# 1951–52 Swiss 1. Liga

The 1951–52 1. Liga season was the 20th season of the 1. Liga since its creation in 1931. At this time, the 1. Liga was the third-tier of the Swiss football league system.

## Format

There were 36 teams competing in the 1. Liga this season. They were divided into three regional groups, each group with 12 teams. Within each group, the teams would play a double round-robin to decide their league position. Two points were awarded for a win and one point was awarded for a draw. The three group winners then contested a play-off round to decide the two promotion slots to the second-tier (NLB). The last placed team in each group were directly relegated to the 2. Liga (fourth tier). The second last placed team from each group then contested a play-out to decide the fourth and last relegation slot.

## Group West
### Teams, locations

| Club | Based in | Canton | Stadium | Capacity |
| FC Central Fribourg | Fribourg | Fribourg | Guintzet | 2,000 |
| CS International Genève | Geneva | Geneva | | |
| CS La Tour-de-Peilz | La Tour-de-Peilz | Vaud | Stade de Bel-Air | 1,000 |
| US Lausanne | Lausanne | Vaud | | |
| FC Martigny-Sports | Martigny | Valais | Stade d'Octodure | 2,500 |
| FC Montreux-Sports | Montreux | Vaud | Stade de Chailly | 1,000 |
| FC Forward Morges | Morges | Vaud | Parc des Sports | 600 |
| FC Sierre | Sierre | Valais | Complexe Ecossia | 2,000 |
| FC Stade Lausanne | Ouchy, Lausanne | Vaud | Centre sportif de Vidy | 1,000 |
| FC Thun | Thun | Bern | Stadion Lachen | 10,350 |
| Vevey Sports | Vevey | Vaud | Stade de Copet | 4,000 |
| Yverdon-Sport FC | Yverdon-les-Bains | Vaud | Stade Municipal | 6,600 |

### Final league table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Yverdon-Sport FC | 22 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 28 | To promotion play-off |
| 2 | FC Thun | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 53 | 34 | +19 | 27 | |
| 3 | Vevey Sports | 22 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 44 | 38 | +6 | 27 | |
| 4 | FC Martigny-Sports | 22 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 41 | 33 | +8 | 25 | |
| 5 | FC Sierre | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 52 | 43 | +9 | 23 | |
| 6 | US Lausanne | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 40 | 36 | +4 | 23 | |
| 7 | FC Forward Morges | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 33 | 36 | −3 | 23 | |
| 8 | CS International Genève | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 51 | 52 | −1 | 22 | |
| 9 | Central Fribourg | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 47 | 50 | −3 | 20 | |
| 10 | CS La Tour-de-Peilz | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 47 | 50 | −3 | 20 | |
| 11 | FC Montreux-Sports | 22 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 43 | 64 | −21 | 16 | Play-out against relegation |
| 12 | FC Stade Lausanne | 22 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 36 | 64 | −28 | 10 | Relegation to 2. Liga |

## Group Central
### Teams, locations

| Club | Based in | Canton | Stadium | Capacity |
| FC Birsfelden | Birsfelden | Basel-Landschaft | Sternenfeld | 9,400 |
| SC Burgdorf | Burgdorf | Bern | Stadion Neumatt | 3,850 |
| FC Concordia Basel | Basel | Basel-Stadt | Stadion Rankhof | 7,000 |
| SC Derendingen | Derendingen | Solothurn | Heidenegg | 1,500 |
| FC Helvetia Bern | Bern | Bern | Spitalacker, Bern | 1,000 |
| SC Kleinhüningen | Basel | Basel-Stadt | Sportplatz Schorenmatte | 300 |
| FC Lengnau | Lengnau | Bern | Moos Lengnau BE | 3,900 |
| FC Moutier | Moutier | Bern | Stade de Chalière | 5,000 |
| FC Olten | Olten | Solothurn | Sportanlagen Kleinholz | 8,000 |
| FC Porrentruy | Porrentruy | Jura | Stade du Tirage | 4,226 |
| Saint-Imier-Sports | Saint-Imier | Bern | Terrain de Fin-des-Fourches | 1,000 |
| FC Solothurn | Solothurn | Solothurn | Stadion FC Solothurn | 6,750 |

### Final league table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | FC Solothurn | 22 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 50 | 26 | +24 | 32 | To promotion play-off |
| 2 | FC Concordia Basel | 22 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 55 | 28 | +27 | 31 | |
| 3 | FC Olten | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 46 | 30 | +16 | 27 | |
| 4 | SC Derendingen | 22 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 28 | 25 | +3 | 23 | |
| 5 | FC Helvetia Bern | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 46 | 42 | +4 | 22 | |
| 6 | SC Kleinhüningen | 21 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 38 | 34 | +4 | 21 | |
| 7 | FC Porrentruy | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 26 | 38 | −12 | 21 | |
| 8 | Saint-Imier-Sports | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 45 | 44 | +1 | 20 | |
| 9 | FC Lengnau | 21 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 30 | 41 | −11 | 18 | |
| 10 | FC Moutier | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 28 | 38 | −10 | 18 | |
| 11 | SC Burgdorf | 22 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 29 | 38 | −9 | 16 | Play-out against relegation |
| 12 | FC Birsfelden | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 30 | 66 | −36 | 13 | Relegation to 2. Liga |

## Group South and East
### Teams, locations

| Club | Based in | Canton | Stadium | Capacity |
| FC Arbon | Arbon | Thurgau | Stacherholz | 1,000 |
| FC Baden | Baden | Aargau | Esp Stadium | 7,000 |
| FC Blue Stars Zürich | Zürich | Zürich | Hardhof | 1,000 |
| SC Brühl | St. Gallen | St. Gallen | Paul-Grüninger-Stadion | 4,200 |
| SV Ceresio Schaffhausen | Schaffhausen | Schaffhausen | Sportplatz Bühl | 1,000 |
| BSC Old Boys | Basel | Basel-Stadt | Stadion Schützenmatte | 8,000 |
| FC Red Star Zürich | Zürich | Zürich | Allmend Brunau | 2,000 |
| SC Schöftland | Schöftland | Aargau | Sportanlage Rütimatten | 2,000 |
| FC Trimbach| | Trimbach | Solothurn | Sportanlage Leinfeld | 400 |
| FC Uster| | Uster | Zürich | Sportanlage Buchholz | 7,000 |
| FC Wetzikon | Wetzikon | Zürich | Meierwiesen | 2,000 |
| FC Wil | Wil | St. Gallen | Sportpark Bergholz | 6,048 |

### Final league table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | FC Wil | 22 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 82 | 18 | +64 | 39 | To promotion play-off |
| 2 | FC Red Star Zürich | 22 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 57 | 23 | +34 | 35 | |
| 3 | FC Baden | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 37 | 27 | +10 | 25 | |
| 4 | FC Blue Stars Zürich | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 44 | 49 | −5 | 21 | |
| 5 | BSC Old Boys | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 37 | 45 | −8 | 21 | |
| 6 | FC Arbon | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 34 | 46 | −12 | 21 | |
| 7 | FC Wetzikon | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 35 | 39 | −4 | 19 | |
| 8 | SC Brühl | 22 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 41 | 45 | −4 | 18 | |
| 9 | SV Ceresio Schaffhausen | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 36 | 46 | −10 | 18 | |
| 10 | SC Schöftland | 22 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 41 | 53 | −12 | 18 | |
| 11 | FC Trimbach | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 38 | 56 | −18 | 17 | Play-out against relegation |
| 12 | FC Uster | 22 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 27 | 62 | −35 | 12 | Relegation to 2. Liga |

## Promotion, relegation
### Promotion play-off

The three group winners played a single round-robin to decide the two promotion slots. The promotion play-offs were held on 22 and 29 June and 6 July 1952.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | WIL | SOL | YVE |
| 1 | Wil | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 | Champions and promoted | — | 1–0 | — |
| 2 | Solothurn | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 2 | Promoted | — | — | 2–0 |
| 3 | Yverdon-Sport | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 1 | | 0–0 | — | — |
Wil are 1. Liga Champions and together with runners-up Solothurn were promoted to 1952–53 Nationalliga B. Yverdon-Sport remained in the division for the next season.

### Relegation play-out

The three second last placed teams from each group contested a play-out to decide the fourth and final relegation slot. The matches in the play-outs were held on 22 and 29 June and 6 July 1952.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | MOS | BUR | TRI |
| 1 | Montreux-Sports | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | | — | 0–0 | — |
| 2 | Burgdorf | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | | — | — | 2–2 |
| 3 | FC Trimbach | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 1 | Relegated to 2. Liga | 2–3 | — | — |
Montreux-Sports and Burgdorf remained in the division for the next season, FC Trimbach were relegated to 2. Liga.

## Further in Swiss football

* 1951–52 Nationalliga A
* 1951–52 Nationalliga B
* 1951–52 Swiss Cup