Verbandsliga Niederrhein

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Verbandsliga Niederrhein
Founded
1956
Nation
Flag of Germany Germany
Map of Germany: Position of Nordrhein-Westfalen highlighted
State
Flag of Nordrhein-Westfalen Nordrhein-Westfalen
Promotion To
Oberliga Nordrhein-Westfalen
Relegation To
Landesliga Niederrhein-Gruppe 1
Landesliga Niederrhein-Gruppe 2
Landesliga Niederrhein-Gruppe 3
Number of Teams
16
Level on Pyramid
Level 6
Current Champions 2007-08
Rot-Weiß Essen II


The Verbandsliga Niederrhein is the highest football league in the region of Niederrhein which is part of the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. It is the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until 2008, when the 3rd Liga was introduced, it was the 5th tier of the German league system.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Map of Germany:Position of the Niederrhein region highlighted in red
Map of Germany:Position of the Niederrhein region highlighted in red

The league was formed from 16 clubs in 1956 to provide a single-division highest league for the Niederrhein Football Association. Previous to this, the three Landesligas were the highest level of play in the region. The Landesligas still remain as the tier below the Verbandsliga to this day.

The Verbandsliga Niederrhein was upon its interception the third tier of the German league system. The league champion had to compete with the winner of the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein for promotion to the 2nd Oberliga West. Upon introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963, the league was set below the new Regionalliga West but remained as the third tier. With the exception of 1963 and 1974, when the league systems were changed, the champion continued to have the opportunity to win promotion. In 1964, 1970, 1976 and 1978, the league winner failed to do so, every other season they were successful. In 1977, the runners-up was promoted as Fortuna Düsseldorf II was ineligible.

The league operated with 16 clubs throughout most of its existence, only occasionally altering the numbers to balance out promotion and relegation.

With the replacement of the Regionalliga by the 2nd Bundesliga Nord in 1974, the league champion had to gain promotion through a play-off system with the winners of the other tier-three leagues in northern Germany.

In 1978, the Amateur-Oberliga Nordrhein was formed as the third tier of football in the region compromising the area of the Verbandsliga Niederrhein and Verbandsliga Mittelrhein. One of the main reasons for this move was to provide direct promotion for the tier-three champions again. The clubs placed one to seven in the league were admitted to the new Oberliga, these being:

  • Olympia Bocholt
  • Rot-Weiß Oberhausen
  • VfB Remscheid
  • TuS Xanten
  • 1. FC Viersen
  • ASV Wuppertal
  • RSV Meerbeck

Verbandsliga Niederrhein, together with Mittelrhein, remained as a feeder league for the new Oberliga, but now as a tier-four competition. Its champion, and some years the runners-up, were directly promoted to the Oberliga Nordrhein.

With the re-introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994, the league slipped to tier five but remained unchanged otherwise.

From 2008, with the introduction of the 3rd Liga, the Verbandsliga Niederrhein was downgraded to the sixth tier. The league above it was then the new Oberliga Nordrhein-Westfalen, a merger of the Oberligas Nordrhein and Westfalen. The champion of the Verbandsliga continued to be directly promoted but since there were now four Verbandsligas below the Oberliga, the runners-up didn't have the option of promotion unless the league winner declined.

[edit] Champions of the Verbandsliga Niederrhein

Season Club
1956-57 VfL Benrath
1957-58 TuS Lintfort
1958-59 TuS Duisburg 48/99
1959-60 BV Osterfeld
1960-61 SV Neukirchen
1961-62 FV Duisburg 08
1962-63 Homberger SV
1963-64 Homberger SV
1964-65 VfB Bottrop
1965-66 VfR Neuß
1966-67 VfB Bottrop
1967-68 Eintracht Duisburg
1968-69 SSVg Velbert
1969-70 SpVgg Sterkrade 06/07
1970-71 Bayer Uerdingen
1971-72 1. FC Mülheim-Styrum
1972-73 Union Solingen
1973-74 VfB Remscheid
Season Club
1974-75 Union Solingen
1975-76 1. FC Bocholt
1976-77 Fortuna Düsseldorf II
1977-78 Olympia Bocholt
1978-79 Bayer Uerdingen II
1979-80 Sportfreunde Hamborn 07
1980-81 VfB Bottrop
1981-82 Viktoria Goch
1982-83 1. FC Viersen
1983-84 VfL Rhede
1984-85 Sportfreunde Hamborn 07
1985-86 VfB Langenfeld
1986-87 Rheydter SV
1987-88 SV Wermelskirchen
1988-89 Sportfreunde Katernberg
1989-90 VfB Homberg
1990-91 Preußen Krefeld
Season Club
1991-92 1. FC Wülfrath
1992-93 Rot-Weiß Oberhausen
1993-94 Union Solingen
1994-95 Fortuna Düsseldorf II
1995-96 SV Straelen
1996-97 Borussia Mönchengladbach II
1997-98 Adler Osterfeld
1998-99 MSV Duisburg II
1999-2000 SSVg Velbert
2000-01 Borussia Wuppertal
2001-02 Union Solingen
2002-03 1. FC Kleve
2003-04 TuRU Düsseldorf
2004-05 VfB Speldorf
2005-06 SV Straelen
2006-07 Fortuna Düsseldorf II
2007-08 Rot-Weiß Essen II

Source:Verbandsliga Niederrhein. Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.

  • The Union Solingen holds the record number of titles in the league with four.

[edit] Founding Members of the Verbandsliga Niederrhein

From the Landesliga Gruppe 1:

From the Landesliga Gruppe 2:

  • FV Duisburg 08
  • TuS Lintfort
  • SpVgg Hochheide
  • Homberger SV
  • SC Kleve

From the Landesliga Gruppe 3:

[edit] External links

[edit] References


[edit] Sources

  • "Deutschlands Fussball in Zahlen" - An annual publication with tables and results from the Bundesliga to Verbandsliga/Landesliga, published by the DSFS
  • "Kicker Almanach" The Football Yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the Kicker Sports Magazine


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