NRW-Liga


The NRW-Liga, or Nordrhein-Westfalen-Liga, was the highest football league in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from 2008 to 2012. It was one of the eleven Oberliga groups in German football, the fifth tier of the German football league system.
With the reorganisation of the German league system in 2012, the NRW-Liga was disbanded once more as the Regionalliga West above it would then only contain clubs from North Rhine-Westphalia. The league was replaced by the three regional leagues, the Mittelrheinliga, Niederrheinliga and Oberliga Westfalen at this level.

Overview

The NRW-Liga was established in 2008 as a feeder league to the also new Regionalliga West. The new Oberliga is actually a merger of the Oberliga Nordrhein and the Oberliga Westfalen, giving the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen its first statewide league since the "old" Regionalliga West was disbanded in 1974. Due to the introduction of the 3. Liga in the same year, unlike the two old Oberliga groups who were set at tier four of the league system, the new league will be fifth tier.
The league will retain the four Verbandsliga groups of the two predecessor Oberliga groups as its feeder leagues, with the champion of each of those gaining direct promotion to the NRW-Liga. In turn, the top two teams of the NRW-Liga will gain promotion to the Regionalliga West.
The league was made up from a set quota of teams from each of the two predecessor Oberliga groups and the four Verbandsliga groups. While the top four clubs from Nordrhein and Westfalen were promoted to the Regionalliga, teams placed fifth to eleventh were headed go to the new NRW-Liga. The clubs placed twelve to eighteen were relegated to their Verbandsliga group. From the four Verbandsliga groups, the champions will each gain admittance, unless it would be a reserve team of a club already qualified for the Oberliga. In this case, the next eligible club would be admitted.
There was some dispute about the name of the league with the suggestion having been made to rather call it Oberliga West, a league of that name having already existed from 1947 to 1963, the "old" Oberliga West. The previous league of that name was a tier one league but covered the same region. It has however been decided to officially call it NRW-Liga, short for Nordrhein-Westfalen-Liga.
Additionally, the Verbandsliga groups were renamed Niederrheinliga, Mittelrheinliga and 2 groups of Westfalenliga.
With the end of the 2011-12 season, after four seasons of existence, the NRW-Liga was disbanded again. The place of the league as the fifth tier in North Rhine-Westphalia was then taken up by three regional leagues, the Mittelrheinliga and Niederrheinliga for the North Rhine region and the reformed Oberliga Westfalen for Westphalia. The top three clubs from the NRW-Liga gained direct entry to the Regionalliga while the teams placed fourth to seventh had to play-off with the four champions from the leagues below to determine four additional promoted teams.

Teams 2011–12

Remaining in the NRW-Liga:
From the 3. Liga:
From the Regionalliga West:
From the Verbandsliga Niederrhein:
From the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein:
From the Verbandsliga Westfalen 1:
From the Verbandsliga Westfalen 2:
The final placings in the league:
Club09101112
Fortuna Düsseldorf II2RRR
SC Wiedenbrück1RR
Rot-Weiß EssenRR1R
Fortuna Köln9153R
Viktoria Köln1
Sportfreunde Siegen111372
MSV Duisburg II71183
SSVg Velbert131264
Arminia Bielefeld II52R5
Alemannia Aachen II3646
VfB Hüls1416157
KFC Uerdingen 058
SV Bergisch Gladbach 099129
Schwarz-Weiß Essen44510
Westfalia Rhynern1611
TuS Dornberg12
SV Schermbeck15141013
VfB Speldorf8914
TuS Erndtebrück15
VfB Homberg1116
Rot-Weiss Ahlen2B2B3L17
Westfalia Herne671318
Germania Windeck 11032
FC Wegberg-Beeck 314
SpVgg Erkenschwick17
1. FC Kleve 4R1018
Bonner SC 51R
Rot-Weiß Essen II 285
Hammer SpVg1617
SG Wattenscheid 091218
TSG Sprockhövel19
FC Gütersloh17
SF Oestrich-Iserlohn18
Delbrücker SC19