Westfalenliga

The Westfalenliga (formerly the Verbandsliga Westfalen) is the second highest football league in the region of Westphalia which is part of the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. It operates in two separate groups which run parallel below the NRW-Liga. Currently the sixth tier of the German football league system, the Westfalenligen were the fifth tier until the 3. Liga was introduced in 2008.

Overview

The league was formed in two groups of 16 clubs in 1956 to provide a more streamlined top level for the Westphalian Football Association. Previous to this, the five Landesligen were the highest levels of football in the region. The Landesligen still remain as the tier below the Verbandsligen to this day.

From the beginning, the league was operated in two parallel groups with a championship series for the title of Westphalian champions at the end of the season. This series was however abandoned after the Oberliga Westfalen was introduced in 1978 as a highest league for the region. The winner of this series however was not automatically the promoted team. Promotion was determined by a series of games involving the two Westfalen league winners and the champions of the Verbandsliga Niederrhein and Verbandsliga Mittelrhein.

Despite having always operated on the two group system, the Verbandsliga Westfalen has to be seen as one league with two regional divisions as clubs frequently move between groups, according to geographical needs. The administration and history of the two groups have always been closely tied.

The league started out with its two groups, then called Nordost (Gruppe 1) and Südwest (Gruppe 2), as the third tier of the German league system. The winner of the championship matches would gain entry to the 2nd Oberliga West, the second tier of the league system.

The two leagues have always operated on a set number of 16 teams per league but in some seasons deviation in numbers was necessary to balance out promotion and relegation.

With the introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963, the two Verbandsligas came under the new Regionalliga West but remained, unchanged otherwise, as the third tier of the league system. The same applied when the Regionalliga was replaced by the 2nd Bundesliga Nord in 1974. The league champions however now 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 Westfalen was formed as the third tier of football in Westfalen. One of the main reasons for this move was to provide direct promotion for the tier-three champions again. The clubs placed one to nine in each league were admitted to the new Oberliga, these being:

From the Verbandsliga Westfalen-Nordost:

• 1. FC Paderborn
• VfB Rheine
• TuS Schloß Neuhaus
• SV Ahlen
• Bünder SV
• SV Emsdetten
• SV Beckum
• DJK Gütersloh, (DJK Gütersloh merged with Arminia Gütersloh to form FC Gütersloh in 1978)
• TSG Harsewinkel

From the Verbandsliga Westfalen-Südwest:

• DSC Wanne-Eickel, gained promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga, therefore did not take part in the Oberliga Westfalen
• SpVgg Erkenschwick
• VfL Gevelsberg
• Sportfreunde Siegen
• Hellweg Lütgendortmund
• SuS Hüsten 09
• SV Holzwickede
• Eintracht Recklinghausen
• VfB Altena

The two Verbandsligen 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 Westfalen.

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

From 2008, with the introduction of the 3. Liga, the Verbandsligen Westfalen were downgraded to the sixth tier. The league above it was then the new NRW-Liga, a merger of the Oberligen Nordrhein and Westfalen. The champions of the Verbandsligen continued to be directly promoted but since there now was four Verbandsligen below the Oberliga, the runners-up didn't have the option of promotion unless the league winner declined. The leagues also changed their names to Westfalenliga^[1].

The reason for Group 1 only playing with 15 clubs in the season 2007-08 was somewhat and oddety in German football. When SG Wattenscheid 09 was relegated to Group 2 after the 2006-07 season, its reserve team was already scheduled to play in Group 1. Two teams from the same club can not be in the same league at this level, but they could be quite legally in parallel leagues. SG Wattenscheid 09 declined to have two teams playing parallel but the Westfalen FA still listed them as having two Verbandsliga teams in their official pre-season league listings.^[2] By the time Wattenscheid declined in early August it was to late to promote a replacement to the league and the number was left at 15 for this season.

League champions

From 1957 to 1978 a championship decider was played to determined the Westfalen champion, usually played on home-and-away base with a third game if necessary. Some seasons however, there was only one game, on neutral ground and in 1966 and 1968 no games were played.

• Promoted teams in bold.
• In 1965, VfL Bochum won by coin flip.
• In 1966 and 1968, no champion was determined; in 1967 the contest was drawn.
• In 1969, SpVgg Erkenschwick, runners-up of Group 1, was also promoted.

With the introduction of the Oberliga Westfalen in 1978, the winner of this league was the official champion of Westfalen, deciders between the two Verbandsliga champions were therefore unnecessary. League winners were automatically promoted, some seasons the runners-up too.

• In 2006, DSC Wanne-Eickel was refused promotion.

Founding members of the leagues

Verbandsliga Westfalen 1 Nordost:

From the 2nd Oberliga West:

• VfB Bielefeld

From Landesliga 1 Ost:

• SpVgg Beckum
• Arminia Gütersloh
• Arminia Bielefeld
• TSV Detmold
• SV Brackwede
• Union Herford

From Landesliga 4 Nord:

• SV Erle 08
• SG Gronau
• BV Selm
• Germania Datteln
• VfB Hüls

From Landesliga 5 Mitte:

• TuRa Bergkamen
• VfL Altenbögge
• SV Bockum-Hövel
• SV Herringen

Verbandsliga Westfalen 2 Südwest:

From Landesliga 2 Süd:

• Sportfreunde Siegen
• Sportfreunde Neheim
• RSV Lüdenscheid-Höh
• TuS Eiringhausen
• SuS Menden 09
• SuS Niederschelden

From Landesliga 3 West::

• Union Günnigfeld
• SC Dahlhausen
• Arminia Ickern
• SpVgg Röhlinghausen
• SV Castrop
• SSV Hagen
• VfB Habinghorst

From Landesliga 4 Nord:

• Sportfreunde Gladbeck

From Landesliga 5 Mitte:

• FV Hombruch 09
• TBV Mengede

References

Sources

• 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
• Die Deutsche Liga-Chronik 1945-2005 (German) History of German football from 1945 to 2005 in tables, publisher: DSFS, published: 2006

External links

• (German) Das deutsche Fussball Archiv Historic German league tables
• (German) Verbandsliga Westfalen at fussball.de
• (German) Westfalen Football Association (FLVW)