The Rheinlandliga is a German amateur football division administered by the Rhineland Football Association, one of the 21 German state football associations. Being the top flight of the Rhineland state association, the Verbandsliga is currently a level 6 division of the German football league system.

Overview The Amateurliga Rheinland was formed in 1952 in the northern half of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Before its inception, 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 Rheinland 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 Amateurligen Saarland and Südwest.

Until 1933, the region covered by the Rhinrland FA was politically part of the now dissolved German state of Prussia. It was part of the Prussian Rhine Province.

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

SpVgg Bendorf FC Urbar VfL Trier SpVgg Neuwied SC Wirges SV Niederlahnstein SV Ehrang Germania Mudersbach TuS Konz SSV Heimbach-Weis SpVgg Zewen VfB Lützel SV Remagen TuS Mayen SV Trier-West SG Betzdorf

In 1956 the league was split into a western and an eastern group with twelve teams each. In 1963 it reverted to its old single group setup.

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.

SC Bad Neuenahr and SC Sinzig hold the record for years in the Amateurliga, each with 22 out of a possible 26.

In 1978, the league was renamed Verbandsliga Rheinland. At the same time, the Oberliga Südwest was reintroduced. The top five teams out of the Amateurliga went to the new Oberliga while the teams from place 6 to 15 found themselves in the Verbandsliga. The bottom team was relegated. The Verbandsliga was now the fourth tier of the league system.

The winner of the Rheinlandliga, like the winners of the Verbandsliga Südwest and the Saarlandliga gains direct promotion to the Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar, formerly the Oberliga Südwest. The runners-up will only get a chance for promotion when there is additional spots to fill in the Oberliga, like 1994 when the Regionalligas were introduced and SpVgg EGC Wirges and the SG Betzdorf were promoted.

In the Rheinland, the Verbandsliga is called Rheinlandliga.

The Rheinland contains an unproportional amount of SG's, which are joint teams without the contributing clubs actually merging. The reason for this is the relatively low population density and therefore a lack of players. SG's can usually not be promoted above their Verbandsliga.

Feeder Leagues to the Rheinlandliga Bezirksliga Rheinland-Mitte Bezirksliga Rheinland-Ost Bezirksliga Rheinland-West

Until 2003, two Landesligas, north and south, existed in the region, set between Verbandsliga and Bezirksliga. Those leagues were disbanded in 2003.

League champions The league champions:Rheinlandliga tables & results kicker.de. Retrieved 9 June 2014Historic German football league tables Das Deutsche Fussball Archiv. Retrieved 9 June 2014

Season Club1952–53SpVgg Bendorf1953–54VfL Trier1954–55VfL Trier1955–56SV Niederlahnstein1956–57Germania Metternich1957–58Spfr. Herdorf1958–59Germania Metternich1959–60Germania Metternich1960–61SV Ehrang1961–62VfB Wissen1962–63VfL Neuwied1963–64Germania Metternich1964–65SpVgg Bendorf1965–66Germania Metternich1966–67SSV Mülheim1967–68SC Sinzig1968–69SSV Mülheim1969–70VfL Neuwied1970–71SpVgg Andernach1971–72Eisbachtaler SF1972–73SpVgg Andernach1973–74SV Leiwen1974–75Eintracht Trier1975–76Eintracht Trier

Season Club1976–77TuS Neuendorf1977–78TuS Neuendorf1978–79SV Leiwen1979–80TuS Mayen1980–81SV Leiwen1981–82VfL Hamm/Sieg1982–83SpVgg EGC Wirges1983–84TuS Mayen1984–85VfL Hamm/Sieg1985–86SV Leiwen1986–87SpVgg EGC Wirges1987–88VfB Wissen1988–89TuS Mayen1989–90Eisbachtaler SF1990–91VfB Wissen1991–92SV Wittlich1992–93SV Prüm1993–94TuS Koblenz1994–95VfL Trier1995–96SV Prüm1996–97TuS Montabaur1997–98SpVgg EGC Wirges1998–99TuS Mayen

Season Club1999–2000Germania Metternich2000–01TuS Mayen2001–02FV Engers 072002–03SV Klausen2003–04SG Betzdorf2004–05Eintracht Trier2005–06SG Rossbach–Verscheid2006–07SV Rossbach-Verscheid2007–08SG Betzdorf2008–09Eisbachtaler SF2009–10Eintracht Trier2010–11FSV Salmrohr2011–12SV Mehring2012–13SpVgg Burgbrohl2013–14SpVgg EGC Wirges2014–15FC Karbach2015–16TuS Rot-Weiss Koblenz2016–17FV Engers 072017–18TSV Emmelshausen2018–19Eisbachtaler SF2019–20SG 2000 Mülheim-Karlich2020–21Season curtailed and annulled2021–22Ahrweiler BC

bold denotes club gained promotion. In 1994 SpVgg EGC Wirges and SG Betzdorf were also promoted. SG Betzdorf was again promoted as runner–up in 1998. In 2006 FSV Salmrohr was promoted instead of the first placed SG Rossbach–Verscheid. The reason for this is the fact that a conglomerate of clubs, usually called SG (Spielgemeinschaft), can be refused promotion by their Verband. Rossbach–Verscheid were two separate clubs fielding a joint team, not a merger of two clubs. In 2007, promotion was granted as the club was now an SV (Sportverein). In 2015 runner–up SV Mehring was also promoted after play–offs. In 2020 runners-up TSV Emmelshausen and FSV Salmrohr were also promoted. In 2022 runner-up TuS Kirchberg was also promoted after play-offs.

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 Süddeutschlands Fussballgeschichte in Tabellenform 1897-1988 History of Southern German football in tables, by Ludolf Hyll Die Deutsche Liga-Chronik 1945-2005 History of German football from 1945 to 2005 in tables. DSFS. 2006.

External links Das deutsche Fussball Archiv Historic German league tables