# 1971–72 Swiss 1. Liga

The 1971–72 1. Liga was the 40th season of this league since its creation in 1931. At this time, the 1. Liga was the third tier of the Swiss football league system and it was the highest level of amateur football.

## Format

There were 39 clubs in the 1. Liga. These were divided into three regional groups, each with 13 teams. Within each group, the teams would play a double round-robin to decide their league position. Two points were awarded for a win. The three group winners and the runners-up contested a play-off round to decide the two promotion slots. The last two placed teams in each group were directly relegated to the 2. Liga (fourth tier).

## Group West
### Teams

| Club | Canton | Stadium | Capacity |
| ASI Audax-Friul | Neuchâtel | Pierre-à-Bot | 1,700 |
| FC Bern | Bern | Stadion Neufeld | 14,000 |
| FC Central Fribourg | Fribourg | Guintzet | 2,000 |
| FC Dürrenast | Bern | Stadion Lachen | 13,500 |
| CS La Tour-de-Peilz | Vaud | Stade de Bel-Air | 1,000 |
| FC Le Locle | Neuchâtel | Installation sportive - Jeanneret | 3,142 |
| FC Meyrin | Geneva | Stade des Arbères | 9,000 |
| FC Minerva Bern | Bern | Spitalacker | 1,450 |
| FC Raron | Valais | Sportplatz Rhoneglut | 1,000 |
| FC Stade Nyonnais | Vaud | Stade de Colovray | 7,200 |
| FC Thun | Bern | Stadion Lachen | 10,350 |
| Urania Genève Sport | Geneva | Stade de Frontenex | 4,000 |
| Yverdon-Sport FC | Vaud | Stade Municipal | 6,600 |

### Final league table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | FC Stade Nyonnais | 24 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 51 | 22 | +29 | 38 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 2 | FC Raron | 24 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 45 | 29 | +16 | 34 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 3 | FC Bern | 24 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 49 | 30 | +19 | 32 | |
| 4 | FC Meyrin | 24 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 35 | 38 | −3 | 26 | |
| 5 | ASI Audax-Friul | 24 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 41 | 35 | +6 | 25 | |
| 6 | Yverdon-Sport FC | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 36 | 40 | −4 | 23 | |
| 7 | FC Le Locle | 24 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 31 | 30 | +1 | 22 | |
| 8 | Central Fribourg | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 39 | 53 | −14 | 22 | |
| 9 | Urania Genève Sport | 24 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 41 | 34 | +7 | 21 | |
| 10 | FC Dürrenast | 24 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 39 | 41 | −2 | 21 | |
| 11 | FC Thun | 24 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 42 | 44 | −2 | 21 | |
| 12 | CS La Tour-de-Peilz | 24 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 40 | 49 | −9 | 20 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |
| 13 | FC Minerva Bern | 24 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 19 | 63 | −44 | 7 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |

## Group Central
### Teams

| Club | Canton | Stadium | Capacity |
| FC Baden | Aargau | Esp Stadium | 7,000 |
| FC Breite Basel | Basel-City | Stadion Schützenmatte / Landhof | 8,000 / 7,000 |
| FC Breitenbach | Solothurn | Grien | 2,000 |
| SC Burgdorf | canton of Bern | Stadion Neumatt | 3,850 |
| SC Buochs | Nidwalden | Stadion Seefeld | 5,000 |
| FC Concordia Basel | Basel-City | Stadion Rankhof | 7,000 |
| SR Delémont | Jura | La Blancherie | 5,263 |
| FC Emmenbrücke | Lucerne | Stadion Gersag | 8,700 |
| FC Laufen | Basel-Country | Sportplatz Nau | 3,000 |
| FC Nordstern Basel | Basel-Stadt | Rankhof | 7,600 |
| FC Porrentruy | Jura | Stade du Tirage | 4,226 |
| FC Solothurn | Solothurn | Stadion FC Solothurn | 6,750 |
| FC Turgi | Aargau | Sportanlage Oberau | 1,000 |

### Final league table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | SC Buochs | 24 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 49 | 31 | +18 | 35 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 2 | FC Emmenbrücke | 24 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 67 | 38 | +29 | 33 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 3 | FC Concordia Basel | 24 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 48 | 35 | +13 | 32 | |
| 4 | FC Laufen | 24 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 51 | 36 | +15 | 28 | |
| 5 | FC Breite Basel | 24 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 42 | 40 | +2 | 26 | |
| 6 | FC Solothurn | 24 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 43 | 41 | +2 | 26 | |
| 7 | FC Porrentruy | 24 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 37 | 28 | +9 | 24 | |
| 8 | FC Nordstern Basel | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 23 | |
| 9 | FC Baden | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 42 | 40 | +2 | 22 | |
| 10 | SR Delémont | 24 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 34 | 36 | −2 | 21 | |
| 11 | FC Turgi | 24 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 34 | 52 | −18 | 17 | |
| 12 | FC Breitenbach | 24 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 23 | 63 | −40 | 13 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |
| 13 | SC Burgdorf | 24 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 31 | 69 | −38 | 12 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |

## Group South and East
### Teams

| Club | Canton | Stadium | Capacity |
| FC Amriswil | Thurgau | Tellenfeld | 1,000 |
| FC Blue Stars Zürich | Zürich | Hardhof | 1,000 |
| FC Chur | Grisons | Ringstrasse | 2,820 |
| FC Frauenfeld | Thurgau | Kleine Allmend | 6,370 |
| US Giubiasco | Ticino | Campo Semine | 1,000 |
| FC Gossau | St. Gallen | Sportanlage Buechenwald | 3,500 |
| FC Locarno | Locarno, Ticino | Stadio comunale Lido | 5,000 |
| FC Red Star Zürich | Zürich | Allmend Brunau | 2,000 |
| FC Rorschach | Schwyz | Sportplatz Kellen | 1,000 |
| FC Tössfeld | Zürich | Talgut | 1,000 |
| FC Vaduz | Liechtenstein | Rheinpark Stadion | 7,584 |
| FC Young Fellows Zürich | Zürich | Utogrund | 2,850 |
| SC Zug | Zug | Herti Allmend Stadion | 6,000 |

### Final league table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | FC Young Fellows Zürich | 24 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 64 | 29 | +35 | 37 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 2 | FC Vaduz | 24 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 47 | 35 | +12 | 28 | To decider for second place |
| 3 | SC Zug | 24 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 27 | 19 | +8 | 28 | To decider for second place |
| 4 | US Giubiasco | 24 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 36 | 32 | +4 | 27 | |
| 5 | FC Locarno | 24 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 36 | 32 | +4 | 27 | |
| 6 | FC Frauenfeld | 24 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 37 | 34 | +3 | 26 | |
| 7 | FC Gossau | 24 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 45 | 40 | +5 | 24 | |
| 8 | FC Blue Stars Zürich | 24 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 43 | 47 | −4 | 24 | |
| 9 | FC Red Star Zürich | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 33 | 39 | −6 | 23 | |
| 10 | FC Chur | 24 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 24 | 29 | −5 | 20 | |
| 11 | FC Tössfeld | 24 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 30 | 44 | −14 | 19 | |
| 12 | FC Rorschach | 24 | 6 | 4 | 14 | 28 | 43 | −15 | 16 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |
| 13 | FC Amriswil | 24 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 23 | 50 | −27 | 13 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |

### Decider for second place

The decider match for second place was played on 30 May 1972 in Küssnacht.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| SC Zug | 4–1 | FC Vaduz |
SC Zug win and advance to play-offs. FC Vaduz remain in the division.

## Promotion play-off

The three group winners played a two legged tie against one of the runners-up to decide the three finalists. The games were played on

### Qualification round

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| FC Emmenbrücke | 0–3 | FC Young Fellows Zürich |
| FC Young Fellows Zürich | 4–1 | FC Emmenbrücke |
FC Young Fellows Zürich win 7–1 on aggregate and continue to the finals.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| FC Raron | 3–3 | SC Buochs |
| SC Buochs | 1–1 | FC Raron |
SC Buochs win on away goals and continue to the finals.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| FC Stade Nyonnais | 1–1 | SC Zug |
| SC Zug | 1–1 | FC Stade Nyonnais |
FC Stade Nyonnais qualified as better classed team in the regular season and continue to the finals.

### Final round

The three first round winners competed in a single round-robin to decide the two promotion slots. The games were played on
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | YFJ | BUO | NYO |
| 1 | FC Young Fellows Zürich | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 4 | — | 2–1 | — |
| 2 | SC Buochs | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | — | — | 3–2 |
| 3 | FC Stade Nyonnais | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 0 | 2–5 | — | — |
FC Young Fellows Zürich are 1. Liga champions, SC Buochs are runners-up and these two teams are promoted.

## Further in Swiss football

* 1971–72 Nationalliga A
* 1971–72 Nationalliga B
* 1971–72 Swiss Cup