The 2011–12 Swiss 1. Liga was the final season of this league as the third highest tier in the Swiss football league system. From next season it would become the fourth highest tier. The 1. Liga is and remains the highest tier in Swiss amateur football, but many teams at that time had professional or semi-professional players.
Format The 1. Liga in the 2011–12 season was divided into three regional groups, each with 16 teams. Within each group, the teams would play a double round-robin to decide their positions in the league. Due to the creation of the 1. Liga Promotion that was due to commence the following year, this season would see the number of teams in the groups reduced from 16 to 14, and it would be renamed as 1. Liga Classic. The new Promotion League would serve as the semi-professional link to amateur football. Six clubs could achieve promotion to the new third division, if they had applied for the semi-professional status. Due to the bankruptcy of Xamax in January 2012 it resulted that seven clubs were promoted. The four best U-21 teams would receive a wild card and advance as well. This reconstruction was done to decrease the competitive gap between the professional two top tiers and the amateur leagues.
Group 1 Teams ClubCantonStadiumCapacityFC BaulmesVaudStade Sous-VilleFC BulleFribourgStade de BouleyresSC DüdingenFribourgStadion BirchhölzliFC EchallensVaudSportplatz 3 SapinsFC FribourgFribourgStade UniversitaireGrand-Lancy FCGenevaStade de MarignacFC Le MontVaudCentre Sportif du ChâtaignierES FC MalleyVaudCentre Sportif de la TuilièreFC Martigny-SportsValaisStade d'OctodureFC MeyrinGenevaStade des ArbèresFC MontheyValaisStade Philippe PottierFC NatersValaisSportanlage StapfenSion U-21ValaisStade de TourbillonUrania Genève SportGenevaStade de FrontenexYoung Boys U-21BernStadion Wankdorf orAllmend BernYverdon-Sport FCVaudStade Municipal
Final group table
Group 2 Teams ClubCantonStadiumCapacityFC BadenAargauEsp StadiumBasel U-21Basel-CityStadion Rankhof orYouth Campus BaselFC Breitenrain BernBernSpitalackerSC DornachSolothurnGigerslochGrasshopper Club U-21ZürichGC/Campus NiederhasliFC GrenchenSolothurnStadium BrühlFC MünsingenBernSportanlage SandreutenenSV MuttenzBasel-CountrySportplatz MargelackerBSC Old BoysBasel-CityStadion SchützenmatteFC SchötzLucerneSportplatz WissenhusenFC SerrièresNeuchâtelPierre-à-BotFC SolothurnSolothurnStadion FC SolothurnThun U-21BernStadion LachenFC Wangen bei OltenSolothurnSportplatz ChrüzmattSC ZofingenAargauSportanlagen TrinermattenZürich U-21ZürichSportplatz Heerenschürli
Final group table
Group 3 Teams ClubCantonStadiumCapacityFC BalzersSportplatz RheinauGC BiaschesiTicinoCampo Sportivo "Al Vallone"SC ChamZugStadion EizmoosUSV Eschen/Mauren Sportpark Eschen-MaurenFC GossauSt. GallenSportanlage BuechenwaldSV HönggZürichHönggerbergLugano U-21TicinoCornaredo StadiumLuzern U-21LucerneSwissporarena orAllmend SüdFC MendrisioTicinoCentro Sportivo ComunaleFC MuriAargauStadion BrühlRapperswil-JonaSt. GallenStadion GrünfeldFC SchaffhausenSchaffhausenStadion BreiteSt. Gallen U-21St. GallenEspenmoos orKybunparkFC TuggenSchwyzLinthstrasseWinterthur U-21ZürichSchützenwieseorSchützenwiese SportplätzeSC YF JuventusZürichUtogrund
Final group table
See also 2011–12 Swiss Super League 2011–12 Swiss Challenge League 2011–12 Swiss Cup
References
Sources
Switzerland 2011/12 at RSSSF Season 2011–12 at the official website