Promotion to the Fußball-Bayernliga

The Fußball-Bayernliga, the fifth tier of the German football league system and highest football league in the state of Bavaria, has four teams annually promoted to the league, the champions of the three Landesligas, and a fourth club, determined by an annual promotion round. It involves the runners-up from the three Landesligas and the team in the Oberliga placed right above the relegation ranks.

History and modus

In 1963, alongside the establishment of the Fußball-Bundesliga, a single-division, highest league for the state of Bavaria, the Amateurliga Bayern was established, too. Below this league, three regional Landesligas were formed to replace the previously existing 2nd Amateurligas:^[1]

• Landesliga Bayern-Nord, covering the Regierungsbezirke of Upper Franconia and Lower Franconia
• Landesliga Bayern-Mitte, covering Middle Franconia, Upper Palatinate and Lower Bavaria
• Landesliga Bayern-Süd, covering Upper Bavaria and Swabia

From the 1963-64 season onwards, the champions of each of these three leagues were directly promoted to the Amateurliga Bayern, or, as it is commonly called, the Bayernliga. In turn, the bottom three teams in the Bayernliga were relegated to the Landesliga, according to their region of origin.

In 1978, the Amateurliga Bayern was renamed Amateur Oberliga Bayern.^[2]

In 1981, this modus changed as the Bavarian football association wanted each runners-up team in the Bavarian leagues to have a chance for promotion, too.^[3] Nowadays, the statutes of the BFV actually specify that every runners-up in Bavaria has the right to take part in promotion round, providing the league it can earn promotion to is part of the Bavarian football league system.^[4]

A system was established whereby the three Landesliga runners-up and the Bayernliga team placed right above the relegation ranks determined one more team to enter the league for the next season. A draw would establish which two teams met each other in the first round in an on-off game, with all games to be played on neutral grounds, preferably at a location half-way between the two clubs. The winners of those two games would then advance to a final to determined the team that would play in the Bayernliga next season.

Exceptions existed in regards to the number of teams promoted. If the Bayernliga champion managed to win promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga and no team from that league was relegated to the Bayernliga, an extra team was promoted from the Landesliga. Also, in 1994, due to the formation of the Regionalligas, eight teams from the Landesligas earned promotion to the Bayernliga with the promotion round being played between the third placed teams.^[5] A similar situation existed in 2008, when the 3rd Liga was established. Generally, after 1994 in a most seasons more than one club was promoted.

In 1994, the Amateur Oberliga Bayern was renamed Oberliga Bayern.

Clubs directly promoted

The champions of the three Landesligas who earned direct promotion to the Bayernliga where:

Source:"The Bavarian Landesligas (German)". Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv. http://www.f-archiv.de/. Retrieved 12 November 2008. 

Clubs taking part in the promotion round

The clubs having taken part in the promotion round were:

• Die Deutsche Liga Chronik 1945 - 2006 (German) publisher: DSFS, page: I 72 - I 144
• Bold denotes promoted team, or, in case of the participant from the Bayernliga, the club maintained its league status.

Promotion rounds

2006

The 2006 round saw two newcomers to the competition, Regensburg and Thannhausen, while Kempten attempted and failed to defend their Bayernlig spot. With the 1. FC Bamberg, five time Bayernliga champions, a team returned to the league who hadn't played at this level since 1986.^[6]

2007

In 2007, TSG Thannhausen archived promotion through the promotion round in their second attempt to do so. For Haibach it was their third time to take part in the competition.^[7] In the other match-up, Grossbardorf played for a Bayernliga spot for a second time while SV Schalding-Heining was a newcomer.^[8] A final was not necessary as two promotion spots were available.^[9]

2008

Due to the establishment of the 3rd Liga and an additional Regionalliga, the Regionalliga West, five teams from the Bayernliga were promoted to the Regionalliga Süd this season. For the Landesliga clubs, this meant, seven promotion spots were available to the Bayernliga. All first and second placed teams received direct promotion, while the three third placed clubs had to play the 16th placed Bayernliga team for one more spot. As it tuned out, due to the Sportfreunde Siegen not receiving a licence for the Regionalliga, another spot for Bavaria became available and FC Schweinfurt 05, loser of the final, did not lose its Bayernliga spot after all.^{[10] [11] [12]}

2009

In the 2009 edition, a number of deciders had to be played to determine the clubs taking part in the promotion round. Three clubs in the Oberliga had finished on equal points on the 14th, 15th and 16th rank. Of these, one would remain in the Oberliga, one would have to enter the promotion/relegation round and one would be directly relegated. TSV Rain am Lech earned another Bayernliga season by defeating Würzburger FV 2-0 and SV Seligenporten 5-1. The later two then had to play one more game to determine who would enter the relegation round. In the Landesliga Mitte, a decider between SpVgg Landshut and ASV Neumarkt was necessary as they had both finished on equal points, which Landshut won. From the other two leagues, FC Affing had never played in the Bayernliga before while the 1. FC Sand had spent two seasons in the league from 2000 to 2002.

2010

2011

The 2011 promotion round saw a legal battle to determined the Bayernliga-club who would participate in it. SpVgg Bayern Hof, already relegated after being detucted three points had these points restored in court, thereby finishing on equal points with SpVgg Bayreuth. A decider was necessary, with the loser directly relegated and the winner entering the relegation round. Hof won this game 2-1 after extra time and then faced Jahn Regensburg II in the semi-finals which the club also won. In the other match, TSV Gersthofen faced also-newcomer SpVgg Selbitz and beat the northern team 3-1. Both winners went directly to the Bayernliga as no team from the Regionalliga was relegated to the league and an extra spot was therefore available.^[13]

Notes

• (O) denotes Oberliga club
• (S) denotes Landesliga Süd club
• (M) denotes Landesliga Mitte club
• (N) denotes Landesliga Nord club

References

Sources

• Die Bayernliga 1945 - 1997, (German) published by the DSFS, 1998
• Deutschlands Fußball in Zahlen, (German) An annual publication with tables and results from the Bundesliga to Verbandsliga/Landesliga, publisher: DSFS
• Kicker Almanach, (German) The yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the Kicker Sports Magazine
• Süddeutschlands Fussballgeschichte in Tabellenform 1897-1988 (German) History of Southern German football in tables, publisher & author: Ludolf Hyll
• 50 Jahre Bayrischer Fussball-Verband (German) 50-year-anniversary book of the Bavarian FA, publisher: Vindelica Verlag, published: 1996
• Die Deutsche Liga-Chronik 1945-2005 (German) History of German football from 1945 to 2005 in tables, publisher: DSFS, published: 2006

External links

• Bayrischer Fussball Verband (Bavarian FA) (German)
• Das deutsche Fussball Archiv Historic German league tables (German)
• Bavarian League tables and results (German)
• Website with tables and results from the Bavarian Oberliga to Bezirksliga (German)