# First League of the Republika Srpska

The First League of the Republika Srpska (Serbo-Croatian: Prva liga Republike Srpske / Прва лига Републике Српске) is a football league in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Together with the First League of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it forms the second level of football in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The league champion is promoted to the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Relegated teams fall to the Second League of the Republika Srpska.

## History
### Separate and second tier league

Since there were three different football championships in the country, organized on ethnic principles, the "First League of the Republika Srpska" was the top flight in the Republika Srpska before 2002. However, the champions of this League were not recognized by UEFA. In 2002, the top clubs from the Republika Srpska joined the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the First League was kept as one of two second level divisions. It is still run by the Football Association of Republika Srpska, and has ended its boycott of Bosnian football on a federal level.

### New format and expansion

The league changed format in the 2014–15 season and was split into two stages, the regular season and the playoffs. Each of the 12 competitors in the First League hosts every other team once in the regular season, for a total of 22 matches. A playoff phase is then played from April to May. The point system in the championship playoff is the same as during the regular season, except that each team starts with half of the points they won in the regular season, rounded up to the nearest integer. The points gained by rounding are deducted in the case of a tie. Similar systems are also used in the Belgian First Division A and the Polish Ekstraklasa.
The top six teams from the regular season enter the championship playoff, with the first-placed team winning the First League and teams ranked from 7 to 12 after the regular season enter the relegation playoffs. Each team plays their opponents once. The League champion is promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season, and the bottom clubs are relegated to the Second League of the Republika Srpska (third level). The number of relegated teams depends on how many clubs are entering the league. Those are the winners of the two third level league groups, the winner of the relegation play-off, and Republika Srpska clubs relegated from the Premier League. So, sometimes two clubs get relegated, and sometimes three or even four.
On 12 June 2020, it was confirmed that the league will be expanded from 10 to 16 teams in the 2020–21 season.
On 13 June 2022, it was confirmed that the league will be expanded from 16 to 18 teams in the 2022–23 season.

## Member clubs for 2024–25

| Team | Last season |
| Zvijezda 09 | Relegated |
| Laktaši | 2. |
| Rudar Prijedor | 3. |
| Leotar | 4. |
| Željezničar Banja Luka | 5. |
| Famos Vojkovići | 6. |
| Kozara Gradiška | 7. |
| Sloboda Mrkonjić Grad | 8. |
| Slavija Sarajevo | 9. |
| Sutjeska Foča | 10. |
| Ljubić Prnjavor | 11. |
| Velež Nevesinje | 12. |
| BSK Banja Luka | 13. |
| Drina Zvornik | 14. |
| Borac Kozarska Dubica | 15. |
| Romanija Pale | 16. |
| Drina HE Višegrad | Promoted |
| Sloboda Novi Grad | Promoted |

## League champions

Previous champions and winners of the league are:
| Season | Champion | Runners Up | Top Goalscorer | Club | Goals |
| 1995–96 | Boksit Milići | Rudar Prijedor | Siniša Đurić Zoran Majstorović | Kozara Gradiška Boksit Milići | 16 Goals 16 Goals |
| 1996–97 | Rudar Ugljevik | Sloga Trn | Mladen Zgonjanin Marić | Sloga Trn Glasinac Sokolac | 14 Goals 14 Goals |
| 1997–98 | Rudar Ugljevik | Borac Banja Luka | Nikola Bala | Rudar Ugljevik | 31 Goals |
| 1998–99 | Radnik Bijeljina | Rudar Ugljevik | Mladen Zgonjanin | Sloga Trn | 23 Goals |
| 1999–2000 | Boksit Milići | Rudar Ugljevik | Nedo Zdjelar | Sloboda Novi Grad | 29 Goals |
| 2000–01 | Borac Banja Luka | Sloboda Novi Grad | Milanko Đerić | Boksit Milići | 26 Goals |
| 2001–02 | Leotar | Kozara Gradiška | Pavle Delibašić Siniša Jovanović | Leotar Glasinac Sokolac | 21 Goals 21 Goals |
Since the 2002–03 season, it became a second national level competition. The league champion gets direct promotion to the Bosnian Premier League.
| Season | Champion |
| 2002–03 | Modriča |
| 2003–04 | Slavija Sarajevo |
| 2004–05 | Radnik Bijeljina |
| 2005–06 | Borac Banja Luka |
| 2006–07 | Laktaši |
| 2007–08 | Borac Banja Luka |
| 2008–09 | Rudar Prijedor |
| 2009–10 | Drina Zvornik |
| 2010–11 | Kozara Gradiška |
| 2011–12 | Radnik Bijeljina |
| 2012–13 | Mladost Velika Obarska |
| 2013–14 | Drina Zvornik |
| 2014–15 | Rudar Prijedor |
| 2015–16 | Krupa |
| 2016–17 | Borac Banja Luka |
| 2017–18 | Zvijezda 09 |
| 2018–19 | Borac Banja Luka |
| 2019–20 | Krupa |
| 2020–21 | Rudar Prijedor |
| 2021–22 | Krupa |
| 2022–23 | Krupa |
| 2023–24 | Radnik Bijeljina |

## Performance by club

| Club | Winners | Winning years |
| Borac Banja Luka | 5 | 2001, 2006, 2008, 2017, 2019 |
| Krupa | 4 | 2016, 2020, 2022, 2023 |
| Radnik Bijeljina | 4 | 1999, 2005, 2012, 2024 |
| Rudar Prijedor | 3 | 2009, 2015, 2021 |
| Rudar Ugljevik | 2 | 1997, 1998 |
| Boksit Milići | 2 | 1996, 2000 |
| Drina Zvornik | 2 | 2010, 2014 |
| Leotar | 1 | 2002 |
| Alfa Modriča | 1 | 2003 |
| Slavija Sarajevo | 1 | 2004 |
| Laktaši | 1 | 2007 |
| Kozara Gradiška | 1 | 2011 |
| Mladost Velika Obarska | 1 | 2013 |
| Zvijezda 09 | 1 | 2018 |