2. Amateurliga Bayern

The 2. Amateurliga Bayern was a set of eleven regional leagues in Bavaria existing from 1951 to 1963 as the fourth tier of football in the state.''Die Bayernliga 1945-1997'' Introduction. DSFS. 1998. p. 3.

The leagues were disbanded in 1963, when the German football league system was reorganised with the introduction of the Bundesliga and replaced by the ''Landesligas''.DSFS 1998, p. 56.

Overview

The ''2. Amateurligas'' were introduced in Bavaria in 1951 to replace the previously existing Kreisligas at this level. This step was taken after the introduction of the '' 2nd Oberliga Süd'' as the new second division in southern Germany in 1950 and the renaming of the ''Landesliga Bayern'' to '' Amateurliga Bayern'' in 1951. The ''Landesliga'' had, until 1950, been functioning as one of the regional second divisions below the ''Oberliga Süd'', alongside the '' Landesliga Nordbaden'', the ''Landesliga Hessen'' and the ''Landesliga Württemberg''.

The ''2. Amateurliga'', as the fourth tier of the German league system, below the ''Amateurliga Bayern'' as the third, was sub-divided into seven regions, along the boundaries of the seven ''Regierungsbezirke'', those regions being:
* Upper Bavaria - ''Oberbayern''
* Lower Bavaria - ''Niederbayern''
* Swabia - ''Schwaben''
* Upper Palatinate - ''Oberpfalz''
* Middle Franconia - ''Mittelfranken''
* Lower Franconia - ''Unterfranken''
* Upper Franconia - ''Oberfranken''

Some of the seven regions of the ''2. Amateurliga'' were in turn sub-divided into regional leagues, resulting in the existence of eleven leagues at this level:
* ''2. Amateurliga Oberbayern A''
* ''2. Amateurliga Oberbayern B''
* ''2. Amateurliga Niederbayern''
* ''2. Amateurliga Schwaben''
* ''2. Amateurliga Oberpfalz''
* ''2. Amateurliga Mittelfranken Nord''
* ''2. Amateurliga Mittelfranken Süd''
* ''2. Amateurliga Unterfranken West''
* ''2. Amateurliga Unterfranken Ost''
* ''2. Amateurliga Oberfranken West''
* ''2. Amateurliga Oberfranken Ost''

Within the four ''Regierungsbezirke'' who had two leagues, a championship was played to determine the local champions, but no overall ''2. Amateurliga'' championship was held. Instead, the regional champions would play promotion rounds to determine the teams that would move up to the ''Amateurliga''. The promotion rounds where sub-divided into northern and southern Bavaria. The champions of the three Franconian ''Regierungsbezirke'' would play in the northern group while the other four ''Regierungsbezirke'' would play in the southern one. Swabia had a special status within this system, being allowed to send both champions and runners-up to the promotion round. Originally, until 1957, the promotion rounds were held in two groups of six teams, playing a home-and-away round, with the top-two teams from each being promoted.

In 1953, the ''Amateurliga Bayern'' was split in itself in two regional divisions, north and south, resulting in two new leagues:DSFS 1998, p. 26.
* ''Amateurliga Nordbayern'' - Northern Bavaria
* ''Amateurliga Südbayern'' - Southern Bavaria

This decision was made rather late, on 7 July 1953, after the promotion rounds had already been played, resulting in all twelve teams that had taken part being promoted.

The promotion system remained unchanged after this, two groups of six with the first two in each group still promoted. In 1955, three teams were promoted from the north because VfB Helmbrechts had been promoted to the ''2nd Oberliga Süd'', thereby providing an additional spot in the ''Amateurliga Nordbayern''. An expansion of the ''Amateurliga Südbayern'' from 14 to 16 clubs in 1957 allowed four teams to be promoted from the south.

From 1957-58 onwards, the promotion system was changed. In the north, the three ''Regierungsbezirk'' champions were now directly promoted. In the south, the ''Oberbayern'' and ''Schwaben'' champions were directly promoted while the champions of ''Niederbayern'' and ''Oberpfalz'' played a decider for one more promotion spot.

In 1958, an additional spot was available because 1. FC Bamberg had been promoted to the second division, this was played out between the three runners-up. The same happened in 1959, when SpVgg Bayreuth moved up to the second division. In 1960, when Schwaben Augsburg was promoted to the ''2nd Oberliga'', the losing team of the ''Niederbayern'' versus ''Oberpfalz'' encounter was also promoted.

Disbanding of the 2. Amateurligas

In 1963, the German league system was changed drastically. The ''Fußball-Bundesliga'' replaced the previously existing five ''Oberligas'' as the highest league in the country. Below it, five ''Regionalligas'' were created as the new second divisions.

On 27 April 1963, it was decided to reorganise the Bavarian league system, too. The two ''Amateurligas'' in Bavaria were reduced to a single division again, like until 1953.DSFS 1998, p. 54. The ''2nd Amateurligas'' were completely disbanded and replaced by three ''Landesligas'' as the new fourth tier, those being:
* '' Landesliga Bayern-Süd'' - covering Swabia and Upper Bavaria
* ''Landesliga Bayern-Mitte'' - covering Middle Franconia, Lower Bavaria and Upper Palatinate
* ''Landesliga Bayern-Nord'' - covering Lower and Upper Franconia

Apart from the ten clubs each that came from the two ''Amateurligas'' to the new ''Landesligas'', the top-teams of the ''2. Amateurligas'' in 1962-63 were also allowed to join the new leagues:

* From the 2. Amateurliga Schwaben
** SV Mering
** TSG Augsburg
** FC Memmingen
** TSV Kriegshaber
** BC Aichach
* From the 2. Amateurliga Oberbayern
** TSV 1860 Rosenheim
** FC Deisenhofen
** FSV Pfaffenhofen
** ASV Dachau
** Sportfreunde Pasing
* From the 2. Amateurliga Niederbayern
** SV Saal
** FC Dingolfing
** SpVgg Deggendorf
* From the 2. Amateurliga Oberpfalz
** TuS Rosenberg
** FC Maxhütte-Haidhof
** FC Schwarzenfeld

* From the 2. Amateurliga Mittelfranken
** TV Erlangen
** FC Hersbruck
** SpVgg Erlangen
** 1. FC Nuremberg II
** FC Stein
** ASV Neumarkt
* From the 2. Amateurliga Oberfranken
** SC Sylvia Ebersdorf
** ASV Gaustadt
** VfB Bayreuth
** VfB Arzberg
** SpVgg Hof
* From the 2. Amateurliga Unterfranken
** SV Großwallstadt
** TSV Lohr
** Frankonia Mechenhard
** Bayern Kitzingen
** Post SV Würzburg
** FC Schweinfurt 05 II

All other clubs from the former ''2. Amateurligas'' went to the ''Bezirksligas'', which had existed since 1957, the fifth tier of league football.

League champions

The champions of the eleven ''2. Amateurligas'' in Bavaria were:

Southern Bavaria

Northern Bavaria

* Promoted teams in Bold.
* In 1953, FC Memmingen, runners-up in ''Schwaben'', was also promoted.
* In 1957, TSV Gersthofen, runners-up in ''Schwaben'', was also promoted.

References

Sources

* ''Die Bayernliga 1945 - 1997'' published by the DSFS, 1998.
* ''Deutschlands Fussball in Zahlen'' An annual publication with tables and results from the Bundesliga to Verbandsliga/Landesliga, publisher: DSFS
* ''Kicker Almanach'' The Football Yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the Kicker Sports Magazine
* ''50 Jahre Bayerischer Fussball-Verband'' 50th Anniversary book of the Bavarian FA

External links

Bayrischer Fussball Bund (Bavarian FA)

Das deutsche Fussball Archiv

Bavarian League tables and results

Private website with tables and results from Oberliga to Bezirksliga

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1963 disestablishments in Germany
1951 establishments in West Germany
Sports leagues established in 1951
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