Southwest Football League (1945–1963)
The Oberliga Südwest took up play on January 20, 1946 as the top division in the French occupation zone . It was divided into two groups until 1950. The name of the northern group was initially Oberliga Saar-Pfalz-Hessen ; with Hessen was meant Rheinhessen. The northern group initially consisted of ten associations from the Palatinate , Rheinhessen and Saarland . In 1946/47 clubs from the area of what is now the Rhineland Football Association joined them; now it was called the Ehrendivision , then the Northern Zone League . The southern group comprised the two states of Baden and Württemberg-Hohenzollern at the time .
The winners of the north and south groups determined the master of the French zone of occupation . In 1950 the clubs in the southern group switched to the southern German football association ; the northern group has since formed the sole Oberliga Südwest. In the first six years the number of participants changed annually, from 1951 until it was discontinued in favor of the new Bundesliga in 1963, the league consisted of 16 clubs.
The clubs from the Saar area were eliminated for the first time in autumn 1946 and again after the 1947/48 season, since the Saarland Football Association had become independent. Until their return in the 1951/52 season, the Saar clubs took part in the French game operations, but only with restrictions. For example, 1. FC Saarbrücken , which had rated itself too strong for the Saarland Honor League, applied for the second French division. Saarbrücken won this by a large margin over Girondins Bordeaux , but was still not allowed to rise. Then it was rumored that the French association feared the disgrace that the FCS could become French champions. In 1951 the Saar clubs were allowed to play in the Oberliga Südwest again, although their country and their association were still independent.
Overview
- 1945/46 Northern group: Palatinate, Saarland
- 1946/47 (autumn series) Northern group: Rhineland-Palatinate (canceled in November)
- 1946/47 (spring series) - 1948 Northern group: Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland - Southern group: Southern Baden, Württemberg-Hohenzollern
- 1948–1950 Northern group: Rhineland-Palatinate - Southern group: Southern Baden, Württemberg-Hohenzollern
- 1950/51 Rhineland-Palatinate
- 1951–1963 Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland
The top-ranked clubs represented the Oberliga Südwest at the German soccer championship , which was played in finals until the Bundesliga was introduced. The teams in the last places were relegated to the old 2nd division .
With the introduction of the Bundesliga, the Oberliga Südwest was dissolved. The teams that could not qualify for the newly created Bundesliga were assigned to the new regional league, which was the second highest division at the time.
Playing times
1. FC Kaiserslautern and 1. FC Saarbrücken qualified for the Bundesliga, founded in 1963 . The remaining teams, together with the best clubs in the 2nd Southwest League, formed the newly created Southwest Regional League .
Most successful teams in the historic Oberliga Südwest
- 1. FC Kaiserslautern: 11 × champions, 2 × German champions (1951 and 1953), leader of the eternal table
- 1. FC Saarbrücken: 3 × champions
- FK Pirmasens: 3 × champions
- Borussia Neunkirchen: 1 × champion
See also
- List of top scorer in the football league (1947–1963)
- List of players in the Southwest Football League
literature
- Werner Skrentny (Ed.): The fear of the devil in front of the pea mountain. The history of the Oberliga Südwest 1946–1963. Klartext, Essen 1996, ISBN 3-88474-394-5 .