# 1979–80 Swiss 1. Liga

The 1979–80 1. Liga was the 48th 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 56 clubs in the 1. Liga. These were divided into four regional groups, each with 14 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 four group winners and the four runners-up contested a first play-off round to decide the two promotion slots. The two last placed teams in each group were directly relegated to the 2. Liga (fourth tier).

## Group 1
### Teams

| Club | Canton | Stadium | Capacity |
| FC Bulle | Fribourg | Stade de Bouleyres | 7,000 |
| Étoile Carouge FC | Geneva | Stade de la Fontenette | 3,690 |
| FC Fétigny | Fribourg | Stade Communal Fétigny | 500 |
| FC Leytron | Valais | Stade Saint-Martin | 1,000 |
| ES FC Malley | Vaud | Centre sportif de la Tuilière | 1,500 |
| FC Martigny-Sports | Valais | Stade d'Octodure | 2,500 |
| FC Meyrin | Geneva | Stade des Arbères | 9,000 |
| FC Monthey | Valais | Stade Philippe Pottier | 1,800 |
| FC Montreux-Sports | Vaud | Stade de Chailly | 1,000 |
| FC Orbe | Vaud | Stade du Puisoir | 1,000 |
| FC Renens | Waadt | Zone sportive du Censuy | 2,300 |
| FC Stade Lausanne | Vaud | Centre sportif de Vidy | 1,000 |
| FC Stade Nyonnais | Vaud | Stade de Colovray | 7,200 |
| FC Visp | Valais | Sportplatz Mühleye | 1,000 |

### Final league table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | FC Bulle | 26 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 68 | 37 | +31 | 43 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 2 | Etoile Carouge FC | 26 | 17 | 2 | 7 | 64 | 29 | +35 | 36 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 3 | FC Montreux-Sports | 26 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 43 | 30 | +13 | 32 | |
| 4 | FC Martigny-Sports | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 49 | 31 | +18 | 30 | |
| 5 | FC Monthey | 26 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 43 | 34 | +9 | 29 | |
| 6 | ES FC Malley | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 54 | 43 | +11 | 28 | |
| 7 | FC Renens | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 39 | 32 | +7 | 26 | |
| 8 | FC Stade Lausanne | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 48 | 51 | −3 | 26 | |
| 9 | FC Leytron | 26 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 51 | 53 | −2 | 22 | |
| 10 | FC Stade Nyonnais | 26 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 45 | 65 | −20 | 22 | |
| 11 | FC Orbe | 26 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 47 | 56 | −9 | 21 | |
| 12 | FC Fétigny | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 29 | 45 | −16 | 21 | |
| 13 | FC Meyrin | 26 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 30 | 55 | −25 | 19 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |
| 14 | FC Visp | 26 | 2 | 5 | 19 | 32 | 81 | −49 | 9 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |

## Group 2
### Teams

| Club | Canton | Stadium | Capacity |
| FC Allschwil | Basel-Country | Im Brüel, Allschwil | 1,700 |
| FC Aurore Bienne | Bern | Tilleul-Linde | 1,000 |
| SC Binningen | Basel-Country | Spiegelfeld | 1,800 |
| FC Birsfelden | Basel-Country | Sternenfeld | 9,400 |
| US Boncourt | Jura | Stade Communal Léon Burrus | 1,640 |
| FC Boudry | Neuchâtel | Stade des Buchilles | 1,500 |
| FC Central Fribourg | Fribourg | Guintzet | 2,000 |
| SR Delémont | Jura | La Blancherie | 5,263 |
| SC Düdingen | Fribourg | Stadion Birchhölzli | 3,000 |
| FC Köniz | Bern | Sportplatz Liebefeld-Hessgut | 2,600 |
| FC Laufen | Basel-Country | Sportplatz Nau | 3,000 |
| FC Lengnau | Bern | Moos Lengnau BE | 3,900 |
| FC Lerchenfeld | canton of Bern | Sportanlagen Waldeck | 2,400 |
| SV Muttenz | Basel-Country | Sportplatz Margelacker | 3,200 |

### Final league table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | FC Laufen | 26 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 56 | 18 | +38 | 37 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 2 | SV Muttenz | 26 | 18 | 1 | 7 | 60 | 31 | +29 | 37 | To decider for second place |
| 3 | FC Aurore Bienne | 26 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 42 | 22 | +20 | 37 | To decider for second place |
| 4 | FC Köniz | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 54 | 42 | +12 | 29 | |
| 5 | SR Delémont | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 39 | 31 | +8 | 29 | |
| 6 | FC Allschwil | 26 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 31 | 28 | +3 | 28 | |
| 7 | Central Fribourg | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 35 | 40 | −5 | 26 | |
| 8 | US Boncourt | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 31 | 36 | −5 | 23 | |
| 9 | FC Lerchenfeld | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 44 | 59 | −15 | 23 | |
| 10 | FC Boudry | 26 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 35 | 38 | −3 | 22 | |
| 11 | SC Binningen | 26 | 9 | 2 | 15 | 34 | 60 | −26 | 20 | |
| 12 | FC Birsfelden | 26 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 25 | 35 | −10 | 19 | |
| 13 | SC Düdingen | 26 | 7 | 4 | 15 | 33 | 60 | −27 | 18 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |
| 14 | FC Lengnau | 26 | 7 | 2 | 17 | 36 | 55 | −19 | 16 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |

### Decider for second place

The decider match for second place was played on 28 May in La Blancherie in Delémont
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| SV Muttenz | 0–0 a.e.t. 4–2 pen. | FC Aurore Bienne |
SV Muttenz win after the penalty shoot-out and advance to play-offs. FC Aurore Bienne remain in the division.

## Group 3
### Teams

| Club | Canton | Stadium | Capacity |
| FC Blue Stars Zürich | Zürich | Hardhof | 1,000 |
| SC Derendingen | Solothurn | Heidenegg | 1,500 |
| SC Emmen | Lucerne | Sportanlage Feldbreite | 500 |
| FC Emmenbrücke | Lucerne | Stadion Gersag | 8,700 |
| FC Oberentfelden | Aargau | Schützenrain | 1,500 |
| FC Glattbrugg | Zürich | Sportanlage Au | 1,250 |
| FC Herzogenbuchsee | Bern | Waldäcker | 1,000 |
| FC Schaffhausen | Schaffhausen | Stadion Breite | 7,300 |
| FC Solothurn | Solothurn | Stadion FC Solothurn | 6,750 |
| FC Suhr | Aargau | Hofstattmatten | 2,000 |
| FC Sursee | Lucerne | Stadion Schlottermilch | 3,500 |
| FC Turicum | Zürich | Hardhof | 1,000 |
| FC Unterstrass | Zürich | Steinkluppe | 1,000 |
| FC Young Fellows Zürich | Zürich | Utogrund | 2,850 |

### Final league table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | FC Emmen | 26 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 74 | 35 | +39 | 39 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 2 | FC Emmenbrücke | 26 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 65 | 38 | +27 | 37 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 3 | FC Sursee | 26 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 57 | 37 | +20 | 33 | |
| 4 | SC Derendingen | 26 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 32 | |
| 5 | FC Suhr | 26 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 50 | 39 | +11 | 30 | |
| 6 | FC Blue Stars Zürich | 26 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 28 | |
| 7 | FC Solothurn | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 34 | 33 | +1 | 24 | |
| 8 | SC Young Fellows | 26 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 39 | 41 | −2 | 24 | |
| 9 | FC Turicum | 26 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 39 | 49 | −10 | 24 | |
| 10 | FC Schaffhausen | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 39 | 48 | −9 | 23 | |
| 11 | FC Oberentfelden | 26 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 42 | 58 | −16 | 22 | |
| 12 | FC Glattbrugg | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 38 | 56 | −18 | 18 | Decider for twelfth place |
| 13 | FC Herzogenbuchsee | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 30 | 54 | −24 | 18 | Decider for twelfth place |
| 14 | FC Unterstrass | 26 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 25 | 56 | −31 | 12 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |

### Decider for twelfth place

The decider was played on 1 June in Baden.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| FC Herzogenbuchsee | 5–1 | FC Glattbrugg |
FC Herzogenbuchsee win and remain in the division. FC Glattbrugg are relegated to 2. Liga Interregional.

## Group 4
### Teams

| Club | Canton | Stadium | Capacity |
| FC Altstätten (St. Gallen) | St. Gallen | Grüntal Altstätten | 1,000 |
| FC Balzers | Liechtenstein | Sportplatz Rheinau | 2,000 |
| SC Brühl | St. Gallen | Paul-Grüninger-Stadion | 4,200 |
| FC Gossau | St. Gallen | Sportanlage Buechenwald | 3,500 |
| FC Ibach | Schwyz | Gerbihof | 3,300 |
| FC Locarno | Locarno, Ticino | Stadio comunale Lido | 5,000 |
| Mendrisiostar | Ticino | Centro Sportivo Comunale | 4,000 |
| FC Morbio | Ticino | Campo comunale Balerna | 800 |
| FC Rüti | Zürich | Schützenwiese | 1,200 |
| FC Stäfa | Zürich | Sportanlage Frohberg | 1,500 |
| FC Uzwil | St. Gallen | Rüti | 1,000 |
| FC Vaduz | Liechtenstein | Rheinpark Stadion | 7,584 |
| SC Zug | Zug | Herti Allmend Stadion | 6,000 |
| FC Zug | Zug | Herti Allmend Stadion | 6,000 |

### Final league table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Mendrisiostar | 26 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 47 | 17 | +30 | 40 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 2 | FC Altstätten (St. Gallen) | 26 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 58 | 34 | +24 | 37 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 3 | FC Ibach | 26 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 58 | 31 | +27 | 34 | |
| 4 | FC Locarno | 26 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 37 | 29 | +8 | 30 | |
| 5 | FC Vaduz | 26 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 55 | 38 | +17 | 29 | |
| 6 | FC Rüti | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 36 | 35 | +1 | 28 | |
| 7 | FC Stäfa | 26 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 35 | 39 | −4 | 26 | |
| 8 | FC Balzers | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 49 | 55 | −6 | 23 | |
| 9 | FC Uzwil | 26 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 44 | 57 | −13 | 23 | |
| 10 | FC Morbio | 26 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 37 | 48 | −11 | 21 | |
| 11 | FC Gossau | 26 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 35 | 50 | −15 | 20 | |
| 12 | SC Brühl | 26 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 26 | 43 | −17 | 19 | Decider for twelfth place |
| 13 | SC Zug | 26 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 31 | 49 | −18 | 19 | Decider for twelfth place |
| 14 | FC Zug | 26 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 17 | 40 | −23 | 15 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |

### Decider for twelfth place

The decider was played on 1 June in Zürich.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| SC Zug | 4–3 a.e.t. | SC Brühl |
SC Zug win and remain in division. SC Brühl are relegated to 2. Liga Interregional.

## Promotion play-off
### Qualification round

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| FC Bulle | 2–2 | FC Altstätten (SG) |
| FC Altstätten (SG) | 1–3 | FC Bulle |
FC Bulle win 5–3 on aggregate and continue to the finals.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Etoile Carouge FC | 0–4 | Mendrisiostar |
| Mendrisiostar | 1–0 | Etoile Carouge FC |
Mendrisiostar win 5–0 on aggregate and continue to the finals.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| SV Muttenz | 0–0 | FC Emmen |
| FC Emmen | 3–2 | SV Muttenz |
FC Emmen win 3–2 on aggregate and continue to the finals.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| FC Emmenbrücke | 0–1 | FC Laufen |
| FC Laufen | 4–1 | FC Emmenbrücke |
FC Laufen win 5–1 on aggregate and continue to the finals.

### Final round

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| FC Bulle | 3–0 | FC Emmen |
| FC Emmen | 0–0 | FC Bulle |
FC Bulle win 3–0 on aggregate and are promoted to 1980–81 Nationalliga B. FC Emmen remain in the division.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| FC Laufen | A–A | Mendrisiostar |
| Mendrisiostar | 1–2 | FC Laufen |
| FC Laufen | 0–3 | Mendrisiostar |
1st match abandonned after 6' due to rainfall: replay June 29 in Laufen. Mendrisiostar win 4–2 on aggregate and are promoted to 1980–81 Nationalliga B. FC Laufen remain in the division.

## Further in Swiss football

* 1979–80 Nationalliga A
* 1979–80 Nationalliga B
* 1979–80 Swiss Cup