The Oberliga Niedersachsen (English: Upper League Lower Saxony ), sometimes referred to as Niedersachsenliga (Lower Saxony league), is the fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Lower Saxony ( German : Niedersachsen ). Since 1994, the league was split into a western and an eastern group. In 2010, it returned to a single-division format. The Oberliga moved to a north-south split for one season in 2020. It is one of fourteen Oberligen in German football, the fifth tier of the German football league system .
50-538: 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 Hanover , Hildesheim , Braunschweig and Osnabrück . Additionally, some clubs from Lower Saxony 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
100-691: A German Cup final, losing 2−0 to Schalke 04 . With the league changes in Germany in 2008, the Oberliga Nord was again disbanded and the level below the Regionalliga Nord in this region were the five Verbandligas. This required a promotion play-off for this league winners as there were not five promotion spots available for their region. No changes were made in the NOFV region, where the two Oberligas Nord and Süd remained. The following four teams were promoted to
150-475: A highest regional league for the north of Germany and to allow its champions, and some years the runners-up too, to be directly promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga . Prior to the introduction of the four Regionalligas, the leagues below the second division were the Oberligas, in which there was ten. Those ten Oberliga champions had to go through a promotion play-off rather than being directly promoted. The champions of
200-496: A licence for the Regionalliga. In 2001, SV Wilhelmshaven was refused a licence for the Regionalliga. In 2009, Türkiyemspor Berlin avoided relegation after Kickers Emden withdrew from the 3. Liga . In 2001, FC Sachsen Leipzig was refused a licence for the Regionalliga. In 2005, KFC Uerdingen was refused a licence for the Regionalliga. In 1998, VfL Hamburg 93 withdrew their team from
250-621: A strength of fifteen clubs. 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, but remained unchanged otherwise, with fifteen clubs as its strength. The champion of Bremen continued to have to play-off for promotion, now to the Regionalliga , with the same opposition as before and
300-458: A strength of sixteen. The 1999–2000 season saw another league system change with the reduction of numbers of Regionalligen , this however had only one effect on the Verbandsligen , no direct promotion was available this year. In 2004, it was decided to restore the Oberliga Nord in favor of the two separate Oberligen . At the end of the 2007–08 season, the new 3. Liga was established and
350-525: A two-legged play-offs to determine the fourth promotion place. The winners and runners-up of the league: Source: "Regionalliga Nord" . Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv . Retrieved 19 March 2008 . Season abandoned in June 2020, with final standings decided on a points-per-game basis. Season abandoned in April 2021 with Weiche Flensburg leading the north division and Werder Bremen II leading
400-555: Is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football, the fifth tier of the German football league system . The league was formed in 1947 as Amateurliga Bremen by thirteen clubs, including four from outside the city-state, in the newly recreated state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen which was then part of the US occupation zone in Germany. The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen and its football association are
450-625: The 2nd Bundesliga : Admitted from the Regionalliga West/Südwest : Admitted from the Regionalliga Nordost : With the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008 and of a third Regionalliga, the Regionalliga West , the league became the fourth tier of German football. The clubs from North Rhine-Westphalia left the league again and joined the new Regionalliga West. The make up of the leagues was: The following 18 teams fulfilled
500-662: The British occupation zone and the status of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen 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 achieved through a play-off with teams from the Amateurligen of Bremen , Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein . As such,
550-637: The DFB-Bundestag in September 2019 decided on a format that could have enabled all Regionalliga champions to be promoted. On that date, the Bundestag delegates voted to grant the Südwest and West champions two direct promotions indefinitely from 2021, with the third direct promotion place rotating between the Regionalliga Nord, Nordost and Bavarian champions. The representatives from the two remaining Regionalligen enter
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#1733085693324600-586: 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. In 1994,
650-587: The Landesliga Bremen , below it. In the 2007–08 season, two clubs from the Verbandsliga will be relegated to the Landesliga and two clubs promoted from there. In the 2008–09 season, three teams from Bremen played above the Verbandsliga level, these being: While this seems a small number, one has to consider that the Bremen FA only consists of 80 clubs. From the 2008–09 season, the league effectively has
700-411: The Oberliga Nord disbanded, again. The four northern German states were then the only region without an Oberliga and the five Verbandsligen 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 Verbandsligen played with the sixth placed team from the Oberliga Nord for one last spot in the Regionalliga . In
750-533: The Oberligen in 2009–10 were automatically relegated. The new single-division Niedersachsenliga consisted of 20 clubs in its first season and then 18 thereafter, also fluctuation due to relegation/promotion to and from the Regionalliga are possible. At the end of the 2011–12 season, the top four clubs, being the Goslarer SC , BV Cloppenburg , VfB Oldenburg and BSV Schwarz-Weiß Rehden , were directly promoted to
800-496: The Regionalliga and two promoted teams made up the new Amateurliga Niedersachsen . Promotion however still had to be achieved through a promotion round with the other northern German champions. Below the Amateurliga , four new Verbandsligen were established, North , South , East and West , with their champions directly promoted and four clubs relegated from the eighteen-team Amateurliga . The late 1960s and early 1970s saw
850-408: 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 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
900-484: The Regionalliga Nord , parallel to the two NOFV-Oberligen . 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 . The FC Bremerhaven was however refused a Regionalliga licence and therefore not permitted to take part in the promotion round, being replaced by the FC Oberneuland instead. In
950-419: 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
1000-403: The Regionalliga West . Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. From 1963 to 1974, a Regionalliga Nord existed as the second tier of the German football league system, but it is not related to the current Regionalliga. The Regionalliga Nord was introduced in 1994 along with three other Regionalligas , those being: The reason for its introduction was to create
1050-488: The Verbandsliga Bremen , this meant a further slip, now to tier five, but also, for the first time in its history, direct promotion for the league champion. The 1999–2000 season saw another league system change with the reduction of numbers of Regionalligas , this however had only one effect on the Verbandsliga , no promotion was available this year. In 2004, it was decided to restore the Oberliga Nord in favor of
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#17330856933241100-452: 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
1150-476: The 2012–13 season. It was also decided to limit the number of reserve teams per Regionalliga to seven. As four teams were relegated from the 3. Liga at the end of the 2018–19 season, the champions of the Regionalliga Nordost, Regionalliga Südwest and Regionalliga West were promoted directly to the 3. Liga and the remaining two champions, VfL Wolfsburg II of the Regionalliga Nord and Bayern Munich II of
1200-481: The Lower Saxony champion was promoted to the Regionalliga, as in the previous season, the other fifteen teams placed one to eight in the two leagues were directly qualify for the new league. The four teams placed ninth and tenth took part in a qualifying round with the four Bezirksoberliga champions. In two groups of four, the top-two of each group also qualified for the new league. The teams placed eleventh or lower in
1250-459: The Lower Saxony league system. Below the Amateuroberligen , eight Amateurligen 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
1300-625: The Regionalliga Bayern, played a two-legged promotion play-off for the last promotion spot, which was won by Bayern Munich II. In 2020, the three direct promotion spots went to the champions of the Regionalliga Südwest, Regionalliga Nord and Regionalliga Bayern, while the Nordost and the West champions participated in the play-off. This format was installed initially as a temporary solution until
1350-645: The Regionalliga Nord while the sixth placed club, SV Holthausen/Biene , unsuccessfully entered a promotion playoff with the runners-up from the Oberliga Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein-Liga . Fifth placed VfL Osnabrück II was ineligible for promotion to the Regionalliga as it is the reserve side of a 3. Liga team. Source: "Verbandsliga Niedersachsen" . Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv . Retrieved 5 March 2008 . Source: "Verbandsliga Niedersachsen" . Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv . Retrieved 5 March 2008 . The complete list of clubs and placings in
1400-645: The Regionalliga from 2009: The Regionalliga Nord was formed in 1994 with 18 clubs, fourteen from the Oberliga Nord and one each from the Verbandsligas of Niedersachsen, Bremen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. The founding members were: From the Oberliga Nord : From the Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein : From the Verbandsliga Hamburg : From the Verbandsliga Bremen : From the Verbandsliga Niedersachsen : The "new" Regionalliga Nord
1450-576: The Regionalligas Nord and Nordost however had to play-off for a spot in the 2nd Bundesliga from 1996 to 2000. The winner of this contest was promoted, the loser faced the runners-ups of the Regionalligas Süd and West/Südwest for another spot in the second division. The Regionalliga Nord was direct continuation of the Oberliga Nord , which was disbanded in 1994 in favour of the Regionalliga. Fourteen out of sixteen Oberliga Nord clubs qualified for
1500-414: The clubs from Hanover 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 most of the coming seasons. In 1963, with the introduction of the Bundesliga , the disbanding of the Oberliga Nord and the formation of
1550-527: The following seasons, promotion for the Niedersachsenliga winners was only available through a decider between the two champions. These two teams competed for one promotion spot to the Regionalliga . The Niedersachsen-Liga however maintained their status as tier five leagues and accordingly was renamed Oberliga Niedersachsen . The 2009–10 season functioned as a qualifying stage for the new single-division Niedersachsenliga , which kick-off in 2010. While
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1600-451: The future seasons, promotion for the Bremen champion will only be available through a set of play-off matches with the league winners from Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. These three teams will compete for one promotion spot to the Regionalliga . The Verbandsliga Bremen will however maintain its status as a tier five league. It is also the only league on this level with a single feeder league,
1650-567: 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 Verbandsligen . 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
1700-484: The league since elevation to Oberliga status (2008–present): Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord (English: Regional League North ) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony , Schleswig-Holstein , Bremen and Hamburg . It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regionalliga Bayern , Regionalliga Nordost , Regionalliga Südwest and
1750-487: The league since introduction of the single-division Oberliga (2010–2020, 2022–present); in 2021, placings were based on points per game in the overall table after the Oberliga split into two groups again: Bremen-Liga The Bremen-Liga , sometimes also referred to as Oberliga Bremen , is a fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen . It
1800-403: The league to rejoin their state's league system. To this day, the Bremen league system however continues to host a few clubs from the neighboring state, usually clubs based right at the border of Bremen. The league was expanded to fourteen clubs in its third season, compensating for the lost clubs from Lower Saxony by promoting more local clubs. For the coming seasons, the league stuck mostly with
1850-554: The league was the second tier of the northern German league system. In 1949, the four Landesligen were disbanded in favor of the two new Amateuroberligen , 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
1900-460: The league was the second tier of the northern German league system. Promotion to the Oberliga however, became hard to archive for the Bremen champion which only succeeded in 1948 and 1961. This resulted however in a number of back-to-back championships, an oddity for leagues at this level in Germany where direct promotion is the standard. After its second season, the four clubs from Lower Saxony left
1950-420: The league. Tennis Borussia Berlin declared insolvency on 21 May 2010 and was automatically relegated. Hansa Rostock II withdrew from the league in 2010 for financial reasons. VfB Lübeck and FC Oberneuland declared insolvency in 2013 and were relegated from the league. Eintracht Braunschweig II was relegated to the Oberliga in 2018 following the first team's relegation from
2000-445: The new Oberliga and the Amateurliga was renamed Verbandsliga Bremen . The system for promotion from the Verbandsliga remained mostly unchanged but the success rate for the clubs from Bremen greatly improved. 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
2050-497: The new league, only the bottom two teams were relegated to the two new Oberligas. To replace the Oberliga Nord below the Regionalliga, two new leagues were formed, those being the Oberligas Niedersachsen/Bremen and Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein . These two leagues were in turn disbanded in 2004 when the Oberliga Nord was reformed. In 2001, Union Berlin of this league became only the second Regionalliga side to reach
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2100-491: 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. After
2150-433: The same limited success. The league was increased in size to sixteen clubs in 1973. After the 1973–74 season, the Regionalliga Nord was disbanded in favor of the 2. 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 two teams of the league were however promoted to
2200-492: The smallest in Germany. The state is actually separated in two halves, the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven are split by the state of Lower Saxony . From the start, the Amateurliga Bremen was a feeder league to the Oberliga Nord which its champion had the option of promotion to. Promotion had to be achieved through a play-off with teams from the Amateurligas of Lower Saxony , Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein . As such,
2250-464: The south division. TSV Havelse were nominated for the promotion play-offs. The top goalscorers and attendance figures for the league are: Final league positions for clubs from the region currently covered by the league: Final league positions for clubs from the regions formerly covered by the league: Source: "Regionalliga Nord" . Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv . Retrieved 11 December 2007 . In 2002, 1. FC Magdeburg were refused
2300-684: The status of an Oberliga and is referred to as such on some websites while the DFB list the league as Bremen-Liga as its new official name. Source: "Verbandsliga Bremen" . Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv . Retrieved 24 February 2008 . Thirteen clubs, four from Niedersachsen and the other nine from Bremen, formed the league in 1947, these clubs being: Source: "Amateurliga Bremen" . Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv . Retrieved 24 February 2008 . Source: "Verbandsliga Bremen" . Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv . Retrieved 23 February 2008 . The complete list of clubs and placings in
2350-427: The teams placed two to six were permitted to remain in the league. The league champion, VfL Osnabrück, was promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga and all clubs from place seven to eighteen were relegated to the Verbandsligas. The league was expanded to nineteen teams and fourteen clubs from the 2nd Bundesliga, Regionalliga West/Südwest and Regionalliga Nordost were admitted. Remaining in the Regionalliga Nord : Relegated from
2400-401: The two separate Oberligas . The 2006–07 league winner and runner-up, Bremer SV and FC Bremerhaven, did not receive an Oberliga licence and were not promoted. At the end of the 2007–08 season, the new 3. Liga was established and the Oberliga Nord disbanded, again. The four northern German states then were the only region without an Oberliga and the five Verbandsligen sit right below
2450-671: The various qualification criteria and were granted a license for play in the new Regionalliga Nord for the 2008-09 season. Remaining in the Regionalliga Nord : From the Oberliga Nord : From the NOFV-Oberliga Nord : From the NOFV-Oberliga Süd : In October 2010, another reform of the Regionalligas expanded the number of leagues to five, with the Nordost clubs leaving the Regionalliga Nord to form their own Regionalliga Nordost once more. The new system came into operation in
2500-464: Was actually a reformation of the "old" Regionalliga Nord which operated from 1963 to 1974 in the same region but then as the second tier of German football. Unlike the "old" Regionalliga, the new one allowed reserve teams to compete in it. After six seasons, in 2000, the number of Regionalligas was reduced from four to two. Only the Regionalligas Süd and Nord survived. The clubs of the other two were spread according to their geographical location. Only
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