German football league system

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German football league system refers to the system in German club football that consists of several football leagues bound together hierarchicly by promotion and relegation.

Contents 1 Structure 2 Developement of the German football league system 2.1 1903 - 1934 2.2 1934 - 1944 2.3 1947 - 1963 2.4 1963 - 1973 2.5 1974 - 1981 2.6 1981 - 1994 2.7 1994 - 2000 2.8 2000 - 2007/08 2.9 2008 leage reform 2.10 Scheme 3 The German Democratic Republic football league system

[edit] Structure

The two top levels contain one division each and are referred to as 1. Bundesliga (often only Bundesliga) and 2. Bundesliga with 18 members each. The three teams at the bottom of the 1. Bundesliga are relegated to the second level as the best three teams from the second level are promoted. The four worst teams of the 2. Bundesliga are relegated to the Regionalliga that is divided into a northern and a southern division. The Regionalliga is the highest level where reserve teams of Bundesliga clubs are allowed to play (often called 'amateur teams' though they are no amateurs but parts of fully professional clubs). This is criticised by many football fans as the reserve teams have almost no supporters and often actual Bundesliga players in their line-ups (e.g. to avoid relegation) which is seen as distortion of competition. The fourth level of the German football league system is called Oberliga. Actually there are nine Oberliga Divisions (Nord, Nordost-Nord, Nordost-Süd, Nordrhein, Westfalen, Südwest, Hessen, Baden-Württemberg, Bayern). The league system below the Oberliga reflects the federalistic structure of the German football association and its division into 21 regional Football Associations with their respective Verbandsliga as the highest level under their own iurisdiction. Their area corresponds mostly with the territorial structure of post-war Germany in the mid- forties when they where founded. Because of the autonomy of the regional associations the levels of the system below the Verbandsliga differ by name, size and covered area. At the lowest level there is the so-called Kreisklasse at the district level with one up to five hierarchic divisions of which the lowest ist at the eleventh to fourteenth level of the German league system

[edit] Developement of the German football league system

[edit] 1903 - 1934

Until the foundation of the German Football Association there had already been lots of different regional and district championships resp. leagues and it was not until 1906 that there was an consistent mode to determine the participants of the German championship that was played as an final tournament until the foundation of the Bundesliga. For that reason football in Germany was divided into seven regions which had their own regional championships (that were mostly played as a cup tournament, too). Only the regional champions and the defending German champion were qualified to play in the championship until 1924, when the number of final tournament participants was increased to 16.

As there were no regional top-level league established the system of many parallel leagues and divisions continued up to the 1933/34 season.

[edit] 1934 - 1944

Following the Establishment of National Socialism in Germany in 1933 there were tendencies to centralise the football competition system, too. So in 1934 the Gauliga (county league) system was initiated as a system of 16 top-level divisions similar in strength that replaced the more than thirty previous top-level divisions. The champion of each Gauliga was qualified to play in the German championship tournament. The number of Gau leagues increased because of league division for economic reasons (transport costs) and territory annexion (WWII) to 31 in 1944.

[edit] 1947 - 1963

After World War Two the Oberliga system developed out of the occupation zone championships. The first teams of the five top-level divisions (Nord, West, Südwest, Süd, Westberlin) qualified for the German championship tournament. From 1949 until 1991 the German Democratic Republic had its own football league system.

[edit] 1963 - 1973

Since the 1930's there were plans to establish a nationwide professional top-level league, but they all failed because of the opposition by the relatively strong regional football associations. In summer 1962, under the influence of the Fifa World Cup quarter finals defeat by Yugoslavia, the German Football Association decided to establish the Bundesliga as a nationwide professional football league. The previous Oberliga became as Regionalliga the second level of the German league system. Its five parallel divisions (Nord, West, Südwest, Süd, Stadtliga Berlin) corresponded with the previous Oberliga divisions.

In the first years it had 16 members but their number was increased to 18 in 1965. Two teams were relegated to the Regionalliga. The first two teams from each Regionalliga division and the champion of West Berlin competited in an promotion tournament in two groups, whose winner was promoted into the Bundesliga.

[edit] 1974 - 1981

Soon it was obvious that the gap between the fully professionalised Bundesliga and the five Regionalliga divisions where also semi-professional and amateur clubs competited was too large. Teams relegated from the Bundesliga were in serious danger to become bankrupt. Some clubs tried to avoid this fate by fraudulent behaviour which led to the Bundesliga scandal in 1971.

To close the gap between first and second level the 2. Bundesliga was introduced. It was divided into a North and a South Division with 20 teams competing in each one. The champion of each division and the winner of a play-off between the two runners-up were promoted to the 1. Bundesliga. Three teams were relegated from the Bundesliga

[edit] 1981 - 1994

In 1981 the two divisions of the 2. Bundesliga were merged into one nationwide division with 20 teams.

As the league systems of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic were unificated in 1991 the number of teams competing in the Bundesliga was increased to twenty (2 East German teams, Hansa Rostock and Dynamo Dresden joining) in the first and 24 (6 teams, VfB Leipzig, Chemnitzer FC, FC Carl-Zeiss Jena, Rot-Weiß Erfurt, Hallescher FC, Stahl Brandenburg joining), that's why the 2. Bundesliga was divided into two parallel divisions for one season. In 1992 the number of competing teams in the 1. Bundesliga was re-decreased to 18 with four teams relegated and only two promoted from the second level. The 2. Bundesliga played one more season with 24 teams in one division, before its size was decreased to 20 members in 1993 and 18 in 1994.

[edit] 1994 - 2000

In 1994 the Regionalliga was reestablished at the third level of the German football league system. It was divided into four divisions (Nord, Nordost, West/Südwest, Süd). Four teams were promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. At the beginning these were the four division champions, but later the champions of the Nord and Nordost division had to compete in a promotion play-off while one runner-up from the South or West division was promoted additionally.

[edit] 2000 - 2007/08

Since 2000 there are only two Regionalliga divisions left (North and South), of which the champions and runners-up are promoted to the 2. Bundesliga.

[edit] 2008 leage reform

In summer 2006 the German Football Association decided to establish a further nationwide league at the third level of the German football league system replacing the Regionalliga. This so called 3. Bundesliga will consist of 20 competing teams that will qualify at the 2007/08 Regionalliga season. At the most four reserve teams of professional clubs will be allowed to compete in this league. The champion and the runner-up will be promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. The third team will have to play a play-off match against the third-last of the 2. Bundesliga.

The Regionalliga is planned to continue as fourth level of the league system divided into three divisions (Nord/Nordost, West/Südwest, Süd), but this will not be finally decided until 2007.

[edit] Scheme

	Germany	West Germany	West Germany	West Germany	Germany	Germany	East Germany
Class	1994 - present	1974-1994	1963-1974	1946-1963	1933-1945	1903-1932	DDR 1949-1991
I	Bundesliga	Bundesliga	Bundesliga	Oberliga	Gauliga	Verbandsliga	DDR Oberliga
II	2.Bundesliga	2.Bundesliga	Regionalliga	2.Oberliga	Bezirksliga	Bezirksliga	DDR Liga
III	Regionalliga	Am. Oberliga	1.Amateurliga	▼ ???	▼ ???	▼ ???	DDR 2.Liga
IV	Oberliga	Verbandsliga	2.Amateurliga				Bezirksliga
V	Landesliga/Verbandsligaˡ	Landesliga	▼ ???				▼ ???
VI	Bezirksoberliga	▼ ???
VII	Bezirksliga
VIII	Kreisliga ˡˡ
IX	Kreisklasse A ˡˡ
X	Kreisklasse B ˡˡ
XI	Kreisklasse C

ˡ in some areas called Landesliga, in others Verbandsliga. |- ˡˡ in some areas called Kreisliga A, Kreisliga B or Kreisliga C.

League structure has shifted frequently and typically reflects the degree of participation in the sport in various parts of the country. In the early 90's, changes were driven by the reunification of Germany and the subsequent intregration of the national leagues of East and West Germany. All these levels are interconnected by way of promotion and relegation. The next diagram shows how this works for the first five levels. Note that the actual number of clubs being promoted and relegated below the Regionalliga level is frequently subject to change by the German Football Association.

[edit] The German Democratic Republic football league system

From 1949 until 1991 East Germany had its own football league system. It had its own nationwide league called Oberliga that existed through the whole GDR history and since 1954 consisted of 14 teams, whose two worst-placed were relegated to the Liga, that was introduced in 1950. Following the resolution of the five federal states the five old Landesliga divisions were replaced by 15 Berzirksliga divisions at the third level of the league system. But already 1955 there was an new change in the system as the meanwhile three Liga divisions were merged into the nationwide I. Liga and the other former Liga teams played at the II. Liga, now at the third level. 1962 the I. Liga was once more divided into two divisions and the II. Liga was abandoned. 1971 the Liga was divided into five Divisions (and for that reason was now similar to the Landesliga of the 1940's). The five division champions played a qualification round by league mode. Since 1984 it consisted of two divisions, whose champions were directly promoted, again.

Below the Bezirksliga there were (descending) Bezirksklasse, Kreisliga and at the lowest level several Kreisklasse divisions as they actually are today.