Prva Liga for sponsorship reasons) was the 25th edition, since its establishment in 1992, of the Croatian First Football League national championship for men's football in Croatia. The season began on 10 July 2015 and ended on 14 May 2016. Ten teams contested in a quadruple round robin format, with each team playing every other team four times over 36 matches.
Dinamo Zagreb successfully defended its 10th consecutive title in 2015 title. At the end of the previous season Zadar were relegated, ending their eight-season spell in top flight. They were replaced by Inter Zaprešić, who returned to the top level after two seasons in the second division.
Teams On 20 April 2015, Croatian Football Federation announced that the first stage of licensing procedure for 2015–16 season was complete. For the 2015–16 Prva HNL, only six clubs were issued a top level license: Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk Split, Lokomotiva, Rijeka, Slaven Belupo and NK Zagreb. These clubs were also issued a license for participation in UEFA competitions. In the second stage of licensing, clubs that were not licensed in the first stage appealed the decision. On 20 May 2015, all remaining Prva HNL clubs were granted top level license. Additionally, Istra 1961 and RNK Split obtained a license for UEFA competitions. Only three teams from Druga HNL acquired the top level license: Inter Zaprešić, Sesvete and Hrvatski Dragovoljac.
The following teams participated in the 2015–16 Prva HNL.
Stadia and locations StadiumCityHome clubLicensed club(s)Capacity Maksimir Zagreb Dinamo Zagreb 38,079 Poljud Split Hajduk Split 34,448 ŠRC Zaprešić Zaprešić Inter Zaprešić 5,228 Aldo Drosina Pula Istra 1961 8,923 Gradski vrt Osijek Osijek 22,050Rujevica Rijeka Rijeka 6,036 Gradski stadion Koprivnica Slaven Belupo 3,134 Park mladeži Split RNK Split 4,075 Kranjčevićeva Zagreb NK Zagreb Lokomotiva 8,850
Personnel and kits Club Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Sponsors Dinamo Zagreb Puma Hajduk Split Macron Tommy Inter Zaprešić Joma Veleučilište Baltazar Zaprešić Istra 1961 Erreà Croatia Osiguranje Lokomotiva Nike Crodux Osijek Jako Osječko Rijeka Jako Slaven Belupo adidas Belupo RNK Split Jako Skladgradnja NK Zagreb Kappa
Managerial changes Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Replaced by Date of appointment Position in table Hajduk Split Removed from position Pre-season Osijek Contract expired Pre-season Slaven Belupo Signed by Lokomotiva Pre-season Lokomotiva (caretaker) End of caretaker tenure Pre-season NK Zagreb Signed by Slaven Belupo Pre-season Osijek Sacked 9th Lokomotiva Signed by Croatia Sreten Ćuk novi je trener Lokomotive PrvaHNL.hr. (in Croatian). Retrieved 3 October 2010. 5th RNK Split Mutual consent 4th Istra 1961 Sacked (caretaker) 7th Istra 1961 (caretaker) End of caretaker tenure 8th
League table
Results
Relegation play-offs At the end of the season, ninth placed Istra 1961 qualified for a two-legged relegation play-off tie against Šibenik, runners-up of the 2015–16 Croatian Second Football League.
First leg
Second leg
2–2 on aggregate. Istra 1961 won 5–4 on penalties.
Statistics Top scorers
RankPlayerClubGoalsAppsMinutes played1 Ilija NestorovskiInter Zaprešić253329682 Muzafer EjupiSlaven Belupo163224293 Roman BezjakRijeka13322625 Armin HodžićDinamo Zagreb2413505 Franko AndrijaševićLokomotiva12282354 Junior FernandesDinamo Zagreb282119 Tino-Sven SušićHajduk Split2723058 Gabrijel BobanNK Zagreb103126999 Bekim BalajRijeka9311856 Eros GrezdaLokomotiva292004
Awards Annual awards AwardWinner ClubPlayer of the Season Marko PjacaDinamo ZagrebManager of the Season Zoran MamićDinamo ZagrebYoung Player of the Season Ante ĆorićDinamo ZagrebGoalkeeper of the Season Lovre KalinićHajduk Split Team of the YearGoalkeeper Lovre Kalinić (Hajduk Split)Defence Stefan Ristovski (Rijeka) Gordon Schildenfeld (Dinamo Zagreb) Marko Lešković (Rijeka) Josip Pivarić (Dinamo Zagreb)Midfield Marko Pjaca (Dinamo Zagreb) Tino-Sven Sušić (Hajduk Split) Rog (Dinamo Zagreb) Marin Tomasov (Rijeka)Attack Ilija Nestorovski (Inter Zaprešić) Ante Ćorić (Dinamo Zagreb)
Attendances
# Club Average 1 Hajduk 9,266 2 Rijeka 4,018 3 Dinamo Zagreb 3,799 4 Osijek 1,520 5 Istra 1,423 6 Slaven 997 7 Radnički 989 8 Lokomotiva 949 9 Zaprešić 886 10 Zagreb 687 Source:
See also 2015–16 Croatian Football Cup 2015–16 Croatian Second Football League 2015–16 Croatian Third Football League
References
External links Official website Prva HNL at UEFA.com