Squidroidian Super League
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The Squidroidian Super League, known as the Jecken Squidroidian Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the national top flight domestic football competition for the nation of Squidroidia. As of Season 3, 8 teams contest the top flight in a 28 game season, with the top 4 teams getting continental competition in the IFCF and FFI, and the bottom team being relegated to the 2nd division, the Squidroidian Challenge League. The 2nd bottom team participates in a promotion-relegation playoff group with the 2nd and 3rd place first teams in the Challenge League for a chance to stay up.
Ever since the modern era began in 2020, 9 clubs have participated in the Squidroidian Super League. Counting the classic era, Inkopolis FC have won 2 titles, both in the 2017-18 and 2019 seasons during the classic era. FC Squidroidia Squidbreak and Calamari Wanderers have both won one title in the modern era. In addition, all clubs are qualified for the Squidroidian Cup, Squidroidia's domestic knockout cup competition.
History
Origins
After the Liberation of Inkopolis by Higa Takanori and the Squidbreak Splatoon at the end of the Apocalypse, the new leader of Squidroidia constituted football as the national sport and the only one not controlled by the Squidroidian Armed Forces. Many of the clubs in existence when the nation was Inkhalla dissolved throughout the Apocalypse. As such new clubs were founded all across the nation, all of which were controlled by the government to participate in an informal domestic league, consisting of mini tournaments throughout the season ended by the Championship Game at Inkopolis City Stadium between the 2 best clubs throughout the campaign. Soon calls for a nation-wide league grew in Takanori's government and eventually the Squidroidian Football Association announced the foundation of the Squidroidian Super League with 8 of the top clubs from all over Squidroidia. For the 2020 season the SSL was a closed league with no promotion or relegation, which was enabled with the first set of expansion in 2021.
The aggregate table from the 2019 Squidroidian football season was used to determine the teams allowed to compete in the Super League and which teams were to participate in the Challenge League. Octo Valley FC missed out on the inaugural Super League against Tyranny Sports Club on goal difference, and would win the 2020 and 2021 Challenge League titles, becoming the first team to be promoted to the top flight in the latter of the two years, at the expense of Midnight Soccer Club.
Competition format
The Squidroidian football champion is decided strictly on sporting merit in the Super League. Each club plays every other club twice at home and twice away as of the 2021 season. A victory is worth three points, while a draw is worth a single point, and zero points are given for a loss. The club with the most points at the end of the season becomes Squidroidian champion and gets the Squidroidian Shield, the championship trophy of the Super League. Currently, the champion qualifies automatically for the IFCF Champions League. The bottom team gets automatically relegated to the Squidroidian Challenge League, while the top first team in the Challenge League takes their place. Additionally at the end of the season, the 2nd to bottom team in the Super League and the 2nd and 3rd best first teams in the Challenge League compete in a single round robin promotion and relegation group, with the winner going to the Super League and the others going to the Challenge League.
If teams are level on points, tie-breakers are applied in the following order:
- Goal difference for the entire season
- Total goals scored for the entire season
- Head-to-head results (total points)
- Head-to-head goal difference
- Head-to-head goals scored
If two clubs are tied in the standings and the placements determine international competition or promotion and relegation (Automatic or otherwise), a single legged game at a neutral side will be held. This hasn't happened in the history of the Super League.
Changes in league structure
- Number of teams:
- 2020-2022: 8
- 2023 (Planned): 9
- Number of teams relegated (automatic relegation):
- 2020: 0
- 2021 onwards: 1
Qualification for international competitions
- 1st place: IFCF Champions League
- 2nd-4th place: IFCF Challengers Cup
- Top 3 best first teams in the Squidroidian Challenge League: IFCF Liga B Champions' Trophy
- Squidroidian Cup winner: Cup Winners' Cup
The number of Squidroidian clubs which may participate in IFCF competitions is determined by IFCF coefficients, which take into account the results of a particular nation's clubs in IFCF competitions over the preceding five years.
International competitions
The top 4 teams in Squidroidia qualify for international competition, whether it is via the IFCF or the FFI, starting with the 2020 season. Since then, 2 clubs have qualified for the group stage in either competition.
Perhaps the greatest international run in Squidroidia's history so far is the run Calamari Wanderers had during the 2021 IFCF cycle. Starting off in the Champions League extra preliminary round, they went ahead and beat Fligsive FC from the Euran Oceanian Territories, before beating Olastaryn FC in the first preliminary round. After losing against established Kelssek side CS Saint-Rémy in the second preliminary round, they dropped down to the Challengers Cup and went on an extraordinary run, defeating 3 straight sides from nations in the top 15 (Including defeating Euraleague side Bastion in the qualifying round) to advance to the Challengers Cup group stage for the first time in Squidroidian history. There they would finish 3rd in their group on 9 points, including beating Ulsa home and away to ensure they finished last.
Club information
Stadiums
This is a list of Super League stadiums for the 2022 season.
| Stadium | Club(s) | Location | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| County Stadium | Calamari Wanderers | Calamari County | 27,830 |
| Squidroidia Armed Forces Park | FC Squidroidia Squidbreak | Takanori Army Base | 30,000 |
| Inkopolis City Stadium | Inkopolis FC | Inkopolis | 50,000 |
| Octavio Stadium | Octo Valley FC | Octo Valley | 10,000 |
| Tower Park | Real Squidroid CF | Inkopolis | 22,142 |
| Sunrise Park | Starlight Boulevard FC | Starlight | 17,000 |
| Tractor Arena | Tractor Park Sawayama | Sawayama | 18,000 |
| Tyranny Arena | Tyranny Sports Club | Ichimoto | 16,263 |
Champions
In total, 3 clubs have won the Squidroidian football championship throughout both the classic and modern eras. The record champions are Inkopolis FC with 2 total titles.
Performance by clubClubs in bold currently play in the top division.
Media coverageDomesticCoverage of the Squidroidian Super League, Challenge League and promotion/relegation group, as well as any highlight shows, are held by the Squidroidian Broadcasting Network. Usually games are covered on SBN Sport, but higher profile games (Like the Squidroidian Cup, Inkopolis Derby and National Derby as well as IFCF games) are broadcasted on SBN 1, SBN 2 and in Squiddish on SBN Squid. Radio coverage is provided on SBN Radio. GlobalMostly in part due to the Wanderers making the Challengers Cup group stage, the Squidroidian Super League has received foreign broadcasting rights, although due to the current Jecken sponsorship, the league TV rights revenue hasn't been changed.
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