The Amateur-Oberliga Berlin was the second tier of the German football league system in the city of West Berlin in Germany from 1947 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963, operating under the name of Amateurliga Berlin. After 1963, it was the third tier until 1991, when the league was disbanded. In 1974, the league changed its name from Amateurliga Berlin to Amateur-Oberliga Berlin.Die Deutsche Liga Chronik 1945-2006, Section F: Berlin and the Northeast region, publisher: DSFS, published: 2006

Overview The league was formed under the name of Amateurliga Berlin in 1947 as the second tier of play in the then still united city of Berlin, below the "old" Oberliga Berlin.

The league operated with two groups in the 1947-48 season, split into four groups the year after, returned to two in 1949-50 and run in one single group from then onwards. After this season, the East Berlin clubs left the Berlin league system to join that of East Germany instead.

It consisted of twelve teams from 1950, with the two first placed clubs gaining promotion to the Oberliga and the two bottom placed teams being relegated to the Landesliga. The number of clubs was extended to fifteen in 1952, with a third team being relegated from then on. In 1959, the number of clubs was extended to sixteen.

With the introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963, the "old" Oberliga Berlin was disbanded and the new second-tier Regionalliga Berlin became the highest league in the city of West-Berlin, absorbing most of its clubs. Three clubs from the Amateurliga Berlin were admitted to the new Regionalliga in 1963, these being the Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin, Union 06 Berlin and Reinickendorfer Füchse.

The league continued with sixteen clubs and three relegated teams but only one promotion spot now to the Regionalliga. With the enlargement of the Regionalliga in 1965, six clubs from the Amateurliga were admitted and a second promotion spot was granted to the league from then on. In 1969, a seventeenth club was added, the year after an eighteenth.

With the introduction of the 2nd Bundesliga Nord and the disbanding of the Regionalliga Berlin in 1974, the Amateurliga became the highest league in Berlin, still as the third tier of the German league system. Nine of the twelve clubs from the Regionalliga went to the Amateurliga which meant that the Amateurliga clubs placed ninth to eighteens were relegated to the Landesliga to keep the number of teams in the league to eighteen. With the reorganization of the Regionalligas in 1974, the league was renamed Amateur-Oberliga Berlin.

From 1974, the champions of the Amateurliga had to take part in a promotion play-off to determine the teams promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga. In 1976, the league was reduced to sixteen clubs. Unlike the other Oberliga champions, the winner of the Berlin league was not directly promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga after this but had to play out a series against the runners-up of the Oberliga Nord, which they lost both times, in 1979 and 1980.

The inception of a single 2nd Bundesliga in 1981 meant no team was promoted from the Oberligas that year and after 1981, the Oberliga Berlin champion had to play-off with the winners of the Oberligas Nord, Westfalen and Nordrhein.

With the German reunion came the reorganization of the football in former East Germany. The Oberliga Berlin was disbanded and its clubs spread between the NOFV-Oberligas Nord and Mitte. The teams placed fifteens and sixteenth went to the new Verbandsliga Berlin.

League champions The league champions:Historical German league tables Das Deutsche Fussball Archiv, accessed: 8 February 2015 SeasonClubClubClubClub1947-48Minerva 93 Berlin SV Lichtenberg 47 Viktoria 89 Berlin —1948-49Hertha Berlin SC Tasmania 1900 Berlin VfB Britz VfL Nord 1949-50SV Lichtenberg 47 Minerva 93 Berlin — —

SeasonClub1950-51VfL Nord 1951–52Steglitzer SC Südwest 1952-53Hertha Zehlendorf 1953-54BFC Südring 1954–55Hertha Zehlendorf 1955–56BFC Südring 1956-57Alemannia 90 Berlin 1957-58Rapide Wedding 1958-59Norden-Nordwest Berlin 1959-60Polizei SV Berlin 1960-61Union 06 Berlin 1961-62SC Tegel 1962-63Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin 1963-64Viktoria 89 Berlin SeasonClub1964–651. FC Neukölln1965-66Rapide Wedding 1966-671. FC Neukölln 1967-68SC Staaken 1968–69TuS Wannsee 1969-70Alemannia 90 Berlin 1970-71BSV 1892 Berlin 1971-72BFC Preußen Berlin1972-73BBC Südost1973-74SC Staaken Becomes highest league in Berlin1974-75Spandauer SV1975-76SC Union 06 Berlin1976-77BFC Preußen BerlinSeasonClub1977-78Wacker 04 Berlin1978-79Hertha Zehlendorf1979–80BFC Preußen Berlin1980-81BFC Preußen Berlin1981-82Tennis Borussia Berlin1982-83SC Charlottenburg1983-84Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin 1984-85Tennis Borussia Berlin1985-86SC Charlottenburg1986-87Hertha Berlin1987-88Hertha Berlin1988-89Reinickendorfer Füchse1989-90Reinickendorfer Füchse1990-91Tennis Borussia Berlin Source:

Placings in the league 1963 to 1991 The complete list of clubs in the league and their final placings: Club 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 Hertha BSC B B RL RL RL B B B B B B B B B B B B 2B 2B B 2B 2B 2B 1 1 2B 2B B Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL 4 4 7 15 13 16 1 2B 2B B 2B 2B 2B 2B Tennis Borussia Berlin RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL B 2B B 2B 2B 2B 2B 1 3 2 1 2B 2 2 8 3 1 Türkiyemspor Berlin 5 5 8 2 Hertha Zehlendorf RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL 2 10 6 7 1 5 4 2 2 5 4 3 4 8 2 2 3 Spandauer SV RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL 1 2B 3 3 12 9 10 7 11 11 3 6 8 7 3 7 4 Reinickendorfer Füchse RL RL RL RL RL RL 7 10 8 5 5 7 8 4 9 9 11 2 5 9 3 5 4 10 3 1 1 5 Hertha BSC II 2 3 11 18 2 2 6 4 4 7 10 8 4 11 10 6 9 6 Spandauer BC 8 8 15 16 10 11 6 8 13 11 12 10 9 9 6 9 13 11 7 Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin II 14 16 8 Wacker 04 Berlin RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL 2B 2B 2B 1 2B 3 15 4 4 12 9 BFC Preußen 3 1 RL RL 7 1 2 2 1 1 4 5 8 14 5 9 11 10 14 10 SC Charlottenburg 3 1 2B 2 1 16 15 4 11 SC Gatow 2 2 RL 9 15 14 9 15 12 11 11 13 17 12 VfB Lichterfelde 3 5 13 Marathon Berlin 14 Rapide Wedding 11 7 1 RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL 6 6 12 12 11 10 14 13 12 13 13 13 14 12 13 15 Tasmania Berlin 1 RL RL B RL RL RL RL RL RL RL 9 14 13 7 8 3 6 9 10 16 SC Siemensstadt 7 15 Frohnauer SC 16 Traber FC Mariendorf 17 12 5 13 6 7 8 2 5 10 11 17 TSV Rudow 14 12 16 VfB Sperber Neukölln 9 12 11 10 15 4 15 14 12 7 15 Lichterfelder SU 3 6 6 RL RL 14 5 2 8 6 4 6 10 7 12 16 FV Brandenburg-Lichterfelde 3 13 16 15 TuS Makkabi Berlin 7 9 6 14 Lichtenrader BC 25 5 9 14 15 SC Westend 01 2 RL 3 3 8 8 8 14 11 14 15 16 Neuköllner Sportfreunde 16 1 RL 2 RL 13 17 3 8 10 14 15 SC Union 06 Berlin RL 9 15 7 4 16 3 10 8 1 9 4 4 7 12 16 16 Preußen Wilmersdorf 11 16 15 BSC Rehberge Berlin 11 16 17 16 BFC Viktoria 1889 1 RL RL 15 5 7 6 6 12 16 Tennis Borussia Berlin II 15 5 7 5 7 7 9 5 5 10 10 15 Hellas Nordwest 8 14 13 12 12 10 13 8 13 11 9 13 13 16 BSV 1892 Berlin RL RL RL RL RL RL RL 1 RL RL RL 5 11 11 14 15 Rot-Weiß Neukölln 2 RL 15 16 Polizei SV Berlin 12 15 12 6 5 12 10 16 6 8 3 11 9 15 Wacker Siemensstadt 8 10 12 16 SC Staaken 5 5 RL RL 1 RL RL RL 3 6 1 14 14 BBC Südost 3 4 7 1 RL 13 15 1. FC Neukölln 10 1 RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL RL 12 18 Kickers 1900 Berlin 9 8 2 RL RL RL RL 15 14 13 6 16 Alemannia 90 Berlin 3 3 RL RL 1 RL RL RL RL 17 BFC Südring RL RL RL RL RL RL 4 5 9 10 2 18 RFC Alt-Holland 4 12 TuS Wannsee 6 8 4 1 RL RL RL 9 13 SC Südwest 13 9 7 13 13 14 12 11 14 14 Meteor 06 Berlin 7 11 5 5 2 RL RL 2 RL 12 18 SC Tegel 4 3 RL 13 6 7 6 9 4 16 SC des Westens 97 15 17 VfL Nord Berlin 14 8 4 3 RL 2 RL 12 18 BFC Nordstern 3 12 7 10 10 6 8 6 16 Normannia 08 Berlin 18 VfB Hermsdorf 13 4 RL RL RL 15 17 Hertha 06 Berlin 10 11 11 11 17 VfL Schöneberg 14 9 16 Tasmania 1900 Berlin II * 4 2 16 Minerva Berlin 16 14 VfB Pankow 10 16 1 In 1973 SC Tasmania 1900 Berlin went bankrupt and was reformed as Tasmania 73 Berlin . In 2001 the club changed its name to SV Tasmania-Gropiusstadt 1973. In 2011 the club changed its name to SV Tasmania Berlin. 2 In 1986 Hertha BSC Berlin II had to withdraw from the league due to the relegation of the first team. 3 In 1988 Lichterfelder SU merged with FV Brandednburg-Lichterfelde to form VfB Lichterfelde. In 2004 the club changed its name to Lichterfelder FC.

Key Symbol Key B Bundesliga RL 2B Regionalliga Berlin (1963–74) 2. Bundesliga (1974–present) 1 League champions Place League place Blank Played at a league level below this league

Founding members of the Amateurliga Berlin The first proper season of the Amateurliga Berlin took place in 1950, after the East German clubs had left and the league was reduced to one group only. The founder members of this league were:

VfL Nord Berlin BFC Nordstern VfL Schöneberg Hertha Zehlendorf Frohnauer SC Steglitzer SC Südwest SC Tegel SC Charlottenburg SC Staaken BSC Rehberge Berlin Alemannia 06 Haselhorst Hakoah Berlin

Disbanding of the Oberliga Berlin The league was disbanded in 1991, its clubs spread between the new NOFV-Oberligas Mitte and Nord and the Verbandsliga Berlin.

To the NOFV-Oberliga Nord: Tennis Borussia Berlin Spandauer SV Reinickendorfer Füchse Spandauer BC Wacker 04 Berlin BFC Preußen Berlin

To the NOFV-Oberliga Mitte: Hertha BSC Berlin II Türkiyemspor Berlin VfB Lichterfelde Hertha Zehlendorf Türkspor Berlin NSC Marathon 02 SC Charlottenburg Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin II SC Gatow FV Wannsee

To the Verbandsliga Berlin: Rapide Wedding SV Tasmania 73 Neukölln

The Berlin-Liga (formerly Verbandsliga Berlin) is now the highest league in the city of Berlin. The NOFV-Oberliga Mitte existed for only three seasons, then its clubs were spread between the other two NOFV-Oberligas, Nord and Süd. All clubs on this level based in Berlin now play in the northern group.

References

Further reading kicker Almanach - The yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, first published: 1937, published by the Kicker Sports Magazine "Deutschlands Fussball in Zahlen" - An annual publication with tables and results from the Bundesliga to Verbandsliga/Landesliga, publisher: DSFS Die Deutsche Liga Chronik 1945-2006, Section F: Berlin and the Northeast region, publisher: DSFS, published: 2006

External links Berlin Football Association (BFV) Das Deutsche Fussball Archiv Historic German league tables