The 2002–03 Swiss 1. Liga was the 71st season of this league since its creation in 1931 and it was the third tier of the Swiss football league system. The 1. Liga was also the highest level of amateur football, even though there was an ever-increasing number of clubs in this league that played with professional or semi-professional players in their ranks and this not just in the U-21 teams of the professional clubs.
Format There were 48 teams in this division this season, including seven U-21 teams, which were the eldest youth teams of the professional clubs in the Super League and the Challenge League. The 1. Liga 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. The three group winners and the three runners-up, together with the two best third placed teams, then contested a play-off for the four promotion slots. The U-21 teams were not eligible for promotion and could not compete the play-offs. The last placed teams in each group were to contest a play-out to decide relegation, two teams would be relegated to the 2. Liga Interregional.
Group 1 Teams ClubCantonStadiumCapacityFC BaulmesVaudStade Sous-VilleFC BexVaudRelaisFC BulleFribourgStade de BouleyresFC EchallensVaudSportplatz 3 SapinsCS ChênoisGenevaStade des Trois-ChêneÉtoile Carouge FCGenevaStade de la FontenetteFC FribourgFribourgStade UniversitaireGrand-Lancy FCGenevaStade de MarignacES FC MalleyVaudCentre Sportif de la TuilièreFC Martigny-SportsValaisStade d'OctodureFC MeyrinGenevaStade des ArbèresFC NatersValaisSportanlage StapfenServette U-21Geneva Stade de la Fontenette orStade de FrontenexFC Stade Lausanne OuchyVaudCentre sportif de VidyFC Stade NyonnaisVaudStade de ColovrayVevey SportsVaudStade de Copet
Final league table
Group 2 Teams ClubCantonStadiumCapacityFC AltstettenZürichBuchlernAarau U-21AargauStadion BrügglifeldBasel U-21Basel-CityStadion Rankhof orLeichtathletik-Stadion St. JakobFC Biel-BienneBernStadion GurzelenFC ColombierNeuchâtelStade des ChézardsGrasshopper Club U-21ZürichGC/Campus NiederhasliFC GrenchenSolothurnStadium Brühl FC La Chaux-de-Fonds Neuchâtel Centre Sportif de la Charrière FC MünsingenBernSportanlage SandreutenenSV SchaffhausenSchaffhausenSportplatz BühlFC SerrièresNeuchâtelPierre-à-BotFC SolothurnSolothurnStadion FC SolothurnFC Wangen bei OltenSolothurnSportplatz ChrüzmattSC YF JuventusZürichUtogrundSC ZofingenAargauSportanlagen TrinermattenZürich U-21ZürichSportplatz Heerenschürli
Final league table
Group 3 Teams ClubCantonStadiumCapacityGC BiaschesiTicinoCampo Sportivo "Al Vallone"SC BuochsNidwaldenStadion SeefeldFC ChiassoTicinoStadio Comunale Riva IVFC Chur 97GrisonsRingstrasseFC FrauenfeldThurgauKleine AllmendFC GossauSt. GallenSportanlage BuechenwaldFC KreuzlingenThurgauSportplatz Hafenareal FC Locarno Locarno, Ticino Stadio comunale Lido Luzern U-21LucerneStadion Allmend orAllmend SüdFC Malcantone AgnoTicinoCornaredo StadiumFC MendrisioTicinoCentro Sportivo ComunaleFC Rapperswil-JonaSt. GallenStadion GrünfeldFC SchötzLucerneSportplatz WissenhusenSt. Gallen U-21St. GallenEspenmoosFC TuggenSchwyzLinthstrasseZug 94ZugHerti Allmend Stadion
Final league table
Promotion play-off Finals
Meyrin win 4–2 on aggregate and are promoted to 2003–04 Challenge League.
Malcantone win 3–2 on aggregate and are promoted to 2003–04 Challenge League.
Chiasso win 4–2 on aggregate and were promoted to 2003–04 Challenge League.
Bulle win 4–1 on aggregate and were promoted to 2003–04 Challenge League.
La Chaux-de-Fonds were later also promoted later on the green table by the Swiss Football Association up to the 2003–04 Challenge League following the fact that FC Sion were refused their licence for that division.
Play-out against relegation Aarau U-21 withdrew from play-outs and were so relegated directly. The one remaining match was played in a neutral venue, on May 25 in Solothurn.
FC Stade Nyonnais win 5–4 in the penalty shoot-out. Rapperswil-Jona were relegated. Stade Nyonnais remain at this level.
Summary Group 1 champions were Meyrin, runners-up were Bulle and they both achieved promotion. Group 2 champions were Young Fellows Juventus and runners-up were Wangen b.O. but they both failed in their promotion attempts in the play-offs. Group 3 champions were Malcantone, runners-up Chiasso and both these teams also achieved promotion. Third placed team in group 2 La Chaux-de-Fonds were later also promoted to 2003–04 Challenge League, as best loser, following the fact that FC Sion were refused a licence for that division.
Due to the bankruptcy of FC Lausanne-Sport, who were demoted to the fourth tier, no team from the higher tier would join the 1. Liga. The remaining teams in the division were to be joined in next season by FC Sierre, Young Boys U-21, SC Dornach, FC Seefeld Zürich, FC Red Star Zürich and SC Cham who had all achieved promotion from the 2. Liga Interregional.
See also 2002–03 Nationalliga A 2002–03 Swiss Cup
References
Sources Switzerland 2002–03 at RSSSF Season 2002–03 at the official website