Tanzanian Premier League

The Tanzania Mainland Premier League (Swahili: Ligi Kuu Tanzania Bara) is a top-level Tanzanian professional football league, governed by the Tanzania Football Federation.

Tanzanian Premier League
Founded
  • 1921 (1921)[1]
    (as "Dar es Salaam Football League")
  • 1965 (1965) (as "National League")
CountryTanzania Tanzania
ConfederationConfederation of African Football
Number of teams16
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toChampionship
Domestic cup(s)
International cup(s)
Current championsYoung Africans
(2022–23)
Most championshipsYoung Africans (29 titles)
TV partnersAzam TV
(live matches and highlights)
Websiteligikuu.co.tz
Current: 2023–24 Tanzanian Premier League

History

The league was first organized in 1921 at Dar es Salaam.[2] By 1929, it had six participants. In the 1930s, the league included street teams such as Arab Sports (Kariakoo) and New Strong Team (Kisutu), which were mostly composed of Arabs and Africans. The Sudanese community also had a team that joined the league in 1941. Other teams in its early history included the Khalsas, an exclusively Sikh team, and the Ilala Staff, a team of Ilalan residents. The Sudanese team broke up in the mid-1940s.

In 1942, clubs from public institutions such as the Government School, Post Office, Railways SC, King's African Rifles SC, Police SC, and Medical Department started to dominate the league. However, most teams disbanded in the aftermath of World War II, with many European players ceasing their participation in the league, and their clubs, which included Gymkhana Club, Police Club, King's African Rifles, and Railways, eventually withdrawing. Starting from the 1940s, they were replaced by African street teams such as Young Africans (Yanga) and Sunderland (known as Old Boys in 1942 and later to become Simba), as well as the Goan's Club manned by Goans, and the Agha Khan Club by Ismaili Khojas.

From this period onwards, Yanga and Sunderland gradually became the most popular and strongest clubs in Dar es Salaam. Yanga, founded in 1938, entered the first division of the league soon afterward and won four major cups in 1942. Sunderland joined the first division soon after Yanga and won four important trophies in 1946.

By 1955, the Dar es Salaam League had 38 registered clubs. It became the "National League" by 1965, incorporating most of the major teams in Tanzania. The name was later changed to the "First Division Soccer League" and to the "Premier League" in 1997. Tanzania Breweries became the sponsor of the championship, after which the League was called the Tanzania Breweries League (TBL). The contract with Breweries was terminated in 2001 after a conflict with the Tanzania Football Association. In 2002, a contract was signed with the telecommunication company Vodacom, which lasted until 2009, after which they were re-signed the same year.

Competition format
Tanzanian Premier League match between Kagera Sugar and Mbeya City on 17 January 2015

Competition

The Tanzanian Premier League (TPL) follows a typical double round-robin format: with each team playing the other twice, home and away. Winning earns three points, a draw earns a point for both teams, and a loss earns zero points.

Promotion & Relegation

The bottom two placed teams are automatically demoted to the Championship and are replaced by the winners and runners-up from the Championship. The third and fourth worst-ranked teams enter a play-off with the 3rd and 4th placed teams from the First Division.[3]

International Competitions

CAF teams based in Tanzania compete in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.

Recent positive performances by TPL clubs in continental competitions have seen Tanzania rise in the CAF 5-year ranking. As a result, more teams from the league have had the opportunity to compete on the continental stage.

CAF Champions League

The league champion qualifies for the CAF Champions League for the following season.

Starting in the 2021-22 season, the second-placed team from the previous season also qualifies for the CAF CL.

CAF Confederation Cup

Since the 2015–16 season, the winner of the Tanzania FA Cup has qualified for the CAF Confederations Cup. This qualification place had previously been awarded only to the runner-up in the Premier League.

From the 2021-22 season onwards, the champions of the FA Cup and the third-placed team in the Premier League have also qualified for the tournament.

Clubs

Starting from the 2018–19 season, the league composed of 20 teams, which was further lowered to 18 in 2020 and then 16 in 2021.

2023-2024 season clubs
Location of clubs in Tanzania for the 2023–24 Tanzanian Premier League season

Champions
Club Wins[4]
Yanga 29
Simba (includes Sunderland) 22
Maji Maji 3
Malindi 2
Prisons 1
Pan African 1
Azam 1
Cosmopolitans 1
Mseto Sports 1
Coastal Union 1
Pamba 1
KMKM 1

Wins by year

Previous champions are:[5]

  • 1964 Yanga S.C
  • 1965: Sunderland (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1966: Sunderland (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1967: Cosmopolitans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1968: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1969: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1970: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1971: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1972: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1973: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1974: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1975: Mseto S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1976: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1977: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1978: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1979: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1980: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1981: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1982: Pan African S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1983: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1984: KMKM (Zanzibar)
  • 1985: Majimaji F.C. (Ruvuma)
  • 1986: Majimaji F.C. (Ruvuma)
  • 1987: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1988: Coastal Union S.C. (Tanga)
  • 1989: Malindi (Zanzibar)
  • 1990: Pamba SC (Mwanza)
  • 1991: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1992: Malindi S.C. (Zanzibar)
  • 1993: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1994: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1995: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1996: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1997: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 1998: Majimaji F.C. (Ruvuma)
  • 1999: Prisons (Mbeya)
  • 2000: Young Africans S.C. (Dar Es Salaam)
  • 2001: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2002: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2003: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2004: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2005: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2006: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2007: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam) [mini-league]
  • 2007–08: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2008–09: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2009–10: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2010–11: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2011–12: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2012–13: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2013–14: Azam F.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2014–15: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2015–16: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2016–17: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2017–18: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2018–19: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2019–20: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2020–21: Simba S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2021–22: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)
  • 2022–23: Young Africans S.C. (Dar es Salaam)[6]

Top goalscorers
Year Best scorers Team Goals
1997 TanzaniaMohamed Hussein "Mmachinga"Young Africans26
2004 TanzaniaAbubakar Ally MkangwaMtibwa Sugar
2005 TanzaniaAbdallah JumaMtibwa Sugar25
2006 n/an/a
2007 TanzaniaMashikuSC United17
2007–08 TanzaniaMichael KatendeKagera Sugar
2008–09 KenyaBoniface AmbaniYoung Africans18
2009–10 TanzaniaMusa Hassan MgosiSimba18
2010–11 TanzaniaMrisho NgasaAzam18
2011–12 TanzaniaJohn Raphael BoccoAzam19
2012–13 Ivory CoastKipre TchetcheAzam17
2013–14 BurundiAmissi TambweSimba19
2014–15 TanzaniaSimon MsuvaYoung Africans17
2014–15 TanzaniaAbdulrahman MussaRuvu shooting17
2015–16 BurundiAmissi TambweYoung Africans21
2016–17 TanzaniaSimon MsuvaYoung Africans14
2017–18 UgandaEmmanuel OkwiSimba20
2018–19 RwandaMeddie Kagere Simba23
2019–20 RwandaMeddie Kagere Simba22
2020–21 TanzaniaJohn Bocco Simba16[7]
2021–22 TanzaniaGeorge MpoleGeita Gold17[8]
Democratic Republic of the Congo Fiston Kalala Mayele Young Africans
2022–23 Democratic Republic of the CongoFiston Kalala MayeleYoung Africans17[9]
BurundiSaidi Ntibazonkiza Simba

Multiple hat-tricks
Rank Country Player Hat-tricks
1 Tanzania John Bocco 3
2 Democratic Republic of the Congo Jean Baleke 2
Zambia Aubrey Chirwa
Rwanda Meddie Kagere
Burundi Saidi Ntibazonkiza
Uganda Emmanuel Okwi
6 Tanzania Salim Aiyee 1
Tanzania Ibrahim Alu
Tanzania Shante Ali
Kenya Boniface Ambani
Tanzania Green Atupele
Burkina Faso Stephane Aziz Ki
Tanzania Omar Changa
Tanzania Saliboko Daluwesh
Zambia Prince Dube
Tanzania Emmanuel Gabriel
Tanzania Ibrahim Hilika
Tanzania Aziz Hunter
Tanzania Jeremiah Juma
Tanzania Shiza Kichuya
Kenya Alexis Kitenge
Tanzania Juma Luizio
Tanzania Omari Matu
Democratic Republic of the Congo Fiston Mayele
Democratic Republic of the Congo Idris Mbombo
Tanzania Haruna Moshi
Tanzania Ditram Nchimbi
Tanzania Mrisho Ngassa
Tanzania Adam Omar
Tanzania Abuu Ramadhani
Tanzania David Richard
Tanzania Kevin Sabato
Tanzania Modathir Said

References
  1. "Tanzania – List of champions". RSSSF.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  2. Football, in Tanzania (18 November 2008). "POPULAR MUSIC, SPORTS, AND POLITICS: A DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN CULTURAL MOVEMENTS IN DAR ES SALAAM, the 1930s-1960s" (PDF). TSURUTA, Tadasu. POPULAR MUSIC, SPORTS, AND POLITICS: A DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN CULTURAL MOVEMENTS IN DAR ES SALAAM, the 1930s–1960s. African Study Monographs 2003, 24(3): 195–222. 24 (3): 206. doi:10.14989/68221. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  3. "About the Premier League". Tanzania Football Federation. 26 February 2010. Archived from the original on 28 October 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  4. "Tanzania - List of Champions". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  5. "Tanzania – List of Champions". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  6. "Yanga African Crowned Champions of NBC Premier League Cup 2022-23 - 2023". 13 May 2023. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  7. "Table of top scorers Tanzania Premier League 2021". www.besoccer.com. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  8. "Table of top scorers Tanzania Premier League 2022". www.besoccer.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  9. "Wafungaji bora NBC Premier League 2022/2023 Top Scorers". https://wasomiajira.com/. 9 June 2023. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023. {{cite news}}: External link in |work= (help)
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