NOFV-Oberliga Süd

Main article: NOFV-Oberliga

NOFV-Oberliga Süd
Founded
1991
Nation
Germany
States
Sachsen-Anhalt
Thüringen
Sachsen
Promotion To
Regionalliga Nordost
Relegation To
Verbandsliga Sachsen-Anhalt
Thüringenliga
Sachsenliga
Number of Clubs
16
Level on Pyramid
Level 5
Current Champions 2010–11
VfB Germania Halberstadt

The NOFV-Oberliga Süd is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the southern states of former East Germany. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German football.

Overview

The NOFV-Oberliga Sud was formed in 1991 when, along with the political reunion of Germany, the former East German football league system was integrated into the German one.

The abbreviation NOFV stands for Nordostdeutscher Fußballverband, meaning North East German Football Association.

Along with this league, two other NOFV-Oberligen were formed, the NOFV-Oberliga Mitte and the NOFV-Oberliga Nord.

The league was formed from clubs from six different leagues: One club from the Oberliga Nordost, the former DDR-Oberliga, fourteen clubs from the NOFV-Liga A and B, the former East German second division, and one each from the three Verbandsligas, the new state leagues. The league accommodated therefore a wide mix of clubs from the east and west of Germany. Unlike the two other NOFV-Oberligas, it contained no clubs from Berlin, due to geographical reasons, and therefore was the only one of the three to have no West German clubs in it.

The league became one of the then ten Oberligen in the united Germany, the third tier of league football. Its champion was however not directly promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga but had to take part in a promotion play-off. In 1994 the league champion was successful in this competition, in 1992 and 1993 they failed.

For the duration of the league and onwards, the leagues below it are:

• Landesliga Sachsen
• Landesliga Thüringen
• Verbandsliga Sachsen-Anhalt, except clubs from the very north of the state
• Brandenburgliga, only clubs from the very south of the state

In 1994, the German football league system saw some major changes. The four Regionalligen were introduced as an intermediate level between 2nd Bundesliga and Oberligen, relegating the Oberligen to the fourth tier. In the east of Germany, the Regionalliga Nordost was formed, a league covering the area of former East Germany and West-Berlin. Four clubs from the NOFV-Oberliga Süd were admitted to the new league:

• Rot-Weiß Erfurt
• Erzgebirge Aue
• Sachsen Leipzig
• FV 09 Bischofswerda

The NOFV-Oberliga Mitte was disbanded and its clubs spread between the two remaining Oberligen in the east. Four clubs from the former league were added to the NOFV-Oberliga Süd.

From 1995 to 1999, the champions of the league were directly promoted to the Regionalliga Nordost.

With the reduction of the number of Regionalligen to two, the league came under the Regionalliga Nord. Six clubs were relegated that season from the now disbanded Regionalliga Nordost to the Oberliga. The regulations about promotion kept on changing and until 2006, the league champion had to play-off with the champion of the northern league for one promotion spot. Only in 2004 did the southern champion failed to win the play-off. From the 2006 season onwards, direct promotion was awarded again.

The league changes in 2008, with the introduction of the 3rd Liga, meant the Oberligen were now the fifth tier of league football in Germany. The top three teams of the league in 2007–08 gained entry to the Regionalliga, the fourth placed team had to play-off against the fourth placed team from the north for one more spot^[1], these teams being:

• Hallescher FC
• Chemnitzer FC
• VFC Plauen
• Sachsen Leipzig qualified for play-offs

Otherwise, the setup of the league did not change and its champion was directly promoted from the 2008-09 season onwards.

Another league reform, decided upon in 2010, will see the reestablishment of the Regionalliga Nordost from 2012 onwards, with the two NOFV-Oberligas feeding into this league again.^[2]

Founding members of the league

The founding members of the league in 1991 were:

From the Oberliga Nordost: FC Sachsen Leipzig From the NOFV-Liga Staffel A: Fortschritt Bischofswerda, now Bischofswerdaer FV 08 Aktivist Schwarze Pumpe, now FC Lausitz Hoyerswerda From the Verbandsliga Sachsen: VFC Plauen From the Verbandsliga Sachsen-Anhalt: SV Merseburg From the Verbandsliga Thüringen: FV Zeulenroda, now FC Motor Zeulenroda

From the NOFV-Liga Staffel B: FSV Zwickau Wismut Aue, now Erzgebirge Aue Chemnitzer SV, now VfB Chemnitz Soemtrom Sömmerda, now FSV Sömmerda Wismut Gera, then 1. SV Gera, merged to form FV Gera Süd 1. FC Markkleeberg, club defunct TSG Meißen, now Meißener SV 08 Bornaer SV Motor Weimar, now SC Weimar 03 Stahl Riesa, disbanded, re-formed 1. Suhler SV Wacker Nordhausen

League champions

Season Club 1991–92 FSV Zwickau 1992–93 FC Sachsen Leipzig 1993–94 FSV Zwickau 1994–95 Wacker Nordhausen 1995–96 VFC Plauen 1996–97 1. FC Magdeburg 1997–98 Dresdner SC 1998–99 VfL Halle 1896 1999–00 FC Lausitz Hoyerswerda 2000–01 1. FC Magdeburg

Season Club 2001–02 Dynamo Dresden 2002–03 FC Sachsen Leipzig 2003–04 VFC Plauen 2004–05 FC Carl Zeiss Jena 2005–06 1. FC Magdeburg 2006–07 Energie Cottbus II 2007–08 Hallescher FC 2008–09 ZFC Meuselwitz 2009–10 RB Leipzig 2010–11 VfB Germania Halberstadt

References

1. ^ "Regulations for the NOFV-Oberligas 2007-08". Nordostdeutscher Fußballverband. http://www.nofv-online.de/html/spielbetrieb.html. Retrieved 6 March 2008. 
2. ^ DFB-Bundestag beschließt Reform der Spielklassen (German) DFB website, published: 22 October 2010, accessed: 16 July 2011

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

• Weltfussball.de Round-by-round results and tables of the NOFV-Oberliga Süd from 1994 onwards (German)
• NOFV-Oberliga Süd at fussballdaten.de (German)
• Nordostdeutscher Fußballverband (NOFV) (German)