The Nordkreis-Liga (English: Northern District League) was the highest association football league in the German Grand Duchy of Hesse and the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau from 1909 to 1918. The league was disbanded with the introduction of the Kreisliga Nordmain, Kreisliga Südmain and Kreisliga Hessen 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 1909, the Nordkreis-Liga was established, consisting of twelve clubs and playing a home-and-away season, these clubs being:Verband Süddeutscher Fussball Vereine 1910 , accessed: 17 May 2009 Viktoria 1894 Hanau SV Wiesbaden FSV Frankfurt FC Hanau 93 Amicitia Bockenheim Kickers Frankfurt Kickers Offenbach Viktoria Frankfurt Germania Bockenheim Britannia Frankfurt Germania Bieber Fvgg Bockenheim
Viktoria 1894 Hanau, the first league champion, qualified thereby for the Southern German championship, where it came last out of four clubs.
In its second year, the league operated with thirteen clubs, with the Germania 94 Frankfurt joining the league. In 1911-12, the league played with twelve clubs again, Amicitia Frankfurt having been disqualified.
In 1912-13, the league was reduced to eight clubs and the Nordkreis champion, for the first time since the interception of the league, didn't come last in the Southern German finals, finishing second instead.Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 50, accessed: 17 May 2009
In the last pre-First World War season, 1913–14, things remained unchanged and champions Frankfurter FV finished runners-up in Southern Germany once more.Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 53, accessed: 17 May 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 Nordkreis 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: 17 May 2009
With the end of the war in November 1918, football came to a halt once more. New leagues started to operate from 1919 and in the region that previously had formed the Nordkreis, the Kreisliga Nordmain, Kreisliga Südmain and Kreisliga Hessen were formed.Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 62, accessed: 17 May 2009
National success The Nordkreis was one of the weaker regions as football was concerned in this era, taking out no Southern German championships at the time and never qualifying for the German championship.
Southern German championship Qualified teams and their results: 1910 German football championship: Viktoria 94 Hanau, 4th 1911: SV Wiesbaden, 4th 1912: Frankfurter FV, 4th 1913: Frankfurter FV, Runners-up 1914: Frankfurter FV, Runners-up 1916: FC Hanau 93, Semi-finals 1917: FSV Frankfurt, 3rd 1918: Amicitia 02 Frankfurt, Semi-finals
German championship None qualified.
Winners and runners-up of the Nordkreis-Liga and championship SeasonWinnerRunner-Up 1909–10 Viktoria 1894 Hanau SV Wiesbaden 1910–11 SV Wiesbaden FSV Frankfurt 1911–12 Frankfurter FV FC Hanau 93 1912–13 Frankfurter FV Viktoria 1894 Hanau 1913–14 Frankfurter FV SV Wiesbaden 1914–15 not held 1915–16 FC Hanau 93 FSV Frankfurt 1916–17 FSV Frankfurt Amicitia 02 Frankfurt 1917–18 Amicitia 02 Frankfurt FSV Frankfurt 1918–19 not held
Placings in the Nordkreis-Liga 1909-14 Club 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 Viktoria 1894 Hanau 1 6 4 2 5 SV Wiesbaden 2 1 7 5 2 FSV Frankfurt 3 2 3 4 6 FC Hanau 93 4 4 2 6 3 Amicitia 02 Frankfurt 5 9 Kickers Frankfurt 1 6 5 Kickers Offenbach 7 3 5 3 4 Viktoria Frankfurt 1 8 7 Germania Bockenheim 9 8 9 Britannia Frankfurt 10 11 8 Germania Bieber 11 10 11 8 Fvgg Bockenheim 12 13 12 Germania 94 Frankfurt 12 10 8 Frankfurter FV 1 1 1 1 SC Bürgel 6 7 7 1 Viktoria and Kickers merged in 1911 to form Frankfurter FV, which, in turn, formed Eintracht Frankfurt in 1920.
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