Amateurliga Südbaden

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

The Amateurliga Südbaden was the highest football league in the region of the Südbaden 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 Südbaden below it in 1978.

Overview

The Amateurliga Südbaden was formed in 1945, then called Landesliga, in the southern half of the then state of Baden, which is now the western half of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It was originally a feeder league to the Oberliga Südwest (southern section) and therefore the second tier of the football league system in the southwest of Germany until 1950, when the clubs from Südbaden left the southwest league system and returned to the southern system where they geographically belong. From 1950 until the establishment of the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg in 1978, it was the third tier of the football league system.

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. For this reason the clubs from the south of Baden found themselves thrown in with the Oberliga Südwest (northern group), as those also were in the French zone.

The league was established in 1945 with nine teams in the western and eight teams in the eastern group. Four of those clubs gained entry into the new Oberliga Südwest (southern group) for the 1946-47 season. The year after the league was split into three groups, from 1947 it was staged in one single group and adopted the name Amateurliga. The twelve founder members of the league were:

*ASV Villingen "(FC Villingen")
*Lahrer FV
*SC Baden-Baden
*VfR Stockach
*SpVgg Rheinfelden "(FC Rheinfelden)"
*SpVgg Ottenau "(SV Ottenau)"
*SpVgg Emmendingen "(FC Emmendingen)"
*FC Gutach
*SV Schopfheim
*VfR Engen "(FC Engen)"
*FC Donaueschingen "(FV Donaueschingen)"
*FV Fahrnau

"(Current name in brackets)"

In the post-war days, clubs in the French zone were not allowed to operate under their pre-war names and had to be adopt a new name. They gradually reverted to their old names as this rule was revoked.

In 1950, with the disolvemend of the southern group of the Oberliga Südwest, its 16 clubs were integrated in the southern league system. Two went to the Oberliga Süd, three to the new 2nd Oberliga Süd, the other eleven went to the Amateurligas, six of those to Südbaden.

With the creation of the Amateurliga Schwarzwald-Bodensee in 1960, some clubs of the Südbaden leagues went across, three of those from the Amateurliga, being the FC Villingen, FC Konstanz and FC Radolfzell. Most of those returned in 1974.

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

The winner of the Amateurliga Südbaden 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 Nordbaden, Württemberg and (from 1961) Schwarzwald-Bodensee.

The Offenburger FV is the undisputed champion of this league, having won it nine times. [ [http://ofv.avenit.de/files/upload/Vereinsdatenbank.pdf, Offenburger FV, offical club history (in German), accessed 29/11/2007] ] The club played 29 out of a possible 33 in the league, interrupted only by a four year spell in the Oberliga Südwest. From 1950 to 1978 it was always a member of the league and continued to be a third division side in the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg until 1991, making it 42 uninterrupted years, a German record. The FC Rastatt and SC Freiburg also belonged to the Amateurliga Südbaden for exactly the same time but with lesser success. Rastatt was relegated from the Oberliga in 1986 and Freiburg never fell below its 2nd Bundesliga status again.

Disbanding of the Amateurliga Südbaden

In 1978, the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg was formed to allow direct promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga Süd for the Amateure champion of the state. SC Freiburg, the Amateurligas last champion, won promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga, to this date (2007) the last team from Südbaden to do so. The teams placed two to six gained entry to the Oberliga, seven to sixteen went to the new Verbandsliga Südbaden, now the fourth tier of the football league system. The two last placed teams were relegated to the Landesliga.

Admitted to the new Oberliga:

*FC Rastatt 04
*FC 08 Villingen
*SV Kuppenheim
*DJK Konstanz
*Offenburger FV

Relegated to the new Verbandsliga:

*SV Kirchzarten
*SC Pfullendorf
*SV Weil am Rhein
*Bahlinger SC
*VfR Rheinfelden
*VfB Gaggenau
*FC Emmendingen
*FC Konstanz
*FC Gottmadingen
*VfR Achern

Relegated to the Landesliga:

*FV Lörrach
*FC Radolfzell

Winners of the Amateurliga Südbaden

1946 Fortuna Rastatt + VfL Konstanz 1947 Fortuna Freiburg + Eintracht Singen + SpVgg Rheinfelden 1948 ASV Villingen 1949 Lahrer FV 1964 FC Emmendingen 1950 SC Baden-Baden 1965 SC Freiburg 1951 FC 08 Villingen 1966 SV Oberkirch 1952 Offenburger FV 1967 Offenburger FV 1953 Offenburger FV 1968 SC Freiburg 1954 Offenburger FV 1969 SV Waldkirch 1955 FC Rastatt 1970 SV Waldkirch 1956 FC 08 Villingen 1971 FC Emmendingen 1957 FC Konstanz 1972 FC Rastatt 1958 Offenburger FV 1973 SC Baden-Baden 1959 FC Singen 04 1974 Offenburger FV 1960 Offenburger FV 1975 Offenburger FV 1961 Offenburger FV 1976 FC 08 Villingen 1962 SC Baden-Baden 1977 Freiburger FC 1963 FC Emmendingen 1978 SC Freiburg

Source: "Kicker Almanach", the football yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga since 1937, published by "Kicker" sports magazine.

Bold denotes team gained promotion.

*In 1946, four teams went to the new Oberliga Südwest (southern group), the Fortuna Rastatt (FC Rastat 04), VfL Konstanz (FC Konstanz), VfL Freiburg (SC Freiburg) and SpVgg Offenburg (Offenburger FV).
*Promoted in 1947, the clubs real names are Freiburger FC and FC Singen.
*In 1949, runners-up SV Kuppenheim was also promoted.

References

External links

* [http://www.f-archiv.de/ Das deutsche Fussball Archiv ]
* [http://www.sbfv.de/ SBFV: Südbaden Football Association]