ETTU Champions League

The Champions League in table tennis is the highest European league for club teams.

Men's

introduction

The Champions League is the successor to the European Cup of Champions (ECCC - European Club Cup of Champions), which took place from 1960 to 2001. The introduction was decided by the ETTU congress in 1998 during the European championships in Eindhoven. The name initially chosen was the European Club League (ECL) , a few months later the ETTU changed the name to the European Champions League .

Eight teams were divided into two groups of four. Here they played a round trip in the league system (“everyone against everyone” mode). The group winners were qualified for the final, which was played in best-of-three mode. A team fight was carried out in the modified Swaythling Cup system , whereby a maximum of seven games come about.

The men's competition was first played in the 1998/1999 season. In this first season the clubs - normally a maximum of two per nation - could apply to the ETTU to participate. There was an exception in the first season for Germany, when the ETTU, in addition to the clubs Borussia Düsseldorf and TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen, also allowed the winner of the ETTU Cup TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau. At the end of the first season, the worst placed of these three teams had to be relegated, this was Grenzau. In the following seasons, the participants in the final were directly entitled to participate, the remaining teams must qualify via the European Cup, which was held until 2000/01 . The participants in the final of the European Cup were eligible for promotion, the last of the two groups of four were relegated.

In order to shorten the playing time of a match, the World Cup system was switched to in 1999 , whereby a maximum of five games are played. In 2000 the competition was expanded to ten teams, which competed in two groups of five.

Changes in 2005/06

From the 2005/06 season, the Champions League was increased to a total of 16 teams, which are divided into four groups of four. A maximum of four clubs from the top national league may participate per association. All participants in the semi-finals are qualified for the next game series, provided they are not relegated from the top national league. The sum of the world ranking points of the players in a club was also used for qualification.

This qualification system led to the situation that in 2005 the German champion Müller Würzburger Hofbräu was not allowed to start, which also led to a lack of understanding among sponsors. Therefore, the qualification regulations were later changed: If all four clubs of an association reach the semi-finals and a fifth club of this association becomes national champions, then the club that is worst placed in the national championship is eliminated.

Ladies

The Champions League was introduced for women in 2005/06. It replaced the European Champion's Cup, which had been played since 1963, seamlessly. Since fewer than six teams wanted to participate for the 2010/11 season for financial reasons, the competition for women was canceled.

winner

Men's final

year	winner	Final opponent	Results
1998/99	Caen Tennis de Table Club	Borussia Düsseldorf	3-4; 4-3 (20-18 sets)
1999/2000	Borussia Düsseldorf	SVS Lower Austria	3-0; 3-0
2000/01	La Villette Charleroi	SVS Lower Austria	3-0; 3-2
2001/02	La Villette Charleroi	SVS Lower Austria	3-2; 3-1
2002/03	La Villette Charleroi	TTC drawbridge Grenzau	3-1; 3-2
2003/04	La Villette Charleroi	TTC drawbridge Grenzau	3-1; 3-1
2004/05	TTV patrons	La Villette Charleroi	1-3; 3-1 (18-13 sets)
2005/06	TTV patrons	La Villette Charleroi	2-3; 3-1
2006/07	Royal Villette Charleroi	SVS Lower Austria	3-1; 3-2
2007/08	SVS Lower Austria	Royal Villette Charleroi	3-0; 3-2
2008/09	Borussia Düsseldorf	TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen	2-3; 3-0
2009/10	Borussia Düsseldorf	Royal Villette Charleroi	3-0; 1-3
2010/11	Borussia Düsseldorf	Gazprom Fakel Orenburg	3-0; 1-3
2011/12	Gazprom Fakel Orenburg	UMMC Verkhnaya Pyshma	3-0; 3-2
2012/13	Gazprom Fakel Orenburg	Chartres ASTT	3-1; 1-3 (16-16 sentences, 316-312 points)
2013/14	AS Pontoise-Cergy TT	Gazprom Fakel Orenburg	3-1; 1-3 (18-16 sets)
2014/15	Gazprom Fakel Orenburg	Borussia Düsseldorf	1-3; 3-0
2015/16	AS Pontoise-Cergy TT	Eslövs AI	1-3; 3-1 (15-14 sets)
2016/17	Gazprom Fakel Orenburg	Borussia Düsseldorf	3-0; 3-2
2017/18	Borussia Düsseldorf	Gazprom Fakel Orenburg	3-2; 3-1
2018/19	Gazprom Fakel Orenburg	KNT UGMK	3-2; 3-2

Ladies final

year	winner	Final opponent	Results
2005/06	Sterilgarda TT Castel Goffredo	Muller milk Langweid	3-2; 3-2
2006/07	Sterilgarda TT Castel Goffredo	Li-Ning / MF Services Heerlen	3-2; 3-2
2007/08	Li-Ning / MF Services Heerlen	FSV Kroppach	3-1; failed
2008/09	Linz AG Froschberg	FSV Kroppach	2-3; 3-1
2009/10	Li-Ning / Infinity Heerlen	Linz AG Froschberg	3-1; 3-0
2010/11	failed
2011/12	ttc berlin eastside	SVS Ströck	3: 2; 2: 3
2012/13	Linz AG Froschberg	Budaörsi SC	3-1; 3-2
2013/14	ttc berlin eastside	Fenerbahçe SK	3-2; 3-0
2014/15	Fenerbahçe SK	Linz AG Froschberg	3-2; 3-1
2015/16	ttc berlin eastside	KTS Tarnobrzeg	3-2; 3-0
2016/17	ttc berlin eastside	KTS Tarnobrzeg	2-3; 3-1
2017/18	Dr. Časl Zagreb	Bursa BB	3-2; 3-0

literature

• Manfred Schillings: Club League starts , DTS magazine , 1998/5, page 7
• Manfred Schillings: An era begins , DTS magazine , 1998/8, page 45

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} DTS magazine , 1998/11, page 8
2. ↑ DTS magazine , 1998/7, page 32
3. ↑ DTS magazine , 1999/5, page 11
4. ↑ DTS magazine , 2000/5, page 42
5. ↑ ^{a b} magazine tischtennis , 2005/7, pp. 28–29
6. ↑ ETTU Implementation Regulations Point J.3.2 ( Memento from June 16, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 43 kB) (accessed on December 23, 2015)
7. ↑ ^{a b} magazine tischtennis , 2010/7, page 4