The 2015–16 3. Liga was the eighth season of the 3. Liga.
Teams A total of 20 teams contested the league, including 14 sides from the 2014–15 3. Liga. Arminia Bielefeld and MSV Duisburg were directly promoted to the 2015–16 2. Bundesliga at the end of the 2014–15 season. Bielefeld made an immediate return to the 2. Bundesliga after being relegated in 2013–14. Duisburg returned to the 2. Bundesliga after two seasons in the third tier. The two promoted teams were replaced by FC Erzgebirge Aue and VfR Aalen, who finished in the bottom two places of the 2014–15 2. Bundesliga table.
At the other end of the table, Borussia Dortmund II, SpVgg Unterhaching and SSV Jahn Regensburg were relegated to the 2015–16 Regionalliga. The three relegated teams were replaced by the three winners of the 2014–15 Regionalliga promotion playoffs. SV Werder Bremen II from the Regionalliga Nord returned to the national level after three seasons in the fourth tier, while 1. FC Magdeburg from the Regionalliga Nordost and Würzburger Kickers from the Regionalliga Bayern are playing their debut seasons in the 3. Liga.
A further place in the league was available via a two-legged play-off between third-placed 2014–15 3. Liga team Holstein Kiel and 16th-placed 2014–15 2. Bundesliga side TSV 1860 München. The tie ended 2–1 on aggregate and saw Kiel remaining in the 3. Liga.
Stadiums and locations
Team Location Stadium Capacity VfR Aalen Aalen Scholz-Arena 13,251 SG Sonnenhof Großaspach Aspach Mechatronik Arena 10,000 Chemnitzer FC Chemnitz Stadion an der Gellertstraße 18,712 Dynamo Dresden Dresden Glücksgas-Stadion 32,066 Energie Cottbus Cottbus Stadion der Freundschaft 22,528 FC Erzgebirge Aue Aue Sparkassen-Erzgebirgsstadion 15,711 Hallescher FC Halle Erdgas Sportpark 15,057 Hansa Rostock Rostock DKB-Arena 29,000 Holstein Kiel Kiel Holstein-Stadion 11,386 SC Fortuna Köln Cologne Südstadion 14,800 1. FSV Mainz 05 II Mainz Stadion am Bruchweg 20,300 1. FC Magdeburg Magdeburg MDCC-Arena 27,500 VfL Osnabrück Osnabrück Osnatel-Arena 16,667 Preußen Münster Münster Preußenstadion 15,050 Rot-Weiß Erfurt Erfurt Steigerwaldstadion 17,500 VfB Stuttgart II Stuttgart Gazi-Stadion auf der Waldau 10,100 Stuttgarter Kickers Stuttgart Gazi-Stadion auf der Waldau 10,100 SV Wehen Wiesbaden Wiesbaden BRITA-Arena 12,250 SV Werder Bremen II Bremen Weserstadion Platz 11 5,500 Würzburger Kickers Würzburg Flyeralarm Arena 14,500
Personnel and kits Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor VfR Aalen Saller Prowin Chemnitzer FC adidasAhorn Hotels Dynamo Dresden erimaFeldschlösschen Energie Cottbus SallerKarton.eu Erzgebirge Aue NikeKumpelverein 1. FSV Mainz 05 II LottoKömmerling Hallescher FC PumaHalplus Hansa Rostock Nikekurzurlaub.deHolstein Kiel adidasFamila VfL Osnabrück adidasSparkasse 1. FC Magdeburg UhlsportFAM Preußen Münster NikeTuja Zeitarbeit Rot-Weiß Erfurt JakoThüringer Energie AG SC Fortuna Köln JakoHIT Handelsgruppe SG Sonnenhof Großaspach HummelUrbacher Mineralquellen VfB Stuttgart II PumaMercedes-Benz Bank Stuttgarter Kickers UhlsportMHP SV Wehen Wiesbaden NikeBrita SV Werder Bremen II NikeWiesenhof Würzburger Kickers NikeSansibar
Managerial changes Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointmentDynamo Dresden Peter NémethLeft10 April 2015Pre-season Uwe Neuhaus10 April 2015SV Wehen Wiesbaden Christian HockEnd of caretaker stint12 May 2015 Sven Demandt12 May 2015FC Erzgebirge Aue Tomislav StipićMutual termination27 May 2015 Pavel Dochev4 June 2015VfR Aalen Stefan RuthenbeckLeft12 June 2015 Peter Vollmann12 June 2015VfL Osnabrück Maik WalpurgisSacked24 August 201519th Joe Enochs24 August 2015Hallescher FC Sven KöhlerSacked30 August 201519th Stefan Böger8 September 2015Energie Cottbus Stefan KrämerSacked19 September 201517th Vasile Miriuță23 September 2015Stuttgarter Kickers Horst SteffenSacked4 November 201514th Tomislav Stipić4 November 2015VfB Stuttgart II Jürgen KramnyPromoted to first team24 November 201518th Walter Thomae21 December 2015Hansa Rostock Karsten BaumannSacked5 December 201518th Christian Brand7 December 2015Rot-Weiß Erfurt Christian PreußerSacked15 December 201516th Stefan Krämer30 December 2015Preußen Münster Ralf LooseSacked19 December 20155th Horst Steffen25 December 2015Chemnitzer FC Karsten HeineSacked2 March 201617th Sven Köhler2 March 2016Wehen Wiesbaden Sven DemandtSacked7 March 201616th Torsten Fröhling14 March 2016Energie Cottbus Vasile MiriuțăSacked12 April 201618th Claus-Dieter Wollitz12 April 2016Hallescher FC Stefan BögerSacked13 April 201615th Rico Schmitt13 April 2016
League table
Results
Top goalscorers RankPlayerClubGoalsGoalscorers1 Justin EilersDynamo Dresden232 Christian Beck1. FC Magdeburg193 Pascal TestroetDynamo Dresden184 Marco KönigsFortuna Köln165 Anton FinkChemnitzer FC156 Julius BiadaFortuna Köln147 Julian DerstroffMainz 05 II12 Carsten KammlottRot-Weiß Erfurt9Five players11
Number of teams by state PositionStateNumber of teamsTeams14VfR Aalen, SG Sonnenhof Großaspach, Stuttgart II and Stuttgarter Kickers23Chemnitzer FC, Dynamo Dresden and Erzgebirge Aue32Fortuna Köln and Preussen Münster2Hallescher FC and FC Magdeburg51Würzburger Kickers1Energie Cottbus1Werder Bremen II1Wehen Wiesbaden1VfL Osnabrück1Hansa Rostock1Mainz 05 II1Holstein Kiel1Rot-Weiss Erfurt
References
External links