Niederrheinliga

Niederrheinliga
Founded
1956
Nation
Germany
State
Nordrhein-Westfalen
Promotion To
NRW-Liga
Relegation To
Landesliga Niederrhein-Gruppe 1
Landesliga Niederrhein-Gruppe 2
Landesliga Niederrhein-Gruppe 3
Number of Teams
18
Level on Pyramid
Level 6
Current Champions 2010-11
KFC Uerdingen

The Niederrheinliga, formerly the Verbandsliga Niederrhein, is the highest football league in the region of Niederrhein 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

Map of Germany:Position of the Niederrhein region highlighted in red

The league was formed from 16 clubs in 1956 to provide a single-division highest league for the Niederrhein Football Association. Previous to this, the three Landesligen were the highest level of play in the region. The Landesligen still remain as the tier below the Verbandsliga to this day.

The Verbandsliga Niederrhein was upon its interception the third tier of the German league system. The league champion had to compete with the winner of the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein for promotion to the 2nd Oberliga West. 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. In 1964, 1970, 1976 and 1978, the league winner failed to do so, every other season they were successful. In 1977, the runners-up was promoted as Fortuna Düsseldorf II was ineligible.

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 Niederrhein and Verbandsliga Mittelrhein. One of the main reasons for this move was to provide direct promotion for the tier-three champions again. The clubs placed one to seven in the league were admitted to the new Oberliga, these being:

• Olympia Bocholt
• Rot-Weiß Oberhausen
• VfB Remscheid
• TuS Xanten
• 1. FC Viersen
• ASV Wuppertal
• RSV Meerbeck

Verbandsliga Niederrhein, together with Mittelrhein, 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 Regionalligen in 1994, the league slipped to tier five but remained unchanged otherwise.

From 2008, with the introduction of the 3rd Liga, the Verbandsliga Niederrhein was downgraded to the sixth tier. The league above it was then the new Oberliga Nordrhein-Westfalen, a merger of the Oberligen Nordrhein and Westfalen. The champion of the Verbandsliga continued to be directly promoted but since there were 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 VfL Benrath 1957-58 TuS Lintfort 1958-59 TuS Duisburg 48/99 1959-60 BV Osterfeld 1960-61 SV Neukirchen 1961-62 FV Duisburg 08 1962-63 Homberger SV 1963-64 Homberger SV 1964-65 VfB Bottrop 1965-66 VfR Neuß 1966-67 VfB Bottrop 1967-68 Eintracht Duisburg 1968-69 SSVg Velbert 1969-70 SpVgg Sterkrade 06/07 1970-71 Bayer Uerdingen 1971-72 1. FC Mülheim-Styrum 1972-73 Union Solingen 1973-74 VfB Remscheid 1974-75 Union Solingen

Season Club 1975-76 1. FC Bocholt 1976-77 Fortuna Düsseldorf II 1977-78 Olympia Bocholt 1978-79 Bayer Uerdingen II 1979-80 Spfr. Hamborn 07 1980-81 VfB Bottrop 1981-82 Viktoria Goch 1982-83 1. FC Viersen 1983-84 VfL Rhede 1984-85 Spfr. Hamborn 07 1985-86 VfB Langenfeld 1986-87 Rheydter SV 1987-88 SV Wermelskirchen 1988-89 Sportfreunde Katernberg 1989-90 VfB Homberg 1990-91 Preußen Krefeld 1991-92 1. FC Wülfrath 1992-93 Rot-Weiß Oberhausen 1993-94 Union Solingen

Season Club 1994-95 Fortuna Düsseldorf II 1995-96 SV Straelen 1996-97 Borussia Mönchengladbach II 1997-98 Adler Osterfeld 1998-99 MSV Duisburg II 1999-2000 SSVg Velbert 2000-01 Borussia Wuppertal 2001-02 Union Solingen 2002-03 1. FC Kleve 2003-04 TuRU Düsseldorf 2004-05 VfB Speldorf 2005-06 SV Straelen 2006-07 Fortuna Düsseldorf II 2007-08 Rot-Weiß Essen II 2008-09 VfB Speldorf 2009-10 VfB Homberg 2010-11 KFC Uerdingen

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

• The Union Solingen holds the record number of titles in the league with four.

Founding members of the league

From the Landesliga Gruppe 1:

• TSV Eller 04
• VfL Benrath
• Grün-Weiß Viersen
• SpVgg Gräfrath
• TuRU Düsseldorf

From the Landesliga Gruppe 2:

• FV Duisburg 08
• TuS Lintfort
• SpVgg Hochheide
• Homberger SV
• SC Kleve

From the Landesliga Gruppe 3:

• TuS Duisburg 48/99
• SpVgg Sterkrade 06/07
• BV Osterfeld
• 1. FC Mülheim-Styrum
• SV Borbeck
• TSG Karnap

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 Niederrhein at fussball.de
• (German) Niederrhein Football Association (FVN)