Amateurliga Nordbaden


The Amateurliga Nordbaden was the highest football league in the region of the Nordbaden FA and the third tier of the German football league system from its inception in 1945 to the formation of the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg and the Verbandsliga Nordbaden below it in 1978.

Overview

The Amateurliga Nordbaden was formed in 1945 in the northern half of the then state of Baden, which is now the western half of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It was a feeder league to the Oberliga Süd and therefore the second tier of the football league system in the south of Germany until the interception of the 2. Oberliga Süd in 1950. From 1950 until the establishment of the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg in 1978, it was the third tier of the football league system.
The winner of the Amateurliga Nordbaden was not automatically promoted but rather had to take part in a promotion play-off to its league above. Usually, the champion would have to compete with the winners of the Amateurligas Südbaden, Württemberg and Schwarzwald-Bodensee.
The separation of Nordbaden and Südbaden results from the outcome of the World War II when the state was split into two separate occupation zones. The north was in the US zone and the south in the French zone. The official names for the two FAs reflect the separation of Südbaden from the originally association, with Nordbaden just simply calling itself Baden FA.
The league was established in 1945 with ten teams, the winner gaining promotion to the Oberliga Süd. The founder members were:
The league was split into a northern and a southern group from 1946 to 1948.
With the introduction of the undesliga in 1963 the Amateurliga was placed below the new Regionalliga Süd but still retained its third-tier status.
It continued to do so after the introduction of the 2. Bundesliga Süd in 1974.
The longest continuous member of the league was the SV Sandhausen which gained promotion to it in 1957 and spent 21 seasons in it until its admittance to the new Oberliga in 1978. The VfR Pforzheim spent a record of 28 out of 33 possible seasons in the league.

Disbanding of the Amateurliga Nordbaden

In 1978, the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg was formed to allow direct promotion to the 2. Bundesliga Süd for the Amateure champion of the state. The teams placed one to five gained entry to the Oberliga while the other eleven teams were put into the new Verbandsliga Nordbaden, now the fourth tier of the football league system.
Admitted to the new Oberliga:
Relegated to the new Verbandsliga:
SeasonClub
1945–46VfL Neckarau
1946–47VfB Mühlburg
ASV Feudenheim
1947–48TSG Rohrbach
VfR Pforzheim
1948–491. FC Pforzheim
1949–50VfL Neckarau
1950–51ASV Feudenheim
1951–52Karlsruher FV
1952–53FV Daxlanden
1953–54Amicitia Viernheim
1954–55Amicitia Viernheim
1955–56Amicitia Viernheim
1956–57Amicitia Viernheim
1957–58VfL Neckarau
1958–59VfR Pforzheim
1959–60Phönix Mannheim
1960–61SV Sandhausen

SeasonClub
1961–62VfL Neckarau
1962–63FV 09 Weinheim
1963–64SV Schwetzingen
1964–65Karlsruher SC II
1965–66Germania Forst
1966–67ASV Feudenheim
1967–68VfL Neckarau
1968–69Germania Forst
1969–70FV 09 Weinheim
1970–71Waldhof Mannheim
1971–72Waldhof Mannheim
1972–73VfR Mannheim
1973–74Karlsruher FV
1974–75VfB Eppingen
1975–76VfR Mannheim
1976–77SV Neckargerach
1977–78FV 09 Weinheim