Following lower-tier football leagues is not a very popular activity in most countries. However, that is not necessarily the case in Serbia, where fans enjoy supporting their local teams and cheering for them, despite their tier status. In today’s article, we are going to talk about Vojvodjanska Liga Istok (Vojvodina League East) and the teams that participate in this competition.
This is one of the eleven zone leagues in Serbian football, and it is one that has an exceptional following in the country. There is a total of sixteen teams participating, and those teams originate from Vojvodina province in the north of Serbia. Today, we are going to touch on the league’s history and explain how the competition works. We have a lot to cover, so let us begin.
Information about Vojvodina League East in Serbian Football System
Vojvodjanska Liga Istok is a competition that was founded back in 2004, and although it was shut down in 2014, it was only due to the reorganization of the fourth-tier football competitions in Serbia, while the system for major leagues in Serbia remained the same.
This reorganization brought a new competition setup, and instead of having Vojvodina League East and Vojvodina League West, the competition was divided into three zones – Banat, Backa, and Novi Sad-Srem zones.
Before the 2016/2017 season kicked off, Banat zone was renamed to Vojvodina League East, which is the name this competition holds to this day. The teams sitting at the top of this league get to advance to the higher-tier competition called Serbian League Vojvodina, while the lowest-ranked teams fall off into tier-five leagues.
Vojvodina League Zones
In the section below, we have listed the zones of the Vojvodina league with an explanation of how and where teams proceed after getting the highest and lowest seeds. The system is pretty straightforward, and it does not work any differently than most football competitions across the globe.
League North
The teams that get high enough seeds to advance to the higher tier of this league get to join Serbian League Vojvodina, which is the tier three competition. On the other hand, teams that fail to get good enough results to slip into tier-five leagues, PFL Sombor and PFL Subotica.
League East
The teams that get the seed to advance from this league move on to Serbian League Vojvodina, while teams that fail to stay in the league slip to the lower-tier leagues, PFL Zrenjanin and PFL Pancevo.
League West
Same as the case with previous zones, the winners of this league advance to the Serbian League Vojvodina and the lowest-ranked teams fall into tier-five leagues, PFL Sombor, PFL Sremska Mitrovica, and PFL Novi Sad.
League South
The winners of Vojvodina League South advance to the Serbian League Vojvodina, while the lowest-ranked teams move into tier-five leagues PFL Sremska Mitrovica and Novi Sad league.
Vojvodina League East Teams in the 2022/2024 Season
The season is currently in full swing for Vojvodina League East, and this year, the league consists of sixteen teams that are fighting to get the chance to advance and play in the tier three league. Here are the teams that are competing in the league this year.
- Kikinda 1909
- Sloboda (NK)
- Jedinstvo (BK)
- Crvena Zvezda (RS)
- Vojvodina 1928
- Radnicki Kovin
- Kozara
- Proleter (BK)
- Polet (ID)
- Borac Starcevo
- Jedinstvo (V)
- ZAK
- Begej Zitiste
- Omladinac FAM
- Jedinstvo Stevic Kacarevo
- Mladost Omoljica
The competition is fierce this season, and the leading team, after 15 games played, is Kikinda 1909. However, Sloboda (NK) and Jedinstvo (BK) are not lagging far behind them, as the point differential between the first and third seeds is only four points, so anything can happen in the second half of the season.
Final Words
Showing some love for your local football team can go a long way, especially if the team is fighting to get better and advance to the higher tier competition.
These are the teams worthy of respect and support, just the same as some world-class ones. So start the trend, follow the example from Vojvodina League East, and support your local football team. It can be really exciting and entertaining.
