Verbandsliga Niedersachsen
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| Verbandsliga Niedersachsen |
|---|
| Founded |
| 1947 |
| Nation |
 Germany |
 |
| States |
 Lower Saxony |
| Promotion To |
| Regionalliga Nord |
| Relegation To |
| East: Bezirksoberliga Braunschweig |
| East: Bezirksoberliga Lüneburg |
| West: Bezirksoberliga Hannover |
| West: Bezirksoberliga Weser-Ems |
| Number of Clubs |
| East: 16 |
| West: 17 |
| Level on Pyramid |
| Level 5 |
| Current champions 2007-08 |
| East: MTV Gifhorn |
| West: VfL Oldenburg |
The Verbandsliga Niedersachsen, nowadays referred to as Niedersachsenliga, is the fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Lower Saxony (German:Niedersachsen). It is actually split into a western and an eastern group.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
[edit] 1947-1963
The league was formed as Landesliga Niedersachsen in 1947, operating with four divisions in variable strength, all up with 42 clubs. The four regional divisions were named after the capital city of the district, being Hannover, Hildesheim, Braunschweig and Osnabrück. Additionally, some clubs from Niedersachsen also played in the Amateurliga Bremen, a trend that continues to a lesser degree even today. The state of Lower Saxony had only recently then been formed in the British occupation zone and Bremens status as an independent German state had not been fully confirmed yet.
From the start, the Landesliga Niedersachsen was a feeder league to the Oberliga Nord which its champion had the option of promotion to. Promotion had to be archived through a play-off with teams from the Amateurligas of Bremen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. As such, the league was the second tier of the northern German league system.
In 1949, the four Landesligas were disbanded in favor of the two new Amateuroberligas, the Amateuroberliga Niedersachsen-West and the Amateuroberliga Niedersachsen-Ost. The western division started with sixteen, the eastern with eighteen clubs. The majority of clubs previously playing in the Bremen leagues also returned to the Niedersachsen league system. Below the Amateuroberligas, eight Amateurligas were established. This system remained as such unchanged until 1964.
The two leagues continued to exchange clubs to balance out promotion and relegation but did not play out a Niedersachsen champion as such since promotion was decided between these two leagues and the other three northern German leagues. Especially the clubs from Hannover were frequently transferred between divisions.
After the first couple of seasons went with ever changing club numbers in the two leagues, reaching a peak of twenty, by 1954 both leagues had arrived at sixteen clubs each, which they maintained for the most of the coming seasons.
[edit] 1963-1974
In 1963, with the introduction of the Bundesliga, the disbanding of the Oberliga Nord and the formation of the Regionalliga Nord, the leagues fell to tier three, but initially remained unchanged otherwise. The champions of the Niedersachsen leagues continued to have to play-off for promotion, now to the Regionalliga, with the same opposition as before.
The year 1964 saw the creation of a single-division highest league for Niedersachsen. Eight clubs from the western group, seven from the eastern group, one team from the Regionalliga and two promoted teams made up the new Amateurliga Niedersachsen. Promotion however still had to be archived through a promotion round with the other northern German champions.
Below the Amateurliga, four new Verbandsligas were established, North, South, East and West, with their champions directly promoted and four clubs relegated from the eighteen-team Amateurliga.
The late sixties and early seventies saw the oddity of fourth and fifth placed teams being promoted. The reasons for this were the fact that Lower Saxony, as the strongest association in northern Germany was permitted to send more than one team to the promotion round and the high finishes of reserve teams of the likes of Hannover 96, Arminia Hannover and Eintracht Braunschweig in the league, which were ineligible to enter the promotion rounds.
The league strength for most of these season stood at sixteen clubs.
[edit] 1974-1994
After the 1973-74 season, the Regionalliga Nord was disbanded in favor of the 2nd Bundesliga Nord. The new Oberliga Nord was now introduced in northern Germany, as the third tier of the league system, below the 2nd Bundesliga. This meant for the Amateurliga a slip to tier four. The top three teams of the league were however promoted to the new Oberliga and the Amateurliga was renamed Landesliga Niedersachsen. The system for promotion from the Landesliga remained mostly unchanged and the league continued to operate on sixteen clubs.
For the first time, reserve teams were also eligible for promotion from the Niedersachsen league and Eintracht Braunschweig II became the first team to do so in 1975.
In 1979, the league changed its name once more, now becoming the Verbandsliga Niedersachsen, but remaining unchanged otherwise.
[edit] 1994-2008
In 1994, the Regionalliga Nord was re-established, now as the third tier of the league system. The Oberliga Nord was in turn replaced by two parallel Oberligas, Niedersachsen/Bremen and Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein. For the Verbandsliga Niedersachsen, this meant a further slip, now to tier five, and a split to two separate divisions again, but also, for the first time in its history, direct promotion for the league champions.
While the first and third placed team from the 1993-94 season gained entry to the new Regionalliga, the other twelve clubs of the top-fourteen were promoted to the Oberliga Niedersachsen/Bremen. Only the bottom five teams of the field of nineteen of that season actually remained in the Verbandsligas.
The first season of the new separated leagues saw a strong imbalance of clubs, West operated on sixteen, East on twenty-one teams. The year after, both run on a strength of sixteen.
The 1999-2000 season saw another league system change with the reduction of numbers of Regionalligas, this however had only one effect on the Verbandsligas, no direct promotion was available this year.
In 2004, it was decided to restore the Oberliga Nord in favor of the two separate Oberligas.
[edit] 2008 onwards
At the end of the 2007-08 season, the new 3rd Liga was established and the Oberliga Nord disbanded, again. The four northern German states were then the only region without an Oberliga and the five Verbandsligas sat right below the Regionalliga Nord, parallel to the two NOFV-Oberligas. At the end of the 2007-08 season, the five winners of the northern Verbandsligas played with the sixth placed team from the Oberliga Nord for one last spot in the Regionalliga[1]. In the future seasons, promotion for the Niedersachsenliga winners will only be available through a decider between the two champions. These two teams will compete for one promotion spot to the Regionalliga.
The Verbandsligas Niedersachsen will however maintain their status as tier five leagues.
[edit] Position of the Verbandsliga Niedersachsen in the league system
| Years | Tier | Promotion to |
|---|---|---|
| 1947-63 | II | Oberliga Nord |
| 1963-74 | III | Regionalliga Nord |
| 1974-94 | IV | Oberliga Nord |
| 1994-2004 | V | Oberliga Niedersachsen/Bremen |
| 2004-08 | V | Oberliga Nord |
| 2008- | V | Regionalliga Nord |
Source:Verbandsliga Niedersachsen. Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
[edit] Winners of the Niedersachsenligas
[edit] Landesliga Niedersachsen
| Season | Staffel Braunschweig | Staffel Hildesheim | Staffel Hannover | Staffel Osnabrück |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947-48 | MTV Braunschweig | Göttingen 05 | Teutonia Uelzen | Eintracht Osnabrück |
| 1948-49 | Rot-Weiß Braunschweig | SV Hameln 07 | SV Linden 07 | VfB Oldenburg |
- Due to irregularities in the previous season, Hannover 96 was also promoted in 1949.
[edit] Amateuroberligas Niedersachsen West and Ost
| Season | West | East |
|---|---|---|
| 1949-50 | Eintracht Osnabrück | TSV Goslar |
| 1950-51 | Kickers Emden | VfR Osterode |
| 1951-52 | VfB Oldenburg | VfL Wolfsburg |
| 1952-53 | Eintracht Nordhorn * | Eintracht Braunschweig |
| 1953-54 | Eintracht Nordhorn | VfL Wolfsburg |
| 1954-55 | Eintracht Nordhorn | VfV Hildesheim |
| 1955-56 | Olympia Wilhelmshaven | Eintracht Braunschweig II |
| 1956-57 | VfB Oldenburg | Union Salzgitter |
| 1957-58 | Arminia Hannover | VfV Hildesheim |
| 1958-59 | VfB Oldenburg * | Arminia Hannover |
| 1959-60 | Hannover 96 II * | SC Leu Braunschweig |
| 1960-61 | Arminia Hannover * | SC Leu Braunschweig |
| 1961-62 | Arminia Hannover | SC Leu Braunschweig |
| 1962-63 | VfL Oldenburg | VfL Wolfsburg |
| 1963-64 | Olympia Wilhelmshaven | Hannover 96 II |
- In 1954, the runner-up VfB Oldenburg was promoted instead.
- In 1959, the runner-up Eintracht Osnabrück was promoted instead.
- In 1960, the runner-up VfB Oldenburg was promoted instead.
- In 1961, the third placed Eintracht Nordhorn was promoted instead.
- In 1964, the runner-up Göttingen 05 was promoted instead.
[edit] Amateurliga/Landesliga/Verbandsliga Niedersachsen
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- In 1967, the third placed TuS Haste was promoted instead.
- In 1968, the fourth placed TuS Celle was promoted instead.
- In 1969, the fourth placed Olympia Wilhelmshaven was also promoted.
- In 1970, the fifth placed SV Meppen was promoted instead.
- In 1972, the runner-up SV Meppen was also promoted.
- In 1974, the top three teams were promoted to the new Oberliga Nord, SpVgg Bad Pyrmont and Union Salzgitter were therefore also promoted.
- In 1975, the second and third placed Eintracht Nordhorn and Eintracht Braunschweig II were promoted instead.
- In 1979, the third placed MTV Gifhorn was also promoted.
- In 1981, the third placed TSV Havelse was promoted instead.
- In 1982, the runner-up Olympia Wilhelmshaven was also promoted.
- In 1983, the third placed Eintracht Braunschweig II was promoted instead.
- In 1985, the second and third placed Eintracht Braunschweig II and Wolfenbüttler SV were promoted instead.
- In 1986, the runner-up SpVgg Göttingen was also promoted.
- In 1989, the third placed TuS Esens was promoted instead.
- In 1990, the third placed Eintracht Nordhorn was also promoted.
- In 1993, the runner-up Preußen 07 Hameln was promoted instead.
- In 1994, the top fourteen clubs were all promoted!
[edit] Verbandsligas Niedersachsen West and Ost
| Season | West | East |
|---|---|---|
| 1994-95 | Eintracht Nordhorn | SV Südharz Walkenried |
| 1995-96 | Concordia Ihrhove | Wolfenbüttler SV * |
| 1996-97 | FC Schüttorf | SpVgg Einbeck * |
| 1997-98 | Blau-Weiß Lohne | MTV Gifhorn |
| 1998-99 | FC Schüttorf | VfL Wolfsburg II |
| 1999-2000 | Hannover 96 II | Eintracht Braunschweig II |
| 2000-01 | SC Langenhagen | SpVgg Einbeck |
| 2001-02 | VfV Hildesheim | Eintracht Braunschweig II |
| 2002-03 | Hannover 96 II | SSV Vorsfelde |
| 2003-04 | VfL Osnabrück II | TSV Neuenkirchen |
| 2004-05 | VfL Osnabrück II | Eintracht Braunschweig II |
| 2005-06 | SV Ramlingen-Ehlershausen | VSK Osterholz Scharmbeck |
| 2006-07 | VfB Oldenburg | TuS Heeslingen |
| 2007-08 | VfL Oldenburg | MTV Gifhorn |
Source:Verbandsliga Niedersachsen. Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
- Bold denotes club gained promotion.
- In 1996, the runner-up SSV Vorsfelde was also promoted.
- In 1997, the runner-up Rotenburger SV was also promoted.
[edit] Teams in the Verbandsliga Niedersachsen
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German Verbandsliga Niedersachsen-West (V) Football Clubs (2007-08)
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German Verbandsliga Niedersachsen-Ost (V) Football Clubs (2007-08)
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[edit] External links
- Das deutsche Fussball Archiv
- The Niedersachsenligas at Fussball.de
- The Lower Saxony Football Association (NFV)
- Unoffical website on the Niedersachsenligas
[edit] Sources
- "Deutschlands Fussball in Zahlen" - An annual publication with tables and results from the Bundesliga to Verbandsliga/Landesliga, published by the DSFS
[edit] References
- ^ Regulations for the Oberliga Nord 2007-08. Northern German FA. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
