Zealand Series () is the highest division for men organized by the regional association DBU Sjælland and one of the sixth-highest divisions overall in the Danish football league system. The Zealand Association Football Championship () was introduced a week after the association's foundation in 1902 and was played in a cup format until actual league formats organized on a double round-robin basis including promotions and relegations were introduced in 1927 with the highest ranking division being named Mesterrækken (or SBUs Mesterrække to distinguish it from the other regional leagues).
At the time of the league's introduction, it was placed at the top of the Danish football league system, but has since been moved to its current status as the sixth best level, below the Denmark Series at the fifth level.
History Only one week after the foundation of the second regional football association, Zealand Football Association (SBU), the first tournament between member clubs was started. The first tournament was played in a cup format with the participation of 13 teams and a final match, a tournament format that was kept until 1917. In 1918, the teams started playing a double tournament format (autumn–spring). At the annual general assembly in 1927, the decision of introducing an actual league format for the best member teams was passed, creating the Mesterrækken (SBU level 1) and the A-rækken (SBU level 2) with promotions and relegations in a double year-long format (autumn-spring) under the auspices of the football association. In 1910, no tournament winner was declared. I finale match ended in a tie and a new date for the replay match was not found. Due to World War I, the Danish football tournaments in 1914–1915 were completed with great difficulties and almost ceased to exist - only eight teams participated in the local tournament administrated by SBU.
Despite difficulties with transportation (especially using cars) during World War II, the football tournaments under Sjællands Boldspil-Union in 1940–1942 managed to complete almost without any cancellations, and continued in a reduced format until the end of the war in 1945. Mesterrækken (SBU level 1), Oprykningsrækken (SBU level 2) and A-rækken (SBU level 3) completed the scheduled matches in autumn 1944, but due to restrictions on the usage of trains during Sundays, many cancellations occurred in spring 1945. A wartime crisis tournament was set up instead, where teams played in small (local) regional tournaments and all promotions and relegations were suspended.
Immediately following World War II, the Danish Football Association (DBU) annulled the national wartime league tournaments and introduces a new national league structure for the top tree levels (Danmarksturneringen i fodbold) with ten teams in each league. Promotion to the third division went through the top amateur leagues organized by the six regional football associations, at that moment in time located as the fourth level in Danish association football, where each league winner entered play-off matches against the other regional league winners. The highest ranking senior men's league administrated by DBU Zealand was renamed from Mesterrækken to Sjællandsserien, while the league below was renamed from Oprykningsrækken to Mellemrækken, beginning with the 1945/46-season.
As a consequence of the new league restructuring introduced by the national football association for the higher national levels, on 5 September 2014 at a board meeting of the committee the regional association of Zealand decided to adopt a new league structure for their own highest league competition. Starting from the 2015–16-season, the best men's league would be split into two geographically organized groups with 12 teams, where the group winners are each secured a direct promotion spot to Denmark Series, while the runners-up play an additional single match on a neutral field for a third promotion spot to the fourth level in Danish football. The losing team will enter into a play-off match against one of the league runners-up from the other regional associations. Also the Lolland-Falster Series, that have historically always been located at the same level as the Zealand Series, would drop a level and would instead become a feeder league to the Zealand Series with two promotion spots following an agreement made with DBU Lolland-Falster. DBU Lolland-Falster saw the difference in level between the teams in the Lolland-Falster Series and the Denmark Series being too high.
Zealand Championship winners Beginning with the 2015–16 season, the two group winners in a given season enters a play-off final match against each other to determine the Zealand Championship (Sjællandsmesterskabet) - both are automatically promoted to the Denmark Series. The runners-up in both group enter a play-off match against each other on a neutral playing field for the right to enter the Denmark Series, while the losing team will get an additional chance by playing one extra play-off match against a league runner-up from another regional association. Teams placing in the bottom are automatically relegated to the Series 1 leagues and Lolland-Falster Series respectively.
SBU's 1. Holdsturnering play-off Finals Season Level Champions Runners-up 1902 fall 1 Holbæk IF Vordingborg Seminariums Boldklub 1903 spring 1 Holbæk IF Næstved AIK 1903–04 1 Helsingør IF Vordingborg Seminariums Boldklub 1904–05 1 Helsingør IF Holbæk IF 1905–06 1 Helsingør IF Vordingborg Seminariums Boldklub 1906–07 1 Helsingør IF Slagelse Boldklub 1907 fall 1 Helsingør IF Slagelse Boldklub 1908 spring 1 Helsingør IF Roskilde Boldklub 1908 fall 1 IF Frem Vordingborg Helsingør IF 1909 spring 1 Helsingør IF Holmegaard Glasværks Boldklub 1909 fall 1 IF Frem Vordingborg Roskilde Boldklub 1910 spring 1 Haslev IK Helsingør IF 1910 fall 1 Haslev IK Holbæk IF 1911 spring 1 No Winner 1911 fall 1 Frederiksborg IF Hillerød Næstved IK 1912 spring 1 Frederiksborg IF Hillerød Næstved IK 1912–13 2 Frederiksborg IF Hillerød Haslev IK 1913–14 2 Frederiksborg IF Hillerød IF Frem Vordingborg 1914–15 2 Helsingør IF Næstved IK 1915–16 2 Frederiksborg IF Hillerød Næstved IK 1916–17 2 Frederiksborg IF Hillerød Næstved IK
A-rækken play-off Finals Season Level Champions Runners-up 1917–18 2 Frederiksborg IF Hillerød Næstved IK 1918–19 2 Korsør Boldklub Køge G&IF 1919–20 2 Boldklubben Søstjernen Korsør Boldklub 1920–21 2 Helsingør IF Korsør Boldklub 1921–22 2 Skovshoved IF Korsør Boldklub 1922–23 2 Frederiksborg IF Hillerød Korsør Boldklub 1923–24 2 Holbæk IF Frederiksborg IF Hillerød
A-rækkens Kredsvinderturnering Season Level Champions Runners-up 1924–25 2 Korsør Boldklub Skovshoved IF 1925–26 2 Skovshoved IF Holbæk Boldklub 1926–27 2 Skovshoved IF Korsør Boldklub
Mesterskabsrækken Season Level Champions Runners-up 1927–28 2 Skovshoved IF Frederiksborg IF Hillerød 1928–29 2 Skovshoved IF Korsør Boldklub 1929–30 3 Frederiksborg IF Hillerød Næstved Boldklub 1930–31 3 Helsingør IF Haslev IF 1931–32 3 Næstved Boldklub Helsingør IF 1932–33 3 Helsingør IF Næstved Boldklub 1933–34 3 Helsingør IF Næstved Boldklub 1934–35 3 Korsør Boldklub Helsingør IF 1935–36 3 Helsingør IF Køge Boldklub 1936–37 4 Holbæk B&IF Gentofte-Vangede IF 1937–38 4 Slagelse BK&IF Korsør Boldklub 1938–39 4 Korsør Boldklub Frederiksborg IF Hillerød 1939–40 4 Næstved IF Slagelse BK&IF 1940–41 2 Slagelse BK&IF Næstved IF 1941–42 2 Haslev IF Lyngby Boldklub 1942–43 2 Haslev IF Næstved IF 1943–44 2 Næstved IF Lyngby Boldklub 1944–45 2 Not finished
Sjællandsserien Season Level Champions Runners-up 1945–46 4 IF Skjold Birkerød Lendemark Boldklub 1946–47 4 Lyngby Boldklub Ringsted IF 1947–48 4 Slagelse BK&IF Holbæk B&IF 1948–49 4 Slagelse BK&IF Lyngby Boldklub 1949–50 4 Slagelse BK&IF Lyngby Boldklub 1950–51 4 Kalundborg GF&BK Slagelse BK&IF 1951–52 4 Roskilde B1906 Slagelse BK&IF 1952–53 4 Lyngby Boldklub Korsør Boldklub 1953–54 4 Lendemark Boldklub Korsør Boldklub 1954–55 4 IF Skjold Birkerød Roskilde B1906 1955–56 4 IF Skjold Birkerød Roskilde B1906 1956–57 4 Lyngby Boldklub Frederiksborg IF Hillerød 1958 4 Roskilde B1906 Køge Boldklub (II) 1959 5 Lyngby Boldklub Køge Boldklub (II) 1960 5 Slagelse BK&IF Glostrup IC 1961 5 Køge Boldklub (II) Holbæk B&IF 1962 5 Kalundborg GF&BK Lendemark Boldklub 1963 5 Holte IF Frederiksborg IF Hillerød 1964 5 IF Skjold Birkerød Akademisk Boldklub (II) 1965 5 Slagelse BK&IF Holte IF 1966 5 Helsingør IF Akademisk Boldklub (II) 1967 5 Ballerup IF Herlev IF 1968 5 Herlev IF Store Merløse IF 1969 5 Lyngby Boldklub (II) IF 32 Glostrup 1970 5 Akademisk Boldklub (II) IF 32 Glostrup 1971 5 Brøndby IF Toksværd G&IF 1972 5 Næstved IF (II) Nivå GF 1973 5 Lyngby Boldklub (II) Knabstrup IF 1974 5 Holbæk B&IF (II) Knabstrup IF 1975 5 Lyngby Boldklub (II) Jyderup SG&IF 1976 5 Jyderup SG&IF Slagelse BK&IF (II) 1977 5 Næstved IF (II) Hørsholm-Usserød IK 1978 5 Boldklubben Avarta Vordingborg IF 1979 5 Akademisk Boldklub (II) IF Skjold Birkerød 1980 5 Lyngby Boldklub (II) Greve IF 1981 5 Brøndby IF (II) Skovlunde IF 1982 5 Greve IF Albertslund IF 1983 5 Kalundborg GF&BK Avedøre IF 1984 5 Humlebæk Boldklub Albertslund IF 1985 5 Ringsted IF Næstved IF (II) 1986 5 Ølstykke FC Espergærde IF 1987 5 Hørsholm-Usserød IK Herlev IF 1988 5 Vordingborg IF Humlebæk Boldklub 1989 5 Næstved IF (II) Roskilde B1906 (II) 1990 5 Herfølge Boldklub (II) Lundtofte Boldklub 1991 5 Hillerød G&IF Kalundborg GF&BK 1992 6→5 Næstved IF (II) Akademisk Boldklub (II) 1993 6→5 Lillerød IF Herfølge Boldklub (II) 1994 6→5 Skovlunde IF Nivå GF 1995 6→5 Kalundborg GF&BK Holbæk B&IF 1996 5 Nivå GF Farum Boldklub 1997 5 Vedbæk Boldklub Albertslund IF 1998 6 Holbæk B&IF (II) Slagelse BK&IF 1999 6 Gladsaxe-Hero Boldklub IF 32 Glostrup (II) 2000 6 Søllerød Boldklub Køge Boldklub (II) 2001 6 Farum Boldklub (II) Avedøre IF 2002 6 Hørsholm-Usserød IK Greve IF 2003 6 KFUM Roskilde Herlev IF 2004 6 Skovlunde IF Nivå-Kokkedal FK 2005 6 Lyngby Boldklub (II) Allerød FK 2006 6 Køge Boldklub (II) Rishøj Boldklub 2007 6 Fredensborg BK&IF Solrød FC 2008 spring 6 Næstved IF (NB II) Svebølle BK&IF 2008–09 5 Frederikssund IK Rishøj Boldklub 2009–10 5 FC Øresund Ledøje-Smørum Fodbold 2010–11 5 B1973 Herlev Fredensborg BK&IF 2011–12 5 Ledøje-Smørum Fodbold Virum-Sorgenfri Boldklub 2012–13 5 KFUM Roskilde Fredensborg BK&IF 2013–14 5 Kalundborg GF&BK Næstved IF (NB II) 2014–15 5 Hillerød Fodbold Virum-Sorgenfri Boldklub
Sjællandsserien SM Final Season Level Final Date Winner Result Runners–up Venue Ref 2015–16 5 18 June 2016 Stenløse BK 1–1 (5–3 pen.) Herlufsholm GF Herlufsholm Kunstgræsbane, Næstved 2016–17 5 17 June 2017 IF Skjold Birkerød 2–0 Slagelse BK&IF Slagelse Stadium, Slagelse 2017–18 5 16 June 2018 Allerød FK 5–2 Ishøj IF Allerød Idrætspark, Allerød 2018–19 5 20 June 2019 Køge Nord FC 6–0 Frederikssund IK Rishøj Stadium, Køge 2019–20 5
Footnotes
References Years: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, , , , , and