The Bukovina Championship () was a football championship played in Duchy of Bukovina until 1918 and after World War I in Bukovina region, in the north east of Romania. Since the 1921–22 edition the winner qualified to Divizia A knock-out competition to determinate the champions of Romania.

Format

1908–1914, 1918–1919 Bukovina Regional Championship (Austro-Hungary) 1920–1922: Bukovina Regional Championship (Romania) 1922–1932: Bukovina Championship League 1 (regional championship within the Romanian Championship) 1932–1940: Cernăuți County Championship League 1 (regional championship with the right to participate in the national divisions of the Romanian Championship)

History

The first football matches in Bukovina and Transcarpathia (Historical Maramures) took place between May and August 1901.

The first football match in Bukovina, which ended with a score of 7–0, took place on May 12, 1901 in Chernivtsi, at the stadium near the Prut River (the current Malva Stadium). The victory was achieved by a team founded by students of Chernivtsi University on the basis of the university's sports gymnastics section (according to some researchers, this team is believed to have become the ancestor of the Yan club). The goals in that historic match were scored by: Y. Topa – 3, T. Spivak – 2, L. Mihajlov and Z. Stern – 1 each.

In the autumn of 1903, German students from Chernivtsi formed their own football team Jahn Czernowitz, which was officially registered and documented as a German sports society and which for many years became the emblematic club of Bukovina football. This football club became the first football club in Bukovina.

In 1907, in Chernivtsi, the Polish community in the city formed the Sarmatia Czerniowce club (in Polish Sarmatia Czerniowce), then known as "Polonia",

In 1909, Maccabi Czernowitz (in German Sport- und Turnverein Makkabi Czernowitz, in Hebrew transliterated Moadon HaKaduregel Maccabi Tsernowiț) appeared, which became the most successful club in the Bukovina championship with 5 titles. In the same year, the Romanian community founded at the end of 1909 — RFK (Rumanischer Fußballklub) Czernowitz., after 1918 under the name "Dragoș Vodă Cernăuți".

The Bukovina Championship was held in Chernivtsi between (1907–1914), and then in the interwar period it would bear the name of the Chernivtsi district championship category I (1920–1930), and between 1930–1932 (the last two seasons in the district system) it was called Liga Est - Seria Cernăuți.

With the coming to power of Romania, in 1919 the regional championship of Bukovina was launched, which became an official tournament a year later, in 1920. In the first three years, the national football season system was: "spring-autumn", after which the most traditional for European football associations was applied: "autumn-spring". The first champion title was won by the team "Maccabi" (Cernăuți).

In 1940, the tournament ceased to exist because Bukovina was occupied by Soviet troops. The last champion was Jahn Cernăuți. During the German-Soviet War, Romania occupied Bukovina again and there were attempts to restore championship, but the only club that was revived was "Dragoș Vode" (in the 1942–43 season it participated in the Romanian Cup).

Winners

+List of Bukovina Championship WinnersYearWinnersRunners-upQualified forRef1918–19Polonia CernăuțiMaccabi Cernăuținone1919–20Maccabi Cernăuțiunknownnone1920–21Polonia CernăuțiJahn Cernăuținone1921–22Polonia CernăuțiJahn Cernăuți1921–22 Divizia A1922–23Polonia CernăuțiMaccabi Cernăuți1922–23 Divizia A1923–24Jahn CernăuțiMaccabi Cernăuți1923–24 Divizia A1924–25Jahn CernăuțiMaccabi Cernăuți1924–25 Divizia A1925–26Hakoah CernăuțiMaccabi Cernăuți1925–26 Divizia A1926–27Maccabi CernăuțiJahn Cernăuți1926–27 Divizia A1927–28Polonia CernăuțiMaccabi Cernăuți1927–28 Divizia A1928–29Dragoș Vodă CernăuțiHakoah Cernăuți1928–29 Divizia A1929–30Dragoș Vodă CernăuțiJahn Cernăuți1929–30 Divizia A1930–31Maccabi CernăuțiJahn Cernăuți1930–31 Divizia A1931–32Maccabi CernăuțiJahn Cernăuți1931–32 Divizia A1932–33Dragoș Vodă CernăuțiJahn CernăuțiQualified for 1932–33 Divizia A Play-off1933–34Jahn CernăuțiDovbuș Cernăuți1934–35 Divizia B (Seria V) (first season of the second tier)1934–35Dragoș Vodă CernăuțiMaccabi Cernăuți1935–36 Divizia B (Seria V)1935–36Dovbuș CernăuțiMuncitorul Cernăuți1936–37 Divizia C (East League)1936–37Muncitorul CernăuțiCFR Cernăuți1937–38 Divizia C (East League)1937–38unknownunknownnone1938–39Muncitorul Cernăuțiunknown1939–40 Divizia B (Serie IV)1939–40Jahn Cernăuțiunknownnone1940not played anymore because of Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina on 28 June 1940

Performances

Performances by club

ClubWinnersRunners-upYears wonPolonia Cernăuți5–1918–19, 1920–21, 1921–22, 1922–23, 1927–28Maccabi Cernăuți471919–20, 1926–27, 1930–31, 1931–32Jahn Cernăuți471923–24, 1924–25, 1933–34, 1939–40Dragoș Vodă Cernăuți4–1928–29, 1929–30, 1932–33, 1934–35Muncitorul Cernăuți211936–37, 1938–39Hakoah Cernăuți111925–26Dovbuș Cernăuți111935–36CFR Cernăuți–1–

See also Divizia A Cupa României

Bibliography Korzhevsky Vasyl — „Cronica fotbalului bucovinean. 1902–1992”

References