Football league
The Amateurliga Württemberg was the highest football league in the region of the Württemberg Football Association and the third tier of the German football league system from its inception in 1945 until the formation of the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg and the Verbandsliga Württemberg below it in 1978.
Overview.
The Amateurliga Württemberg was formed in 1945 in the southern half of Württemberg-Baden and Württemberg-Hohenzollern, which are now mostly the eastern 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 West Germany until the inception 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.
Originally, the league was called Landesliga Württemberg; in 1950 it was renamed Amateurliga after being downgraded from second to third tier. Along with this went the integration of three clubs from the Südwürttemberg region, which had been playing in two separate groups and four clubs from the now disbanded southern group of the Oberliga Südwest.
The separation of Württemberg and South Württemberg resulted from the outcome of the Second World War 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 winner of the Amateurliga Württemberg 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, Nordbaden and (from 1961) Schwarzwald-Bodensee.
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 two groups in 1960, a northern and a southern group. However, only four clubs actually left from the Amateurliga Württemberg to join the new Amateurliga Schwarzwald-Bodensee. The league in the north was renamed Amateurliga Nordwürttemberg but was essentially still the same league.
The clubs leaving to the new Amateurliga Schwarzwald-Bodensee were:
With the introduction of the Bundesliga 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 Union Böckingen holds the record for years in the league, having spent 28 seasons out of a possible 33 in it, 19 of it uninterrupted from 1954 to 1973. The VfL Sindelfingen holds the record for continuous seasons in the league, having stayed there for 23 seasons from 1950 to 1973.
Disbanding of the Amateurliga Württemberg.
In 1978, the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg was formed to allow direct promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga Süd for the amateur champion of the state. The teams placed one to five gained entry to the Oberliga, while the teams placed six to twelve were put into the new Verbandsliga Württemberg, now the fourth tier of the football league system. The last four teams were relegated to the Landesligas.
Admitted to the new Oberliga:
Relegated to the new Verbandsliga:
Relegated to Landesliga:
League winners.
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References.
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