Oberliga (football)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Oberliga |
|---|
| Nation |
 Germany |
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| Level on Pyramid |
| Level 5 |
| Number of leagues |
| 7 |
The Oberliga (Plural:Oberligen) is currently the name of the fifth tier of the German football (soccer) leagues. Befor the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier. The word Oberliga is equivial in English to Premier League, however, its literal translation would be Upper League.
The term Oberliga was also used prior to the establishment of the Gauliga system in 1933 and again between the end of World War II and the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963 for first division leagues in Germany. Between 1978-94 the term Amateuroberliga was used for third tier leagues, which were then the highest level of amateur play in the country. The current usage of the designation Oberliga was introduced in 1994. In East Germany a separate league structure was in place from 1948-1990 and the top flight division there was known as the DDR-Oberliga.
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[edit] Pre-Bundesliga Oberligen
From the end of the 2nd World War until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963 there were five regional Oberligen:
Based on their on their performance in the final Oberliga season (1962-63), sixteen clubs from these five leagues formed the new nationwide first division Bundesliga, with the others going to the new second tier Regionalligen.
[edit] Overview
Oberliga champions are usually promoted to Regionalliga which is directly below the Second Bundesliga. The Oberliga Nordost has two divisions ("Süd" and "Nord"). The two champions of the divisions used to have a play-off consisting of two legs, the winner being promoted to the Regionalliga, but this has been suspended at least for the 2005/06 and 2006/7 seasons. In these seasons, both champions are promoted to the Regionalliga.
If the champion of an Oberliga is the B-team of a club which already has a team in the Regionalliga, or which has a team which will be relegated to the Regionalliga, the B-team cannot be promoted, and the next highest qualified team will be promoted instead.
There are seven "Oberligen", based on states and regions of Germany.
- Südwest (Saarland and Rheinland-Pfalz)
- Nordrhein-Westfalen
- Nordost-Nord (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, Berlin and northern Saxony-Anhalt)
- Nordost-Süd (Saxony, Thuringia, southern and middle part of Saxony-Anhalt)
Since the re-introduction of the Oberligas in 1978 until the end of the 2007-08 season, only one club has played every season of it, the Schwarz-Weiß Essen.
[edit] Promotion from the Oberligas to the 2nd Bundesliga
From 1974 to 1994, the Oberligas, originally called 1st Amateurliga, were set right below the two 2nd Bundesligas, North and South. Originally there was 15 Amateurligas which were reduced to 8 Oberligas in 1978. From 1981 the 2nd Bundesliga was reduced to one single league. Because there always were more Oberliga champions then promtion spots, these clubs had to determind the promoted teams by the way of a promotion play-off to the 2nd Bundesliga, called "Aufstiegsrunde zur 2.Bundesliga".
[edit] Short history of the Oberligas
The Oberliga Baden-Württemberg was formed in 1978 to provide a single-division 3rd tier league for the state of Baden-Württemberg. Previously, the clubs in the state had played in four separate Amateurligas; Nordwürttemberg, Schwarzwald-Bodensee, Nordbaden and Südbaden. Two of those were merged, the Amateurligas Nordwürttemberg and Schwarzwald-Bodensee to form the Verbandliga Württemberg.
- Feeder Leagues to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
The Oberliga Bayern was formed in 1945. In 1946/47, 1947/48 and from 1953/54 till 1962/63 it was split in a northern and a southern division. Since then it has played in the single division format. The league is also commonly referred to as the Bayernliga.
- Feeder Leagues to the Oberliga Bayern
The Oberliga Hessen was formed in 1945. In its first two seasons, 1945/46 and 1946/47 it played in two separate divisions, east and west. Since then it has been a single league and is the oldest Oberliga to operate continuously in this format.
- Feeder Leagues to the Oberliga Hessen
The Oberliga Südwest was formed in 1978 to provide a single-division 3rd tier league for the two states Saarland and Rheinland-Pfalz. Previously, the clubs that make up this Oberliga played in three separate leagues; the Amateurligas Südwest, Saarland, and Rheinland.
- Feeder Leagues to the Oberliga Südwest
The Oberliga Nordrhein-Westfalen will start operating from 2008 as the highest level of play in the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. It is a merger of the Oberligas Nordrhein and Westfalen.
- Feeder leagues to the Oberliga Nordrhein-Westfalen
- Verbandsliga Niederrhein
- Verbandsliga Mittelrhein
- Verbandsliga Westfalen 1
- Verbandsliga Westfalen 2
The NOFV-Oberliga Nord was established in 1991 after the German reunification. It covers the northern part of former East Germany and the city of Berlin. In 1994 the NOFV-Oberliga Mitte ceased and its clubs were split between the other two NOFV-Oberligas.
- Feeder Leagues to the NOFV-Oberliga Nord
The NOFV-Oberliga Süd was established in 1991 after the reunification of the two German states. It covers the southern part of former East Germany. In 1994 the NOFV-Oberliga Mitte ceased and its clubs were split between the other two NOFV-Oberligas.
- Feeder Leagues to the NOFV-Oberliga Süd
[edit] Defunct Oberligas
The Oberliga Berlin was established in 1974 to accommodate the majority of clubs of the Regionalliga Berlin when this league ceased to exist. With the German reunion in 1991 the Oberliga Berlin ceased to exist and it's clubs were spread between the NOFV-Oberligas Nord and Mitte. The highest level of league play in Berlin is now the Verbandsliga Berlin.
The NOFV-Oberliga Mitte existed from the German reunion in 1991 till it's dissolution in 1994. It's clubs were moved to the NOFV Oberligas Nord and Süd.
The Oberliga Niedersachsen/Bremen existed from 1994 till 2004 as a replacement for the Oberliga Nord. With the reestablishment of the Oberliga Nord, the Oberliga Niedersachsen/Bremen ceased to exist.
The Oberliga Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein existed from 1994 till 2004 as a replacement for the Oberliga Nord. With the reestablishment of the Oberliga Nord, the Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein/Hamburg ceased to exist.
The Oberliga Nordrhein was formed in 1978 as a merger of the Amateurligas Niederrhein and Mittelrhein. It was replaced by the Oberliga Nordrhein-Westfalen, which is a merger of the Oberligas Nordrhein and Westfalen.
The Oberliga Westfalen was formed in 1945. Until 1978 it was split into two separate groups, but has since operated as a single division. It wasreplaced by the Oberliga Nordrhein-Westfalen, which is a merger of the Oberligas Nordrhein and Westfalen.
The Oberliga Nord was formed in 1974 to form a highest playing level for the states of Niedersachsen, Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and Bremen. As such it was a continuation of the old Regionalliga Nord which was superseded by the 2nd Bundesliga Nord in 1974. It stopped operating in 1994 when the Regionalliga Nord was reformed, now as the third tier of the German football league system. It was replaced by the Oberligas Schleswig-Holstein/Hamburg and Niedersachsen/Bremen. In 2004 the Oberliga Nord re-established to replace these two leagues. To add to the confusion, the Oberliga Nord again ceased to exist after the 2007/08 season with the establishment of the 3rd Liga and the introduction of a third Regionalliga (IV).
[edit] Oberliga Timeline
Source:The German football leagues: Bundesliga to Verbandsliga. Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv. Retrieved on 2008-02-09.
[edit] Teams in the Oberligen for the 2007/08 season
[edit] Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
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German Oberliga Baden-Württemberg (IV) Football Clubs (2007-08)
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[edit] Oberliga Bayern
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German Oberliga Bayern (IV) Football Clubs (2007-08)
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[edit] Oberliga Hessen
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German Oberliga Hessen (IV) Football Clubs (2007-08)
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[edit] Oberliga Nord
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German Oberliga Nord (IV) Football Clubs (2007-08)
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[edit] Oberliga Nordost
[edit] Oberliga Nordost-Nord
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German NOFV-Oberliga Nord (IV) Football Clubs (2007-08)
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[edit] Oberliga Nordost-Süd
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German NOFV-Oberliga Süd (IV) Football Clubs (2007-08)
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[edit] Oberliga Nordrhein
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German Oberliga Nordrhein (IV) Football Clubs (2007-08)
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[edit] Oberliga Südwest
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German Oberliga Südwest (IV) Football Clubs (2007-08)
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[edit] Oberliga Westfalen
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German Oberliga Westfalen (IV) Football Clubs (2007-08)
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[edit] External links
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