The Under 17 Bundesliga (German: B-Junioren Bundesliga) is the highest level of play in German football for male juniors between the ages of 15 and 17.DFB Jugendordnung – § 5 DFB website: Regulations for youth football, accessed: 16 November 2008 It was formed in 2007 and operates in three regional divisions with 14 clubs each. At the end of season, the three division champions and one of the runners-up determine the German champions for this age group.
History The league was formed in 2007, when the five U 17 Regionalligas merged to form the three Bundesligas as follows: Under 17 Bundesliga North/Northeast formed from: Under 17 Regionalliga North Under 17 Regionalliga Northeast Under 17 Bundesliga South/Southwest formed from: Under 17 Regionalliga South Under 17 Regionalliga Southwest Under 17 Bundesliga West formed from: Under 17 Regionalliga West
As such, the German Football Association followed the example it had set with the Under 19 Bundesliga in 2003, which were reorganised in the same fashion.
The Regionalligas themselves had only been formed in 2000, to replace an even more regionalised system with separate leagues for every regional football association.Rund um die B-Junioren-Meisterschaft DFB website: Explanations to the league system
Mode The clubs in each of the three divisions play a home-and-away round whereby there is no inter-league play. Every club plays therefore 26 regular season games. The bottom three teams in each division are relegated to the next level below, in turn, the best three teams from the region are promoted.
The winner of each league plus the runners-up of the South/Southwest region play in the finals round for the German Under 17 championship. The semi-finals are played in a home-and-away format. If the two semi-final teams playing each other are level on points and goals after the second game, there will be a penalty shoot-out. No extra time will be played.
The two semi-final winners reach the final, which is held at the location of the winner of the predetermined semi-final A, unless the team's stadium does not comply with DFB requirement, in which case an alternative venue will be determined. In the final, which is one game only, in case of a draw after normal time, a 20-minute extra time will be played. If the game is still a draw, a penalty shoot-out will determine the winner.
Geography
The three Bundesligas are not geographically balanced, North/Northeast covers a large area while West a rather small one, but in population terms, the arrangement is much more level. The three leagues cover the following states:
Under 17 Bundesliga North/Northeast Berlin Brandenburg Bremen Hamburg Lower Saxony Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Saxony Saxony-Anhalt Schleswig-Holstein Thuringia Under 17 Bundesliga South/Southwest Baden-Württemberg Bavaria Hesse Rhineland-Palatinate Saarland Under 17 Bundesliga West North Rhine-Westphalia
League pyramid Below the three Bundesligas, a number of second-tier leagues exist which teams are promoted from and relegated to. The league system operates as follows for the 2008–09 season.DFB Jugendordnung – § 19 – Aufstieg in die Junioren-Bundesligen DFB website – Promotion to the Bundesligas, accessed: 27 November 2008
Under 17 Bundesliga North/Northeast The league has two second divisions as the tier below, these being: Regionalliga North Regionalliga Northeast
The league champions are directly promoted while the two runners-ups play each other for a third promotion spot
Under 17 Bundesliga South/Southwest The league has four second divisions as the tier below, these being: Regionalliga Southwest Hessenliga Oberliga Baden-Württemberg Bayernliga
The winners of the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg and Bayernliga are directly promoted. A third promoted team is determined between the winners of the Hessenliga and the Regionalliga Southwest.
Under 17 Bundesliga West The league has three second divisions as the tier below, these being: Verbandsliga Mittelrhein Verbandsliga Niederrhein Westfalenliga
The three league champions are directly promoted.
Levels of youth football German football recognises seven levels of junior football, determined by age and labeled with letters, whereby A is the oldest. In the A level, mixed teams of male and females are not permitted while in B and C mixed teams are allowed if the parents or guardians of the children permit it. Below the C level, mixed teams are generally permitted without restrictions.DFB Jugendordnung – § 5 – Altersklasseneinteilung DFB website – rules & regulations of German youth football, accessed: 27 November 2008 Name Age A-Junioren Under 19 B-Junioren Under 17 C-Junioren Under 15 D-Junioren Under 13 E-Junioren Under 11 F-Junioren Under 9 G-Junioren Under 7
Division champions The champions of the three divisions: Season North/Northeast South/Southwest West 2007–08 Hertha BSC TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Borussia Dortmund 2008–09 VfL Wolfsburg FC Bayern Munich Borussia Mönchengladbach 2009–10 Hertha BSC Eintracht Frankfurt Bayer Leverkusen 2010–11 Werder Bremen VfB Stuttgart 1. FC Köln 2011–12 Hertha BSC 1. FC Nürnberg 1. FC Köln 2012–13 Hertha BSC VfB Stuttgart FC Schalke 04 2013–14 RB Leipzig 1. FSV Mainz 05 Borussia Dortmund 2014–15 RB Leipzig VfB Stuttgart Borussia Dortmund 2015–16 VfL Wolfsburg VfB Stuttgart Borussia Dortmund 2016–17 Werder Bremen FC Bayern Munich FC Schalke 04 2017–18 RB Leipzig FC Bayern Munich Borussia Dortmund 2018–19 VfL Wolfsburg FC Bayern Munich Borussia Dortmund
Championship winners The German under 17 football championship begun in 1977, with the first final being played on 3 July 1977 in Niefern.kicker Almanach 1990 publisher: kicker, published: 1989, accessed: 17 November 2008
Pre-Bundesliga era Season Winner Finalist Result 1976–77 Eintracht Frankfurt FC Schalke 04 2–1 1977–78 FC Schalke 04 Hertha Zehlendorf 6–0 1978–79 Blau-Weiß 1890 Berlin FC Augsburg 1–1 aet (5–4 pen) 1979–80 Eintracht Frankfurt (2) FC Schalke 04 2–1 1980–81 Borussia Mönchengladbach Eintracht Frankfurt 1–0 1981–82 SG Wattenscheid 09 Eintracht Frankfurt 3–1 1982–83 1. FC Kaiserslautern Werder Bremen 2–1 1983–84 Borussia Dortmund TSV 1860 Munich 1–0 1984–85 VfL Bochum Kickers Offenbach 3–0 1985–86 VfB Stuttgart Schwarz-Weiß Essen 5–0 1986–87 Bayer Uerdingen 1. FC Nürnberg 4–0 1987–88 Hertha Zehlendorf VfB Stuttgart 2–1 1988–89 FC Bayern Munich Hertha Zehlendorf 1–1 aet (5–4 pen) 1989–90 1. FC Köln VfB Stuttgart 2–1 1990–91 Eintracht Frankfurt (3) Hertha BSC 8–4 aet 1991–92 Bayer Leverkusen 1. FC Kaiserslautern 2–1 1992–93 Borussia Dortmund (2) FC Carl Zeiss Jena 5–1 1993–94 VfB Stuttgart (2) Hannover 96 3–0 1994–95 VfB Stuttgart (3) Hannover 96 3–1 1995–96 Borussia Dortmund (3) 1. FC Saarbrücken 6–1 1996–97 FC Bayern Munich (2) Werder Bremen 3–0 1997–98 Borussia Dortmund (4) VfB Stuttgart 2–2 aet (3–2 pen) 1998–99 VfB Stuttgart (4) Borussia Dortmund 3–1 1999-00 Hertha BSC FC Bayern Munich 1–0 2000–01 FC Bayern Munich (3) Borussia Dortmund 4–0 2001–02 FC Schalke 04 (2) VfB Stuttgart 3–1 aet 2002–03 Hertha BSC (2) VfB Stuttgart 4–1 2003–04 VfB Stuttgart (5) Energie Cottbus 2–1 2004–05 Hertha BSC (3) Hansa Rostock 2–0 2005–06 TSV 1860 Munich Borussia Dortmund 2–0 2006–07 FC Bayern Munich (4) Borussia Dortmund 1–0
Bundesliga era Season Semi-finals Leg 1 Leg 2 Final Result 2007–08 Hertha BSC – TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 1–6 3–1 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim – Borussia Dortmund 6–4 1. FC Kaiserlslautern – Borussia Dortmund 1–3 1–0 2008–09 FC Bayern Munich – VfL Wolfsburg 3–0 0–1 VfB Stuttgart (6) – FC Bayern Munich 3–1 aet VfB Stuttgart – Borussia Mönchengladbach 2–1 1–1 2009–10 VfB Stuttgart – Bayer Leverkusen 1–2 0–1 Eintracht Frankfurt (4) – Bayer Leverkusen 1–0 Eintracht Frankfurt – Hertha BSC 2–1 3–1 2010–11 VfB Stuttgart – Werder Bremen 2–2 aet (8–9 pen) 1. FC Köln (2) – Werder Bremen 3–2 aet 1. FC Köln – TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 3–2 2011–12 1. FC Köln – Hertha BSC 1–2 4–4 Hertha BSC (4) – VfB Stuttgart 2–0 VfB Stuttgart – 1. FC Nürnberg 0–2 4–1 2012–13 FC Schalke 04 – Hertha BSC 0–1 2–2 VfB Stuttgart (7) – Hertha BSC 1–0 Werder Bremen – VfB Stuttgart 1–7 0–4 2013–14 1. FSV Mainz 05 – RB Leipzig 1–1 1–2 RB Leipzig – Borussia Dortmund (5) 1–2 Borussia Dortmund – Hertha BSC 1–2 4–0 2014–15 VfB Stuttgart – Hannover 96 2–0 1–1 VfB Stuttgart – Borussia Dortmund (6) 0–4 Borussia Dortmund – RB Leipzig 2–0 2–1 2015–16 VfB Stuttgart – Borussia Dortmund 2–3 1–5 Borussia Dortmund – Bayer Leverkusen (2) 0–2 Bayer Leverkusen – VfL Wolfsburg 2–2 3–2 2016–17 FC Bayern Munich – FC Schalke 04 3–0 0–1 FC Bayern Munich (5) – Werder Bremen 2–0 Werder Bremen – Borussia Dortmund 1–1 3–0 2017–18 FC Bayern Munich – RB Leipzig 3–0 2–0 FC Bayern Munich – Borussia Dortmund (7) 2–3 Bayer Leverkusen – Borussia Dortmund 1–1 0–2 2018–19 FC Bayern Munich – 1. FC Köln 0–1 0–4 Borussia Dortmund – 1. FC Köln (3) 2–3 Borussia Dortmund – VfL Wolfsburg 2–1 2–0 2021–22 FC Schalke 04 – Fortuna Düsseldorf 3–0 3–1 FC Schalke 04 (3) – VfB Stuttgart 1–1 aet (3–2 pen) VfB Stuttgart – Hertha BSC 1–0 2–1 2022–23 Arminia Bielefeld – FC Schalke 04 0–1 3–1 Arminia Bielefeld – VfL Wolfsburg 2–1 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim – VfL Wolfsburg 4–3 2–3 (4–5 pen) 2023–24 Borussia Dortmund – RB Leipzig 0–0 3–2 Borussia Dortmund (8) – Bayer Leverkusen 3–2 aet Bayer Leverkusen – Eintracht Frankfurt 2–2 2–2 (6–5 pen) Winner in bold. (2) denotes the number of titles the club has won at this stage when it won more than one. Source: Alle B-Junioren-Meister official DFB website: List of all champions, accessed: 16 November 2008
Winners & Finalists As of 2024, this is the standing in the all-time winners list: Club Championships Finals Borussia Dortmund 8 15 VfB Stuttgart 7 15 FC Bayern Munich 5 8 Eintracht Frankfurt 4 6 Hertha BSC 4 6 FC Schalke 04 3 5 1. FC Köln 3 3 Bayer Leverkusen 2 4 Hertha Zehlendorf 1 3 1. FC Kaiserslautern 1 2 TSV 1860 Munich 1 2 Arminia Bielefeld 1 1 Blau-Weiß 1890 Berlin 1 1 VfL Bochum 1 1 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 1 1 Borussia Mönchengladbach 1 1 Bayer Uerdingen 1 1 SG Wattenscheid 09 1 1 Werder Bremen 0 4 Hannover 96 0 2 VfL Wolfsburg 0 1 RB Leipzig 0 1 FC Augsburg 0 1 Energie Cottbus 0 1 Schwarz-Weiß Essen 0 1 FC Carl Zeiss Jena 0 1 1. FC Nürnberg 0 1 Kickers Offenbach 0 1 Hansa Rostock 0 1 1. FC Saarbrücken 0 1 On five occasions, the Bundesliga champions also won the German under 17 title: 1989: FC Bayern Munich 1996: Borussia Dortmund 1997: FC Bayern Munich 2001: FC Bayern Munich 2017: FC Bayern Munich On two occasions, the Bundesliga champions also won the German under 17 and under 19 title: 1996: Borussia Dortmund 2001: FC Bayern Munich On four occasions, the under 19 champions also won the under 17 title: 1987: Bayer Uerdingen 1996: Borussia Dortmund 1998: Borussia Dortmund 2001: FC Bayern Munich
Clubs & league finishes The clubs and their league finishes in the Under 17 Bundesliga since 2007–08. Also shown are the final placing of the qualifying season 2006–07 and the Regionalliga or region, in color, the clubs qualified from:
North/Northeast