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. It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football, the fifth tier of the German football league system.

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:

TuS Paderborn-Neuhaus SC Preußen Münster Arminia Bielefeld SpVgg Erkenschwick SC Verl SG Wattenscheid 09 II

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: Verbandsliga Westfalen 1 Verbandsliga Westfalen 2

Champions of the Oberliga Westfalen The league champions:

Original league 1978 to 2008 The league champions of the first era of the league: SeasonClub1978–79SC Herford 1979–80SpVgg Erkenschwick 1980–811. FC Paderborn 1981–82TuS Schloß Neuhaus 1982–83SC Eintracht Hamm 1983–84FC Gütersloh 1984–85SC Eintracht Hamm 1985–86ASC Schöppingen 1986–87SpVgg Erkenschwick 1987–88Preußen Münster 1988–89Preußen Münster 1989–90Arminia Bielefeld 1990–91SC Verl 1991–92Preußen Münster 1992–93Preußen Münster SeasonClub1993–94SC Paderborn 071994–95FC Gütersloh1995–96LR Ahlen1996–97Sportfreunde Siegen1997–98Borussia Dortmund II1998–99VfL Bochum II1999–2000VfB Hüls2000–01SC Paderborn 072001–02Borussia Dortmund II2002–03FC Schalke 04 II2003–04Arminia Bielefeld II2004–05SG Wattenscheid 092005–06Borussia Dortmund II2006–07SC Verl2007–08Preußen Münster

New league from 2012 The league champions and runners-up from 2012 onwards: SeasonChampionsRunners-up2012–13SV Lippstadt 08 SG Wattenscheid 092013–14Arminia Bielefeld II SV Rödinghausen2014–15TuS ErndtebrückRot-Weiss Ahlen2015–16Sportfreunde SiegenSpVgg Erkenschwick2016–17TuS ErndtebrückWestfalia Rhynern2017–18SV Lippstadt 081. FC Kaan-Marienborn2018–19FC Schalke 04 IITuS Haltern2019–20SC WiedenbrückRot Weiss Ahlen2020–21NoneNone2021–221. FC Kaan-MarienbornSG Wattenscheid 092022–23FC GüterslohPreußen Münster II2023–24Sportfreunde LotteTürkspor Dortmund2024–25Sportfreunde SiegenVfL Bochum II

Placings 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 24 25 SV Rödinghausen 2 R R R R R R R R R R R FC Schalke 04 II R R R R R 6 1 R R R R R R SC Wiedenbrück R R R R R R R 1 R R R R R FC Gütersloh 2000 8 10 13 12 10 16 10 11 1 5 1 R R SC Paderborn 07 II 16 12 13 7 6 15 3 3 R R Sportfreunde Lotte R R R R 3L 3L 3L R R R 4 1 R Türkspor Dortmund 2 R Sportfreunde Siegen R R R 1 R 11 12 14 10 9 14 7 1 Vfl Bochum II 2 ASC 09 Dortmund 12 15 14 3 3 13 5 6 7 3 3 Westfalia Rhynern 6 7 3 5 2 R 5 5 3 4 6 10 4 Eintracht Rheine 8 10 7 5 8 15 4 18 7 10 16 5 SV Schermbeck 17 17 6 12 16 10 12 8 6 SV Lippstadt 08 1 R 5 6 6 1 R R R R R R 7 SG Wattenscheid 09 2 R R R R R R R 9 2 R 13 8 Preußen Münster II 10 11 12 2 6 9 1. FC Gievenbeck 18 18 13 5 10 SpVgg Vreden 8 11 11 9 11 Rot-Weiss Ahlen 9 9 2 R R 14 9 2 R R R R 13 SG Finnentrop/Bamenohl 17 14 9 11 14 TSV Victoria Clarholz 19 15 8 15 15 TuS Ennepetal 14 12 9 11 9 12 13 8 12 16 16 12 16 SpVgg Erkenschwick 5 3 6 2 18 4 17 Concordia Wiemelhausen 18 TuS Bövinghausen 5 14 19 FC Brünninghausen 11 7 17 17 TSG Sprockhövel 10 11 14 3 R 10 4 15 4 13 15 18 1. FC Kaan-Marienborn 7 2 R 9 6 1 R 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 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 SC Zweckel 14 17 18 VfB Hüls R 16 16 TuS Heven 13 17 TuS Dornberg 15 18 Sources:

Founding members of the Oberliga Westfalen

From the 2nd Bundesliga Nord:

SC Herford

From the Verbandsliga Westfalen-Nordost:

1. FC Paderborn VfB Rheine TuS Schloß Neuhaus SV Ahlen Bünder SV SV Emsdetten SV Beckum DJK Gütersloh (merged with Arminia Gütersloh to form FC Gütersloh in 1978) TSG Harsewinkel

From the Verbandsliga Westfalen-Südwest:

SpVgg Erkenschwick VfL Gevelsberg Sportfreunde Siegen DJK Hellweg Lütgendortmund SuS Hüsten 09 SV Holzwickede Eintracht Recklinghausen VfB Altena

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.

External links Das deutsche Fussball Archiv Historic German league tables Westfalen Football Association (FLVW)