The Landesliga Bayern-Nord () was the sixth tier of the German football league system in northern Bavaria. Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008 it was the fifth tier of the league system, until the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994 the fourth tier.
The winner of the Landesliga Nord was automatically qualified for the Bayernliga, the runners-up needed to compete with the runners-up of Landesliga Bayern-Süd and Landesliga Bayern-Mitte and the 15th placed team of the Bayernliga for another promotion spot.
The league was disbanded in 2012, when the Regionalliga Bayern was introduced as the new fourth tier of the German league system in Bavaria. Below this league, the Bayernliga was expanded to two divisions while the number of Landesligas grew from three to five divisions. However, none of the new leagues carried the name Landesliga Bayern-Nord, with the Landesliga Bayern-Nordwest coming closest in territorial coverage.Auf- und Abstiegsregelung der Bayernliga und der Landesligen für das Qualifikationsspieljahr 2011/2012 Bavarian FA website – Regulations for promotion and relegation in 2012, accessed: 16 July 2011
Overview
The Landesligen in Bayern were formed in 1963, in place of the 2nd Amateurligas, which operated below the Bayernliga until then. In the region of the Landesliga Nord, the 2nd Amateurligen were split into three groups, Oberfranken, Unterfranken-Ost and Unterfranken-West. The league was formed from eighteen clubs, seven of them from the Amateurligas (III) and thirteen from the 2nd Amateurligas (IV).Die Bayernliga 1945–1997 publisher: DSFS, published: 1998, page: 55 & 56, accessed: 29 June 2009
In the first eighteen seasons, up until 1980, only the league champions were promoted to the Bayernliga. This was altered in 1981, when the three Landesliga runners-up were given the opportunity to earn promotion, too, via a promotion round.Die Bayernliga 1945–1997 publisher: DSFS, published: 1998, page: 116, accessed: 29 June 2009 It took 14 attempts by a Landesliga Nord club however, to actually achieve promotion through this way, which VfL Frohnlach finally did in 1994. The Bavarian football association actually stipulates in its rules and regulations that every league champion has to be promoted, unless it declines to do so, and every runners-up has to have the opportunity to earn promotion, too.
Below the league, the Bezirksligas were set as the fifth tier of league football, until 1988, when the Bezirksoberligas were formed. In the first years, four teams were promoted from the Bezirksligas, two from each region. In the 1980s, this number was increased to five clubs for a time. The Landesliga Nord was now fed by the two Bezirksoberligen of Unterfranken and Oberfranken. The winner of those were automatically promoted, the runners-up played-off for another promotion spot, the loser of this game then played a decider with the 15th placed team of Landesliga to determine the winner of the last available spot in the Landesliga.
For the most part of its history, the league has operated on a strength of eighteen clubs, only occasionally diverting from this when the number of teams relegated from the Bayernliga to it was more than one. With the changes in the league system there were, on occasion, two automatical promotion places available to each of the Landesligs, like in the seasons 1993–94 and 2007–08.
Clubs based in the border region to Hesse traditionally play in the Hessen football league system rather than the Bavarian Football League System. Notable examples of this are Viktoria Aschaffenburg and FC Bayern Alzenau who both currently play in the Oberliga Hessen. The later only left Landesliga Nord to do so in 1992.
Disbanding The Bavarian football federation carried out drastic changes to the league system at the end of the 2011–12 season. With the already decided introduction of the Regionalliga Bayern from 2012–13, it also placed two Bayernligas below the new league as the new fifth tier of the German league system. Below those, five Landesligas instead of the existing three were set, which would be geographically divided to limit travel and increase the number of local derbies.Attraktive Gegner, regionale Einteilung, weniger Fahrtkosten BFV website, published: 12 February 2011, accessed: 29 April 2011
The clubs from the Landesliga Bayern-Nord joined the following leagues: Champions and runners-up: Promotion round to the Regionalliga, winners to the Regionalliga, losers to the Bayernliga. Teams placed 3rd to 8th: Directly qualified to the Bayernliga. Teams placed 9th to 15th: Promotion round to the Bayernliga, winners to the Bayernliga, losers to the Landesliga. Teams placed 16th or worse: Directly qualified to the Landesliga.
Founding members When the league was formed in 1963 as the new fourth tier of the Bavarian league system in Upper Franconia and Lower Franconia, in place of the 2nd Amateurligas, it consisted of the following eighteen clubs from the following leagues:
From the Amateurliga Nordbayern FV Würzburg 04 1. FC Bayreuth 1. FC Michelau ATS Kulmbach TSV Gochsheim VfB Rehau Wacker Marktredwitz From the 2nd Amateurliga Unterfranken-West SV Großwallstadt TSV Lohr am Main Frankonia Mechenhard
From the 2nd Amateurliga Unterfranken-Ost Bayern Kitzingen Post SV Würzburg 1. FC Schweinfurt 05 II From the 2nd Amateurliga Oberfranken-West SC Sylvia Ebersdorf ASV Gaustadt From the 2nd Amateurliga Oberfranken-Ost VfB Bayreuth VfB Arzberg SpVgg Hof
The clubs in the two Amateurligas placed seventh or better were admitted to the new Amateurliga Bayern, all others went to the new Landesligas. The top-three teams in the four regional 2nd Amateurligas were each admitted to the Landesliga Bayern-Nord. In the case of the 2nd Amateurliga Oberfranken-West, the league champion, the reserve team of VfL Neustadt, was disbanded and the fourth place club in the league, TSV Küps, was not permitted to take its place.
Top-three of the Landesliga The following teams have finished in the top-three in the league:Tables and results of the Landesliga Bayern–Nord Manfreds Fussball Archiv, accessed: 4 February 2011 Season Champions Runners–up Third 1963–64 FV Würzburg 04 SC Sylvia Ebersdorf 1. FC Bayreuth 1964–65 1. FC Bayreuth TSV Donndorf-Eckersdorf SC Sylvia Ebersdorf 1965–66 SpVgg Hof VfL Neustadt FC Münchberg 1966–67 VfB Coburg 1. FC Bayreuth FV Würzburg 04 1967–68 FC Münchberg 1. FC Bayreuth FC Kronach 1968–69 1. FC Bayreuth FV Würzburg 04 1. FC Bamberg 1969–70 FV Würzburg 04 Wacker Marktredwitz TSV Mainaschaff 1970–71 FC Kronach 1. FC Bayreuth FC Münchberg 1971–72 1. FC Bayreuth BSC Saas Bayreuth VfB Coburg 1972–73 VfB Coburg ATS Kulmbach VfB Helmbrechts 1973–74 ATS Kulmbach VfB Helmbrechts 1. FC Lichtenfels 1974–75 1. FC Bamberg TSV Trebgast SpVgg Hof 1975–76 1. FC Haßfurt BSV 98 Bayreuth TSV Trebgast 1976–77 TSV Trebgast BSV 98 Bayreuth VfB Helmbrechts 1977–78 TSV Hirschaid VfL Neustadt BSV 98 Bayreuth 1978–79 VfB Helmbrechts SV Erlenbach SV Hallstadt 1979–80 VfL Frohnlach SV Erlenbach TSV Hirschaid 1980–81 1. FC Bamberg VfB Coburg FC Bayern Hof 1981–82 VfB Coburg FT Schweinfurt TSV Trebgast 1982–83 FC Bayern Hof SV Heidingsfeld 1. FC Haßfurt 1983–84 FC Schweinfurt 05 SV Heidingsfeld VfB Helmbrechts 1984–85 SV Heidingsfeld VfB Helmbrechts FC Bayern Hof 1985–86 FC Schweinfurt 05 VfB Helmbrechts TSV Trebgast 1986–87 FC Kronach VfB Helmbrechts FC Bayern Hof 1987–88 FC Bayern Hof VfB Helmbrechts SC Weismain 1988–89 VfB Helmbrechts SV Memmelsdorf Wacker Marktredwitz 1989–90 Kickers Würzburg DJK Schweinfurt SV Heidingsfeld 1990–91 SC 08 Bamberg VfL Frohnlach FC Bayern Hof 1991–92 VfL Frohnlach SV Heidingsfeld FC Bayern Hof 1992–93 VfB Helmbrechts FC Bayern Hof SV Heidingsfeld 1993–94 FC Bayern Hof SV Heidingsfeld VfL Frohnlach 1994–95 SC Weismain Alemannia Haibach SpVgg Stegaurach 1995–96 SpVgg Stegaurach Alemannia Haibach FV Würzburg 04 1996–97 Kickers Würzburg FV Würzburg 04 Teutonia Obernau 1997–98 SpVgg Bayreuth FV Würzburg 04 1. FC Sand 1998–99 FV Würzburg 04 DJK Waldberg TSV Großbardorf 1999–2000 1. FC Sand SpVgg Bayreuth VfL Frohnlach 2000–01 SpVgg Bayreuth TSV Großbardorf VfL Frohnlach 2001–02 TSV Gerbrunn VfL Frohnlach TSV Großbardorf 2002–03 FV Würzburg 04 TSV Großbardorf VfL Frohnlach 2003–04 VfL Frohnlach 1. FC Bamberg 1. FC Sand 2004–05 FV Würzburg 04 SpVgg Bayern Hof 1. FC Sand 2005–06 SpVgg Bayern Hof 1. FC Bamberg 1. FC Sand 2006–07 FC Schweinfurt 05 Alemannia Haibach 1. FC Sand 2007–08 VfL Frohnlach Kickers Würzburg SV Friesen 2008–09 SV Memmelsdorf 1. FC Sand Alemannia Haibach 2009–10 Würzburger FV FC Schweinfurt 05 TG Höchberg 2010–11 VfL Frohnlach SpVgg Selbitz 1. FC Sand 2011–12 Kickers Würzburg TSV Aubstadt SpVgg Selbitz Promoted teams in bold. The Bavarian football association requires deciders to be played when two teams are on equal pointsSpielordnung: § 14 (2) Feststellung des Meisters BFV website – Rules of the game: § 14 (2) How to determine the league champion, accessed: 7 February 2011 at the end of the season to determine promotion/relegation. While such games are common–place in the other two Landesligas, the Landesliga Nord never yet, as of 2009, had two teams finish on equal points on a promotion or promotion play–off spot.
Multiple winners The following clubs have won the league more than once: Club Wins Years Würzburger FV 6 1964, 1970, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2010 VfL Frohnlach 5 1980, 1992, 2004, 2008, 2011 SpVgg Bayern Hof 4 1983, 1988, 1994, 2006 Kickers Würzburg 3 1990, 1997, 2012 FC Schweinfurt 05 3 1984, 1986, 2007 VfB Helmbrechts 3 1979, 1989, 1993 VfB Coburg 3 1967, 1973, 1982 1. FC Bayreuth 3 1965, 1969, 1972 SpVgg Bayreuth 2 1998, 2001 FC Kronach 2 1971, 1982 1. FC Bamberg 2 1975, 1981
All-time table 1963–2012 The 1. FC Sand holds top spot in the all-time table of the Landesliga Nord, with 1,456 points from 928 games. Number two is the FT Schweinfurt, 46 points behind but with the record number of games, 1,060. Third place goes to 1. FC Bamberg. The last place, number 131, is the FC Wacker Trailsdorf on nine points. For the 2011–12 season, only one team joined the league that hasn't played at this level before, the TSV Kleinrinderfeld.All-time table of the Landesliga Nord 1963–2010 , publisher: Manfred Herzing, accessed: 7 February 2011
Pos. Club Seasons M W D L GF GA P 11. FC Sand28962422245295176413521511 2FT Schweinfurt311060408241411201820471465 31. FC Bamberg24818369191258162012451298 4–128 125 clubs 129SV Frankenwinheim1345524419220 130TSV Scheuerfeld13651304012116 131FC Wacker Trailsdorf1342329301059
League placings since 1988–89
The complete list of clubs and placings in the league since the 1988–89 season:Das deutsche Fussball Archiv: Landesliga Bayern-Nord Historic German league tables, accessed: 7 February 2011