Liga IV Galați

Liga IV Galați is the county football division of Liga IV for clubs based in Galați County, Romania. The competition is ranked as the fourth tier of the Romanian football league system and is organized by AJF Galați – Asociația Județeană de Fotbal (lit. 'County Football Association').

It is contested by a variable number of teams, depending on the number of teams relegated from Liga III, the number of teams promoted from Liga V Galați, and the teams that withdraw or enter the competition. The winner may or may not be promoted to Liga III, depending on the result of a promotion play-off contested against the winner of a neighboring county series.

Football arrived in Galați around 1908, brought by foreign commercial companies and the efforts of Officer Vladovici, a career officer who had studied in France. The first matches involved military teams, such as the one from the 3rd Heavy Artillery Regiment founded by Vladovici, which played against the English sailors stationed in the port. A year later, the Cavalry Regiment from Galați established a second team from the city, and this facilitated the organization of more football matches in Galați. In 1919, students from Vasile Alecsandri High School formed a team, Liceul Vasile Alecsandri (LVA), followed in 1920 by Olimpia and Niki, formed by immigrants from Turkey, Greece, and Armenia. As football grew in popularity, inter-city matches with Brăila, Tulcea, and Reni became more common, alongside local games between Internaționala, Niki, Olimpia, Șoimii Dacia, Atlas, and LVA.^[1]

In 1922, Șoimii Dacia and LVA merged to form Dacia Vasile Alecsandri Galați (DVA), which soon became one of the region’s strongest teams. More clubs emerged, including Maccabi, Aviația, Școala Comercială, Sportul, and Baza Navală. The first regional championship took place in 1926, featuring ten teams from Galați (including the neighborhood teams Șoimii and Gloria), two from Reni (Maccabi and Dunărea), and one from Tulcea. DVA was crowned the inaugural champion. However, economic hardships in the late 1920s led to the dissolution of many clubs, leaving only DVA, Gloria, and Șoimii active.

In 1927, Gloria and Șoimii merged as Gloria Șoimii, and in 1932, they joined CFR Galați to establish Gloria CFR Galați, backed by railroad workers. Gloria CFR quickly established itself as a key competitor in the Lower Danube District Championship, facing experienced teams such as DVA, Ermis, Marina Danubiană, and Unirea Tulcea. In the 1934–35 season, Gloria CFR won the district title, securing its place in Galați’s football history after earning promotion to Divizia C.^[2][3]

In 1968, following the new administrative and territorial reorganization of the country,^[4] each county established its own football championship, integrating teams from the former regional championships as well as those that had previously competed in town and rayon level competitions. The freshly formed Galați County Championship was placed under the authority of the newly created Consiliul Județean pentru Educație Fizică și Sport (lit. 'County Council for Physical Education and Sports') in Galați County.

Since then, the structure and organization of Liga IV Galați, like those of other county championships, have undergone numerous changes. Between 1968 and 1992, the main county competition was known as the Campionatul Județean (County Championship). Between 1992 and 1997, it was renamed Divizia C – Faza Județeană (Divizia C – County Phase), followed by Divizia D starting in 1997, and since 2006, it has been known as Liga IV.

The champions of each county association play against one another in a play-off to earn promotion to Liga III. Geographical criteria are taken into consideration when the play-offs are drawn. In total, there are 41 county champions plus the Bucharest municipal champion.

• Liga I
• Liga II
• Liga III
• Liga IV

• Official website
• Liga IV Galați on Facebook