Oberliga Niederrhein

Last updated
Oberliga Niederrhein
Karte-DFB-Regionalverbande-NR.png
Organising body Lower Rhine Football Association
Founded1956
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Region Lower Rhine
Number of clubs21
Level on pyramid Level 5
Promotion to Regionalliga West
Relegation to Landesliga Niederrhein
(3 divisions)
Current champions SSVg Velbert
(2024–25)
Current: 2024–25 Oberliga Niederrhein

The Oberliga Niederrhein (English: Premier League of the Lower Rhine) is a German amateur football division administered by the Football Association of the Lower Rhine, one of the 21 German state football associations. Being the top flight of the Lower Rhine state association, the Oberliga is currently a level 5 division of the German football league system.

Contents

History

Until 1956, a total of ten Landesliga divisions, among them three divisions of Landesliga Niederrhein were the highest amateur level in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. After the regular season, the ten Landesliga champions had to play-off for two promotion spots to 2. Oberliga West. Upon decision of the superior Western German football association, in 1956 four divisions of Verbandsliga were introduced, one of them being the Verbandsliga Niederrhein. [1] These four divisions of Verbandsliga still exist today, with the Verbandsliga Niederrhein in 2008 renamed to Niederrheinliga and later in 2012 renamed to Oberliga Niederrhein.

The Verbandsliga Niederrhein was upon its inception the third tier of the German football league system. The league champion had to play-off the winners of the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein and the two divisions of Verbandsliga Westfalen for two promotion spots to the 2nd Oberliga West. Upon introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963, the league was set below the new Regionalliga West but remained as the third tier. With the exception of 1963 and 1974, when the league systems were changed, the champion continued to have the opportunity to win promotion. In 1964, 1970, 1976 and 1978, the league winner failed to do so; in every other season they were successful. In 1977, the runner-up was promoted as Fortuna Düsseldorf II was ineligible.

The league operated with 16 clubs throughout most of its existence, only occasionally altering the numbers to balance out promotion and relegation.

With the replacement of the Regionalliga by the 2nd Bundesliga Nord in 1974, the league champion had to gain promotion through a play-off system with the winners of the other tier-three leagues in northern Germany.

In 1978, the Amateur-Oberliga Nordrhein was formed as the third tier of football in the region compromising the area of the Verbandsliga Niederrhein and Verbandsliga Mittelrhein. One of the main reasons for this move was to provide direct promotion for the tier-three champions again. The clubs placed one to seven in the league were admitted to the new Oberliga, these being:

Verbandsliga Niederrhein, together with Mittelrhein, remained as a feeder league for the new Oberliga, but now as a tier-four competition. Its champion, and in some years the runners-up, were directly promoted to the Oberliga Nordrhein.

With the re-introduction of the Regionalligen in 1994, the league slipped to tier five but remained unchanged otherwise.

From 2008, with the introduction of the 3rd Liga, the Verbandsliga Niederrhein was downgraded to the sixth tier. The league above it was then the new NRW-Liga, a merger of the Oberligen Nordrhein and Westfalen. The champion of the Verbandsliga continued to be directly promoted but since there were now four Verbandsligen below the Oberliga, the runners-up did not have the option of promotion unless the league winner declined.

The NRW-Liga existed for only for seasons before it was disbanded again in the wake of the Regionalliga West becoming a league for clubs from North Rhine-Westphalia only. While the Oberliga Westfalen was established again in one half of the state the regions of Lower Rhine and Middle Rhine opted to elevate the Niederrheinliga and Mittelrheinliga to Oberliga status instead of reforming the Oberliga Nordrhein.

League champions

SeasonClub
1956–57VfL Benrath
1957–58TuS Lintfort
1958–59 TuS Duisburg 48/99
1959–60BV Osterfeld
1960–61SV Neukirchen
1961–62FV Duisburg 08
1962–63Homberger SV
1963–64Homberger SV
1964–65VfB Bottrop
1965–66VfR Neuß
1966–67VfB Bottrop
1967–68Eintracht Duisburg
1968–69 SSVg Velbert
1969–70Sterkrade 06/07
1970–71 FC Bayer 05 Uerdingen
1971–72 1. FC Mülheim-Styrum
1972–73 Union Solingen
1973–74 VfB Remscheid
1974–75Union Solingen
1975–76 1. FC Bocholt
1976–77 Fortuna Düsseldorf II
1977–78Olympia Bocholt
1978–79FC Bayer 05 Uerdingen II
SeasonClub
1979–80Spfr. Hamborn 07
1980–81VfB Bottrop
1981–82Viktoria Goch
1982–831. FC Viersen
1983–84VfL Rhede
1984–85Spfr. Hamborn 07
1985–86VfB Langenfeld
1986–87Rheydter SV
1987–88SV Wermelskirchen
1988–89 Sportfreunde Katernberg
1989–90VfB Homberg
1990–91Preußen Krefeld
1991–921. FC Wülfrath
1992–93 Rot-Weiß Oberhausen
1993–94Union Solingen
1994–95Fortuna Düsseldorf II
1995–96 SV Straelen
1996–97 Borussia Mönchengladbach II
1997–98Adler Osterfeld
1998–99 MSV Duisburg II
1999–2000SSVg Velbert
2000–01 Borussia Wuppertal
2001–02Union Solingen
SeasonClub
2002–031. FC Kleve
2003–04 TuRU Düsseldorf
2004–05VfB Speldorf
2005–06 SV Straelen
2006–07Fortuna Düsseldorf II
2007–08 Rot-Weiß Essen II
2008–09 VfB Speldorf
2009–10 VfB Homberg
2010–11 KFC Uerdingen 05
2011–12 FC Kray
2012–13KFC Uerdingen 05
2013–14 SV Hönnepel-Niedermörmter
2014–15 SSVg Velbert
2015–16 Wuppertaler SV
2016–17KFC Uerdingen 05
2017–18SV Straelen
2018–19VfB Homberg
2019–20SV Straelen
2020–21None
2021–221. FC Bocholt
2022–23SSVg Velbert
2023–24 Sportfreunde Baumberg
2024–25SSVg Velbert

Source: "Verbandsliga Niederrhein". Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv. Retrieved 19 March 2008.

Clubs in the Oberliga Niederrhein since 2012

The final league placings of all clubs in the league since receiving Oberliga status in 2012: [2]

Club1314 15 16 171819202122232425
Wuppertaler SV R321RRRRRRRRR
1. FC Bocholt 6123103511RRR
KFC Uerdingen 05 1RR21R3L3L3LR63R
SSVg Velbert RR1R5854231R1
SpVg Schonnebeck 52293129722
Schwarz-Weiß Essen 6712151361310910543
DJK Teutonia/SC St. Tönis 81514104
VfB Homberg 10918731RRR1255
VfB 03 Hilden 1314141013108152266
FC Büderich 02 97
SV Sonsbeck 816151388
Germania Ratingen 5153118761445479
TSV Meerbusch 15111091576141181410
SV Biemenhorst 11
1. FC Monheim 11421181712
1. FC Kleve 121157151313
Sportfreunde Baumberg 12141612427349114
SC Union Nettetal 14161613111115
Sportfreunde Niederwenigern 18192116
Mülheimer FC 97 1217
TVD Velbert 1310631518
DJK Adler Union Frintrop 16
Hamborn 07 201017
SV 19 Straelen 1R1RRR
MSV Düsseldorf 16
Cronenberger SC 17141617181718
TuRu Düsseldorf 2894111489171219
FC Kray R2RR1812201620
FSV Duisburg 18221821
TV Jahn Hiesfeld 947365162114
SpVgg Sterkrade-Nord 619
SC Düsseldorf-West 69915720
SC Velbert 11151322
1. FC Mönchengladbach 162323
VfB Speldorf 11181217
VfR Krefeld-Fischeln 1987415
FSV Vohwinkel 17
Düsseldorfer SC 99 18
SC Kapellen-Erft 41013816
SV Hönnepel-Niedermörmter 14141017
MSV Duisburg II R5513
Rot-Weiß Oberhausen II 1361117
TV Kalkum-Wittlaer 18
VdS Nievenheim 17
Rot-Weiß Essen II 12
VfL Rhede 317
SV Uedesheim 1619
PSV Wesel-Lackhausen 20
Wuppertaler SV II 7
1. FC Wülfrath 18

Key

SymbolKey
B Bundesliga (1963–present)
2B 2. Bundesliga (1974–present)
3L 3. Liga (2008–present)
R Regionalliga West (2008–present)
1League champions
PlaceLeague
BlankPlayed at a league level below this league

Founding members of the league

From the Landesliga Gruppe 1:

From the Landesliga Gruppe 2:

From the Landesliga Gruppe 3:

References

  1. "fvn.de: Geschichte des FVN (German)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  2. Oberliga Niederrhein tables and results (in German) Weltfussball.de

Sources