Bremen-Liga
Encyclopedia
| Bremen-Liga |
|---|
| Founded |
| 1947 |
| Nation |
 |
| States |
.svg.png) Bremen The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is... |
| Promotion To |
| Regionalliga Nord Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the northern and eastern part of Germany. It covers ten of the sixteen states of Germany... |
| Relegation To |
| Landesliga Bremen Landesliga Bremen The Landesliga Bremen is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the second-highest league in the German state of Bremen, below the Oberliga Bremen.-Overview:... |
| Number of Clubs |
| 16 |
| Level on Pyramid |
| Level 5 German football league system The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to a series of hierarchically interconnected leagues for association football clubs in Germany that consists of over 2,300 men's divisions, in which all leagues are bound together by the principle of promotion and relegation... |
| Current champions 2010-11 |
| Werder Bremen III |
The Bremen-Liga, sometimes also referred to as Oberliga Bremen, is the fifth tier of the German football league system
German football league system
The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to a series of hierarchically interconnected leagues for association football clubs in Germany that consists of over 2,300 men's divisions, in which all leagues are bound together by the principle of promotion and relegation...
and the highest league in the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
. It is one of eleven Oberligas
Oberliga (football)
The Oberliga is currently the name of the fifth tier of the German football leagues. Before the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier...
in German Football.
1947-1963
The league was formed in 1947 as Amateurliga Bremen by thirteen clubs, including four from outside of the city-state, in the newly recreated state of BremenBremen (state)
The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen is the smallest of Germany's 16 states. A more informal name, but used in some official contexts, is Land Bremen .-Geography:...
which was then part of the US occupation zone
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
in Germany.
The state of Bremen and its football association are the smallest in Germany. The state is actually separated in two halves, the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
are split by the state of Niedersachsen.
From the start, the Amateurliga Bremen was a feeder league to the Oberliga Nord
Oberliga Nord (1947-63)
The Oberliga Nord was the highest level of the German football league system in the north of Germany from 1947 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963. It covered the states of Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.-Overview:...
which its champion had the option of promotion to. Promotion had to be archived through a play-off with teams from the Amateurligas of Niedersachsen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. As such, the league was the second tier of the northern German league system.
Promotion to the Oberliga
Oberliga (football)
The Oberliga is currently the name of the fifth tier of the German football leagues. Before the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier...
however, became hard to archive for the Bremen champion which only succeeded in 1948 and 1961. This resulted however in a number of back-to-back championships, an oddity for leagues at this level in Germany where direct promotion is the standard.
After its second season, the four clubs from Niedersachsen left the league to rejoin the Niedersachsen league system. To this day, the Bremen league system however continues to host a few clubs from the neighboring state, usually clubs based right at the border of Bremen.
The league was expanded to fourteen clubs in its third season, compensating for the lost clubs from Niedersachsen by promoting more local clubs. For the coming seasons, the league stuck mostly with a strength of fifteen clubs.
1963-1974
In 1963, with the introduction of the Bundesliga, the disbanding of the Oberliga Nord and the formation of the Regionalliga NordRegionalliga Nord (1963-74)
The Regionalliga Nord was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the north of Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2nd Bundesliga in 1974...
, the league fell to tier three, but remained unchanged otherwise, with fifteen clubs as its strength. The champion of Bremen continued to have to play-off for promotion, now to the Regionalliga, with the same opposition as before and the same limited success.
The league was increased in size to sixteen clubs in 1973.
1974-1994
After the 1973-74 season, the Regionalliga Nord was disbanded in favor of the 2nd Bundesliga Nord2nd Bundesliga Nord (1974-81)
The 2. Fußball-Bundesliga Nord was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the north of Germany from 1974 until the formation of the single-division 2. Fußball-Bundesliga in 1981...
. The new Oberliga Nord
Oberliga Nord
The Oberliga Nord was the fourth tier of the German football league system in the north of Germany. It covered the states of Niedersachsen, Bremen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein...
was now introduced in northern Germany, as the third tier of the league system, below the 2nd Bundesliga. This meant for the Amateurliga a slip to tier four. The top two teams of the league were however promoted to the new Oberliga and the Amateurliga was renamed Verbandsliga Bremen. The system for promotion from the Verbandsliga remained mostly unchanged but the success rate for the clubs from Bremen greatly improved.
1994-2008
In 1994, the Regionalliga NordRegionalliga Nord
The Regionalliga Nord is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the northern and eastern part of Germany. It covers ten of the sixteen states of Germany...
was re-established, now as the third tier of the league system. The Oberliga Nord was in turn replaced by two parallel Oberliga
Oberliga (football)
The Oberliga is currently the name of the fifth tier of the German football leagues. Before the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier...
s, Niedersachsen/Bremen
Oberliga Niedersachsen/Bremen
The Oberliga Niedersachsen/Bremen was the fourth tier of the German football league system in the north of Germany, existing from 1994 to 2004. It covered the states of Lower Saxony and Bremen...
and Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein
Oberliga Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein
The Oberliga Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein was the fourth tier of the German football league system in the north of Germany, existing from 1994 to 2004. It covered the states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein...
. For the Verbandsliga Bremen, this meant a further slip, now to tier five, but also, for the first time in its history, direct promotion for the league champion.
The 1999-2000 season saw another league system change with the reduction of numbers of Regionalligas, this however had only one effect on the Verbandsliga, no promotion was available this year.
In 2004, it was decided to restore the Oberliga Nord in favor of the two separate Oberligas.
The 2006-07 league winner and runner-up, Bremer SV and FC Bremerhaven, did not receive an Oberliga licence and were not promoted.
2008 onwards
At the end of the 2007-08 season, the new 3rd Liga3rd Liga
The 3rd Liga is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2...
was established and the Oberliga Nord disbanded, again. The four northern German states then were the only region without an Oberliga and the five Verbandsligen sit right below the Regionalliga Nord, parallel to the two NOFV-Oberligen. At the end of the 2007-08 season, the five winners of the northern Verbandsligas played with the sixth placed team from the Oberliga Nord for one last spot in the Regionalliga. The FC Bremerhaven was however refused a Regionalliga licence and therefore not permitted to take part in the promotion round, being replaced by the FC Oberneuland instead.
In the future seasons, promotion for the Bremen champion will only be available through a set of play-off matches with the league winners from Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. These three teams will compete for one promotion spot to the Regionalliga.
The Verbandsliga Bremen will however maintain its status as a tier five league. It is also the only league on this level with a single feeder league, the Landesliga Bremen, below it. In the 2007-08 season, two clubs from the Verbandsliga will be relegated to the Landesliga and two clubs promoted from there.
In the 2008-09 season, only three teams from Bremen played above the Verbandsliga level, these being:
- SV Werder BremenSV Werder BremenSV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
(Bundesliga) - SV Werder Bremen IISV Werder Bremen IISV Werder Bremen II is the reserve team of Werder Bremen. It currently plays in the 3. Liga and has been a regular fixture at 3rd level football in Germany...
(3rd Liga) - FC OberneulandFC OberneulandFC Oberneuland is a German association football club from Bremen, founded on 13 April 1948 in Zum Dorfkrug. In addition to football, the association has departments for basketball and gymnastics.-History:...
(Regionalliga Nord)
While this seems a small number, one has to consider that the Bremen FA only consists of 75 clubs.
From the 2008-09 season, the league effectiveley has the status of an Oberliga and is referred to as such on some websites while the DFB list the league as Bremen-Liga as its new official name.
Position of the Bremen-Liga in the league system
| Years | Tier | Promotion to |
|---|---|---|
| 1947-63 | II | Oberliga Nord Oberliga Nord (1947-63) The Oberliga Nord was the highest level of the German football league system in the north of Germany from 1947 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963. It covered the states of Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.-Overview:... |
| 1963-74 | III | Regionalliga Nord Regionalliga Nord (1963-74) The Regionalliga Nord was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the north of Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2nd Bundesliga in 1974... |
| 1974-94 | IV | Oberliga Nord Oberliga Nord The Oberliga Nord was the fourth tier of the German football league system in the north of Germany. It covered the states of Niedersachsen, Bremen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein... |
| 1994–2004 | V | Oberliga Niedersachsen/Bremen Oberliga Niedersachsen/Bremen The Oberliga Niedersachsen/Bremen was the fourth tier of the German football league system in the north of Germany, existing from 1994 to 2004. It covered the states of Lower Saxony and Bremen... |
| 2004-08 | V | Oberliga Nord |
| 2008- | V | Regionalliga Nord Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the northern and eastern part of Germany. It covers ten of the sixteen states of Germany... |
Source:
Founding members of the Amateurliga Bremen
Thirteen clubs, four from Niedersachsen and the other nine from Bremen, formed the league in 1947, these clubs being:- TuS Bremerhaven 93OSC BremerhavenOSC Bremerhaven is a German sports club based in Bremerhaven, in the federal state of Bremen.-History:The club was founded in 1972 as Olympischer Sport-Club Bremerhaven in a merger of various local football clubs including ATS Bremerhaven, which has roots going back to 1859, Polizei Sportverein,...
- Blumenthaler SV
- SV Hemelingen
- ATS Bremerhaven
- Komet Bremen
- Hastedter TSV
- VfL Visselhövede, club based in Niedersachsen
- SSV Delmenhorst, club based in Niedersachsen
- Cuxhavener SV, club based in Niedersachsen
- TuRa Bremen
- TV Arsten
- Delmenhorster BV, club based in Niedersachsen
- TSV Bassum
Source:
Winners of the Bremen-Liga
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Source:
- bold denotes club gained promotion.
- In 1974, runner-up Bremer SV was also promoted.
- In 1994, the FC Mahndorf, SC Vahr and BTS Neustadt were also promoted.
- In 2005, the runner-up Brinkumer SV was promoted instead.
Sources
- Deutschlands Fußball in Zahlen, An annual publication with tables and results from the Bundesliga to Verbandsliga/Landesliga, publisher: DSFSDeutscher Sportclub für FußballstatistikenThe Deutscher Sportclub für Fußballstatistiken e.V., short DSFS is an association dedicated to collecting and publishing German football statistics, similar to the RSSSF, and is a member of the German Olympic Society.The club used to be best known for its annual publication, the Deutschlands...
- Kicker Almanach, The yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the Kicker Sports MagazineKicker (sports magazine)kicker Sportmagazin is Germany's leading sports magazine and is focused primarily on football. The magazine was founded in 1920 by German football pioneer Walther Bensemann and is published twice a week, usually Monday and Thursday, in Nuremberg...
- Die Deutsche Liga-Chronik 1945-2005 History of German football from 1945 to 2005 in tables, publisher: DSFS, published: 2006