Organised football in Zambia dates back to 1929 but it was played along racial lines until 1964.
Two teams survived from that era and they are Division One North Luanshya United who are the oldest club in the country dating back to the early 1920's, while another Division One North club, Kitwe United, were formed during the great depression period.
However, structured league football in Zambia dates back to 1962 in an initial campaign Kitwe United were one of the founding members when Roan United of Luanshya won their first and only league title to date.
Eight of the 13 teams in that first season survive to this day.
Provincial club Broken Hill Warriors changed names in 1966 to Kabwe Warriors and went on to win four of their five league titles in the first 10 years of Independence between 1964 and 1974.
Warriors however are not the most successful despite laying claim to legendary late great striker Godfrey "Ucar" Chitalu scoring an unofficial record of 107 goals in the 1972 season.
Warriors are second best with 13 cup and five league crowns on the Zambian football honours list.
The top honour goes to Mufulira Wanderers, who have produced some of Zambia’s biggest stars from the late Samuel "Zoom" Ndholvu who captained and coached the club as well as the national team.
Three of his protégés Kalusha Bwalya, Charles Musonda and the late goalkeeper David "Effort" Chabala also made their names at Wanderers.
Wanderers won 18 cup titles and nine league championships.
But Wanderers claim as Zambia biggest club league-wise was broken in 1999 by Nkana, also a founding member of the 1962 league.
Under ex-Zambia and Simba SC of Tanzania coach Patrick Phiri, Nkana broke and set a new league record of 11 wins with the second milestone coming in 2001.
Ironically, both Wanderers and Nkana descended into free-fall thereafter.
Wanderers were demoted for the first time in their history in 2002 only to make a brief return in 2005 and have not been back since, but are looking strong to making a comeback for the 2012 season.
Nkana, on the other hand, followed them down also for the first time in 2004 before returning in 2010 after a turbulent and controversial six years in Division One North plagued by hooliganism and financial difficulties.
On the international front, Nkana's less successful but more affluent Kitwe archrivals Power Dynamos are the only team to have won an African honour.
Power won the 1991 defunct CAF Cup Winners Cup, beating 1990 winners BCC Lions of Nigeria 5-4 on aggregate.
That feat came a year after Nkana finished runner-ups in the African Club Champions Cup , the forerunner to the CAF Champions League when they lost to JSK of Algeria on a dramatic post-match penalties after a 1-1 aggregate score line.
Meanwhile, the winds of change have swept across the league landscape during the turn of the new century with Zanaco of Lusaka and Zesco United from Ndola dominating the last decade.
Zanaco have won five, while current champions Zesco have lifted five league titles.
