Liechtensteiner Fussballverband
The only national competition is the Liechtenstein Cup, which has been played since 1946. This was first played in 1945, and through the year 2002, had been won by FC Vaduz about 30 times. All the clubs play in the lower division of the Swiss Leagues. In recent years, FC Vaduz has apparently emerged as a more ambitious club. In 2001, ex-Swiss national keeper Andreas Hilfiker signed on. Hilfiker had played with 1.FC Nürnberg in the Bundesliga, and later with both Tennis Borussia and SSV Ulm in the 2.Liga. Then in January 2002, ex-German international Karl-Heinz Riedle signed on as well.
The best Liechtenstein players generally play with lower level Swiss clubs. National team keeper Peter Jehle was a spot starter for Grasshoppers Zürich in 2001, and the most famous player, Mario Frick from Balzers, was in the Italian Serie A with Hellas Verona. Not to bad, when you consider there are only about 1,400 players registered in the whole land.
The national squad has only started in international competition. Among their major achievments is scoring goals against Germany, but their best result is probably a goaless draw with Republic of Ireland in World Cup 98 qualifying.
The national stadium, the Rheinpark-Stadion in Vaduz, has a capacity of about 4,500, which when full is about 15% of the total country's population. While usually not packed to the rafters, a decent crowd shows up for most internationals, although they tend to be less vocal than the visiting hordes.
For more info on the local scene, refer to the online edition of Liechtensteiner Vaterland , and the sports pages edited by prodigious Ernst Hasler.
Liechtensteiner Fussballverband
List of clubs : FC Balzers Postfach 92 9496 Balzers Year of formation : 1932 Colours : yellow/blue Stadium : Sportplatz " Rheinau " ( 5000 ) Generally, this is Liechtenstein's "No.2" club. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FC Triesen Postfach 108 9495 Triesen Year of formation : 1932 colours : blue/white Stadium : Sportplatz " Blumenau " ( 5250 ) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FC Triesenberg Postfach 1243 9497 Triesenberg Year of formation : 1972 colours : blue/yellow Stadium : Sportplatz " Leitenwies " ( 2000 ) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FC Vaduz Postfach 158 9490 Vaduz Year of formation : 1932 colours : white/red Stadium : Gemeindesportplatz Vaduz ( 8250 ), but since 1998 they play most matches in the Rheinpark-Stadion. The powerhouse of local football. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FC Schaan Postfach 213 9494 Schaan Year of formation : 1949 colours : blue/white Stadium : Sportplatz " Rheinwiese " ( 5000 ) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- USV Eschen/Mauren ( USV stands for " Unterlaender Sportvereinigung " ) Postfach 112 9492 Eschen Year of formation : 1963 Colours : blue/white Stadium : Sportpark Eschen/Mauren ( 5300 ) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FC Ruggel Postfach 34 9491 Ruggel Year of formation : 1958 colours : green/white Stadium : Sportplatz " Rheinau " ( 4000 ) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- There used to be another club, FC Mauren, which was founded in 1954, but was disbanded "sometime".
(c) Abseits Guide to Germany