SV Südwest Ludwigshafen
Encyclopedia
SV Südwest Ludwigshafen is a German association football club
from the city of Ludwigshafen am Rhein
, Rhineland-Palatinate
. The club was formed on 29 May 1964 out of the merger of the traditional sides Sportverein 03 Ludwigshafen and Phoenix Tura 1882. They currently play in the tier sixth Verbandsliga Südwest
.
of the regional Süddeutschland league in the years leading up to World War I. The war significantly reduced play in many parts of the country and the situation did not improve until after the conflict had concluded. In 1921, Phönix beat 1. FC Pforzheim
in a semi-final contest (1:0) before losing 1:2 to 1. FC Nuremberg in the league final. The club earned another second place result in senior level regional play in 1923 in the Kreisliga Pfalz
before entering the new Bezirksliga Rhein
, where it continued to archive good results. From 1927, it was part of the Bezirksliga Rheinhessen-Saar
and remained a top-of-the-table side.
Following the reorganization of German football under the Third Reich in 1933, FC became part of the Gauliga Südwest, one of 16 new regional top-flight divisions. They captured the title there in 1935 and took part in qualification play for the national championship. The following season they crashed to a 10th place finish and were relegated.
In 1936, Phönix was joined with a group of other local clubs (FC Pfalz Ludwigshafen, Stemm- und Ringclub Ludwigshafen, Turn- und Fechtclub Ludwigshafen, Turnverein 1861 Ludwigshafen, and Kanu-Club Ludwigshafen) to play as Turn- und Sport-Gemeinschaft 1861 Ludwigshafen.
TSG won its way into the Gauliga
in 1938, but as World War II made conditions more difficult, play became more local in character and the team played in the Gauliga Südwest/Saarpfalz (1939–41) and the Gauliga Westmark (1941–43). The following season, TSG became part of the wartime side Kriegsspielgemainshaft Ludwigshafen alongside TSG Oppau and Verein für Leibesübungen Friesenheim, completing one more campaign before the division collapsed as war overtook the area.
The club was re-established following the conflict as Sportverein Phönix 1903 Ludwigshafen and played in the first division Oberliga Südwest
from 1945 until 1962 as a mid-table side. They won the 2. Liga-Südwest in 1963, the same year that the new first division Bundesliga was formed. Their title earned the club a place in the new Regionalliga Südwest (II) where they played a single season before the merger that formed the current day club.
The club, now as Tura Ludwigshafen, won promotion to the Gauliga in 1941, belonging to this league until the end of the war.
In 1950, the club returned to first division football, earning promotion to the Oberliga Südwest and remained a mid-table side in this league until 1963, with the exception of 1956–57.
when it earned third place finishes. In 1974, when the Regionalligas were disbanded in favour of the new 2nd Bundesligas, Südwests eleventh place finish meant it did not qualify for the new league. Instead, it had to enter the tier-three Amateurliga Südwest
. In 1978, when the new Oberliga Südwest
(III) replaced the three Amateurligas in the region, the club qualified for the league. The club pulled off a surprise in the 1978–79 edition of the German Cup when it defeated the 1. FC Kaiserslautern
2–1 in the third round.
It initially earned good results, finishing second in 1981 but then declined. From 1988, it had another good spell and finished runners-up once more in 1992. In 1994, when the Regionalliga West/Südwest
was formed, Südwest did not qualify and two years later was relegated to the Verbandsliga Südwest
(V) instead. After five seasons there, the club suffered another relegation in 2001 but recovered immediately and returned to the Verbandsliga where it still plays as of 2008–09.
Football in Germany
Association football is the most popular sport in Germany. The German Football Association is the sport's national governing body, with 6.6 million members organized in over 26,000 football clubs. There is a league system, with the 1. and 2. Bundesliga on top, and the winner of the first...
from the city of Ludwigshafen am Rhein
Ludwigshafen am Rhein
Ludwigshafen am Rhein is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Ludwigshafen is located on the Rhine opposite Mannheim. Together with Mannheim, Heidelberg and the surrounding region, it forms the Rhine Neckar Area....
, Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
. The club was formed on 29 May 1964 out of the merger of the traditional sides Sportverein 03 Ludwigshafen and Phoenix Tura 1882. They currently play in the tier sixth Verbandsliga Südwest
Verbandsliga Südwest
The Verbandsliga Südwest is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga it was the 5th tier of the league system.-Overview:...
.
SV Phönix 03 Ludwigshafen
Fußball-Club Phönix Ludwigshafen was established in July 1904 and played in the Westkreis-LigaWestkreis-Liga
The Westkreis-Liga was the highest association football league in the Bavarian region of Palatinate, the northern parts of the Grand Duchy of Baden, the southern parts of the Prussian Rhine Province and parts of Lorraine from 1908 to 1918...
of the regional Süddeutschland league in the years leading up to World War I. The war significantly reduced play in many parts of the country and the situation did not improve until after the conflict had concluded. In 1921, Phönix beat 1. FC Pforzheim
1. FC Pforzheim
1. FC Pforzheim was a German association football club playing in Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg. The club was established on 5 May 1896 and was a founding member of the German Football Association in Leipzig in 1900. In 2010 it merged with VfR Pforzheim to 1. CfR Pforzheim.-Early success:The club...
in a semi-final contest (1:0) before losing 1:2 to 1. FC Nuremberg in the league final. The club earned another second place result in senior level regional play in 1923 in the Kreisliga Pfalz
Kreisliga Pfalz
The Kreisliga Pfalz was the highest association football league in the Bavarian region of Palatinate from 1919 to 1923...
before entering the new Bezirksliga Rhein
Bezirksliga Rhein
The Bezirksliga Rhein was the highest association football league in the northern part of the German state of Baden and the Bavarian region of Palatinate from 1923 to 1927, when the league was replaced by the Bezirksliga Rhein-Saar.- Overview :...
, where it continued to archive good results. From 1927, it was part of the Bezirksliga Rheinhessen-Saar
Bezirksliga Rheinhessen-Saar
The Bezirksliga Rheinhessen-Saar was the highest association football league in the German state of Saarland, the Rheinhessen part of the state of Hesse and parts of the Bavarian region of Palatinate and the Prussian Rhine Province from 1923 to 1927, when the league was replaced by the Bezirksliga...
and remained a top-of-the-table side.
Following the reorganization of German football under the Third Reich in 1933, FC became part of the Gauliga Südwest, one of 16 new regional top-flight divisions. They captured the title there in 1935 and took part in qualification play for the national championship. The following season they crashed to a 10th place finish and were relegated.
In 1936, Phönix was joined with a group of other local clubs (FC Pfalz Ludwigshafen, Stemm- und Ringclub Ludwigshafen, Turn- und Fechtclub Ludwigshafen, Turnverein 1861 Ludwigshafen, and Kanu-Club Ludwigshafen) to play as Turn- und Sport-Gemeinschaft 1861 Ludwigshafen.
TSG won its way into the Gauliga
Gauliga
A Gauliga was the highest level of play in German football from 1934-45. The leagues were introduced in 1933, after the Nazi takeover of power by the Sports office of the Third Reich.-Name:...
in 1938, but as World War II made conditions more difficult, play became more local in character and the team played in the Gauliga Südwest/Saarpfalz (1939–41) and the Gauliga Westmark (1941–43). The following season, TSG became part of the wartime side Kriegsspielgemainshaft Ludwigshafen alongside TSG Oppau and Verein für Leibesübungen Friesenheim, completing one more campaign before the division collapsed as war overtook the area.
The club was re-established following the conflict as Sportverein Phönix 1903 Ludwigshafen and played in the first division Oberliga Südwest
Oberliga Südwest (1945-63)
The Oberliga Südwest was the highest level of the German football league system in the southwest of Germany from 1945 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963. It covered the two states of Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland.-Overview:...
from 1945 until 1962 as a mid-table side. They won the 2. Liga-Südwest in 1963, the same year that the new first division Bundesliga was formed. Their title earned the club a place in the new Regionalliga Südwest (II) where they played a single season before the merger that formed the current day club.
Tura 1882 Ludwigshafen
The Tura 1882 Ludwigshafen was itself the result of a merger. His predecessors were the Ludwigshafen FG 03, as the FC Palatinate 1909 who belonged to the Kreisliga West from 1914. After the formation of the Bezirksliga Rhein, the FG played three seasons in this league before entering the Bezirksliga Rhein-Saar in 1927. A fourth place in 1928 was its best result there.The club, now as Tura Ludwigshafen, won promotion to the Gauliga in 1941, belonging to this league until the end of the war.
In 1950, the club returned to first division football, earning promotion to the Oberliga Südwest and remained a mid-table side in this league until 1963, with the exception of 1956–57.
Südwest Ludwigshafen
The new club continued to play in the Regionalliga Südwest after the merger in 1964 but remained an undestinctive side. Only in 1970 and 1971 did it come close to taking part in the Promotion round to the Fussball-BundesligaPromotion to the Fussball-Bundesliga
The Promotion to the Fußball-Bundesliga was an end-of-season competition, held annually to determined the clubs that were promoted from the Regionalligas, later the 2nd Bundesligas to the Fußball-Bundesliga. Originally, it was necessary because there were more second division champions then...
when it earned third place finishes. In 1974, when the Regionalligas were disbanded in favour of the new 2nd Bundesligas, Südwests eleventh place finish meant it did not qualify for the new league. Instead, it had to enter the tier-three Amateurliga Südwest
Amateurliga Südwest
The Amateurliga Südwest was the highest football league in the region of the Südwest FA and the third tier of the German football league system from its inception in 1952 to the formation of the Oberliga Südwest and the Verbandsliga Südwest below it in 1978....
. In 1978, when the new Oberliga Südwest
Oberliga Südwest
The Oberliga Südwest is the highest regional football league for the Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland state of Germany. It is the fifth tier of the German football league system. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German Football, the 5th tier of the German football league system...
(III) replaced the three Amateurligas in the region, the club qualified for the league. The club pulled off a surprise in the 1978–79 edition of the German Cup when it defeated the 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
2–1 in the third round.
It initially earned good results, finishing second in 1981 but then declined. From 1988, it had another good spell and finished runners-up once more in 1992. In 1994, when the Regionalliga West/Südwest
Regionalliga West/Südwest
The Regionalliga West/Südwest was the third tier of the German football league system in the states of Saarland, Rheinland-Pfalz and Nordrhein-Westfalen from 1994 to 2000.- Overview :...
was formed, Südwest did not qualify and two years later was relegated to the Verbandsliga Südwest
Verbandsliga Südwest
The Verbandsliga Südwest is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga it was the 5th tier of the league system.-Overview:...
(V) instead. After five seasons there, the club suffered another relegation in 2001 but recovered immediately and returned to the Verbandsliga where it still plays as of 2008–09.
Phönix Ludwigshafen
- Southern German championship runners-up: 1921, 1923
- Kreisliga PfalzKreisliga PfalzThe Kreisliga Pfalz was the highest association football league in the Bavarian region of Palatinate from 1919 to 1923...
(I) champions: 1921, 1922, 1923 - Gauliga Südwest/MainhessenGauliga Südwest/MainhessenThe Gauliga Südwest/Mainhessen was the highest football league in the German state of Hesse,the Bavarian province of Palatinate, the Saarland and some parts of the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau from 1933 to 1941. From 1941, it also included parts of the occupied French region of Lorraine...
(I) champions: 1935 - 2nd Oberliga Südwest2nd Oberliga SüdwestThe 2nd Oberliga Südwest was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the southwest of Germany from 1951 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963. It covered the two states of Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland.-Overview:...
(II) champions: 1963
Ludwigshafener FC Pfalz
- Southern German championship runners-up: 1916, 1920
- Westkreis-LigaWestkreis-LigaThe Westkreis-Liga was the highest association football league in the Bavarian region of Palatinate, the northern parts of the Grand Duchy of Baden, the southern parts of the Prussian Rhine Province and parts of Lorraine from 1908 to 1918...
(I) champions: 1908, 1916, 1917 - Kreisliga Pfalz (I) champions: 1920