As you would expect, the Cypriot 2nd Division is the second division of domestic league football in Cyprus. Under the operation of the Cyprus Football Association, it has unofficially taken place since 1934. While it has officially taken place since 1953.
It is seen as a feeder league for the premier league in the country. Many great younger players having developed their games through this league over the years before going onto bigger and better things.
The history of the Cypriot 2nd Division
Key dates:
- 1934/1935 season: The Cypriot 2nd Division unofficially started.
- 1934: The Cyprus Football Association was originally founded.
The league was filled with first teams and some reserve teams for the first division teams. Players from leading clubs could play for the reserve team only if they had not played more than three times in the first division. During the course of the unofficial period of the division, the winners of the title were all from reserve teams.
In the 1953/1954 season, the very first official iteration of the Cypriot 2nd Division took place. At this stage, the reserve teams were no longer included in the division. Over the years, all of the teams that played in the Cypriot First Division also played in the Cypriot 2nd Division — with the exception of Omonia and APOEL.
All of the teams in the Cypriot 2nd Division take part each season in the Cypriot Cup. However, no team from the Cypriot 2nd Division has ever been able to reach the final of this cup competition. Teams have, however, reached the semi-final stage on four different occasions.
The changing format over the years
Since the official beginning of the Cypriot 2nd Division, there have been a number of different variations of the league's format. Originally, the league was split into a few different groups that were based on geographical regions. Then in the final stages of the season, the leading teams from these various groups would play each other in order to be crowned the champion of the Cypriot 2nd Division.
It was in 1968/1969 season that the league was one single table for the first time. This saw the beginning of each team playing every other single team in the league twice during the season. In other words, they played each other once at home and once away.
In subsequent seasons, there were a few different formats trialled. This saw different variations of play-off series taking place over the course of certain seasons.
The current format
Nowadays, there are 16 clubs that take part each season. This sees each team play a total of 30 games each season, playing every single team twice, once at home and again away. Whichever teams come out on top at the end of the season will be crowned as the champion of the Cypriot 2nd Division.
The runner-up in the league will also secure automatic promotion to the Cypriot First Division. The four teams at the bottom of the table will automatically get relegated down to the Cypriot Third division.
The number of points awarded for different results has varied over the years in the Cypriot 2nd Division. These days, a team will get three points for winning a game, a single point for drawing a game and zero points if the team loses the fixture.
Betting on the Cypriot 2nd Division
The division is generally a very competitive league, with a lot of teams being evenly matched. There is a good mixture of older players who have been plying their trade in this league for many years, as well as there being a lot of younger players who are trying to develop in adult football before taking a step up into the higher league.
For bettors, the evenly matched games usually throw up some good value in a variety of betting markets. There are not too many lopsided results, so you can use this to your advantage by identifying potentially profitable opportunities that can help elevate your betting results over time.
