The NOFV-Oberliga Nord is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the northern states of the former East Germany and West Berlin. It covers the German states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and northern Saxony-Anhalt. It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football. Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008 it was the fourth tier of the league system, and until the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994 the third tier.
Overview The NOFV-Oberliga Nord was formed in 1991 when, along with the political reunification of Germany, the former East German football league system was integrated into the unified German one.
The abbreviation NOFV stands for Nordostdeutscher Fußballverband, meaning North East German Football Association.
Along with this league, two other NOFV-Oberligas were formed, the NOFV-Oberliga Mitte and the NOFV-Oberliga Süd.
The league was formed from clubs from five different leagues: Three clubs from the Oberliga Nordost, the former DDR-Oberliga, eight clubs from the NOFV-Liga, the former East German second division, one club from the Bezirksliga Schwerin, one of the regional leagues of the old East German third league level, one from the Verbandsliga Brandenburg, a new league, and six clubs from the Amateur-Oberliga Berlin, the West German third division for the city of Berlin. The league accommodated therefore a wide mix of clubs from the east and west of Germany. With the FC Berlin, the former BFC Dynamo, and Vorwärts Frankfurt, it held two former East German champions as well. It was also the first time since 1950 that clubs from eastern and western Berlin played in the same league.
The league became one of the then ten Oberligas in the united Germany, the third tier of league football. Its champion was however not directly promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga but had to take part in a promotion play-off. In 1993 the league champion was successful in this competition, in 1992 and 1994 they failed.
For the duration of the league and onwards, the leagues below it are:
Berlin-Liga Brandenburg-Liga Verbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Verbandsliga Sachsen-Anhalt (northern clubs only, since 1994)
In 1994, the German football league system saw some major changes. The four Regionalligen were introduced as an intermediate level between the 2nd Bundesliga and Oberligen, relegating the Oberligen to fourth tier from now on. In the east of Germany, the Regionalliga Nordost was formed, a league covering the area of former East Germany and western Berlin. Six clubs from the NOFV-Oberliga Nord were admitted to the new league:
BSV Brandenburg, now FC Stahl Brandenburg Eisenhüttenstädter FC Stahl Reinickendorfer Füchse Berliner FC Dynamo Spandauer SV FSV Optik Rathenow
The NOFV-Oberliga Mitte was disbanded and its clubs spread between the two remaining Oberligas in the east. Five clubs from the former league were added to the NOFV-Oberliga Nord, three of them from Berlin and two from the northern part of Saxony-Anhalt. The league now became the only Oberliga with clubs from Berlin.
From 1995 to 1999, the champions of the league were directly promoted to the Regionalliga Nordost. In 1997 and 1999, the runners-up were eligible for promotion too.
With the reduction of the number of Regionalligen to two, the league came under the Regionalliga Nord. Five clubs were relegated that season from the now disbanded Regionalliga Nordost. The regulations about promotion kept on changing and until 2006, the league champion had to play-off with the champion of the southern league for one promotion spot. Only in 2004 did the northern champion come out as a winner of this contest. From the 2006 season onwards, direct promotion was awarded again.
The league changes in 2008 with the introduction of the 3rd Liga meant the Oberligen was now the fifth tier of league football in Germany. The top three teams of the league in 2007–08 gained entry to the Regionalliga, the fourth placed team had to play-off against the fourth placed team from the south for one more spot, these clubs being:
Hertha BSC II Hansa Rostock II Türkiyemspor Berlin Greifswalder SV qualified for play-offs
Otherwise, the setup of the league did not change and its champion was directly promoted from the 2008–09 season onwards.
Another league reform, decided upon in 2010, saw the reestablishment of the Regionalliga Nordost from 2012 onwards, with the two NOFV-Oberligas feeding into this league again. With the league champions, F.C. Hansa Rostock II being ineligible for promotion TSG Neustrelitz, FSV Optik Rathenow and 1. FC Union Berlin II were directly promoted to the new Regionalliga while Torgelower SV Greif achieved promotion through a play-off round.
Founding members of the league The founding members of the league in 1991 were:
From the Oberliga Nordost: Eisenhüttenstädter FC Stahl FC Berlin, renamed Berliner FC Dynamo FC Vorwärts Frankfurt/Oder, now 1. FC Frankfurt
From the Verbandsliga Brandenburg: FSV PCK Schwedt, later 1. FC Schwedt, disbanded in 1996, reformed as FC Schwedt From the Bezirksliga Schwerin: Blau-Weiß Parchim, now SC Parchim
From the Amateur-Oberliga Berlin: Tennis Borussia Berlin Spandauer SV, now defunct Reinickendorfer Füchse Spandauer BC Wacker 04 Berlin, now defunct BFC Preussen
From the NOFV-Liga Staffel A: Greifswalder SC, went bankrupt, reformed as Greifswalder SV Bergmann-Borsig Berlin, joined SV Preußen Berlin Motor Eberswalde, now Preussen Eberswalde MSV Post Neubrandenburg, now 1. FC Neubrandenburg 04 Stahl Hennigsdorf, now FC 98 Hennigsdorf Rot-Weiß Prenzlau, defunct Hafen Rostock
Champions of the NOFV-Oberliga Nord The league champions:
Season Club1991–92FC Berlin1992–93Tennis Borussia Berlin1993–94FC Stahl Brandenburg1994–95FSV Velten1995–96SCC Berlin1996–97SV Babelsberg 031997–98SD Croatia Berlin1998–99Hertha Berlin II1999–00Hansa Rostock II2000–01Berliner FC Dynamo2001–02Hertha Berlin II2002–03FC Schönberg 952003–04Hertha Berlin II2004–05Hansa Rostock II2005–061. FC Union Berlin2006–07SV Babelsberg 032007–08Hertha Berlin II
Season Club2008–09Tennis Borussia Berlin2009–10Energie Cottbus II2010–11Torgelower SV Greif2011–12Hansa Rostock II2012–13Viktoria 89 Berlin2013–14Berliner FC Dynamo2014–15FSV Optik Rathenow2015–16FSV Union Fürstenwalde2016–17VSG Altglienicke2017–18FSV Optik Rathenow2018–19SV Lichtenberg 472019–20Tennis Borussia Berlin2020–21SV Tasmania Berlin2021–22Greifswalder FC2022–23Hansa Rostock II2023–24Hertha Zehlendorf2024–25BFC Preussen
Because the 2010-11 champions and runners-up declined promotion to the Regionalliga, the third placed Berliner AK 07 were promoted instead.
Placings in the league The complete list of clubs in the league and their final placings: Club929394959697989900010203040506070809101112131415161718192021222324251. FC Union BerlinMMMRRRRRRR2B2B2BR1RR3L2B2B2B2B2B2B2B2B2B2BB B B B B B1. FC MagdeburgMMM129SRRRSRSSSSRRRRRRRRR3L3L3L2B3L 3L 3L 2B2B2BSV Babelsberg 031RRRR2BR2331RRR3L3L3LRRRRRRR R R R R RHertha BSC IIMMMRR1021R2121RRR1RRRRRRRRRRRR R R R R RViktoria Berlin671RRRRRRR R 3L R R RBFC Dynamo144R RRRRR117661052271331RRRRRR R R R R RVSG Altglienicke771RRR R R R R RFSV 63 Luckenwalde4SS583RRRSS R R R R RGreifswalder FC113231 R R RHertha ZehlendorfMMMRRRR9149244446241RBFC Preussen1611813151SV Lichtenberg 47M5915177345331R R R R22Eintracht Mahlsdorf81043Hansa Rostock II9152R2144221422RR2164721010537101R4TuS Makkabi Berlin375SV Sparta Lichtenberg36TSG Neustrelitz1114161310131413104644RRRRRR10595857Berliner AK 07441512151381041510103RRRRRRRRR R R R R8Tennis Borussia Berlin412BRRRR2B2BR24545361R144622 1 R R R69SV Tasmania Berlin616101 R11810SG Dynamo Schwerin71311FC Anker Wismar1691216111675815912FSV Optik Rathenow117RR712138101414121473763RR1R21RR R R121013SC Staaken58826131214SV Grün-Weiß Ahrensfelde15Rostocker FC12721416Ludwigsfelder FC101291451116S13S13SSSRSV Eintracht 1949511511Union Fürstenwalde821281RRRR R R915CFC Hertha 069121311141436MSV Neuruppin978221515141. FC Frankfurt1015161615MSV Pampow6111216FC Mecklenburg Schwerin11141417SpVg Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin67104Torgelower SV Greif14912914815R16119949SFC Stern 1900816Brandenburger SC Süd 05967817838141321313S614151717SV Victoria Seelow88151215181. FC Lok StendalMMMRRRRRR51516S12111619FC Strausberg1351414137131613SV Altlüdersdorf12131246611997Malchower SV 905101010135671216SV Grün-Weiß Brieselang1417FC Schönberg 953822216167112RRSV Germania Schöneiche81111139116121015FC Energie Cottbus IISSSSS7SSRR1RRRSSS1. FC Neubrandenburg 0476814911141012BSV Hürtürkel101616SV Waren 0991511FC Pommern Greifswald989151. FC Union Berlin II952RRRRSV Waltersdorf1215Lichterfelder FC6MMM225811781161668912121514Türkiyemspor BerlinMMMR341314612711753RRR16Füchse Berlin Reinickendorf10123RRRR72781191561315Lichtenrader BC14Greifswalder SV41115SV Falkensee-Finkenkrug15716FSV Bentwisch12Spandauer SV1976RRRRR1216SV Yeşilyurt Berlin44581416Motor Eberswalde51575671261216101491316Eisenhüttenstädter FC Stahl632RRRRRR91051118FC Anhalt DessauMMM61213SSSSSSievershäger SV18Frankfurter FC Viktoria101117551119FC Eintracht Schwerin1038944131317Köpenicker SC1089101218Oranienburger FC Eintracht19Greifswalder SC2894433651318Tennis Borussia Berlin II22R11SV SW Neustadt/Dosse11131417SD Croatia Berlin141R1018SV Warnemünde15SCC BerlinMMM51R1015SG Bornim131114Parchimer FC186125FSV Velten5M14121RR16PSV Rostock107151. FC Schwedt855811161. FC Wilmersdorf915FC Stahl Brandenburg2B21R16Rot-Weiß Prenzlau1413131117Türkspor BerlinMMM15BSV Spindlersfeld3101416Spandauer BC1216Stahl Henningsdorf1318Wacker 04 Berlin15SV Hafen Rostock17
Key Symbol Key li B Bundesliga 2B 2. Bundesliga 3L 3. Liga R Regionalliga Nordost Regionalliga Nord Regionalliga Nordost SClub played in the NOFV-Oberliga Süd MClub played in the NOFV-Oberliga Mitte 1 League champions Place League Blank Played at a league level below this league
Notes 1 In 1999 Spandauer SV withdrew from the Regionalliga to the Verbandsliga. 2 In 2001 Tennis Borussia Berlin II had to withdraw from the league because of the first team's relegation. 3 In 2007 FC Schönberg 95 withdrew from the league. 4 During the 2007–08 season SV Yeşilyurt withdrew its team and merged with Berliner AK. 5 During the 1997–98 season FSV Velten declared insolvency and folded. 6 FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin was formed in 2013 from a merger of BFC Viktoria 1889 and Lichterfelder FC. 7 At the end of the 2013–14 season VSG Altglienicke withdrew from the league. 8 At the end of the 2011–12 and 2016–17 seasons SV Germania Schöneiche withdrew from the league. 9 At the end of the 2014–15 season SV Waren 09 and FC Pommern Greifswald both withdrew from the Oberliga while 1. FC Union Berlin II was withdrawn from competitive league football altogether. 10 1. FC Frankfurt was formed in 2012 from a merger of Frankfurter FC Viktoria and MSV Eintracht Frankfurt. 11 Greifswalder FC was formed in 2015 from a merger of Greifswalder SV 04 and FC Pommern Greifswald. 12 At the end of the 2018–19 season SV Altlüdersdorf withdrew from the league. 13 At the end of the 2020–21 season FC Strausberg withdrew from the league. 14 At the end of the 2021–22 season Torgelower FC Greif withdrew from the league.
References
Sources 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 Weltfussball.de Round-by-round results and tables of the NOFV-Oberliga Nord from 1994 onwards NOFV-Oberliga Nord at fussballdaten.de Nordostdeutscher Fußballverband (NOFV)