The Landesliga Hannover, called the Bezirksoberliga Hannover from 1979 to 1994 and 2006 to 2010,Fußball-Journal Niedersachsen Official monthly publication of the NFV. May 2010. p. 65. Retrieved 5 February 2011. Archived 19 July 2011 is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the second highest league in the German state of Lower Saxony (German: Niedersachsen). It covers the region of the now defunct Regierungsbezirk Hanover.
It is one of four leagues at this level in Lower Saxony, the other three being the Landesliga Lüneburg, the Landesliga Weser-Ems and the Landesliga Braunschweig.
The term Landesliga can be translated as State league.
Overview
The league's history goes back to 1979, when four new Bezirksoberligas (Braunschweig, Hannover, Lüneburg and Weser-Ems) were formed in the state of Lower Saxony. The Bezirksoberligas (6th tier) were set below the Verbandsliga Niedersachsen (4th tier) and the two Landesligas (5th tier) in the German football league system. In 1994, the two old Landesligas were dissolved, while the four Bezirksoberligas were renamed into Landesliga Braunschweig, Landesliga Hannover, Landesliga Lüneburg, and Landesliga Weser-Ems respectively. Due to the introduction of the new Regionalliga (IV) the new Landesligas still remained at the 6th tier of German football, however.
In 2006, the Landesliga was renamed into Bezirksoberliga again. The new Bezirksoberliga Hannover was made up of sixteen clubs,Bezirksoberliga Hannover table 2006-07 Fussball.de. Retrieved 12 July 2009 eleven from the Landesliga and five from the two Bezirksligas. A decider had to be played between the two third-placed teams in the Bezirksligas, which SV Nienstädt 09 won 2-0 over SG Diepholz.Entscheidungsspiel BL Platz 3 Fussball.de. Retrieved 12 July 2009 No club from the Verbandsliga Niedersachsen-West was relegated to the league that season, all three relegated sides went to Weser-Ems. The league was formed in a reorganisation of the league system in Lower Saxony, whereby the four regional Landsligas were replaced by the Bezirksoberligas. Below these, the number of Bezirksligas was increased. In Hanover, the two Bezirksligas were expanded to four, as in the other regions, except Weser-Ems, which was expanded to five.Spielordnung des Niedersächsischen Fußballverbandes e.V. Rules and regulations of the Lower Saxony football association. 16 May 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009
The Bezirksoberliga, like the Landesliga before, was set in the league system below the Verbandsliga and above the now four Bezirksligas, which were numbered from one to four. The winner of the Bezirksoberliga was directly promoted to the Verbandsliga, while the bottom placed teams, in a varying number, were relegated to the Bezirksliga. The Bezirksoberligas of Weser-Ems and Hanover form the tier below the Verbandsliga West, while those of Lüneburg and Braunschweig form the tier below the eastern division of the Verbandsliga.
In the leagues first season, 2006–07, the runners-up of the league, TSV Stelingen, had to play-off with the runners-up of the Bezirksoberliga Weser-Ems, SV Holthausen-Biene, a game they won 1-0 and thereby gained promotion.Deutschlands Fussball in Zahlen - Die Saison 2006-07 DSFS. p. 260 In the following season, only the league champions were promoted while, in 2009, the SV Ramlingen-Ehlershausen moved up a level as runners-up.
At the end of the 2007-08 season, with the introduction of the 3. Liga, the Verbandsliga was renamed Oberliga Niedersachsen-West.Deutschlands Fussball in Zahlen - Die Saison 2007-08 DSFS. p. 238 For the Bezirksoberliga, this had no direct consequences.
After the 2009-10 season, the two Oberligas () in Lower Saxony were merged to one single division. The four Bezirksoberliga champions that season were not automatically promoted, instead they had to compete with the four teams placed ninth and tenth in the Oberliga for four more spots in this league.Oberliga Niedersachsen 2009-10: Regulations NFV website. Retrieved 9 July 2009
On 17 May 2010, the Lower Saxony football association decided to rename the four Bezirksoberligas to Landesligas from 1 July 2010. This change in name came alongside the merger of the two Oberliga divisions above it into the Oberliga Niedersachsen.
Champions Bezirksoberliga Hannover 1979–1994
Landesliga Hannover 1994–2006
Bezirksoberliga Hannover 2006–2010 Season Champions Runners-up Third2006–07Heesseler SVTSV StelingenSC Twistringen2007–08Preussen HamelnGermania EgestorfTSV Burgdorf2008–09VfL BückeburgSV Ramlingen-EhlershausenTuS Kleefeld2009–10Arminia HannoverGermania EgestorfTSV Burgdorf
Landesliga Hannover 2010–present Season Champions Runners-up Third2010–11VfL Bückeburg1. FC Wunstorf TSV Burgdorf2011–12Germania EgestorfTSV BurgdorfSV Bavenstedt2012–131. FC WunstorfTSV BurgdorfArminia Hannover2013–14Arminia Hannover Heesseler SVSV Bavenstedt2014–15VfL BückeburgSV Ramlingen-EhlershausenHeesseler SV2015–16Hannoverscher SCSV BavenstedtTuS Sulingen2016–17TuS SulingenSV BavenstedtOSV Hannover2017–18Hannoverscher SCHeesseler SVSV Ramlingen-Ehlershausen2018–19HSC Blau-Weiß TündernSC Hemmingen-WesterfeldSV Ramlingen-Ehlershausen2019–20SV Ramlingen-EhlershausenSV BavenstedtTSV Krähenwinkel/Kaltenweide2020–21Season curtailed and annulled by COVID-19 pandemic in Germany2021–22TSV PattensenTSV WetschenTSV Krähenwinkel/Kaltenweide Promoted teams in bold.
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. Die Deutsche Liga-Chronik 1945-2005 History of German football from 1945 to 2005 in tables. DSFS. 2006.
External links Das deutsche Fussball Archiv Historic German league tables The Lower Saxony Football Association (NFV)
de:Landesliga Niedersachsen nl:Bezirksoberliga Hannover