in 1963 the german national football league, the "fußball-bundesliga" was founded. hannover 96 joined the bundesliga in 1964 and played there for the following ten years. in the 1970s and 1980s the club went down to the second league and up again several times. in the 1990s hannover 96 played eight seasons in the second "bundesliga" and two years in the third league, the "regionalliga nord" (1996-98).