Amateurliga Nordbaden

:"For the history of the Amateurliga Nordbaden after 1978, see Verbandsliga Nordbaden."

The Amateurliga Nordbaden was the highest football league in the region of the Nordbaden FA and the third tier of the German football league system from its inception in 1945 to the formation of the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg and the Verbandsliga Nordbaden below it in 1978.

Overview

The Amateurliga Nordbaden was formed in 1945 in the northern half of the then state of Baden, which is now the western half of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It was a feeder league to the Oberliga Süd and therefore the second tier of the football league system in the south of Germany until the interception of the 2nd Oberliga Süd in 1950. From 1950 until the establishment of the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg in 1978, it was the third tier of the football league system.

The winner of the Amateurliga Nordbaden was not automatically promoted but rather had to take part in a promotion play-off to its league above. Usually, the champion would have to compete with the winners of the Amateurligas Südbaden, Württemberg and (from 1961) Schwarzwald-Bodensee.

The separation of Nordbaden and Südbaden results from the outcome of the 2nd World War when the state was split into two separate occupation zones. The north was in the US zone and the south in the French zone. The official names for the two FAs reflect the separation of Südbaden from the originally association, with Nordbaden just simply calling itself Baden FA.

The league was established in 1945 with ten teams, the winner gaining promotion to the Oberliga Süd. The founder members were:

*VfL Neckarau
*VfB Knielingen
*VfB Mühlburg
*VfR Pforzheim
*ASV Feudenheim
*SpVgg Sandhofen
*Amicitia Viernheim
*FV Daxlanden
*Phönix Mannheim
*1. FC Pforzheim

The league was split into a northern and a southern group from 1946 to 1948.

With the introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963 the Amateurliga was placed below the new Regionalliga Süd but still retained its third-tier status.It continued to do so after the introduction of the 2nd Bundesliga Süd in 1974.

The longest continuous member of the league was the SV Sandhausen which gained promotion to it in 1957 and spent 21 seasons in it until its admittance to the new Oberliga in 1978. The VfR Pforzheim spent a record of 28 out of 33 possible seasons in the league.

Disbanding of the Amateurliga Nordbaden

In 1978, the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg was formed to alow direct promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga Süd for the Amateure champion of the state. The teams placed one to five gained entry to the Oberliga while the other eleven teams were put into the new Verbandsliga Nordbaden, now the fourth tier of the football league system.

Admitted to the new Oberliga:

*FV Weinheim
*SV Sandhausen
*1.FC Pforzheim
*VfR Mannheim
*SV Neckargerach

Relegated to the new Verbandsliga:

*SV Schwetzingen
*VfB Eppingen
*VfR Pforzheim
*Karlsruher SC II
*VfL Neckarau
*VfB Bretten
*FVgg Weingarten
*SpVgg Neckarelz
*Germania Mönchzell
*VfB Knielingen
*Alemannia Eggenstein

Winners of the Amateurliga Nordbaden ["Kicker Almanach" The Football Yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the Kicker Sports Magazine]

1946 VfL Neckarau 1963 FV Weinheim 1947 VfB Mühlburg + ASV Feudenheim 1964 SV Schwetzingen 1948 TSG Rohrbach + VfR Pforzheim 1965 Karlsruher SC II 1949 1. FC Pforzheim 1966 Germania Forst 1950 VfL Neckarau 1967 ASV Feudenheim 1951 ASV Feudenheim 1968 VfL Neckarau 1952 Karlsruher FV 1969 Germania Forst 1953 FV Daxlanden 1970 FV Weinheim 1954 Amicitia Viernheim 1971 Waldhof Mannheim 1955 Amicitia Viernheim 1972 Waldhof Mannheim 1956 Amicitia Viernheim 1973 VfR Mannheim 1957 Amicitia Viernheim 1974 Karlsruher FV 1958 VfL Neckarau 1975 VfB Eppingen 1959 VfR Pforzheim 1976 VfR Mannheim 1960 Phönix Mannheim 1977 SV Neckargerach 1961 SV Sandhausen 1978 FV Weinheim 1962 VfL Neckarau

Bold denotes team gained promotion.

*In 1950, three teams were promoted to the new 2nd Oberliga Süd.
*In 1965, the VfR Pforzheim gained promotion as runners-up as the reserves team of Karlsruher SC was ineligiable.

External links

[http://www.f-archiv.de/ Das deutsche Fussball Archiv ]

[http://www.badfv.de/ BFV: Baden Football Association]

References