# First Football League (Croatia)

The Prva nogometna liga (English: First football league), commonly Prva NL or 1. NL, is the second tier of the football league system in Croatia. The league was formed in 1991 with the breakup of Yugoslavia and the dissolution of the Yugoslav Second League. The 1. NL is operated by the Croatian Football Federation, which also was formed in 1991, contributing (along with the newly formed Football Association of Slovenia) to the dissolution of the Football Association of Yugoslavia.
Between the 2001–02 season and 2005–06 season, the league was split in two divisions, one being the Northern Croatian Second League and the other being the Southern Croatian Second League. Each of these two leagues comprised twelve teams playing under a system pretty much identical to the one in the HNL. However, since the start of the 2006–07 season, the First Football League consisted of at least twelve teams from the entire country. Relegation from this division is into the 2. NL.
From the inaugural merged season in 2006–07 until 2021–22, the division was known as the Second Football League (Croatian: Druga nogometna liga), but was renamed as were the other leagues of the Croatian football system for the start of the 2022–23 season.

## Winning clubs

Key
* Winners that haven't been promoted due to various reasons
| Season | Divisions | Division winners | Clubs promoted to HNL | Top scorer | Goals |
| 1992 | Zagreb (6 clubs) | Radnik Velika Gorica | Radnik Velika Gorica Segesta Belišće Pazinka |
| 1992 | Dalmatia (8 clubs) | Primorac Stobreč | Radnik Velika Gorica Segesta Belišće Pazinka |
| 1992 | Rijeka & Istra (4 clubs) | Pazinka | Radnik Velika Gorica Segesta Belišće Pazinka |
| 1992–93 | North (16 clubs) | Dubrava Zagreb | Dubrava Zagreb Primorac Stobreč |
| 1992–93 | South (16 clubs) | Primorac Stobreč | Dubrava Zagreb Primorac Stobreč |
| 1993–94 | North (16 clubs) | Marsonia | Marsonia Neretva |
| 1993–94 | South (16 clubs) | Neretva | Marsonia Neretva |
| 1994–95 | North (16 clubs) | Slavonija Požega | Slavonija Požega Orijent Mladost 127 Uskok Klis Dubrovnik Hrvatski Dragovoljac |
| 1994–95 | South (17 clubs) | Uskok Klis | Slavonija Požega Orijent Mladost 127 Uskok Klis Dubrovnik Hrvatski Dragovoljac |
| 1994–95 | West (19 clubs) | Hrvatski Dragovoljac | Slavonija Požega Orijent Mladost 127 Uskok Klis Dubrovnik Hrvatski Dragovoljac |
| 1995–96 | North (16 clubs) | Slaven Belupo | Slaven Belupo Olimpija Osijek Graničar Čakovec Union Junak Sinj Mosor Samobor Ponikve Zagorec Krapina Napredak Velika Mlaka |
| 1995–96 | South (16 clubs) | Junak Sinj | Slaven Belupo Olimpija Osijek Graničar Čakovec Union Junak Sinj Mosor Samobor Ponikve Zagorec Krapina Napredak Velika Mlaka |
| 1995–96 | West (18 clubs) | Samobor | Slaven Belupo Olimpija Osijek Graničar Čakovec Union Junak Sinj Mosor Samobor Ponikve Zagorec Krapina Napredak Velika Mlaka |
| 1996–97 | Center (16 clubs) | Lučko | None |
| 1996–97 | East (16 clubs) | Croatia Đakovo | None |
| 1996–97 | North (16 clubs) | Budućnost Hodošan | None |
| 1996–97 | South (19 clubs) | RNK Split | None |
| 1996–97 | West (16 clubs) | Jadran Poreč | None |
| 1997–98 | Center (17 clubs) | Segesta | Cibalia |
| 1997–98 | East (16 clubs) | Cibalia | Cibalia |
| 1997–98 | North (16 clubs) | Čakovec | Cibalia |
| 1997–98 | South (17 clubs) | RNK Split | Cibalia |
| 1997–98 | West (16 clubs) | Jadran Poreč | Cibalia |
| 1998–99 | 19 clubs | Vukovar '91 | Vukovar '91 Istra Pula | Dubravko Zdrilić | 29 |
| 1999–00 | 17 clubs | Marsonia | Marsonia Čakovec | Miroslav Vukić | 26 |
| 2000–01 | 18 clubs | Kamen Ingrad | Kamen Ingrad Pomorac Kostrena Zadar TŠK Topolovac |
| 2001–02 | North (16 clubs) | Vukovar '91 | None |
| 2001–02 | South (16 clubs) | Istra Pula | None |
| 2002–03 | North (16 clubs) | Marsonia | Marsonia Inker Zaprešić |
| 2002–03 | South (16 clubs) | Inker Zaprešić | Marsonia Inker Zaprešić |
| 2003–04 | North (16 clubs) | Međimurje | Međimurje Pula 1856 |
| 2003–04 | South (16 clubs) | Pula 1856 | Međimurje Pula 1856 |
| 2004–05 | North (16 clubs) | Cibalia | Cibalia |
| 2004–05 | South (16 clubs) | Novalja | Cibalia |
| 2005–06 | North (16 clubs) | Belišće | Šibenik |
| 2005–06 | South (16 clubs) | Šibenik | Šibenik |
| 2006–07 | 16 clubs | Inter Zaprešić | Inter Zaprešić Zadar | Zdravko Popović | 30 |
| 2007–08 | 16 clubs | Croatia Sesvete | Croatia Sesvete | Marijan Maruna | 19 |
| 2008–09 | 16 clubs | Istra 1961 | Istra 1961 Karlovac Lokomotiva Međimurje | Marijan Vuka | 19 |
| 2009–10 | 14 clubs | RNK Split | RNK Split Hrvatski Dragovoljac | Romano Obilinović | 17 |
| 2010–11 | 16 clubs | Gorica | Lučko | Hrvoje Tokić | 19 |
| 2011–12 | 15 clubs | Dugopolje | None | Alen Guć | 16 |
| 2012–13 | 16 clubs | Hrvatski Dragovoljac | Hrvatski Dragovoljac | Dražen Pilčić | 18 |
| 2013–14 | 12 clubs | NK Zagreb | NK Zagreb | Ilija Nestorovski | 20 |
| 2014–15 | 12 clubs | Inter Zaprešić | Inter Zaprešić | Ilija Nestorovski | 24 |
| 2015–16 | 12 clubs | Cibalia | Cibalia | Frane Vitaić | 15 |
| 2016–17 | 12 clubs | Rudeš | Rudeš | Benjamin Tatar | 13 |
| 2017–18 | 12 clubs | Gorica | Gorica | Domagoj Drožđek | 16 |
| 2018–19 | 14 clubs | Varaždin | Varaždin | Leon Benko | 21 |
| 2019–20 | 16 clubs | Šibenik | Šibenik | Mijo Šabić | 12 |
| 2020–21 | 18 clubs | Hrvatski Dragovoljac | Hrvatski Dragovoljac | Marko Dabro | 30 |
| 2021–22 | 16 clubs | Varaždin | Varaždin | Ivan Durdov | 13 |
| 2022–23 | 12 clubs | Rudeš | Rudeš | Ivor Ljubanović | 14 |
| 2023–24 | 12 clubs | Šibenik | Šibenik | Dominik Dogan | 23 |