Amateurliga Saarland


The Amateurliga Saarland was the highest football league in the state of Saarland and the third tier of the German football league system from 1951, when the clubs from the Saar returned to Germany, till the formation of the Oberliga Südwest and the Verbandsliga Saarland below it in 1978.

Overview

The Ehrenliga Saarland was formed in 1947 in the state of Saarland. The league was originally a feeder league to the Oberliga Südwest. Due to the special situation of Saarland, its clubs left the German football league system from 1949 to 1951 with the 1. FC Saarbrücken playing a year in the French second division. From its return in 1951, now under the name of Amateurliga Saarland, until the establishment of the Oberliga Südwest in 1978, it was the third tier of the football league system.
The league was established in 1947 with ten teams, the winner gaining promotion to the Oberliga Südwest. The founder members were:
With the return to the German league system in 1951, two teams from the Amateurliga were admitted to the Oberliga Südwest, the 1. FC Saarbrücken and Borussia Neunkirchen.
The year after, three clubs were admitted to the new 2. Oberliga Südwest, the Viktoria Hühnerfeld, SC Altenkessel und Sportfreunde Saarbrücken.
The winner of the Amateurliga Saarland 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 Amateurliga Südwest and Rheinland.
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 2. Bundesliga Süd in 1974.

Disbanding of the Amateurliga Saarland

In 1978, the Oberliga Südwest was formed to allow direct promotion to the 2. Bundesliga Süd for the amateur champion of the area. The last league winner, Borussia Neunkirchen, was promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. The teams placed two to seven gained entry to the Oberliga while the other twelve teams were put into the new Verbandsliga Saarland, now the fourth tier of the football league system.
Admitted to the new Oberliga:
Relegated to the new Verbandsliga:
SeasonClub
1947–48FC Homburg
1948–49Borussia Neunkirchen
1949–50Sportfreunde Saarbrücken
1950–511. FC Saarbrücken II
1951–52Sportfreunde Saarbrücken
1952–53VfB Dillingen
1953–54SV Ludweiler
1954–55SV St. Ingbert
1955–56Viktoria Hühnerfeld
1956–57FC Homburg
1957–58VfB Theley
1958–59SC Friedrichsthal
1959–60SV Röchling Völklingen
1960–61SV Röchling Völklingen
1961–62SV Fraulautern
1962–63Viktoria Sulzbach

SeasonClub
1963–64Viktoria Sulzbach
1964–65SV Ludweiler
1965–66FC Homburg
1966–67SC Friedrichsthal
1967–68SV Landsweiler–Reden
1968–69SC Friedrichsthal
1969–70VfB Theley
1970–71SV Fraulautern
1971–72VfB Theley
1972–73FC Ensdorf
1973–74SV St.Ingbert
1974–75ASC Dudweiler
1975–76Borussia Neunkirchen
1976–77Borussia Neunkirchen
1977–78Borussia Neunkirchen

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