The Bezirksoberliga (English: Football County Premier League ) was the seventh tier of the German football league system in the state of Bavaria from 1988 to 2012. The Bezirksoberligas have also existed in other states of Germany, like Hesse and Lower Saxony . In Hesse, they were renamed to Gruppenligas, in Lower Saxony to Landesligas. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Bavaria abolished its Bezirksoberligas, too, leaving Germany without such a league in senior men's football unless another federation would opt to rename or introduce a league.
26-617: With the introduction of the 3. Liga and the disbanding of the Oberliga Nord in 2008, the two Verbandsligas in Niedersachsen became the highest amateur leagues for the state. Accordingly, the two leagues were renamed to Oberliga, their new names being: Below the two former Verbandsligas, the four existing Bezirksoberligas now became the sixth tier of the league system. On 17 May 2010, the Lower Saxony football association decided to rename
52-567: A play-off with teams from the Amateurligen of Lower Saxony , Bremen and Schleswig-Holstein . As such, the league was by then the second tier of the northern German league system. The league was renamed Verbandsliga Hamburg (English: Hamburg FA League ), and split into two groups of ten teams, the Alsterstaffel and Elbestaffel , named after the two main rivers in Hamburg. The top four clubs of
78-653: Is the highest league in the German state of Hamburg , incorporating some of its surrounding districts. It is one of fourteen Oberligen in German football, the fifth tier of the German football league system . The league was re-formed in 1945 as Stadtliga Hamburg (English: Hamburg City League ) by thirteen clubs, in the newly recreated state of Hamburg which was then part of the British occupation zone in Germany. The very first league in
104-502: The Amateurliga Niedersachsen : At the end of its last season, 2007–08, the last round having been played on 30 May 2008, the clubs of the league were spread over various other divisions, according to their final league position. The 6th placed team, TuS Heeslingen, was not granted a Regionalliga licence and the 7th placed club, VfB Oldenburg, qualified for the play-offs instead. The Bremen champion, FC Bremerhaven ,
130-651: The Regionalliga , with the same opposition as before. From 1970, the number of leagues below the Hamburg–Liga was reduced from three to two, resulting in the Hammonia-Staffel and Hansa-Staffel which still exist today, first at the name of Verbandsliga , then, from 1978, as Landesliga . After the 1973–74 season, the Regionalliga Nord was disbanded in favor of the 2nd Bundesliga Nord . The new Oberliga Nord
156-526: The Regionalliga . The Verbandsliga Hamburg however maintained its status as a tier five league, but now under the name of Oberliga Hamburg , reflecting the fact that it has been on the same level as the Oberligas . Breaking with a long tradition, the league now operates with eighteen clubs, not sixteen which it had throughout most of its history. Source: "Verbandsliga Hamburg" . Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv . Retrieved 24 February 2008 . The league
182-472: The Regionalliga Nord , parallel to the two NOFV-Oberligen . At the end of this season, the five winners of the northern Verbandsligen played with the sixth placed team from the Oberliga Nord for one last spot in the Regionalliga . In the future seasons, promotion for the Hamburg champion will only be available through a set of play-off matches with the league winners from Bremen and Schleswig-Holstein. These three teams will compete for one promotion spot to
208-473: The 1946–47 season left the league for the new Oberliga Nord , those clubs being the Hamburger SV, FC St. Pauli, Concordia Hamburg and Victoria Hamburg. Traditionally, the league also accommodated clubs from neighboring Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein (which it still does today), like Lüneburger SK and VfL Stade. The two divisions were increased in strength to twelve clubs each in 1949. The year after,
234-518: The Hamburg & Altona area had been inaugurated as early as 1895. In its first two seasons, the league was actually the first tier of the German league system for Hamburg, holding clubs like the Hamburger SV and FC St. Pauli in its ranks. From 1947, the Hamburg-Liga was a feeder league to the Oberliga Nord which its champion had the option of promotion to. Promotion had to be achieved through
260-547: The difference between the leagues. In 1975 and 1976, the two first placed teams of the Oberliga took part in the promotion play-off to determine the promoted teams to the 2nd Bundesliga Nord. In 1977 and 1978, the top four teams from the Oberliga Nord went to this competition. With the reduction of the number of Oberligas in 1978, the winner and runners-up of the Oberliga Nord were directly promoted in 1979 and 1980. No promotion
286-555: The end of the 2011–12 season. In the state of Hesse , the previously existing Bezirksoberligas have been renamed to Gruppenligas at the end of the 2007–08 season. In the state of Schleswig-Holstein , the Landesligas were renamed to Bezirksoberligas in 1999. In 2008, the Bezirksoberligas were then renamed to Verbandsligas. Currently, there are no Bezirksoberligas in the state any more. Oberliga Nord The Oberliga Nord
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#1732859271412312-534: The first time in its history, direct promotion for the league champion. Along with its champion being promoted to the new Regionalliga , the league also saw the clubs placed two to eight elevated to the Oberliga . The 1999–2000 season saw another league system change with the reduction of numbers of Regionalligen , this however had only one effect on the Verbandsliga , no promotion was available this year. In 2004, it
338-657: The five Verbandsliga champions will have to play-off for two promotion spots to the Regionalliga Nord. The league champions: The clubs in the league and their final placings: The league started in 1974 with eighteen clubs from four German states: From the Regionalliga Nord : From the Landesliga Hamburg : From the Amateurliga Bremen : From the Landesliga Schleswig-Holstein : From
364-518: The five Verbandsligas in its stead. The top five clubs of the Oberliga in the 2007-08 season gained promotion to the Regionalliga Nord, the sixth placed team had to play-off with the Verbandsliga champions for another Regionalliga spot and the rest of the clubs were relegated to the Verbandsligas. The northern region therefore became the only region in Germany without an Oberliga after 2008. In future,
390-570: The four Bezirksoberligas to Landesligas from the 1 July 2010. This change in name came alongside the merger of the two Oberliga divisions above it into the Niedersachsenliga. In the state of Bavaria , seven Bezirksoberligas were introduced in 1988, each covering one of the seven Regierungsbezirke : These seven leagues formed the seventh tier of the German league system in Bavaria, below the three Bavarian Landesligas . The leagues were abolished at
416-486: The fourth tier of the league system. Below the Oberliga were originally four leagues, one for each of the four states of the region. The Amateurliga of Niedersachsen changed its name to Landesliga from 1974 and after 1979 to Verbandsliga . The leagues in Bremen and Hamburg changed their name to Verbandsliga straight away in 1974. Schleswig-Holstein changed from Landesliga to Verbandsliga in 1978. In 1994, Niedersachsen,
442-451: The largest of the four states, split its league into an eastern and a western group, a system already in place until 1964. Due to the difference in playing strength of the Verbandsligas, champions were not directly promoted but had to go through a play-off system. Eight teams in two divisions were qualified for this competition, with three clubs from Niedersachsen, two each from Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein and one from Bremen, to balance out
468-642: The league was reunited in one single division with sixteen clubs. It received the new name of Amateurliga Hamburg . The league operated on a strength of sixteen for most of the coming seasons. In 1963, with the introduction of the Bundesliga , the disbanding of the Oberliga Nord and the formation of the Regionalliga Nord , the league fell to tier three and was again renamed, now Landesliga Hamburg (English: Hamburg State League ), but remained unchanged otherwise, with sixteen clubs as its strength. The champion of Hamburg continued to have to play-off for promotion, now to
494-470: The league went through another name change, this time reverting to Verbandsliga Hamburg . 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 Oberligen , Niedersachsen/Bremen and Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein . For the Verbandsliga Hamburg , this meant a further slip, now to tier five, but also, for
520-421: The two new Oberligas of Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein and Niedersachsen/Bremen . In 2004, after ten seasons, the Oberliga Nord was reformed, as the league below the Regionalliga Nord, being the fourth tier of football now. The two Oberligas that replaced it in 1994 were disbanded. With the introduction of the 3. Liga and of a third Regionalliga in 2008, the Oberliga Nord again ceased to exist, being replaced by
546-718: Was also not granted a licence and the best place club from Bremen in the Oberliga, the FC Oberneuland, qualified instead. Its eighteen clubs went to the following leagues: To the Regionalliga Nord : To the Verbandsliga Bremen : To the Verbandsliga Hamburg : To the Verbandsligas Niedersachsen : To the Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein : Oberliga Hamburg The Oberliga Hamburg , sometimes referred to as Hamburg-Liga ,
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#1732859271412572-403: Was available in 1981 because the 2nd Bundesliga was reduced to one league only. From 1982, the top two teams in the league had to play-off for promotion again. The Oberliga Nord was disbanded in 1994, with the re-introduction of the Regionalliga Nord , this time as the third tier of German football. Fourteen of its sixteen clubs went to the new Regionalliga, the bottom two teams were relegated to
598-437: Was decided to restore the Oberliga Nord in favor of the two separate Oberligen . The 2006–07 league winner, SC Victoria Hamburg , did not apply for an Oberliga licence and was not promoted. 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 Verbandsligen sit right below
624-563: Was formed in 1974 as a continuation of the Regionalliga Nord , the then second tier of German football. With the introduction of the 2nd Bundesliga Nord in that year, the Regionalliga was disbanded and its clubs spread among the new 2nd Bundesliga, Oberliga and Amateurligas. The new Oberliga Nord however was only the third tier of the German football league system, replacing at this level the four Landes- and Amateurligas of Niedersachsen, Hamburg, Bremen and Schleswig-Holstein, who now slipped to
650-457: Was now introduced in northern Germany, as the third tier of the league system, below the 2nd Bundesliga . This meant for the Landesliga a slip to tier four. The top two teams of the league were however promoted to the new Oberliga . The system for promotion from the league remained mostly unchanged with an ongoing play-off system that saw the top two teams from Hamburg qualified for it. In 1978,
676-456: Was the fourth tier of the German football league system in the north of Germany . It covered the states of Lower Saxony , Bremen , Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein . With the introduction of the 3. Liga , the league ceased to exist from 2008. The original league of this name existed from 1947 to 1963 and was then the first tier of German football, covering the same region as the "new" Oberliga Nord. For its history, see here . The league
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