The Südkreis-Liga (English: Southern district league) was the highest association football league in the German Kingdom of Württemberg, Grand Duchy of Baden, the Province of Hohenzollern and Alsace-Lorraine from 1908 to 1918. The league was disbanded with the introduction of the Kreisliga Südwest and Kreisliga Württemberg in 1919.
History The league was formed in a move to improve the organisation of football in Southern Germany in the early 1900s. Within the structure of the Southern German football championship, four regional leagues were gradually established from 1908, these being: Ostkreis-Liga, covering Bavaria Nordkreis-Liga, covering Hesse Südkreis-Liga, covering Württemberg, Baden and Alsace Westkreis-Liga, covering the Palatinate, Lorraine and the southern Rhine Province
Until then, regional leagues had existed which send their champions to the Kreis finals and, from there, the winners went on to the Southern and German championships.
In 1908, the Südkreis-Liga was established, consisting of ten clubs and playing a home-and-away season, these clubs being:Verband Süddeutscher Fussball Vereine 1909 , accessed: 21 April 2009 Phönix Karlsruhe Kickers Stuttgart 1. FC Pforzheim Karlsruher FV Mannheimer FC Viktoria FC Alemannia Karlsruhe Sportfreunde Stuttgart Freiburger FC Union VfB 97 Mannheim FG 96 Mannheim
An eleventh club, the FV Straßburg, withdrew before the start of the season.Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 32, accessed: 21 April 2009 Phönix Karlsruhe, the first league champion, qualified thereby for the Southern German championship, which it won, finishing ahead of 1. FC Nürnberg. From there, the club moved on to the German finals, where BFC Viktoria 89 could be beaten, making the club German champions.Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 35, accessed: 21 April 2009
In its second year, the league operated with only nine clubs, with the Karlsruher FV bringing home another Southern and German title to Karlsruhe. In 1909-10, the league played with ten clubs again and Karlsruher FV once more took out the league title as well as the Southern German one. In the national title round, it failed in the semi-finals, being beaten by VfB Leipzig.Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 43, accessed: 21 April 2009
In 1911-12, the league played with eleven clubs and KFV continued its dominance, reaching the German final once more but losing 1-0 to Holstein Kiel in that game.Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 47, accessed: 21 April 2009
Now with eight clubs, the 1912-13 league champion, Stuttgarter Kickers, took out the Southern championship but only managed to reach the first round of the German finals, signaling the end of the dominance of the Südkreis-Liga in Germany.Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 50, accessed: 21 April 2009 In the last pre-First World War season, 1913–14, Kickers won the league title once more but in the Southern finals, rising SpVgg Fürth proved to good and went on to win the German title as well.Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 53, accessed: 21 April 2009
The war starting in August 1914 meant an end to the league, no championship was played in 1914-15 at all. In the following three seasons, regional leagues operated, like before 1908. A Südkreis championship as well as a Southern German one was played, but no national title games were held.Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 54-56, accessed: 21 April 2009
With the end of the war in November 1918, football came to a halt once more. Alsace ceased to be a part of Germany and the German football league system, being awarded to France. New leagues started to operate from 1919 and in the parts of the Südkreis still with Germany, the Kreisliga Südwest and Kreisliga Württemberg were formed.Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 62, accessed: 21 April 2009
National success The Südkreis was one of the strongest regions as football was concerned in this era, taking out most Southern German championships at the time. On national level, the clubs from there were quite successful, too.
Southern German championship Qualified teams and their success: 1909: Phönix Karlsruhe, Southern German champions 1910: Karlsruher FV, Southern German champions 1911: Karlsruher FV, Southern German champions 1912: Karlsruher FV, Southern German champions 1913: Stuttgarter Kickers, Southern German champions 1914: Stuttgarter Kickers, 3rd 1916: Freiburger FC, Semi-finals 1917: Stuttgarter Kickers, Southern German champions 1918: Union Stuttgart, Runners-up
German championship Qualified teams and their success: 1909: Phönix Karlsruhe, German champions 1910: Karlsruher FV, German champions 1911: Karlsruher FV, Semi-finals 1912: Karlsruher FV, Runners-up 1913: Stuttgarter Kickers, First round
Winners and runners-up of the Südkreis-Liga and championship SeasonWinnerRunner-Up 1908–09 Phönix Karlsruhe Stuttgarter Kickers 1909–10 Karlsruher FV Phönix Karlsruhe 1910–11 Karlsruher FV Stuttgarter Kickers 1911–12 Karlsruher FV Phönix Karlsruhe 1912–13 Stuttgarter Kickers 1. FC Pforzheim 1913–14 Stuttgarter Kickers 1. FC Pforzheim 1914–15 not held 1915–16 Freiburger FC Phönix Karlsruhe 1916–17 Stuttgarter Kickers Straßburger FV 1917–18 Union Stuttgart Phönix Karlsruhe 1918–19 not held
Placings in the Südkreis-Liga 1908–14 Club 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 Phönix Karlsruhe 1 2 5 2 7 6 Stuttgarter Kickers 2 3 2 4 1 1 1. FC Pforzheim 3 4 6 5 2 2 Karlsruher FV 4 1 1 1 4 8 Viktoria 97 Mannheim 5 Alemannia Karlsruhe 6 6 9 8 Sportfreunde Stuttgart 7 5 4 7 8 Freiburger FC 8 8 3 3 5 3 Union Mannheim 9 FG 96 Mannheim 10 FV Straßburg 7 8 10 Union Stuttgart 9 7 6 3 4 FV Beiertheim 10 11 FC Mühlburg 9 5 VfB Stuttgart 6 7
References
Sources Fussball-Jahrbuch Deutschland (8 vol.), Tables and results of the German tier-one leagues 1919-33, publisher: DSFS Kicker Almanach, The yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the Kicker Sports Magazine Süddeutschlands Fussballgeschichte in Tabellenform 1897-1988 History of Southern German football in tables, publisher & author: Ludolf Hyll
External links The Gauligas Das Deutsche Fussball Archiv German league tables 1892-1933 Hirschi's Fussball seiten Germany - Championships 1902-1945 at RSSSF.com