Oberliga Westfalen

The Oberliga Westfalen is the highest level football league in the region of Westphalia, which is part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The league existed from 1978 to 2008, but was then replaced by the NRW-Liga, a new statewide league. With the reform of the league system in 2012, which reduced the Regionalliga West to clubs from North Rhine-Westphalia only and disbanded the NRW-Liga below it, the Oberliga Westfalen was reintroduced as the highest tier in the region and the fifth level overall in Germany.[1] It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football, the fifth tier of the German football league system.

Oberliga Westfalen
Oberliga Westfalen
Organising bodyWestphalian Football and Athletics Association
Founded1978
(reformed in 2012
after disbanding in 2008)
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
RegionWestphalia
Number of teams18
Level on pyramidLevel 5
Promotion toRegionalliga West
Relegation toWestfalenliga
(2 divisions)
Current championsFC Gütersloh
(2022–23)
Websitewww.oberliga-westfalen.de

Overview

The league was formed in 1978 as a highest level of play for the region of Westphalia, which used to be split into two groups and covered the eastern half of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The main reason for the creation of this league was to allow its champion direct promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga Nord rather than having to go through a promotion play-off. The league was created from nine clubs from the Verbandsliga Westfalen-Nordost and eight from the Verbandsliga Westfalen-Südwest. The SC Herford was relegated from the 2. Bundesliga Nord to the new league.

The league was founded as the Amateur-Oberliga Westfalen, but from 1994 the name was shortened to Oberliga Westfalen.

With the introduction of the unified 2nd Bundesliga in 1981, direct promotion for the Oberliga champions became impossible again because there were eight of them competing for four promotion spots. The champion of the Oberliga Westfalen had to compete with the winner and the runner-up of the Oberliga Nord and the winners of the Oberliga Berlin and of the Oberliga Nordrhein for two 2. Bundesliga spots.

Upon creation of the Regionalligas in 1994, the champions of the Oberligas were directly promoted again, however the Oberligas slipped to fourth tier in the German football league system. The top six team of the Oberliga that year were admitted to the new Regionalliga West/Südwest, the clubs being:

With the reduction of the number of Regionalligas from four to two in 2000, the Oberliga Westfalen was now located below the Regionalliga Nord. However, the Sportfreunde Siegen, based in the very south of the region, played in the Regionalliga Süd.

With the creation of the 3rd Liga in 2008 the Oberliga Westfalen was replaced by the NRW-Liga, which now is the fifth tier of the league system. The Oberliga Westfalen ceased to exist after 30 seasons. Its clubs were split up over three league levels. The first four teams were promoted to the new Regionalliga West, clubs from place five to eleven went to the new Oberliga while the bottom seven teams were relegated to the Verbandsligas.

The league was reintroduced in 2012 after the NRW-Liga was disbanded again.

Throughout the league's existence the two leagues below the Oberliga were:

Champions of the Oberliga Westfalen

The league champions:[2][3]

Original league 1978 to 2008

The league champions of the first era of the league:

Season Club
1978–79 SC Herford
1979–80 SpVgg Erkenschwick
1980–81 1. FC Paderborn
1981–82 TuS Schloß Neuhaus
1982–83 SC Eintracht Hamm
1983–84 FC Gütersloh
1984–85 SC Eintracht Hamm
1985–86 ASC Schöppingen
1986–87 SpVgg Erkenschwick
1987–88 Preußen Münster
1988–89 Preußen Münster
1989–90 Arminia Bielefeld
1990–91 SC Verl
1991–92 Preußen Münster
1992–93 Preußen Münster
Season Club
1993–94 SC Paderborn 07
1994–95 FC Gütersloh
1995–96 LR Ahlen
1996–97 Sportfreunde Siegen
1997–98 Borussia Dortmund II
1998–99 VfL Bochum II
1999–2000 VfB Hüls
2000–01 SC Paderborn 07
2001–02 Borussia Dortmund II
2002–03 FC Schalke 04 II
2003–04 Arminia Bielefeld II
2004–05 SG Wattenscheid 09
2005–06 Borussia Dortmund II
2006–07 SC Verl
2007–08 Preußen Münster

New league from 2012

The league champions and runners-up from 2012 onwards:

Season Champions Runners-up
2012–13 SV Lippstadt 08 SG Wattenscheid 09
2013–14 Arminia Bielefeld II SV Rödinghausen
2014–15 TuS Erndtebrück Rot-Weiss Ahlen
2015–16 Sportfreunde Siegen SpVgg Erkenschwick
2016–17 TuS Erndtebrück Westfalia Rhynern
2017–18 SV Lippstadt 08 1. FC Kaan-Marienborn
2018–19 FC Schalke 04 II TuS Haltern
2019–20 SC Wiedenbrück Rot Weiss Ahlen
2020–21 None None
2021–22 1. FC Kaan-Marienborn SG Wattenscheid 09
2022–23 FC Gütersloh Preußen Münster II

Placings in the Oberliga Westfalen
Main article: List of clubs in the Oberliga Westfalen

The final league placings in the second era of the league from 2012 to present:

Club 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
SV Rödinghausen 2 R R R R R R R R R
SV Lippstadt 08 1 R 5 6 6 1 R R R R R
FC Schalke 04 II R R R R R 6 1 R R R R
Rot-Weiss Ahlen 9 9 2 R R 14 9 2 R R R
1. FC Kaan-Marienborn 7 2 R 9 6 1 R
SG Wattenscheid 09 2 R R R R R R R 9 2 R
FC Gütersloh 2000 8 10 13 12 10 16 10 11 1 5 1
Preußen Münster II 10 11 12 2
SC Paderborn 07 II 16 12 13 7 6 15 3 3
Sportfreunde Lotte R R R R 3L 3L 3L R R R 4
TuS Bövinghausen 5
Westfalia Rhynern 6 7 3 5 2 R 5 5 3 4 6
ASC 09 Dortmund 12 15 14 3 3 13 5 6 7
TSV Victoria Clarholz 19 15 8
SG Finnentrop/Bamenohl 17 14 9
Eintracht Rheine 8 10 7 5 8 15 4 18 7 10
SpVgg Vreden 8 11 11
SV Schermbeck 17 17 6 12 16 10 12
1. FC Gievenbeck 18 18 13
Sportfreunde Siegen R R R 1 R 11 12 14 10 9 14
TSG Sprockhövel 10 11 14 3 R 10 4 15 4 13 15
TuS Ennepetal 14 12 9 11 9 12 13 8 12 16 16
TuS Erndtebrück 4 5 1 R 1 R 14 17 14 8 17
Delbrücker SC 18
RSV Meinerzhagen 3 7 17
Hammer SpVg 12 13 11 14 3 4 16 18 21 18
Holzwickeder SC 11 7 2 19
TuS Haltern 5 2 R 13 20
Westfalia Herne 16 15 18 9 8 16 20 21
FC Brünninghausen 11 7 17
Arminia Bielefeld II 3 1 8 10 13 15
SC Hassel 8 17
TSV Marl-Hüls 9 4 18
SuS Neuenkirchen 7 4 15 8 15
SC Roland Beckum 11 6 4 4 16
SuS Stadtlohn 7 13 17
SpVgg Erkenschwick 5 3 6 2 18
SC Zweckel 14 17 18
VfB Hüls R 16 16
TuS Heven 13 17
TuS Dornberg 15 18

Sources: [2][3][4]

Founding members of the Oberliga Westfalen

From the 2nd Bundesliga Nord:

From the Verbandsliga Westfalen-Nordost:

From the Verbandsliga Westfalen-Südwest:

References
  1. "Die neue Spielklassenstruktur". FLVW.de (in German). Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  2. "Historical German league tables". Das Deutsche Fussball Archiv (in German). Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  3. "Oberliga Westfalen tables and results 1994–present". Fussballdaten.de (in German). Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  4. "Oberliga Westfalen tables and results". Weltfussball.de (in German). Retrieved 30 January 2015.

Sources
  • Deutschlands Fußball in Zahlen, (in German) An annual publication with tables and results from the Bundesliga to Verbandsliga/Landesliga. DSFS.
  • Kicker Almanach, (in German) The yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937. Kicker Sports Magazine.
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