The Regionalliga Nord was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the north of Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2. Bundesliga in 1974. It covered the states of Niedersachsen, Bremen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.

Overview

The Regionalliga Nord started out in 1963 with 18 teams in the league, had 17 clubs from 1964 to 1971 and then returned to a strength of 18.

It was formed from the thirteen clubs of the Oberliga Nord which were not admitted to the new Bundesliga and from five promoted clubs from the Amateurliga. The Regionalliga Nord was as such a continuation of the Oberliga Nord under a different name and a tier lower.

Along with the Regionalliga Nord went another four Regionalligas, these five formed the second tier of German football until 1974:

Regionalliga West, covering the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen Regionalliga Süd, covering the state of Bayern, Hessen and Baden-Württemberg Regionalliga Berlin, covering West-Berlin Regionalliga Südwest, covering the states of Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland

The new Regionalligas were formed along the borders of the old post-World War II Oberligas, not after a balanced regional system. Therefore, the Oberligas Berlin and West covered small but populous areas while Nord and Süd covered large areas. Südwest was something of an anachronism, neither large nor populous.

The winners and runners-up of this league were admitted to the promotion playoff to the Bundesliga, which was staged in two groups of originally four, later five teams each with the winner of each group going up.

The bottom two teams were relegated to the Amateurligas. Below the Regionalliga Nord were the following Amateurligas:

Amateurliga Bremen Amateurliga Hamburg Amateurliga Schleswig-Holstein Amateurliga Niedersachsen (in two groups for the 1963-64 season)

The FC St. Pauli, VfL Osnabrück, Holstein Kiel, Arminia Hannover, VfB Lübeck, VfL Wolfsburg and TuS Bremerhaven 93 all played all eleven seasons of the Regionalliga Nord. The VfL Osnabrück stands out in its consistency, having before that played every season of the Oberliga Nord (1947–1963) and afterwards also every season of the 2. Bundesliga Nord (1974–1981). This 37-year run ended only in 1985 when the club was relegated from the 2. Bundesliga to the Oberliga, for a year.

Disbanding of the Regionalliga Nord

The league was dissolved in 1974. According to their performance of the last couple of seasons, six clubs of the Regionalliga went to the new 2. Bundesliga Nord, Eintracht Braunschweig, the champion, was promoted to the Bundesliga. Ten clubs were relegated to the new Oberliga Nord. The northern region was the only one of the five who chose to continue to run a unified highest league for its area, the new Oberliga Nord, not to be confused with the old Oberliga Nord which run till 1963. Two clubs were relegated all the way to the fourth tier, the Amateurligas.

The teams admitted to the 2. Bundesliga Nord were:

FC St. Pauli VfL Osnabrück VfL Wolfsburg HSV Barmbek-Uhlenhorst Olympia Wilhelmshaven SC Göttingen 05

The relegated teams to the Oberliga Nord were:

VfB Oldenburg SV Meppen Arminia Hannover Concordia Hamburg OSV Hannover Holstein Kiel TuS Bremerhaven 93 Heider SV Itzehoer SV Phönix Lübeck

Two teams were relegated all the way to the fourth tier:

VfB Lübeck VfL Pinneberg

Re-formation of the Regionalliga Nord

The Regionalliga Nord reformed in 1994, now as the third tier of German football, taking over from the Oberliga Nord which was disband. In 2000, the Regionalligas were reduced in numbers to two, Nord now covered all of the northern half of Germany. In 2008, with the introduction of the 3. Liga, the Regionalliga became the fourth tier of German football. The clubs from Nordrhein-Westfalen joined the new Regionalliga West and the clubs based in the southern part of former East Germany which were playing in the Regionalliga Süd joined instead.

Winners and runners-up of the Regionalliga Nord The winners and runners-up of the league were:"kicker Almanach" The Football Yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the kicker Sports Magazine SeasonWinnerRunner-Up 1963–64 FC St. Pauli Hannover 96 1964–65 Holstein Kiel FC St. Pauli 1965–66 FC St. Pauli SC Göttingen 05 1966–67 Arminia Hannover SC Göttingen 05 1967–68 Arminia Hannover SC Göttingen 05 1968–69 VfL Osnabrück VfB Lübeck 1969–70 VfL Osnabrück VfL Wolfsburg 1970–71 VfL Osnabrück FC St. Pauli 1971–72 FC St. Pauli VfL Osnabrück 1972–73 FC St. Pauli VfL Osnabrück 1973–74 Eintracht Braunschweig FC St. Pauli Bold denotes team went on to gain promotion to the Bundesliga. The FC St. Pauli (1964, 1966, 1972, 1973, 2007), VfL Osnabrück (1969–1971, 1999, 2000) and Eintracht Braunschweig (1974, 2005) all have won the old and the new Regionalliga. The FC St. Pauli, VfL Osnabrück and Borussia Neunkirchen (Südwest) hold the joined record for Regionalliga titles, five each.

Placings in the Regionalliga Nord 1963 to 1974 The league placings from 1963 to 1974:Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv Historical German domestic league tables Club 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 Hannover 96 2 B B B B B B B B B B Eintracht Braunschweig B B B B B B B B B B 1 FC St. Pauli 1 2 1 5 4 3 4 2 1 1 2 VfL Osnabrück 6 10 7 7 7 1 1 1 2 2 3 VfL Wolfsburg 9 6 8 4 3 7 2 9 3 3 4 HSV Barmbeck-Uhlenhorst 18 14 14 10 10 5 4 5 5 VfB Oldenburg 7 13 12 9 11 13 9 17 11 6 Olympia Wilhelmshaven 15 6 8 12 7 SV Meppen 18 10 8 Arminia Hannover 3 4 6 1 1 5 8 14 14 9 9 Concordia Hamburg 16 9 9 6 13 12 17 10 OSV Hannover 13 15 11 SC Göttingen 05 5 2 2 2 4 5 7 5 4 12 Holstein Kiel 5 1 3 3 8 8 3 4 11 7 13 TuS 93 Bremerhaven 12 7 4 15 5 9 6 8 15 14 14 Heider SV 16 16 9 13 15 VfB Lübeck 14 11 5 10 9 2 7 3 6 6 16 Itzehoer SV 14 12 12 14 12 12 16 16 17 VfL Pinneberg 18 Phönix Lübeck 6 6 13 13 12 8 19 TuS Celle 15 11 10 10 17 SC Leu Braunschweig 14 11 7 18 SC Sperber Hamburg 13 10 17 15 17 Polizei SV Bremen 18 ASV Bergedorf 85 8 8 11 11 15 11 16 FC Altona 93 4 3 10 8 16 TuS Haste 17 VfV Hildesheim 13 15 15 16 Bremer SV 13 17 SV Friedrichsort 15 14 16 Victoria Hamburg 11 12 17 VfR Neumünster 10 16 Rasensport Harburg 17 VfL Oldenburg 17 Source:

Key Symbol Key B Bundesliga Place League Blank Played at a league level below this league

References

Sources Deutschlands Fußball in Zahlen, An annual publication with tables and results from the Bundesliga to Verbandsliga/Landesliga, publisher: DSFS kicker Almanach, The yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the kicker Sports Magazine 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 Regionalligas at Fussballdaten.de