Réunion Premier League

The Réunion Premier League, also known as Championnat de La Réunion de football, is the top division of football league system in the French overseas territory of Réunion. The league is run and managed by the Réunionese Football League under the watch of the French Football Federation. Réunion Premier League was created in 1950 and the most successful club is JS Saint-Pierroise, who have won 17 league titles. The defending champions are JS Saint-Pierroise. The winner of the competition earns a berth in the CAF Champions League. In the French pyramid system, the Réunion Premier League is positioned in the Division d'Honneur, the sixth level of French football.

Réunion Premier League

Founded	1950
Country	Réunion
Confederation	CAF
Number of teams	14
Level on pyramid	1
Domestic cup(s)	Coupe de la Réunion Coupe de France
International cup(s)	Champions League Confederation Cup
Current champions	SS Excelsior (2023)
Most championships	JS Saint-Pierroise (20)
Most appearances	Jean-Noël Ajorque (457 games)
Top goalscorer	Tsimba Kely Razafitsialonina (243 goals)
Website	liguefoot-reunion.fff.fr
Current: 2024 Réunion Premier League

The league has produced several professional Ligue 1 players, as well as players who have gone on to have successful careers abroad. Players such as Jean-Pierre Bade, Guillaume Hoarau, Florent Sinama Pongolle, Dimitri Payet, and Jean-Pascal Fontaine all began their careers on the island before achieving success abroad.

Competition format

There are 14 clubs in the Réunion Premier League. During the course of a season, usually from March to November, each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 26 games. Like all other amateur leagues in France, the league operates using a 4–2–1 points system meaning four points for a win, two for a draw, and one for a defeat. If points are equal following the season, the goal difference and then goals scored determine the winner. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank. The two lowest placed teams are relegated to second division and the top two teams from the second division are promoted in their place.

The Réunionese Football League runs the Coupe de la Réunion, which is the national cup of the territory. The organization also runs a Coupe de France cup competition that is independent to the Coupe de la Réunion. The Coupe de France competition serves as qualifying rounds for the actual Coupe de France. The competition usually lasts six rounds and the winner of the competition qualifies for the 7th round of the Coupe de France.

Premier League Clubs 2016

Team	Home City	Manager	Stadium	Capacity
AS Marsouins	Saint-Leu		Stade Saint-Leu	1,000
AS Sainte-Suzanne	Sainte-Suzanne
AJ Petite-Île	Saint-Joseph		Stade Raphaël Babet	2,000
AS Excelsior	Saint-Joseph	Farès Bousdira	Stade Raphaël Babet	2,000
JS Piton Saint-Leu	Saint-Leu
JS Saint-Pierroise	Saint-Pierre	Patrice Ségura	Stade Michel Volnay	8,000
RC Saint-Benoît	Saint-Benoît
Saint-Denis FC	Saint-Denis		Stade Jean-Ivoula	7,500
Saint-Pauloise FC	Saint-Paul	Christian Dafreville	Stade Paul Julius Bénard	12,000
SDEFA	Saint-Denis
SS Capricorne	Saint-Pierre		Stade Joffre-Labenne
SS Jeanne d'Arc	Le Port		Stade Georges Lambrakis	2,000
SS Saint-Louisienne	Saint-Louis	Patrick Laborde	Stade Théophile Hoarau	2,500
US Sainte-Marienne	Sainte-Marie	Djamel Bendouma	Stade Nelson Mandela	8,000

Previous winners

Season	Num. Clubs	Champion	Pts	Runner-Up	Pts
1950	n.c.	SS Patriote	n.c.	n.c.	n.c.
1951	n.c.	SS Patriote	n.c.	n.c.	n.c.
1952	n.c.	SS Jeanne d'Arc	n.c.	n.c.	n.c.
1953	n.c.	SS Patriote	n.c.	n.c.	n.c.
1954	n.c.	SS Patriote	n.c.	n.c.	n.c.
1955	n.c.	SS Patriote	n.c.	n.c.	n.c.
1956	12	JS Saint-Pierroise	36	SS Patriote	34
1957	10	JS Saint-Pierroise	25	Bourbon C	22
1958	10	SS Saint-Louisienne	n/a	SS Jeanne d'Arc	n/a
1959	16	JS Saint-Pierroise	33	SS Charles de Foucauld	33
1960	10	JS Saint-Pierroise	48	SS Jeanne d'Arc	41
1961	10	JS Saint-Pierroise	47	Bourbon C	45
1962	7	SS Patriote	29	JS Saint-Pierroise	27
1963	8	SS Saint-Louisienne	36	JS Saint-Pierroise	34
1964	8	SS Saint-Louisienne	35	JS Saint-Pierroise	34
1965	10	SS Saint-Louisienne	49	SS Tamponnaise	44
1966	10	SS Saint-Louisienne	49	SS Tamponnaise	42
1967	10	SS Saint-Louisienne	47	SS Patriote	43
1968	10	SS Saint-Louisienne	46	SS Jeanne d'Arc	45
1969	10	SS Saint-Louisienne	45	SS Jeanne d'Arc	44
1970	10	SS Saint-Louisienne	44	SS Excelsior	44
1971	10	JS Saint-Pierroise	41	SS Saint-Louisienne	36
1972	10	JS Saint-Pierroise	48	SS Patriote	44
1973	13	JS Saint-Pierroise	64	SS Excelsior	60
1974	12	SS Excelsior	59	JS Saint-Pierroise	52
1975	12	JS Saint-Pierroise	53	SS Excelsior	53
1976	12	JS Saint-Pierroise	55	FC Ouest	53
1977	12	FC Ouest	57	SS Excelsior	52
1978	12	JS Saint-Pierroise	56	CS Saint-Denis	53
1979	12	SS Saint-Pauloise	59	US Bénédictine	51
1980	12	CS Saint-Denis	57	SS Saint-Pauloise	53
1981	12	SS Saint-Pauloise	55	US Bénédictine	54
1982	12	SS Saint-Louisienne	52	CS Saint-Denis	49
1983	12	SS Saint-Pauloise	51	FC Ouest	51
1984	13	CS Saint-Denis	58	SS Saint-Pauloise	58
1985	14	SS Saint-Pauloise	64	JS Saint-Pierroise	63
1986	14	SS Saint-Pauloise	68	CS Saint-Denis	65
1987	14	CS Saint-Denis	64	SS Saint-Pauloise	64
1988	14	SS Saint-Louisienne	61	US Stade Tamponnaise	60
1989	14	JS Saint-Pierroise	64	CS Saint-Denis	60
1990	14	JS Saint-Pierroise	63	US Stade Tamponnaise	60
1991	14	US Stade Tamponnaise	67	CS Saint-Denis	67
1992	12	US Stade Tamponnaise	61	CS Saint-Denis	52
1993	12	JS Saint-Pierroise	54	CS Saint-Denis	54
1994	12	JS Saint-Pierroise	56	US Stade Tamponnaise	52
1995	12	CS Saint-Denis	54	US Stade Tamponnaise	51
1996	12	CS Saint-Denis	53	JS Saint-Pierroise	53
1997	14	SS Saint-Louisienne	79	US Stade Tamponnaise	73
1998	14	SS Saint-Louisienne	84	US Stade Tamponnaise	81
1999	14	US Stade Tamponnaise	86	JS Saint-Pierroise	78
2000	14	AS Marsouins	77	US Stade Tamponnaise	75
2001	14	SS Saint-Louisienne	81	JS Saint-Pierroise	81
2002	14	SS Saint-Louisienne	89	US Stade Tamponnaise	74
2003	14	US Stade Tamponnaise	88	SS Saint-Louisienne	88
2004	14	US Stade Tamponnaise	82	SS Excelsior	78
2005	14	US Stade Tamponnaise	88	SS Excelsior	87
2006	14	US Stade Tamponnaise	88	JS Saint-Pierroise	81
2007	14	US Stade Tamponnaise	89	SS Excelsior	82
2008	14	JS Saint-Pierroise	88	US Stade Tamponnaise	87
2009	14	US Stade Tamponnaise	81	SS Excelsior	70
2010	14	US Stade Tamponnaise	79	US Sainte-Marienne	74
2011	12	Saint-Pauloise FC	69	US Stade Tamponnaise	65
2012	12	SS Saint-Louisienne	72	US Stade Tamponnaise	67
2013	12	US Sainte-Marienne	67	Saint-Pauloise FC	63
2014	12	Saint-Pauloise FC	68	SS Excelsior	66
2015	12	JS Saint-Pierroise	71	SS Saint-Louisienne	65
2016–17	14	JS Saint-Pierroise	92	US Sainte-Marienne	78
2017	14	JS Saint-Pierroise	100	SS Excelsior	78
2018	14	JS Saint-Pierroise	85	SS Jeanne d'Arc	84
2019	14	JS Saint-Pierroise	86	US Sainte-Marienne	82
2020	14	SS Excelsior	40	CS Saint-Denis	40
2021	16	US Stade Tamponnaise	51	SS Excelsior	48
2022	14	CS Saint-Denis	91	JS Saint-Pierroise	75
2023	14	SS Excelsior	87	JS Saint-Pierroise	85

Performance by club

Club	City	Titles	Last title
JS Saint-Pierroise	Saint-Pierre	21	2019
SS Saint-Louisienne	Saint-Louis	16	2012
US Stade Tamponnaise	Le Tampon	11	2021
Saint-Pauloise FC	Saint-Paul	7	2014
SS Patriote	Saint-Denis	6	1962
CS Saint-Denis	Saint-Denis	6	2022
SS Excelsior	Saint-Joseph	3	2023
SS Jeanne d'Arc	Le Port	1	1952
AS Marsouins	Saint-Leu	1	2000
FC Ouest	Saint-Paul	1	1977
US Sainte-Marienne	Sainte-Marie	1	2013

Top goalscorers

Year	Country	Best scorers	Team	Goals
2000		Robert Rateau	SS Capricorne	20
2001		Bernard Lacollay	Marsouins	21
2002		Farid Kekar	Possession	19
2003		Willy Robert	Saint-Pauloise	20
2004		Moussa Traoré	Stade Tamponnaise	14
2005		Willy Visnelda	Saint-Louisienne	12
2007		Antoine Rasolofo	Marsouins	19
2008		Quentin Boesso	Saint-Pierroise	23
2009		Britton Mandilimana	Sainte-Marienne	20
2010		Praxis Rabemananjara	Saint-Denis	12
2011		Mohamed El-Madaghri	Stade Tamponnaise	11
2012		Georges Ba	Saint-Louisienne	9
2013		Faissal Zaghar	Saint-Louisienne	13
2014		Quentin Boesso	Saint-Pierroise	13
2015		Fabrice	Sainte-Marienne	14
2016		Jean-Michel Fontaine	Saint-Pierroise	19
2017		Jean-Michel Fontaine	Saint-Pierroise	22
2018		Jean-Michel Fontaine	Saint-Pierroise	20
2019		Jean-Michel Fontaine	Saint-Pierroise	21
2020		Pierrick Kéhi	Jeanne d'Arc	9
2021		Pierrick Kéhi	Jeanne d'Arc	12
		Mohamed El	Excelsior
2022		Mamoudou Diallo	Saint-Denis	25
2023		Angelo Andrianantenaina	Excelsior	23
2024		Jean-Michel Fontaine	La Tamponnaise	12

Most time goalscorers

• 4 times.
  • Jean-Michel Fontaine (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)

All-times top scorers

Rank	Country	Player	Goals	Years
1		Tsimba Kely Razafitsialonina	243	1982-2002
2		Jean-Michel Fontaine	207	2006-
3		Bernard Lacollay	182	-2005
4		Salomon Kéhi	121	-2009
5		Quentin Boesso	109	2006

All-time appearances

Rank	Country	Player	Apps	Years
1		Jean-Noël Ajorque	457	1994-2017
2		Johan Lionel	420	2000-2019
3		Gael Payet	400	2002-2023

Multiple hat-tricks

Rank	Country	Player	Hat-tricks
1		Jean-Michel Fontaine	2
2		Angelo Andrianantenaina	1
		Britton
		Kamel Chegui
		Dogbo
		Jean Pascal Fontaine
		Henri Charles Gladyson
		Dimitri Ornana
		Gabriel Pigrée
		Antoine Rasolofo

External links

• RSSSF competition history