2011–12 Swiss Challenge League


The 2011–12 Swiss Challenge League was the ninth season of the Swiss Challenge League, the second tier of the Swiss football league pyramid. It began on 22 July 2011 and ended on 23 May 2012. The champions of this season, St. Gallen, earned promotion to the [2012–13 Switzerland|Swiss Super League|2012–13 Super League]. The runners-up Aarau lost the promotion/relegation playoff against the 9th-placed team of the 2011–12 Super League, FC Sion. The bottom five teams, Stade Nyonnais, Étoile Carouge, Delémont, Kriens and Brühl were all relegated to partly form the newly created 1. Liga Promotion.

Teams

2010–11 Challenge League champions FC Lausanne-Sport were promoted to the 2011–12 Super League. They were replaced by St. Gallen, who were relegated after finishing the 2010–11 Super League in last place. 2010–11 Challenge League runners-up Servette had to compete in a promotion/relegation playoff against 9th-placed Super League team AC Bellinzona and were promoted after winning 3–2 on aggregate.
FC Schaffhausen as 15th-placed team and last-placed Yverdon-Sport FC were relegated after the 2010–11 season. They were replaced by SC Brühl and Étoile Carouge FC, who were promoted from 1. Liga.
ClubCityStadium2010–11 season
FC AarauAarauStadion Brügglifeld11th in Challenge League
AC BellinzonaBellinzona, TicinoStadio Comunale9th in Super League
FC Biel/BienneBiel/Bienne, BernGurzelen Stadion9th in Challenge League
SC Brühl St. GallenSt. Gallen, St. GallenPaul-Grüninger-Stadion2010–11 1. Liga play-off winners
FC ChiassoChiasso, TicinoStadio Comunale7th in Challenge League
SR DelémontDelémont, JuraLa Blancherie8th in Challenge League
Étoile Carouge FCCarouge, GenevaStade de la Fontenette2010–11 1. Liga play-off winners
SC KriensKriens, LucerneStadion Kleinfeld12th in Challenge League
FC LocarnoLocarno, TicinoStadio del Lido14th in Challenge League
FC LuganoLugano, TicinoCornaredo Stadium3rd in Challenge League
FC St. GallenSt. Gallen, St. GallenAFG Arena10th in Super League
FC Stade NyonnaisNyon, VaudCentre sportif de Colovray Nyon6th in Challenge League
FC VaduzVaduz, LiechtensteinRheinpark Stadion4th in Challenge League
FC Wil 1900Wil, St. GallenStadion Bergholz5th in Challenge League
FC WinterthurWinterthur, ZürichStadion Schützenwiese13th in Challenge League
FC WohlenWohlen, AargauStadion Niedermatten10th in Challenge League

Results

Teams played each other twice over the course of the season, home and away, for a total of 30 matches per team.

Relegation play-offs

The ninth-placed team in the 2011–12 Swiss Super League, Sion, played a two-legged play-off against the Challenge League runners-up, Aarau, for a spot in the 2012–13 Super League.
''Sion won 2–1 on aggregate.''

Top scorers

RankPlayerClubGoals
1