The 2010–11 Druga HNL (also known as 2. HNL) was the 20th season of Croatia's second level football competition since its establishment in 1992. RNK Split were league champions and were promoted to Prva HNL at the end of the previous season. The competition started on 21 August 2010 and ended on 29 May 2011.[1]
Format
The league was contested by 16 teams (two more than in the previous season). Despite planned reduction in the number of clubs in Prva HNL for the 2011–12 season (in which the top flight was set to be reduced from 16 to 12 clubs), CFF Assembly on 17 December 2010 delayed the execution of this changes by one year. In that scenario five clubs would have been relegated from top level to Druga HNL and Druga HNL winners promoted to top level, with five teams relegated from Druga HNL to third level.[2]
Instead, Druga HNL will stay at 16 teams with only the last four teams being relegated and the first three teams from 2010–11 Druga HNL earning promotion (if they are granted with top level license). As for promotion from third level, winners of all three divisions of Treća HNL (West, East and South) will be promoted to Druga HNL, while the fourth club will be decided from a qualifying round between second-placed teams from East and West division.[3]
Changes from last season
The following clubs have been promoted or relegated at the end of the 2009–10 season:
^Only Lučko were granted top level license, Gorica's license was revoked after appeal from Istra 1961. Third placed Pomorac unsuccessfully tried to obtain it through arbitration.
^Only two teams from Treća HNL were granted license for competing in the Druga HNL, but only Radnik Sesvete was promoted as Segesta didn't finish the season within top five places.
Source: Druga-HNL.hr Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. Notes:
^Match was abandoned after 72 minutes at the result 3–0 for Vinogradar as Dugopolje was left with only six players on the field. The game was later awarded 3–0 to Vinogradar.
^Croatia Sesvete was suspended and thus unable to play the match so the game was awarded 3–0 to Vukovar '91
^Match was played at Lučko due to severe weather conditions
Top goalscorers
The top scorers in the 2010–11 Druga HNL season were:[4]