Amateurliga Südwest

Amateurliga Südwest
Founded
1952
Disbanded
1978
Nation
State
Rheinland-Pfalz
Region
Rheinhessen Rheinhessen Rhenish Hesse refers to the part of the former Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt located west of the Rhine river and now part of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is a hilly countryside largely devoted to vineyards, therefore it is also called the "land of the thousand hills." Its larger towns include:... -Pfalz Pfalz Pfalz may refer to:*Kaiserpfalz, also known as Königspfalz, a castle which was a temporary seat of power for the Holy Roman Emperor in the Early and High Middle Ages, etymologically derived from Latin palatium - Geography:...
Promotion To
2nd Oberliga Südwest 2nd Oberliga Südwest The 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:...  1952-63
Regionalliga Südwest Regionalliga Südwest (1963-74) The Regionalliga Südwest was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the southwest of Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2nd Bundesliga in 1974...  1963-74
2nd Bundesliga Süd 2nd Bundesliga Süd (1974-81) The 2. Fußball-Bundesliga Süd was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the south of Germany from 1974 until the formation of the single-division 2. Fußball-Bundesliga in 1981...  1974-78
Number of Seasons
26
Replaced by
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)
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:...  (IV)
Level on Pyramid
Level 3 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...
Domestic Cups
South West Cup South West Cup The South West Cup is one of the 21 regional cup competitions of German football. The winner of the competition gains entry to the first round of the German Cup. It is limited to clubs from the Rheinhessen-Pfalz region of Rhineland-Palatinate, however, teams from the Fußball-Bundesliga and 2nd...
Last Champions 1977-78
FSV Mainz 05

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

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...

 from its inception in 1952 to the formation of the 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...

 and 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:...

 below it in 1978.

Overview

The Amateurliga Südwest was formed in 1952 in the southern half of the state of Rheinland-Pfalz. Before its inception, three separate leagues operated in the area as the highest level of play. The league was a feeder league to the 2nd Oberliga Südwest

2nd Oberliga Südwest

The 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:...

. From 1952 until the establishment of the Oberliga Südwest in 1978, it was the third tier of the football league system.

The winner of the Amateurliga Südwest was not automatically promoted to its superior league but rather had to take part in a promotion play-off

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...

. The champion would have to compete with the winners of the Amateurligas Saarland

Amateurliga Saarland

The Amateurliga Saarland was the highest football league in the state of Saarland and the third tier of the German football league system from 1951, when the clubs from the Saar returned to Germany, till the formation of the Oberliga Südwest and the Verbandsliga Saarland below it in 1978.- Overview...

 and Rheinland

Amateurliga Rheinland

The Amateurliga Rheinland was the highest football league in the region of the Rheinland 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 Rheinland below it in 1978.- Overview :The Amateurliga...

.

Until 1933, the region covered by the Südwest FA was politically part of two other 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...

 states. The south, the Pfalz region, was part of Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

 and the north, the Rheinhessen

Rheinhessen

Rhenish Hesse refers to the part of the former Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt located west of the Rhine river and now part of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is a hilly countryside largely devoted to vineyards, therefore it is also called the "land of the thousand hills." Its larger towns include:...

 region, was part of Hessen. After the war, these regions were incorporated into the new 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 Rheinland-Pfalz. The separation of these areas from their original states results from the outcome of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 when they became part of the French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 occupation zone, while Hessen and Bavaria where in the US zone.

The league was established in 1952 with sixteen teams, the winner gaining promotion to the 2nd Oberliga Südwest. The founder members were:

• BSC Oppau
• VfR Friesenheim
• FSV Schifferstadt
• Phönix Bellheim
  Phönix Bellheim
  FC Phönix Bellheim is a German association football club from the city of Bellheim, Rhineland-Palatinate. Established on 11 February 1921 the club did not come to note until after World War II when they were part of the Amateurliga Vorderplatz from 1947–52 and the Amateurliga Südwest from 1952–62...
  
  
• SV Alsenborn
  SV Alsenborn
  The SV Alsenborn is a German football club from the city of Enkenbach-Alsenborn, Rheinland-Palatinate.The club became famous in Germany in the 1970s as a village club attempting to win promotion to the Fußball-Bundesliga...
  
  
• TuS Hochspeyer
• SpVgg Idar
  SC Idar-Oberstein
  SC Idar-Oberstein is a German association football club from the town of Idar-Oberstein, Rhineland-Palatinate. The club was created in 1971 out of the merger of 1. FC Idar, established 1 January 1907 as SC Alemannia Idar, and Sportvereinigung Idar, formed in 1908...
  
  
• Palatia Böhl
• SC Oberstein 08
  SC Idar-Oberstein
  SC Idar-Oberstein is a German association football club from the town of Idar-Oberstein, Rhineland-Palatinate. The club was created in 1971 out of the merger of 1. FC Idar, established 1 January 1907 as SC Alemannia Idar, and Sportvereinigung Idar, formed in 1908...
  
  
• SC West-Kaiserslautern
• SpVgg Ingelheim
• SV Gonsenheim
  SV Gonsenheim
  SV Gonsenheim is a German association football club from the district of Gonsenheim in the city of Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It was established in 1919 as Fußball-Klub Viktoria Gonsenheim and on 14 September 1919 merged with Fußball-Club Germania 1915 Gonsenheim to form Sportverein Gonsenheim...
  
  
• Fontania Finthen
• FC Sobernheim
• SG Waldfischbach
• SV Mundenheim

With the introduction of the Bundesliga

Fußball-Bundesliga

The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...

 in 1963 the Amateurliga was placed below the new Regionalliga Südwest

Regionalliga Südwest (1963-74)

The Regionalliga Südwest was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the southwest of Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2nd Bundesliga in 1974...

 but still retained its third-tier status. It continued to do so after the introduction of the 2nd Bundesliga Süd

2nd Bundesliga Süd (1974-81)

The 2. Fußball-Bundesliga Süd was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the south of Germany from 1974 until the formation of the single-division 2. Fußball-Bundesliga in 1981...

 in 1974.

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...

 II holds the record for years in the league, having spent 21 continuous seasons in it from 1957 to 1978.

There is room for some confusion with the existence of the Oberliga Südwest as well as the Verbandsliga Südwest and the now defunct leagues Regionalliga Südwest and Amateurliga Südwest. While the Oberliga and Regionalliga of that name cover and covered the whole states of Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland, the Verbandsliga and Amateurliga only covered the southern part of Rheinland-Pfalz and operated as feeders for the first two. The root of the problem lies in the lack of common history in the region and therefore the lack of a common name.

Disbanding of the Amateurliga Südwest

In 1978, the Oberliga Südwest was formed to allow direct promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga Süd for the Amateure champion of the area. The teams placed one to five gained entry to the Oberliga while the next eleven teams were put into the new Verbandsliga Südwest, now the fourth tier of the football league system. The bottom four teams were relegated to the Bezirksliga

Bezirksklasse

The Bezirksliga, Bezirksklasse or Landesklasse is the 8th tier of football in Germany. The Bezirksliga exists in all regions of German football. Below the Bezirksliga usually ranks the Kreisliga...

.

Admitted to the new Oberliga:

• FSV Mainz 05
• Hassia Bingen
• Eintracht Kreuznach
• Südwest Ludwigshafen
• 1. FC Kaiserslautern II
  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...
  
  

Relegated to the new Verbandsliga:

• FK Clausen
• VfR Kirn
• Ludwigshafener SC
• FC Rodalben
• Viktoria Herxheim
• SG Pirmasens
• TuS Landstuhl
• VfR Frankenthal
• Gummi-Mayer Landau
• 1. FC Haßloch
• VfR Baumholder
  VfR Baumholder
  VfR Baumholder is a German association football club from the town of Baumholder, Rhineland-Palatinate. The team played as a second and third division side through most of the 1950s, 1960s, and on into the early 1970s.-History:...
  
  

Relegated to the Bezirksliga:

• ASV Idar-Oberstein
• SV Guntersblum
• SV Worms-Horchheim
• FC Sobernheim

Winners of the Amateurliga Südwest

>

Season Club 1952-53 BSC Oppau 1953-54 SpVgg Weisenau 1954-55 FC Sobernheim 1955-56 Normannia Pfiffigheim 1956-57 Hassia Bingen 1957-58 SC Ludwigshafen 1958-59 Hassia Bingen 1959-60 1. FC Kaiserslautern II 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...   1960-61 FC Sobernheim 1961-62 Phönix Bellheim 1962-63 ASV Landau 1963-64 Eintracht Kreuznach  1964-65 SV Alsenborn SV Alsenborn The SV Alsenborn is a German football club from the city of Enkenbach-Alsenborn, Rheinland-Palatinate.The club became famous in Germany in the 1970s as a village club attempting to win promotion to the Fußball-Bundesliga...

Season Club 1965-66 VfR Kaiserslautern 1966-67 SC Ludwigshafen 1967-68 1. FC Kaiserslautern II 1968-69 ASV Landau 1969-70 VfR Frankenthal 1970-71 Phönix Bellheim 1971-72 Eintracht Kreuznach 1972-73 Eintracht Kreuznach 1973-74 FK Clausen 1974-75 Eintracht Kreuznach 1975-76 VfR Wormatia Worms 1976-77 VfR Wormatia Worms 1977-78 FSV Mainz 05

Source:

• Bold denotes team gained promotion.
• In 1960, the FSV Schifferstadt was promoted as runners-up since Kaiserslautern's reserve team was ineligible for promotion. For the same reason, FV Speyer was promoted in 1968.

Sources

• Deutschlands Fußball in Zahlen, An annual publication with tables and results from the Bundesliga to Verbandsliga/Landesliga, publisher: DSFS
  Deutscher Sportclub für Fußballstatistiken
  The 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 Magazine
  Kicker (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...
  
  
• Süddeutschlands Fussballgeschichte in Tabellenform 1897-1988 History of Southern German football in tables, publisher & author: Ludolf Hyll
• Die Deutsche Liga-Chronik 1945-2005 History of German football from 1945 to 2005 in tables, publisher: DSFS, published: 2006

External links

Das deutsche Fussball Archiv Historic German league tables Verbandsliga Südwest at Fussball.de