Regionalliga Südwest


The Regionalliga Südwest is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regionalliga Bayern, Regionalliga Nordost, Regionalliga Nord and the Regionalliga West.
The league was formed at the end of the 2011–12 season, when the clubs from the Regionalliga Süd, except those from Bavaria, were joined by the clubs of the Regionalliga West from Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate.

History

The German league system had been reformed in 2008, when the 3rd Liga was established and the number of regional leagues increased from two to three. A further alteration was made in 2011. This was prompted by the large number of insolvencies in the fourth tier, caused by high costs and infrastructure requirements while, at the same time, the clubs at this level complained about low incomes and lack of interest from TV broadcasters. Regionalliga stadiums had to have at least 1,000 seats and a separate stand with separate entrance for away spectators; and such requirements were seen as causing excessive financial strain on amateur clubs. Many clubs also struggled to cope with the 400-page long licence application, as they had to rely on volunteers rather than being able to draw on permanent staff.
This led to Oberliga champions sometimes even declining their right to promotion to avoid the financial risks of the Regionalliga, thus breaking a basic principle of German football, that league champions would almost always be promoted.
In October 2010, at a special conference of the German Football Association, the DFB, 223 of the 253 delegates voted for a reform of the league system at the fourth level. The number of Regionalligas was to be expanded to five, with the re-establishment of the Regionalliga Nordost, the formation of the Regionalliga Bayern and a shift of the Regionalliga Süd to the new Regionalliga Süd/Südwest, later renamed Regionalliga Südwest.
The suggestion for the league reform had come from Bavaria, where, in a meeting of the Bavarian top-level amateur clubs at Wendelstein, the financial survival of the leagues and clubs in the current system had been questioned. This meeting resulted in the publication of what was called the Wendelsteiner Anstoß, which demanded a clear demarcation between professional football on the first three tiers of German football and amateur football below that. For this purpose, the paper also demanded a re-establishment of the German amateur football championship as an incentive and goal for top amateur clubs who did not want to turn professional.
In 2017, the league signed an agreement to host the China national under-20 football team, allowing the team to compete in the league in friendly matches to fill in as the league's 20th club. The arrangement was only approved by 16 of the 19 clubs in the league, with those in opposition criticising it as part of the increasing commercialisation of football. During the team's match against TSV Schott Mainz, the display of a Tibetan flag led to the team walking off in protest. Consequently, the Chinese players were recalled and the agreement was abrogated.

Rules & regulations

Promotion to the 3rd Liga

The league champions of the five new regional leagues no longer have the right to direct promotion to the 3rd Liga. Instead, the five league winners and the runners-up of the Süd/Südwest would play-off for three promotion spots. The play-offs are played in home-and-away format, and the two clubs from the Süd/Südwest region can not be paired against each other.
As four teams were relegated from the 3rd Liga at the end of the 2018–19 season, the Regionalliga Südwest champions Waldhof Mannheim, along with their counterparts from the Nordost and West, were promoted directly to the league. In 2020, the three direct promotion spots will go to the Südwest champions and the champions of the two leagues that participated in the promotion play-off in the previous season, while the champions of the Nordost and the West participate in the play-off. This format was initially installed as a temporary solution until the DFB-Bundestag in September 2019 decided on a format that could have enabled all Regionalliga champions to be promoted. On that date, the Bundestag delegates voted to grant the Südwest and West champions two direct promotions indefinitely starting in 2021. A third direct promotion place will be assigned according to a rotation principle among the Regionalliga Nord, Nordost and Bayern champions. The representatives from the remaining two Regionalligen will determine the fourth promoted club in two-legged playoffs.

Qualifying

The new league was nominally going to have 18 clubs; however, in its first, transitional season the DFB permitted up to 22 clubs in the league. Restrictions existed on reserve sides. No more than seven reserve teams were permitted per Regionalliga; should there be more in a league the additional ones would have to be moved to a different Regionalliga. Reserve teams of 3rd Liga clubs are not permitted to play in the Regionalliga. The make up of the clubs entering the new Regionalligas from the leagues below was left to the regional football association and not regulated by the DFB.
One exception to the rule was the Bavarian club FC Bayern Alzenau, who had traditionally played in Hesse's league system. This club would participate in the new Regionalliga Südwest, at their own request, rather than in the Regionalliga Bayern.
19 clubs qualified to play in the league's first season :
The league champions and runners-up:
SeasonChampionsRunners-up
2012–13Hessen KasselSV Elversberg
2013–14Sonnenhof GroßaspachSC Freiburg II1
2014–15Kickers Offenbach1. FC Saarbrücken
2015–16Waldhof MannheimSV Elversberg
2016–17SV 07 ElversbergWaldhof Mannheim
2017–181. FC SaarbrückenWaldhof Mannheim
2018–19Waldhof Mannheim1. FC Saarbrücken
2019–201. FC SaarbrückenTSV Steinbach

The top goal scorers and spectator statistics for the league are:
SeasonOverall
Spectators		Per gameBest supported ClubSpectators
/game		Top goal scorerGoals
2012–13319,159933Hessen Kassel3,489Jérôme Assauer 20
2013–14388,2571,269Kickers Offenbach6,147Petar Slišković 23
2014–15476,2431,556Kickers Offenbach6,364Daniele Gabriele 21
2015–16521,5231,704Waldhof Mannheim6,539Mijo Tunjić 21
2016–17599,7721,754Kickers Offenbach5,229Muhamed Alawie
Patrick Schmidt 		22
2017–18584,7881,710Kickers Offenbach6,199Karl-Heinz Lappe 22
2018–19500,9721,637Waldhof Mannheim6,509Jean Koffi 19
2019–20293,9781,448Kickers Offenbach5,622André Becker 20

Placings in the Regionalliga Südwest

Final league positions of all clubs who have played in the league:
Club131415161718192021
Sonnenhof Großaspach413L3L3L3L3L3Lx
Waldhof Mannheim651312213L3L
1. FC Saarbrücken3L3L2731213L
TSV Steinbach125882x
SV Elversberg23L321543x
FC 08 Homburg1411661534x
Astoria Walldorf8111111135x
Mainz 05 II1133L3L3L7146x
SSV Ulm 1846 210159967x
Kickers Offenbach3L81412358x
1899 Hoffenheim II9109346109x
FC Bayern Alzenau1910x
Bahlinger SC1411x
FSV Frankfurt2B2B2B2B3L141212x
SC Freiburg II727154713x
VfR Aalen2B2B2B3L3L3L3L14x
FC Gießen15x
FK Pirmasens141314916x
TSG Balingen1117x
Rot-Weiß Koblenz18x
VfB Stuttgart II3L3L3L3L71015x
Wormatia Worms12165961316
TSV Eintracht Stadtallendorf1217x
SC Hessen Dreieich18
TuS Koblenz81416815
KSV Hessen Kassel1131081016x
Stuttgarter Kickers3L3L3L3L1317
Schott Mainz18x
SV Röchling Völklingen19
1. FC Kaiserslautern II3441016
Teutonia Watzenborn17
Eintracht Trier5611518
FC Nöttingen1519
SV Spielberg16
SpVgg Neckarelz91217
Saar 05 Saarbrücken18
KSV Baunatal1717
SVN Zweibrücken718
Eintracht Frankfurt II 11512
SC Pfullendorf1318
1. FC Eschborn16
FSV Frankfurt II17
SC Idar-Oberstein18