Amateurliga Südwest

Amateurliga Südwest
	Founded
	1952
	Disbanded
	1978
	Nation
	Germany
	State
	Rheinland-Pfalz
	Region
	Rheinhessen-Pfalz
	Promotion To
	2nd Oberliga Südwest 1952-63
	Regionalliga Südwest 1963-74
	2nd Bundesliga Süd 1974-78
	Number of Seasons
	26
	Replaced by
	Oberliga Südwest (III)
	Verbandsliga Südwest (IV)
	Level on Pyramid
	Level 3
	Domestic Cups
	Südwest Pokal
	Last Champions 1977-78
	FSV Mainz 05

For the history of the Amateurliga Südwest after 1978, see Verbandsliga Südwest.

The Amateurliga Südwest was the highest football league in the region of the Südwest FA and the third tier of the German football league system from its interception in 1952 to the formation of the Oberliga Südwest and the Verbandsliga Südwest below it in 1978.

Overview

The Amateurliga Südwest was formed in 1952 in the southern half of the state of Rheinland-Pfalz. Before its interception, three separate leagues operated in the area as the highest level of play. The league was a feeder league to the 2nd Oberliga Südwest. From 1952 until the establishment of the Oberliga Südwest in 1978, it was the third tier of the football league system.

The winner of the Amateurliga Südwest was not automatically promoted to its superior league but rather had to take part in a promotion play-off. The champion would have to compete with the winners of the Amateurligas Saarland and Rheinland.

Until 1933, the region covered by the Südwest FA was politically part of two other German states. The south, the Pfalz region, was part of Bavaria and the north, the Rheinhessen region, was part of Hessen. After the war, these regions were incorporated into the new state of Rheinland-Pfalz. The separation of this areas from their original states results from the outcome of the 2nd World War when they became part of the in French occupation zone, while Hessen and Bavaria where in the US zone.

The league was established in 1952 with sixteen teams, the winner gaining promotion to the 2nd Oberliga Südwest. The founder members were:

With the introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963 the Amateurliga was placed below the new Regionalliga Südwest but still retained its third-tier status. It continued to do so after the introduction of the 2nd Bundesliga Süd in 1974.

The 1. FC Kaiserslautern II holds the record for years in the league, having spent 21 continous seasons in it from 1957 to 1978.

There is room for some confusion with the existence of the Oberliga Südwest as well as the Verbandsliga Südwest and the now defunct leagues Regionalliga Südwest and Amateurliga Südwest. While the Oberliga and Regionalliga of that name cover and covered the whole states of Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland, the Verbandsliga and Amateurliga only covered the southern part of Rheinland-Pfalz and operated as feeders for the first two. The root of the problem lays in the lack of common history in the region and therefore the lack of a common name.

Disbanding of the Amateurliga Südwest

In 1978, the Oberliga Südwest was formed to allow direct promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga Süd for the Amateure champion of the area. The teams placed one to five gained entry to the Oberliga while the next eleven teams were put into the new Verbandsliga Südwest, now the fourth tier of the football league system. The bottom four teams were relegated to the Bezirksliga.

Admitted to the new Oberliga:

Relegated to the new Verbandsliga:

Relegated to the Bezirksliga:

Winners of the Amateurliga Südwest^[1]

1953 BSC Oppau                        1966 VfR Kaiserslautern
1954 SpVgg Weisenau                   1967 SC Ludwigshafen 
1955 FC Sobernheim                    1968 1.FC Kaiserslautern II
1956 Normannia Pfiffigheim            1969 ASV Landau
1957 VfR Friesenheim                  1970 VfR Frankenthal
1958 SC Ludwigshafen                  1971 Phönix Bellheim
1959 Hassia Bingen                    1972 Eintracht Kreuznach
1960 1.FC Kaiserslautern II           1973 Eintracht Kreuznach
1961 FC Sobernheim                    1974 FK Clausen
1962 Phönix Bellheim                  1975 Eintracht Kreuznach 
1963 ASV Landau                       1976 VfR Wormatia Worms 
1964 Eintracht Kreuznach              1977 VfR Wormatia Worms 
1965 SV Alsenborn                     1978 FSV Mainz 05

Bold denotes team gained promotion.

In 1960, the FSV Schifferstadt was promoted as runners-up since Kaiserslautern's reserve team was inelegible for promotion. For the same reason, FV Speyer was promoted in 1968.

External links

Das deutsche Fussball Archiv

The Southwest FA

References

^ "Kicker Almanach" The Football Yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the Kicker Sports Magazine

[1] "Kicker Almanach" The Football Yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the Kicker Sports Magazine

[1]