German football league system

The football league system in Germany describes the division of German football leagues. It is a toothed by ascent and descent hierarchical system of 2344 leagues on up to 13 levels, where 33633 teams ( as of season 2012/ 13). The resulting league pyramid provides every member club of the German Football Federation ( DFB) so that the possibility of one day to the highest league in German football, the Bundesliga, ascend, in which the German football champion is determined.

Current league pyramid

The League pyramid consists in this form since the 2012/13 season, with their beginning hitherto in three parallel scales guided by the DFB Regional will be played now in five separate divisions, whose organization the regional associations North, East, West, the National Association of Bavaria and in the southwest responsibility of a special purpose vehicle of the participating national associations of Baden, Hesse, Rhineland, Saarland, South Baden, Württemberg and Southwest.

The team's strengths specified for the respective Divisions apply to the 2012/13 season. If the gaming regulations generally identifies a deviating target number of teams for each league, this is also indicated in parentheses. A deviation from the target number is usually achieved when in the preseason more teams are relegated from the parent division, are as ascended from this division in the parent divisions and the Organising Association in its gaming regulations for this purpose any increase in relegation from the league running in the season provides, but this should take place in the following season.

The number of concerns and losers in each league only according to the current determined ascent and descent control sports promotion and relegation after the 2012/13 season. If a league played in several seasons, the data apply to set-up and losers for every season. If a qualified team for this sporty waived the rise or the rise of her being denied economic reasons, puts in its place the next placed team in the higher division after. If any of this sporty qualified team of economic reasons, the membership will be denied to a league for the upcoming season or they waived their right to start, usually receive the highest placed relegated the right start for the coming season.

Oberliga Hamburg 18 teams 1st place: promotion round ↓ 3 relegated Bremen-Liga 16 teams 1st place: promotion round ↓ 3 relegated Oberliga Lower Saxony 16 teams 1st place: Movers 2nd place: promotion round ↓ 4 relegated

Middle Rhine League 16 teams 1st place: Movers ↓ 4 relegated Oberliga Westphalia 18 teams Place 1-2: Up and Comer ↓ 2-6 relegated

Hesse League 18 teams 1st place: Movers ↓? relegated team Oberliga Baden-Wurttemberg 18 teams 1st place: Movers ↓? relegated team

2 seasons of the division Hamburg ( Hammonia, Hansa ) 32 teams ↑ Up to 1-2 per Oberliga Hamburg division Bremen 16 teams ↑ Up to 2-3 Bremen-Liga 4 seasons of the division Lower Saxony (Braunschweig, Hannover Lüneburg, Weser- Ems) 67 Teams ↑ Up to 1-2 per Oberliga Niedersachsen

Brandenburg- League 16 teams ↑ Up to 1 Oberliga Nordost Berlin- League 18 teams ↑ Up to 1 Oberliga Nordost Association League Saxony-Anhalt 16 teams ↑ Up to 1 Oberliga Nordost Association League Thuringia 16 teams ↑ Up to 1 Oberliga Nordost Saxony League 16 teams ↑ Up to 1-2 Oberliga Nordost

2 seasons of the division middle Rhine ( Season 1, Season 2 ) 32 teams ↑ Up to 1-2 per Oberliga Middle Rhine 2 seasons of the Westphalia League ( Season 1, Season 2 ) 32 teams ↑ Up to 1-2 per Oberliga Westfalen

Association League Southwest 16 teams ↑ Up to 1 Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar Saarland League 18 teams ↑ Up to 1 Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar 3 seasons of the Association League Hesse (Center, north, south ) 55 Teams ↑ Up to 1-2 per Hesse League Association League Baden 16 teams ↑ Up to 1-2 Oberliga Baden- Württemberg Association League Südbaden 16 teams ↑ Up to 1-2 Oberliga Baden- Württemberg Association League Württemberg 16 teams ↑ Up to 1-2 Oberliga Baden- Württemberg

SHFV (Schleswig -Holstein) HFV (Hamburg) BFV (Bremen) NFV (Lower Saxony)

LFVMV (Mecklenburg- Vorpommern) FLB (Brandenburg) BFV (Berlin) FSA ( Saxony- Anhalt) TFV ( Thuringia) SFV (Saxony )

FVN ( Niederrhein) FVM ( Middle Rhine ) FLVW ( Westfalen)

FVR (Rheinland) SWFV (South West ) SFV (Saarland) HFV (Hessen) BFV (Baden) SBFV ( South Baden ) WFV (Württemberg )

BFV ( Bavaria )

Game operation

National league

The Bundesliga they attend 18 professional teams, is the top division in German football. At 34 days, the teams play simultaneously detect each season the German soccer champion. Each team in a season 17 home and 17 away games, each playing home and away against each opponent. By season's end, the two last- placed teams relegated directly and in the following season replaced by the top two teams in the 2nd Bundesliga. In addition, the third- last in the Bundesliga and the third place winner of the 2nd Bundesliga determine in two relegation matches another participant for the following season.

For the Bundesliga, the German Football League ( DFL ) awards for a licensing system to the sporty and economical qualified clubs the professional license required to participate and organizes the sport this nationwide league.

2 Bundesliga

The 2nd Bundesliga, 18 professional teams also participate at the, is the second highest league in German football. The winners and runners climb directly to the Bundesliga. Third-placed denies relegation matches with the third from bottom of the Bundesliga. The losers of the play-offs takes part in the following season on game mode the 2nd Bundesliga. By season's end, the two last- placed teams relegated directly and in the following season replaced by the top two teams in the third division. In addition, the third- last of the second Bundesliga and the third place winner of the 3rd Liga determine in two relegation matches another participant for the following season.

Also for the 2nd Bundesliga in turn assigns the DFL for a licensing system to the sporty and economical qualified clubs the professional license required to participate and organizes the sport this nationwide league.

3 League

The 3rd Liga, 20 professional teams participate at the, is the third highest division in German football and at the same time the lowest fully - professional league. The winners and runners climb directly on to the 2nd Bundesliga. Third-placed denies relegation matches with the third from bottom of the Bundesliga 2. The losers of the play-offs takes part in the following season on game operation of the third league. The three last-place teams rise depending on their belonging to one of 21 regional associations of the DFB in the one from Regional, which is superior to the play mode for the respective national association.

The third league is indeed a professional league, but no DFL License league as the two national leagues (hence called the 3.Liga not " third Bundesliga "). For the organization of 3.Liga the DFB is responsible. As participation approval for the 3rd Liga, the DFB awarded to the clubs licensed, but which is also referred to as "third- League license" in common parlance.

The 3rd League is the top division, admitted in the II teams from DFL license clubs. Documents therefore the end of season one or more II teams the rise places, so this puts a corresponding number in the table I. nächstplatzieren teams after.

Regional

The Regional is the fourth- highest division in German football and formal at the same time the highest German amateur league. In fact, however, prevail in the participating teams mostly semi-professional structures before, for example with regard to the infrastructure available, the scope of the personnel employed by the club advisor or payment of contract players. The operation of the Regional game is not uniformly organized nationwide in contrast to the three professional leagues, but takes place in the divided along regional lines five independent squadrons with a nominal thickness of 16 to 18 teams. The master of the five regional leagues do not rise directly to the third league, but determine, together with the vice-champion of the Regional southwest to draw in return game a total of three climbers, the champion and the runner-up of the Regionalliga Southwest may not meet. Allowed to participate in the promotion round to the south- runner because this area most of the members and teams comprises compared to the other Regional Association areas.

The squadrons North, Northeast and West are organized directly by the respective eponymous regional association. The regional leagues southwest and Bavaria are each organized by the participating national associations. A licensing bzw.Zulassungsverfahren as in the professional leagues takes place from this league level down in principle no longer, however, certain financial and infrastructural minimum requirements must be met by the clubs in the rule for the admission to participation in the top amateur leagues.

From the 3rd division to the Regional Descending teams from their membership will be integrated to the extensive the respective regional leagues regional associations accordingly. Exceptions are only possible for the II teams of professional clubs after consultation among the participating organizations, if otherwise more than seven II teams would play simultaneously in a season of the Regional.

In the Regional II teams from professional clubs are only allowed to take part in the game mode, if the professional section of the club plays at least in the 2nd Bundesliga.

Oberliga

Below the Regional follows the league system is no longer a uniform naming scheme and also no uniform pyramid structure because the concrete design of the gaming operation is the sole responsibility of the respective regional and national associations: Each state association has its own league system, so there is no nationwide uniformity of game classification in amateur football. Accordingly, on the fifth league level is currently eleven top leagues as well as a fifth division settled.

Of the 21 national associations of the DFB organize the eight regional associations Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Middle Rhine, Lower Rhine, Lower Saxony, Schleswig -Holstein and Westphalia their league on its own. A common Oberliga several state associations for carrying out one of the South West Regional Association, which represents the national associations Rhineland, Saarland and West. On the other hand, these are the national associations Baden, Baden and Württemberg. A common league for two seasons organized by the East German regional association, which projects the regional associations of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg- Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony -Anhalt and Thuringia. In the area of the National Federation of Bavaria has been held since the 2012/13 season no league, has since been in their place the discharged as a federation League in two seasons Bavarian League.

The master of the twelve league - seasons as well as the master of both associations, league seasons rise mostly on directly to the relevant superior Regional. The only exceptions are the champions of the Oberliga Hamburg, the Bremen-Liga and the Schleswig- Holstein-Liga, a promotion round contest two more seats in the Regional along with the runners- Oberliga Niedersachsen. Furthermore, also the vice-champion of the Oberliga Westfalen rises directly to the Regionalliga.

Association league / division

The sixth game class level is organized by all 21 national associations of the DFB invariably on its own. Depending on the state association there is in this division that association league or national league. Deviating from some state associations in recent years have started to provide the divisions with the association area more emphasizing naming, such as the Association League Westphalia was renamed Westphalia league.

Below the sixth game class level

Depending on the league system of each State Association, there are, for example, the seventh- highest division level, the Association League ( National Association Saarland), division ( state associations Baden, Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg- Western Pomerania, Saxony -Anhalt, South Baden, Southwest, Westphalia and Württemberg), the country class ( National Association of Thuringia ), Group League ( Hesse Land Association ) District League ( national associations Bavaria, Bremen, Hamburg, Middle Rhine, Lower Saxony, Lower Rhine, Rhineland, and Saxony ) or county league ( national Association Baden, Schleswig -Holstein).

Below the responsibilities of the national associations is then followed regularly to the jurisdiction of the each corresponding to a National Association district or district associations, whose association area often corresponds to the political boundaries of cycle-free cities, counties or government districts. This district or district associations organize play activities to the lowest league level. The lowest league level form the county leagues or classes circle in most organizations. The game classification of leagues in each district or county areas can be different back down and basically depends on how many teams are registered in an association area for the operation of gambling. For example, while the first circuit class in football circles in the region of Lower Saxony Football Association from the perspective of the overall German league system the 9th game class level corresponds, is the first district league in football circles in the area of the football National Association Mecklenburg- Vorpommern from the all-German perspective, the 11th game class level dar. While in the football circles in Mecklenburg- Vorpommern, this is the lowest league and thus the lowest league level, it is in some football circles in Lower Saxony or in part, down to the fifth circle class, which then saw total German equivalent to the 13 game class level (as: season 2013 /14).

Structural reforms

Even before the recent structural reform in 2012, there were repeated changes to the league system. The most important of these changes are listed in chronological order:

League system of the GDR

After the Second World War, the League system in Germany initially developed only within the respective zones of occupation. Then, while the merged thus first regionally separate league systems in the Federal Republic of Germany under the direction of the DFB back to a uniformly structured league pyramid, an independent league pyramid was built under the direction of the German Football Association of the GDR in the German Democratic Republic.