Regionalliga Süd
Founded
1994
Nation
Germany
States
Bavaria
Baden-Württemberg
Hessen
Rheinland-Pfalz (2000-2008)
Saarland (2000-2008)
Thüringen (2000-2004)
Promotion To
3rd Liga
Relegation To
Oberliga Bayern
Oberliga Hessen
Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
Oberliga Südwest (2000-2008)
Number of clubs
18
Level on Pyramid
Level 4
Current Champions 2008-09
1. FC Heidenheim

The Regionalliga Süd 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 southern half of Germany.

[edit] Overview

Map of Germany:Position of the Regionalliga Süd (1994-2000) highlighted

The Regionalliga Süd was introduced in 1994 along with three other Regionalligas, those being:

• Regionalliga Nord
• Regionalliga Nordost
• Regionalliga West/Südwest

The reason for its introduction was to create a highest regional league for the south of Germany and to allow its champions, and some years the runners-up too, to be directly promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga. Previous to the introduction of the four Regionalligas, the leagues below the second division were the Oberligas, which there was ten of. Those ten Oberliga champions had to go through a promotion play-off rather than being directly promoted.

The Regionalliga Süd originally was made up from clubs from the three southern states of Bavaria, Hessen and Baden-Württemberg. In 2000, with the reduction of the number of Regionalligas, the league also covered the states of Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland and Thüringen. It also incoperated one club from Nordrhein-Westfalen, the Sportfreunde Siegen.

From 2008, with the reexpansion of the number of Regionalligas to three, the league again only contained clubs from the three original states.

[edit] Foundation of the Regionalliga Süd

The Regionalliga Süd was formed in 1994 with 18 clubs, originally with six from each of the three Oberligas. However, Baden-Württemberg lost one spot due to the Stuttgarter Kickers being relegated from the 2nd Bundesliga.

The founding members were:

From 2nd Bundesliga:

• Stuttgarter Kickers (Oberliga Baden-Württemberg)

From the Oberliga Bayern:

• FC Augsburg
• SpVgg Unterhaching
• SpVgg Fürth
• TSV Vestenbergsgreuth
• FC Bayern München II
• SV Lohhof

From the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg:

• SSV Ulm 1846
• SpVgg Ludwigsburg
• TSF Ditzingen
• SSV Reutlingen
• VfR Mannheim

From the Oberliga Hessen:

• Hessen Kassel
• Kickers Offenbach
• Rot-Weiß Frankfurt
• SG Egelsbach
• SV Wehen
• SV Darmstadt 98

The "new" Regionalliga Süd was actually a reformation of the "old" Regionalliga Süd which operated from 1963 to 1974 in the same region but then as the second tier of German football. Unlike the "old" Regionalliga, the new one allowed reserve teams to compete in it.

Its first season saw the SpVgg Unterhaching winning the league and being promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga while three out of the four teams relegated came from Hessen.

[edit] Expansion of the league in 2000

Map of Germany:Position of the Regionalliga Süd (2000-2008) highlighted

After six seasons, in 2000, the number of Regionalligas was reduced from four to two. Only the Regionalligas Süd and Nord survived. The clubs of the other two were spread according to their geographical location.

To make room for these extra clubs without expanding past the 18 team number, the seven bottom placed teams were supposed to be relegated. However, FC Augsburg (8th) did not receive a license for the next season and Karlsruher SC II (12th) had to drop down because the first team was relegated to the Regionalliga and regulations forbid two teams from the same club to compete in the same league.

The relegated clubs were:

• FC Augsburg
• Karlsruher SC II
• FSV Frankfurt
• TSF Ditzingen
• SG Quelle Fürth
• Borussia Fulda
• SV Lohhof

In their sted the following seven teams were admitted:

From the 2nd Bundesliga:

• Karlsruher SC
• Kickers Offenbach

From the Regionalliga West/Südwest:

• Eintracht Trier
• SV Elversberg
• Sportfreunde Siegen

From the Regionalliga Nordost:

• FC Carl Zeiss Jena
• Rot-Weiß Erfurt

[edit] The league reform in 2008

Map of Germany:Position of the Regionalliga Süd (from the 2008-09 season) highlighted

With the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 and of a third Regionalliga, the Regionalliga West, the league will become the fourth tier of German football^[1]. The clubs from the regions which joined in 2000 will leave again and the Regionalliga Süd will again only be made up from clubs from Bavaria, Hessen and Baden-Württemberg.

The make up of the leagues will be:

• Winner and runners-up of the Regionalliga Süd will qualify for the 2nd Bundesliga (unless they are reserve teams)
• Clubs placed third to tenth will go to the new 3rd Liga (only the two best placed reserve teams will be admitted)
• Clubs placed eleventh to eighteens will remain in the Regionalligas (only clubs from the three southern states will go to the southern group)
• The four best teams out of the Oberligas Baden-Württemberg, Hessen and Bayern will be promoted to the Regionalliga Süd

With the 2007-08 season having finished on 31 May 2008, the following teams have fulfilled the on-the-field qualification for the Regionalliga. However, financial qualification will also be necerssary^[2].

Remaining in the Regionalliga Süd:

• SSV Reutlingen
• TSV 1860 München II
• Hessen Kassel
• Karlsruher SC II
• SC Pfullendorf

From the Oberliga Bayern:

• SpVgg Greuther Fürth II
• 1. FC Nuremberg II
• TSV Grossbardorf
• 1. FC Eintracht Bamberg
• SpVgg Unterhaching II

From the Oberliga Hessen:

• SV Darmstadt 98
• SV Wehen Wiesbaden II
• Viktoria Aschaffenburg
• Eintracht Frankfurt II

From the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg:

• SSV Ulm 1846
• SV Waldhof Mannheim
• SC Freiburg II
• 1. FC Heidenheim

Sportfreunde Siegen were meant to be the 18th club in the Regionalliga Süd but due to their insolvency, the club will be playing in the Oberliga Nordrhein-Westfalen or below in the 2008-09 season. 1. FC Eintracht Bamberg was the most likely team to be admitted to the Regionalliga in their stead, being the fifth-placed team in the largest of the southern football associations^[3]. Due to the refusal of a licence to Bayernliga champion SpVgg Bayreuth, Bamberg was awarded a place in the Regionalliga anyway. The available last place now went to the SpVgg Unterhaching II^[4][5].

[edit] 2008 onwards

After a 2008-09 season with a large number of new clubs, the league returned to a normal promotion/relegation system, with the winner moving up to the 3rd Liga and the three last-placed teams being relegated to the Oberliga, while the three southern Oberliga champions were promoted in turn. In 2008-09, two clubs from the 3rd Liga were relegated to the league, which would have increased the number of teams to 19. However, Waldhof Mannheim was transferred to the Regionalliga West for the next season. Hessen Kassel, who had hoped to join the Regionalliga Nord for 2009-10 had to remain in the south.^[6] Viktoria Aschaffenburg, which finished on a non-relegation rank, withdrew from the league, allowing Karlsruher SC II to remain in it.

[edit] Winners and runners-up of the Regionalliga Süd

Source:"Regionalliga Süd". Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv. http://www.f-archiv.de/. Retrieved 2008-03-19. 

• In 1997, the runners-up SpVgg Greuther Fürth was also promoted.
• In 1999, the runners-up Kickers Offenbach was also promoted.
• From 2001 to 2008, the runners-up was always promoted. In 2001 however, FC Schweinfurt 05 (3rd) won promotion as VfB Stuttgart II was ineligible.
• In 2004, 1. FC Saarbrücken (3rd) won promotion as FC Bayern München II was ineligible.

[edit] Placings in the Regionalliga Süd 1994 to 2009

Source:"Regionalliga Süd". Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv. http://www.f-archiv.de/. Retrieved 2007-12-09. 

• BL denotes club played in the 1st or 2nd Bundesliga that season.
• 3rd denotes club played in the 3rd Liga that season.
• RL denotes club played in a different Regionalliga that season.
• Clubs from outside the three southern states of Bavaria, Hessen and Baden-Württemberg are marked with an *.

• ¹ FC Augsburg was refused a license in 2000 and relegated to the Oberliga
• ² Karlsruher SC II was relegated to the Oberliga in 2000 since the clubs first team was relegated to the Regionalliga.
• ³ SpVgg Bayreuth was refused a licence in 2006 and relegated to the Oberliga.
• ⁴ VfR Mannheim withdrew from the league in 2002.
• ⁵ TSV Vestenbergsgreuth merged with SpVgg Fürth in 1996 to form SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
• ⁶ Viktoria Aschaffenburg withdrew from the league in 2009.

[edit] See also

• German football league system
• Bundesliga
• 3rd Liga
• Regionalliga
• Oberliga
• German football league teams
• Promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga (Football)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official DFB web site on Regionalliga football
• Football results and tables from Germany