Mittelrheinliga

Mittelrheinliga
Founded
1956
Nation
Germany
State
Nordrhein-Westfalen
Promotion To
NRW-Liga
Relegation To
Landesliga Mittelrhein-Staffel 1
Landesliga Mittelrhein-Staffel 2
Number of Teams
17
Level on Pyramid
Level 6
Current Champions 2010–11
FC Junkersdorf

The Mittelrheinliga, formerly the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein, is the highest Football League in the region of Mittelrhein which is part of the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. It is the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until 2008, when the 3rd Liga was introduced, it was the 5th tier of the German league system.

Overview

The league was formed from 15 clubs in 1956 to provide a single-division highest league for the Mittelrhein Football Association. Previous to this, the two Landesligen were the highest level of play in the region. The Landesligen still remain as the tier below the Verbandsliga to this day.

Upon its inception, the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein became the third tier of the German league system. The league champion had to compete with the winner of the Verbandsliga Niederrhein for promotion to the 2nd Oberliga West. Only the Bonner FV in 1959 was successful at that. Upon introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963, the league was set below the new Regionalliga West but remained as the third tier. With the exception of 1963 and 1974, when the league systems were changed, the champion continued to have the opportunity to win promotion. The clubs from the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein remained mostly unsuccessful as that, only archiving promotion in 1966, 67, 68, 73, 75, 76 and 78.

The league operated with 16 clubs throughout most of its existence, only occasionally altering the numbers to balance out promotion and relegation.

With the replacement of the Regionalliga by the 2nd Bundesliga Nord in 1974, the league champion 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 Nordrhein was formed as the third tier of football in the region compromising the area of the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein and Verbandsliga Niederrhein. One of the main reasons for this move was to provide direct promotion for the tier-three champions again. This seasons league winner, Viktoria Köln, was promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga, the clubs placed two to ten in the league were admitted to the new Oberliga, these being:

• SV Baesweiler 09
• Bonner SC
• 1. FC Köln II
• SC Jülich 1910
• TuS Langerwehe
• SV Siegburg 04
• FC Niederembt
• FV Bad Honnef
• Borussia Brand

Verbandsliga Mittelrhein, together with Niederrhein, 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 Nordrhein.

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

From 2008, with the introduction of the 3rd Liga, the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein was downgraded to the sixth tier. The league above it was then the new Oberliga Nordrhein-Westfalen, a merger of the Oberligas Nordrhein and Westfalen. The champion of the Verbandsliga continued to be directly promoted but since there was now four Verbandsligen below the Oberliga, the runners-up didn't have the option of promotion unless the league winner declined.

League champions

Season Club 1956–57 SV Stolberg 1957–58 SSG Bergisch Gladbach 1958–59 Bonner FV 1959–60 SV Baesweiler 09 1960–61 SV Siegburg 04 1961–62 Tura Bonn 1962–63 SG Düren 99 1963–64 SV Schlebusch 1964–65 1. FC Köln II 1965–66 SG Düren 99 1966–67 1. FC Köln II 1967–68 Bonner SC 1968–69 SC Jülich 10 1969–70 SC Jülich 10 1970–71 SC Jülich 10 1971–72 Bonner SC 1972–73 SV Frechen 20 1973–74 Bayer Leverkusen

Season Club 1974–75 Bayer Leverkusen 1975–76 Bonner SC 1976–77 1. FC Köln II 1977–78 Viktoria Köln 1978–79 Rhenania Richterich 1979–80 SV Frechen 20 1980–81 Bayer Leverkusen II 1981–82 TuS Langerwehe 1982–83 SG Düren 99 1983–84 SV Siegburg 04 1984–85 Bonner SC 1985–86 TuS Lindlar 1986–87 SC Jülich 10 1987–88 SC Brück 1988–89 Alemannia Aachen II 1989–90 TuS Langerwehe 1990–91 SC Brück 1991–92 1. FC Köln II

Season Club 1992–93 Germania Teveren 1993–94 TuS Langerwehe 1994–95 VfL Rheinbach 1995–96 SSG Bergisch Gladbach 1996–97 Rhenania Würselen 1997–98 SCB Preußen Köln 1998–99 TSC Euskirchen 1999–2000 Borussia Freialdenhoven 2000–01 Bonner SC 2001–02 GFC Düren 09 2002–03 PSI Yurdumspor Köln 2003–04 Alemania Aachen II 2004–05 FC Wegberg-Beeck 2005–06 SSG Bergisch Gladbach 2006–07 Germania Dattenfeld 2007–08 VfL Leverkusen 2008–09 SSG Bergisch Gladbach 2009–10 FC Wegberg-Beeck 2010–11 FC Junkersdorf

Source:"Verbandsliga Mittelrhein". Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv. http://www.f-archiv.de/. Retrieved 2008-03-19. 

• In 1966, the second placed Bonner SC was promoted instead of SG Düren 99.
• In 1967, the second placed Fortuna Köln was promoted because 1. FC Köln II was ineligible.
• In 1973, the second placed Viktoria Köln was promoted instead of SV Frechen 20.
• In 2008, the second placed Fortuna Köln was promoted because VfL Leverkusen was refused a Regionalliga licence.
• The Bonner SC holds the record number of titles, seven, two of them won by its predecessor sides Tura and BFV.

Founding members of the league

From the 2nd Oberliga West:

• Rhenania Würeselen

From the Landesliga Gruppe 1:

• SSV Troisdorf 05
• Rapid Köln
• VfL Köln 99
• SV Habbelrath-Grefrath
• SG Eschweiler
• SV Stolberg
• Tura Hennef

From the Landesliga Gruppe 2:

• SSG Bergisch Gladbach
• Fortuna Köln
• FV Godesberg 08
• SV Merkstein
• Viktoria Alsdorf
• BC Kohlscheid
• Tura Bonn

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 Mittelrhein at fussballdaten.de
• (German) Mittelrhein Football Association (FVM)