Verbandsliga Südwest


The Verbandsliga Südwest is a German amateur football division administered by the Southwestern Football Association, one of the 21 German state football associations. Being the top flight of the Southwestern state association, the Verbandsliga is currently a level 6 division of the German football league system.

Overview

The Amateurliga Südwest was formed in 1952 in the southern half of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Before its interception, three separate leagues operated in the area as the highest level of play. The league was a feeder league to the 2. Oberliga Südwest. 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. The champion would have to compete with the winners of the Amateurligen Saarland and Rheinland.
Until 1933, the region covered by the Südwest FA was politically part of two other German states. The south, the Palatinate region, was part of Bavaria and the north, the Rhenish Hesse region, was part of Hesse. This explains the seemingly odd fact that there are two clubs in the Südwest region named "Bavaria", FC Bavaria Wörth and FC Bavaria Ebernburg. From 1933 to 1945, most of the region was part of the Gau Saar-Palatinate. After the war, these regions were incorporated into the new state of Rheinland-Pfalz. The separation of these areas from their original states results from the outcome of the 2nd World War when they became part of the French occupation zone, while Hessen and Bavaria were 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:
With the introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963 the Amateurliga was placed below the new Regionalliga Südwest but still retained its third-tier status. It continued to do so after the introduction of the 2nd Bundesliga Süd in 1974.
The 1. FC Kaiserslautern II holds the record for years in the Amateurliga, having spent 21 continuous seasons in it from 1957 to 1978.
The Amateurliga Südwest was renamed in 1978, now becoming the Verbandsliga Südwest. At the same time as this, the Oberliga Südwest was reformed, now as the third tier of the league system. The top five teams out of the Amateurliga went to the new Oberliga while the teams from place 6 to 16 found themselves in the Verbandsliga. The bottom four teams were relegated. The new Verbandsliga was now the fourth tier of the league system.
The winner of the Verbandsliga Südwest, like the winners of the Saarlandliga and Rheinlandliga gains direct promotion to the Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar, formerly the Oberliga Südwest. The runners-up will only get a chance for promotion when there is additional spots to fill in the Oberliga, like 1994 when the Regionalligen were introduced and Hassia Bingen was promoted.
There is room for misunderstanding in the existence of an Oberliga and a Verbandsliga Südwest. While the Oberliga covers the two states of Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate, the Verbandsliga covers only the southern half of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Feeder Leagues to the Verbandsliga Südwest
The league champions:
SeasonClub
1952–53BSC Oppau
1953–54SpVgg Weisenau
1954–55FC Sobernheim
1955–56Normannia Pfiffigheim
1956–57Hassia Bingen
1957–58SC Ludwigshafen
1958–59Hassia Bingen
1959–601. FC Kaiserslautern II
1960–61FC Sobernheim
1961–62Phönix Bellheim
1962–63ASV Landau
1963–64Eintracht Kreuznach
1964–65SV Alsenborn
1965–66VfR Kaiserslautern
1966–67SC Ludwigshafen
1967–681. FC Kaiserslautern II
1968–69ASV Landau
1969–70VfR Frankenthal
1970–71Phönix Bellheim
1971–72Eintracht Kreuznach
1972–73Eintracht Kreuznach
1973–74FK Clausen
1974–75Eintracht Kreuznach

SeasonClub
1975–76VfR Wormatia Worms
1976–77VfR Wormatia Worms
1977–78FSV Mainz 05
1978–79Viktoria Herxheim
1979–80TuS Landstuhl
1980–81FK Clausen
1981–82VfL Neustadt
1982–831. FC Kaiserslautern II
1983–84SC Birkenfeld
1984–85FK Clausen
1985–86SV Edenkoben
1986–87Viktoria Herxheim
1987–88SV Edenkoben
1988–89SV Geinsheim
1989–90SC Hauenstein
1990–91Viktoria Herxheim
1991–92TSG Pfeddersheim
1992–93SC Hauenstein
1993–941. FC Kaiserslautern II
1994–95SC Idar-Oberstein
1995–96RW Olympia Alzey
1996–97FK Pirmasens

SeasonClub
1997–98VfR Wormatia Worms
1998–991. FSV Mainz 05 II
1999–2000Eintracht Bad Kreuznach
2000–01SpVgg Ingelheim
2001–02SV Weingarten
2002–03Hassia Bingen
2003–04TuS Mechtersheim
2004–05FSV Oggersheim
2005–06TuS Hohenecken
2006–07SC Idar-Oberstein
2007–08SV Niederauerbach
2008–09BFV Hassia Bingen
2009–10SV Gonsenheim
2010–11Arminia Ludwigshafen
2011–12TSG Pfeddersheim
2012–13Alemannia Waldalgesheim
2013–14TSV Schott Mainz
2014–15FK Pirmasens II
2015–16TuS Mechtersheim
2016–17FV Dudenhofen
2017–18Arminia Ludwigshafen
2018–19SV Gonsenheim