Teams
Olimps Rīga were relegated after finishing the relegation round in last place. They were replaced by First League champions FK Daugava Riga.
Blāzma won the promotion/relegation play-off against Tranzīts Ventspils with 6–1 on aggregate. However, after several mergers and withdrawals Tranzīts were also awarded a place in Virslīga, as the runners-up of First League.
FK Rīga withdrew due to unpaid debts. They eventually merged with Olimps Rīga and created a new club called Olimps/RFS. The new club plays in Virslīga, what saved Olimps Rīga from relegation.
On 12 January 2009 Vindava withdrew from Virslīga due to financial reasons.
FK Jūrmala merged with JFC Kauguri/Multibanka, which is also a merger of JFC Kauguri Jūrmala and FK Multibanka Rīga, to a new club named FK Jūrmala-VV. The new club carried over the players and other personnel from FK Jūrmala.
Daugava Daugavpils and Dinaburg also merged and remained under the Dinaburg FC name. It is not yet certain which club's staff will operate the new club. Dinaburg also took Daugava's UEFA Europa League 2009–10 spot.
DaugavaOlimps/RFS
Skonto Dinaburg Metalurgs Jūrmala Blāzma Location of teams in the Latvian Higher League 2009
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Current manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blazma !Blāzma | Rēzekne | Sporta Aģentūras Stadions | 3,000 | Žanis Ārmanis |
| Daugava Riga !Daugava | Riga | Salaspils Stadium | 648 | Vladimirs Beļajevs |
| Dinaburg !Dinaburg | Daugavpils | Celtnieks Stadium | 4,070 | Tamaz Pertia |
| Jurmala !FK Jūrmala-VV | Jūrmala | Slokas Stadium | 5,000 | Vladimirs Babičevs |
| Metalurgs !Metalurgs | Liepāja | Daugava Stadium | 5,083 | Rüdiger Abramczik |
| Riga !Olimps/RFS | Riga | Daugava Stadium | 5,008 | Anton Joore |
| Skonto !Skonto | Riga | Skonto Stadium | 9,500 | Paul Ashworth |
| Tranzīts !Tranzīts | Ventspils | Ventspils 2. pamatskolas stadions | 500 | Igors Kičigins |
| Ventspils !FK Ventspils | Ventspils | Olimpiskais Stadium | 3,085 | Nunzio Zavettieri |
Read more about this topic: 2009 Latvian Higher League
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