Verbandsliga Niederrhein
Encyclopedia
| Niederrheinliga |
|---|
| Founded |
| 1956 |
| Nation |
 |
| State |
 |
| Promotion To |
| NRW-Liga |
| Relegation To |
| Landesliga Niederrhein-Gruppe 1 |
| Landesliga Niederrhein-Gruppe 2 |
| Landesliga Niederrhein-Gruppe 3 |
| Number of Teams |
| 18 |
| Level on Pyramid |
| Level 6 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 |
| KFC Uerdingen |
The Niederrheinliga, formerly the Verbandsliga Niederrhein, is the highest football league in the region of Niederrhein
Lower Rhine region (Germany)
The Lower Rhine region or Niederrhein is a region around the Lower Rhine section of the river Rhine in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany between approximately Neuss and Düsseldorf in the South and the Dutch border around Emmerich in the North...
which is part of the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. It is the 6th 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...
. Until 2008, when the 3rd Liga
3rd 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 introduced, it was the 5th tier of the German league system.
Overview
Landesliga
The Landesliga is the 7th tier of football in most of Germany, one division below the Verbandsliga. In Bavaria, Sachsen, Thüringen, Bremen, Lower Saxony and Hamburg the Landesligas are set right below the Oberliga and therefore are the 6th tier...
were the highest level of play in the region. The Landesligen still remain as the tier below the Verbandsliga to this day.
The Verbandsliga
Verbandsliga
The Verbandsliga is the 6th tier of football in Germany, played on a regional basis by Bundesland. In Saxony, Thuringia, Hamburg, Bremen and Bavaria the 6th tier is called Landesliga, which is the 7th tier in some of the other Bundesländer...
Niederrhein was upon its interception the third tier of the German league system. The league champion had to compete with the winner of the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein for promotion to the 2nd Oberliga West
2nd Oberliga West
The 2nd Oberliga West was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the west of Germany from 1949 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963. It covered the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, the most populous state of Germany....
. Upon introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963, the league was set below the new Regionalliga West
Regionalliga West (1963-74)
The Regionalliga West was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the west of Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2nd Bundesliga in 1974...
but remained as the third tier. With the exception of 1963 and 1974, when the league systems were changed, the champion continued to have the opportunity to win promotion. In 1964, 1970, 1976 and 1978, the league winner failed to do so, every other season they were successful. In 1977, the runners-up was promoted as Fortuna Düsseldorf II
Fortuna Düsseldorf
' is a German association football club based in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, currently playing in the second tier of German league football, the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga...
was ineligible.
The league operated with 16 clubs throughout most of its existence, only occasionally altering the numbers to balance out promotion and relegation.
With the replacement of the Regionalliga by the 2nd Bundesliga Nord
2nd 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...
in 1974, the league champion had to gain promotion through a play-off system
Promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga (Football)
The Promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga was an end-of-season competition, held annually to determined the clubs that were promoted from the Amateurligas, later the Amateur Oberligas to the 2nd Bundesligas...
with the winners of the other tier-three leagues in northern Germany.
In 1978, the Amateur-Oberliga Nordrhein
Oberliga Nordrhein
The Oberliga Nordrhein was the highest Football League in the region of Nordrhein which is part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1978 to 2008. In its last season, it was one of nine Oberligas in German Football, the 4th tier of the German football league system...
was formed as the third tier of football in the region compromising the area of the Verbandsliga Niederrhein and Verbandsliga Mittelrhein
Verbandsliga Mittelrhein
The Mittelrheinliga, formerly the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein, is the highest Football League in the region of Mittelrhein which is part of the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. It is the 6th tier of the German football league system...
. One of the main reasons for this move was to provide direct promotion for the tier-three champions again. The clubs placed one to seven in the league were admitted to the new Oberliga, these being:
- Olympia Bocholt
- Rot-Weiß OberhausenRot-Weiß OberhausenRot-Weiß Oberhausen is a German association football club in Oberhausen, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club was formed as Oberhausener SV in December 1904 out of the merger of Emschertaler SV and the football enthusiasts of Oberhausener TV 1873...
- VfB Remscheid
- TuS Xanten
- 1. FC Viersen
- ASV Wuppertal
- RSV Meerbeck
Verbandsliga Niederrhein, together with Mittelrhein, remained as a feeder league for the new Oberliga, but now as a tier-four competition. Its champion, and some years the runners-up, were directly promoted to the Oberliga Nordrhein.
With the re-introduction of the Regionalligen in 1994, the league slipped to tier five but remained unchanged otherwise.
From 2008, with the introduction of the 3rd Liga, the Verbandsliga Niederrhein was downgraded to the sixth tier. The league above it was then the new Oberliga Nordrhein-Westfalen
Oberliga Nordrhein-Westfalen
The NRW-Liga, or Nordrhein-Westfalen-Liga, is the highest football League in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is one of the eleven Oberliga groups in German football, the 5th tier of the German football league system....
, a merger of the Oberligen Nordrhein and Westfalen
Oberliga Westfalen
From 1978 to 2008, the Oberliga Westfalen was the highest Football League in the region of Westphalia which is part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In its last season, it was one of nine Oberligas in German Football, the 4th tier of the German football league system...
. The champion of the Verbandsliga continued to be directly promoted but since there were now four Verbandsligen below the Oberliga, the runners-up didn't have the option of promotion unless the league winner declined.
League champions
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Source:
- The Union Solingen holds the record number of titles in the league with four.
Founding members of the league
From the Landesliga Gruppe 1:- TSV Eller 04
- VfL Benrath
- Grün-Weiß Viersen
- SpVgg Gräfrath
- TuRU DüsseldorfTuRU DüsseldorfTuRU Düsseldorf is a German sports club from the city of Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:Turn- und Rasensport Union Düsseldorf claims a number of early Düsseldorf clubs in its heritage...
From the Landesliga Gruppe 2:
- FV Duisburg 08
- TuS Lintfort
- SpVgg Hochheide
- Homberger SV
- SC Kleve
From the Landesliga Gruppe 3:
- TuS Duisburg 48/99
- SpVgg Sterkrade 06/07
- BV Osterfeld
- 1. FC Mülheim-Styrum1. FC MülheimFC Mülheim is a German association football club based in Mülheim an der Ruhr, North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:Spielvereinigung Oberhausen und Styrum was established through the union of a number of local sports clubs including Styrumer Spielverein 08, Styrum 08 and Oberhausener Spielverein...
- SV Borbeck
- TSG Karnap
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