The Berlin-Liga (VI), formerly the Verbandsliga Berlin, is the highest league for football teams exclusively in the German capital. Since German reunification in 1990, it has been the highest level of domestic football in the city, replacing the Amateur-Oberliga Berlin in this position. After the 2007–08 season the Verbandsliga was renamed Berlin-Liga.
It is the sixth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008 it was the fifth tier of the league system; until the introduction of the Regionalligen in 1994 the fourth tier.
Overview The Berlin-Liga was formed in 1992 as the Verbandsliga Berlin from sixteen clubs in West and East Berlin. It was the first time since 1950, when the East Berlin sides left the Oberliga Berlin to play in the East German football league system, that clubs from both halves of the city played in the same Berlin-wide league. It replaced the Landesliga Berlin as the fourth tier of the German league system in Berlin; the Landesliga had in the previous season been expanded to two divisions to integrate the clubs from East Berlin.
In the 1992–93 season, the league winner was promoted to the NOFV-Oberliga Mitte; since then the winner of the league each year has been promoted to the NOFV-Oberliga Nord, together with the winners of the Brandenburg-Liga and the Verbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, while the relegated teams go to the Landesliga Berlin Staffel 1 and Landesliga Berlin Staffel 2.
Founding members of the league The Verbandsliga was formed in 1992 from sixteen clubs from four leagues, these clubs being:
From the NOFV-Oberliga Mitte: SC Gatow SV Lichtenberg 47 BSV Spindlersfeld, became BSV Marzahn FV Wannsee
From the NOFV-Oberliga Nord: BFC Preussen Wacker 04 Berlin
From the Landesliga Berlin-Staffel I: 1. FC Wilmersdorf SC Staaken Köpenicker SC Frohnauer SC SC Rapide Wedding
From the Landesliga Berlin-Staffel II: SC Schwarz Weiss Spandau Spandauer SC Teutonia SV Tasmania 73 Neukölln FC Wacker Lankwitz SG Eumako Weißensee, became Weißenseer FC
League champions The league champions: Season Champions1992–93Frohnauer SC1993–941. FC Wilmersdorf1994–95Köpenicker SC1995–96SD Croatia Berlin1996–97SV Tasmania 73 Neukölln1997–98Tennis Borussia Berlin II1998–99Berliner AK 071999–2000Türkiyemspor Berlin2000–01SV Lichtenberg 472001–02Köpenicker SC2002–03SV Yeşilyurt2003–04BFC Dynamo2004–05BFC Preussen2005–06Lichterfelder FC2006–07Spandauer SV2007–08Reinickendorfer Füchse2008–09Lichtenrader BC2009–101. FC Union Berlin II2010–11BFC Viktoria 18892011–12VSG Altglienicke2012–13BSV Hürtürkel2013–14Hertha Zehlendorf2014–15Tennis Borussia Berlin2015–16VSG Altglienicke2016–17SC Staaken2017–18SpVg Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin2018–19SV Tasmania Berlin2019–20SFC Stern 19002020–21Eintracht Mahlsdorf2021–22TuS Makkabi Berlin2022–23SV Sparta Lichtenberg2023–24BFC Preussen2024–25SD Croatia Berlin2025–26TuS Makkabi Berlin
References
Sources Deutschlands Fußball in Zahlen, An annual publication with tables and results from the Bundesliga to Verbandsliga/Landesliga. DSFS. Kicker Almanach, The yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937. Kicker Sports Magazine. Die Deutsche Liga-Chronik 1945-2005 History of German football from 1945 to 2005 in tables. DSFS. 2006.
External links The North East German Football Association (NOFV) Berlin Football Association Berlin-Liga