Handball league system in Germany
The league system in German handball (women and men) is structured as follows:
Overview
| level | Division | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bundesliga 18 teams 1st place: German champions + EHF Champions League 2nd place: EHF Champions League 3rd–5th place: EHF Europe Cup 17th–18th place: relegated |
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| 2 |
2. Bundesliga 18 teams Place 1–2: Promoted places 17–18: Relegated teams |
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| 3 |
3rd league (relay north-east) 16 teams 1st place: promoted 14-16: relegated |
3rd league (middle season) 16 teams 1st place: promoted places 14–16: relegated teams |
3rd league (relay north-west) 16 teams 1st place: promoted 14-16: relegated |
3rd League (Season South) 16 teams 1st place: Promoted places 14–16: Relegated teams |
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| 4th | Handball Oberliga Hamburg - Schleswig-Holstein | Handball Oberliga Ostsee-Spree | Handball Oberliga Lower Saxony | Handball Oberliga Hessen | Handball-Oberliga Mitteldeutschland | Handball Oberliga North Sea | Handball Oberliga Westfalen | Regional League North Rhine | Handball Oberliga Rhineland-Palatinate / Saar | Handball Oberliga Baden-Württemberg | Handball Oberliga Bayern |
| Status: 2019/20 season | |||||||||||
Federal level
- a Bundesliga (nationwide matches)
- a 2nd Bundesliga (nationwide)
- four seasons of the 3rd league (nationwide; but divided into regional seasons)
Cooperation level of the regional associations
- 12 major leagues (up to four regional associations in cooperation; partly, but not all, top division of a regional association)
Regional association level
- Association league (highest or second highest division in a national association; not available everywhere)
- National leagues (division below the association or major league, often divided into regional relays)
District association level
- District league (top division in a game district, which usually extends over several cities / districts; not available in all regions)
- District League (second highest division in a game district)
- District class (third highest division in a playing district; not common in all regions)
District association level
- District league (highest game operation of a district association; no longer available everywhere)
- District class (second highest level of gaming operations in the same district association; not available everywhere)
Depending on the number of teams in the districts, the district class can also be divided into district classes A – E.
The top league in handball
The structure of the Oberliga has been prescribed to the regional associations by the German Handball Federation since 2010 (by Section 38 (4) DHB Game Rules). The upper league represents the highest division of the state association only in the state associations of Bavaria, Hesse and Westphalia and with restrictions in the Lower Rhine and Middle Rhine. All other state associations organize joint upper leagues together with other state associations (a special case are the upper leagues North Sea and Lower Saxony, their structures below of the upper leagues partially overlap). In all other regional associations, the level five league (named differently depending on the association, association league, regional league or according to the federal state, e.g. Saxony-Anhalt League ) is the highest league in the regional association. This is important, for example, for the classification of teams that were forcibly relegated or withdrawn from a league at the federal level (1st – 3rd league) and that are downgraded to a league of their national association. In Bavaria, Hesse, Lower Rhine, Middle Rhine, Lower Saxony and Bremen (North Sea) and Westphalia, this means the opportunity to start in the upper league, in the other 15 regional associations only the league below is considered.
Special features of the league structure in handball
Despite the efforts to make the structures the same for men and women, the league structure differs depending on the national association for women from level five, since the team numbers are usually significantly lower. In the Hessian state association there is no association league, the league at level five is called the state league, which in other associations, however, denotes the sixth highest division. District league, district class and district class only occur in individual districts or districts. Not all districts are further subdivided into districts, so that no district league or district class exist in these districts.