3. Liga
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Country | Germany |
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Confederation | UEFA |
Founded | 25 July 2008 |
Number of teams | 20 |
Level on pyramid | 3 |
Promotion to | 2. Bundesliga |
Relegation to | |
Domestic cup(s) | DFB-Pokal |
Current champions |
1. FC Heidenheim (2013–14) |
Most championships | |
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The 3. Liga, 3. Fußball-Liga in German, is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the semi-professional Regionalliga, which became the fourth division and initially consisted of three groups of 18 clubs playing separately.[1] In Germany, the 3. Liga is the highest division that a football club's reserve team can play in.
History
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On 8 September 2006, the German Football Association, the DFB, announced the formation of the 3. Liga. It was originally anticipated that the league's name would be 3. Bundesliga, but the DFB chose 3. Liga instead, reflecting the fact that the league will be directly administered by the DFB, not by the DFL (Deutsche Fußball Liga, English:German Football League) who runs the two Bundesligen.[2]
The first match of the 3. Liga was played on 25 July 2008 between FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt and Dynamo Dresden at the Steigerwaldstadion in Erfurt. Dynamo Dresden won the match 1–0, with Halil Savran scoring the only goal in the closing stages of the first half.
Financial situation
From its foundation in 2008 to 2013 the league had been operating on a financial loss, with a record deficit of €20.9 million in 2012–13. The 2013–14 season saw the league make a profit for the first time, being €4.9 million in the plus. The league earned €164.5 million, well behind the two Bundesligas above it but also well ahead of other professional sports leagues in Germany with the Deutsche Eishockey Liga following with €106.1 million and the Basketball Bundesliga and Handball-Bundesliga sitting around the €90 million mark.[3] This makes it the third-most economically successful professional league in all German sports.[4]
Set-up
The teams which are not reserve teams of Bundesliga teams among the 20 teams in the league compete for promotion to the 2. Bundesliga, while the three bottom teams are relegated to one of the five Regionalligen: Regionalliga Nord, Regionalliga Nordost, Regionalliga West, Regionalliga Südwest, and Regionalliga Bayern. If, however, a reserve team is playing in the 3. Liga and the respective first team is relegated to the 3. Liga, the reserve team will be relegated to the Regionalliga regardless of its league position.
Qualifying for the 3. Liga
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At the end of the 2007–08 season, the two best non-reserve teams from each of the two divisions of the Regionalliga were promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. The teams ranked third to tenth in both Regionalliga entered the new 3. Liga, joining the four teams relegated from the 2. Bundesliga to form the new 20-team league. Teams finishing 11th or lower in their Regionalliga remained where they were.
On 18 May 2008, at the end of the 2007–08 2. Bundesliga season, four clubs were relegated from the 2. Bundesliga and became charter members of the 3. Liga: Kickers Offenbach, FC Erzgebirge Aue, SC Paderborn 07 and FC Carl Zeiss Jena.
On 31 May 2008, at the end of the 2007–08 Regionalliga seasons, clubs placing third through tenth in the Regionalliga Nord and the Regionalliga Süd also qualified for the new 3. Liga.
From the Regionalliga Nord:
- Fortuna Düsseldorf
- 1. FC Union Berlin
- SV Werder Bremen II
- Wuppertaler SV Borussia
- FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt
- Dynamo Dresden
- Kickers Emden
- Eintracht Braunschweig
From the Regionalliga Süd:
- VfB Stuttgart II
- VfR Aalen
- SV Sandhausen
- SpVgg Unterhaching
- Wacker Burghausen
- FC Bayern Munich II
- SSV Jahn Regensburg
- Stuttgarter Kickers
Promotion/Relegation
The winner and runner-up in a given season is automatically promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. The third place team enters a home/away playoff against the 16th placed team of the 2. Bundesliga for the right to enter/stay in the 2. Bundesliga. Teams placing in the bottom three are automatically sent to the Regionalliga.
Season | Champions | Runners-up | Promotion Playoff | Standings |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008–09 | 1. FC Union Berlin | Fortuna Düsseldorf | SC Paderborn 07 | Table |
2009–10 | VfL Osnabrück | FC Erzgebirge Aue | FC Ingolstadt 04 | Table |
2010–11 | Eintracht Braunschweig | F.C. Hansa Rostock | Dynamo Dresden | Table |
2011–12 | SV Sandhausen | VfR Aalen | Jahn Regensburg | Table |
2012–13 | Karlsruher SC | Arminia Bielefeld | VfL Osnabrück | Table |
2013–14 | 1. FC Heidenheim | RB Leipzig | SV Darmstadt 98 | Table |
- Bold denotes team earned promotion.
League statistics
Up to and including the 2013–14 season the top goal scorers, attendance statistics and records for the league are:
Attendance
|
Top scorers |
Records
As of 20 April 2015
Highest win | 7-0 | FC Carl Zeiss Jena 0 – 7 1. FC Saarbrücken (11 August 2010)[17] |
Most goals in a game | 10 | Eintracht Braunschweig 5 – 5 Fortuna Düsseldorf (10 May 2009)[18] |
Most league appearances | 228 | Jens Truckenbrod (Preußen Münster, Dynamo Dresden, FC Carl Zeiss Jena)[19] |
Most goals scored | 85 | Anton Fink (SpVgg Unterhaching, Chemnitzer FC, VfR Aalen)[20] |
Placings in the 3. Liga
The following clubs have played in the league and achieved the following final positions:
Club | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SC Paderborn 07 | 3 | 2B | 2B | 2B | 2B | 2B | B |
Eintracht Braunschweig | 13 | 4 | 1 | 2B | 2B | B | 2B |
Karlsruher SC | B | 2B | 2B | 2B | 1 | 2B | 2B |
Fortuna Düsseldorf | 2 | 2B | 2B | 2B | B | 2B | 2B |
1. FC Union Berlin | 1 | 2B | 2B | 2B | 2B | 2B | 2B |
FC Ingolstadt 04 | 2B | 3 | 2B | 2B | 2B | 2B | 2B |
VfR Aalen | 19 | 16 | 2 | 2B | 2B | 2B | |
SV Sandhausen | 8 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 2B | 2B | 2B |
Erzgebirge Aue | 12 | 2 | 2B | 2B | 2B | 2B | 2B |
1. FC Heidenheim | 6 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2B | |
RB Leipzig | 2 | 2B | |||||
SV Darmstadt 98 4 | 14 | 18 | 3 | 2B | |||
Arminia Bielefeld | B | 2B | 2B | 13 | 2 | 2B | x |
Dynamo Dresden | 9 | 12 | 3 | 2B | 2B | 2B | x |
Energie Cottbus | B | 2B | 2B | 2B | 2B | 2B | x |
SV Wehen Wiesbaden | 2B | 15 | 4 | 16 | 7 | 4 | x |
VfL Osnabrück | 2B | 1 | 2B | 7 | 3 | 5 | x |
SC Preußen Münster | 12 | 4 | 6 | x | |||
MSV Duisburg | 2B | 2B | 2B | 2B | 2B | 7 | x |
Stuttgarter Kickers | 20 | 17 | 8 | x | |||
Hallescher FC | 10 | 9 | x | ||||
Rot-Weiß Erfurt | 10 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 10 | x |
SSV Jahn Regensburg | 15 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 2B | 11 | x |
Chemnitzer FC | 9 | 6 | 12 | x | |||
Hansa Rostock | 2B | 2B | 2 | 2B | 12 | 13 | x |
Borussia Dortmund II | 18 | 16 | 14 | x | |||
VfB Stuttgart II | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 15 | x |
Holstein Kiel | 19 | 16 | x | ||||
SpVgg Unterhaching | 4 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 9 | 17 | x |
SG Sonnenhof Großaspach | x | ||||||
1. FSV Mainz 05 II | x | ||||||
SC Fortuna Köln | x | ||||||
SV Elversberg | 18 | ||||||
SV Wacker Burghausen | 18 | 17 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 19 | |
1. FC Saarbrücken | 6 | 10 | 11 | 20 | |||
Kickers Offenbach 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 15 | ||
SV Babelsberg 03 | 13 | 17 | 19 | ||||
Alemannia Aachen | 2B | 2B | 2B | 2B | 20 | ||
FC Carl Zeiss Jena | 16 | 5 | 15 | 18 | |||
Rot-Weiß Oberhausen | 2B | 2B | 2B | 19 | |||
SV Werder Bremen II | 17 | 13 | 18 | 20 | |||
TuS Koblenz3 | 2B | 2B | 11 | ||||
FC Bayern Munich II | 5 | 8 | 19 | ||||
Rot Weiss Ahlen2 | 2B | 2B | 20 | ||||
Wuppertaler SV | 14 | 20 | |||||
Kickers Emden1 | 6 |
Notes
Symbol | Key |
---|---|
B | Bundesliga |
2B | 2. Bundesliga |
1 | League champions |
# | League place |
Blank | not in 3. Liga |
- 1 Kickers Emden withdrew from the league after the 2008–09 season, relegated Burghausen received their place. Emden became insolvent in 2012.
- 2 RW Ahlen did not receive a licence for the 2011–12 season, originally finishing 17th after 2010–11. The club was placed in 20th position and relegated. Previously relegated Burghausen, placed 18th originally, were instead placed in 17th position and were not relegated. Ahlen did not request a license in the Regionalliga and started the new season in the Oberliga.
- 3 TuS Koblenz withdrew from the league after the 2011–12 season, relegated Bremen II received their place instead.
- 4 Kickers Offenbach was refused a 3. Liga licence at the end of the 2012–13 season and relegated to the Regionalliga. SV Darmstadt 98 took Offenbach's place.[21]
Play-offs
At the end of the regular season the third placed team in the 3. Liga play the 16th placed team in the 2. Bundesliga over two matches. The overall winner plays in the 2. Bundesliga in the following season, and the loser in the 3. Liga.
Date | 2. Bundesliga 16th | 3. Liga 3rd | Game 1 | Game 2 | Aggregate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008–09[22] | VfL Osnabrück | SC Paderborn 07 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 |
2009–10[23] | Hansa Rostock | FC Ingolstadt 04 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–3 |
2010–11[24] | VfL Osnabrück | Dynamo Dresden | 1–1 | 1–3 aet | 2–4 |
2011–12[25] | Karlsruher SC | Jahn Regensburg | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3-3 (away goals) |
2012–13[26] | Dynamo Dresden | VfL Osnabrück | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 |
2013–14[27] | Arminia Bielefeld | SV Darmstadt 98 | 3–1 | 2–4 aet | 5-5 (away goals) |
- Winner in bold.
References
- ↑ "3. Liga: Germany's Newest Professional League". pitchinvasion.net. 20 July 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ↑ "3. Liga Qualifikation Modus" (PDF) (in German). Deutscher Fußball Bund. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ↑ "3. Liga erstmals in der Gewinnzone" [Third League in the Winning Zone for the First Time]. weltfussball.de (in German). 1 December 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- ↑ "Helmut Sandrock: "Die 3. Liga ist europaweit führend"" [Helmut Sandrock: "The 3rd Liga is the European leader"] (in German). German Football Association. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- ↑ "3. Liga 2008/2009 .:. Zuschauer .:. Heimspiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "3. Liga 2009/2010 .:. Zuschauer .:. Heimspiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "3. Liga 2010/2011 .:. Zuschauer .:. Heimspiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "3. Liga 2011/2012 .:. Zuschauer .:. Heimspiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "3. Liga 2012/2013 .:. Zuschauer .:. Heimspiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "3. Liga 2013/2014 .:. Zuschauer .:. Heimspiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ↑ "3. Liga 2008/2009 .:. Torschützenliste" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "3. Liga 2009/2010 .:. Torschützenliste" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "3. Liga 2010/2011 .:. Torschützenliste" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "3. Liga 2011/2012 .:. Torschützenliste" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "3. Liga 2012/2013 .:. Torschützenliste" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "3. Liga 2013/2014 .:. Torschützenliste" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ↑ "3. Liga .:. Statistik .:. Die höchsten Siege" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "3. Liga .:. Statistik .:. Die torreichsten Spiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "3. Liga .:. Rekordspieler" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "3. Liga .:. Ewige Torjäger" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "Ruhl: "Ein bitterer Tag für den OFC"" (in German). kicker.de. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "Relegation 2. Bundesliga 2008/2009" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "Relegation 2. Bundesliga 2009/2010" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "Relegation 2. Bundesliga 2010/2011" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "Relegation 2. Bundesliga 2011/2012" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "Relegation 2. Bundesliga 2012/2013" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ↑ "Relegation 2. Bundesliga 2013/2014" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
External links
- Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB) (German)
- kicker.de (German)
- 3. Liga at Weltfussball.de (German)
- German 3.Liga (www.3-liga.com) (German)
- 3. Liga at Soccerway.com
- League321.com – German football league tables, records & statistics database
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