DDR-Liga
| DDR Liga |
|---|
| Founded |
| 1950 |
| Disbanded |
| 1991 |
| Nation |
 East Germany
|
|
| Promotion To |
| DDR-Oberliga |
| Relegation To |
| Bezirksliga (15 regional leagues) |
| Number of Seasons |
| 40 |
| Replaced by |
| 2nd Bundesliga |
| Level on Pyramid |
| Level 2 |
| Last Champions 1990-91 |
| 1. FC Union Berlin |
| FSV Zwickau |
The DDR-Liga (English:East German League) was, prior to German reunification in 1990, the second level of football competition in the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik or German Democratic Republic, commonly East Germany), being roughly equivalent to the Bundesliga in West Germany.
Overview
1950-1955
The league was established in two divisions of ten teams in 1950 as the level of play below the DDR-Oberliga, being the second tier of the East German football league system. As such it remained in various configurations throughout its existence until being disbanded in 1991.
The champion of each division was directly promoted to the Oberliga. While not having geographical "tags" attached to the division, Staffel 1 was originally equivalent to a Northern Division while Staffel 2 was the Southern Division. The system was not static however, clubs were often moved between groups to balance out league numbers, and sometimes also for political reasons. In the same way, clubs were also moved between cities, depending on how much they were in favor with the communist regime.
In its second season, the leagues were expanded to twelve teams each, the year after to thirteen and in 1953 to fourteen.
The year 1954 saw the creation of a third group, Staffel 3, which made a geographical categorizing more difficult but essentially, one was north, two was south and three was central.
1955-1971
The league system changed completely in 1955. East Germany followed the example of the Soviet Union and switched to a calendar year system, resulting in a shortened autnum competition for 1955 only with a single division, fourteen-team format. From the 1956 season the league continued to operate on a single division format with the top two teams gaining promotion.
After the 1960 season, the league reverted to the traditional system of playing from autumn to spring which meant that the 1961-62 season, as a transition season, went through three rounds and each of the fourteen clubs absolved 39 games.
The year after, the league returned to two divisions, North and South, still with fourteen clubs each and the winners gaining promotion.
In 1963, the two divisions expanded to sixteen clubs each.
1971-1984
After a lengthy period of no changes to the system, the DDR-Ligas were revamped in 1971 when their number was increased to five with eleven teams in the C and D group and twelve teams in the other three. The year after, all five divisions had twelve clubs. The new system meant, that the league winners could not all be directly promoted. Instead, the five champions played a promotion round with the top two teams from it gaining entry to the Oberliga.
To a large extend, the five new divisions represented the pre-1950 states of East Germany, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg, Sachsen-Anhalt, Sachsen and Thüringen, which were all reformed with the German reunion in 1990.
Until 1976, reserve teams of Oberliga clubs were permitted in the DDR-Liga. Authorities then banned those from entering the second tier in order to increase the appeal of the leagues as spectator attendances for reserve teams in Germany are never particularly high. It also resulted in the promotion round now definatly being played by the league champions. Previously, when one of the five divisions was won by a reserve team, the best placed first team from this league was entered in the promotion round.
1984-1991
The year 1984 saw the DDR-Liga revert to a two-group system, now with eighteen clubs per division and direct promotion for the champions again. Also, reserve teams were re-admitted to the league but still bared from promotion to the Oberliga.
The 1988-89 season was the last under the old East German system, the two following ones the league operated under the name of NOFV-Liga, meaning Nordost Deutscher Fussball Verband-Liga (English:Northeast German FA League). The majority of clubs moved away from their, mostly communist, background and started adopting new or pre-DDR names. In its final season, 1990-91, the league was under the authority of the DFB, the (West) German Football Association. Reduced to sixteen clubs per division and without reserve teams now, the clubs played for qualification in the united German football league system from 1991. With the exception of the bottom two teams in each league, all clubs went to the new NOFV-Oberligas, the new tier three leagues in what was East Germany and West Berlin.
Leagues below the DDR-Liga
For the most part of the existence of the DDR-Liga, the leagues below it were the Bezirksligas, which there was fifteen of. Those were introduced in 1952. For a brief period from 1955 to 1963, the 2nd DDR-Liga was introduced to the league system as a tier between the two. This league, consisting of five regional groups, was abolished again in 1963 and the Bezirksligas became the level immediately below the DDR-Liga again. In its very last season, the newly recreated states of former East Germany introduced their own regional leagues, with the exception of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin. Those still exist today. The Bezirksligas however have mostly either disappeared, changed their name or exist in a different format.
The fifteen Bezirksligas were:
- Bezirksliga Schwerin
- Bezirksliga Rostock
- Bezirksliga Neubrandenburg
- Bezirksliga Magdeburg
- Bezirksliga Pottsdam
- Bezirksliga Berlin
- Bezirksliga Halle
- Bezirksliga Frankfurt/Oder
- Bezirksliga Cottbus
- Bezirksliga Gera
- Bezirksliga Erfurt
- Bezirksliga Suhl
- Bezirksliga Dresden
- Bezirksliga Leipzig
- Bezirksliga Karl-Marz-Stadt
Champions of the DDR-Liga
1950-1955
| Season | Staffel 1 | Staffel 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1950-51 | Anker Wismar | Wismut Aue |
| 1951-52 | Empor Lauter | Motor Jena |
| 1952-53 | Fortschritt Meerane | Einheit Ost Leipzig |
| 1953-54 | Chemie Karl-Marx-Stadt | Vorwärts Berlin |
1955-1971
| Season | Staffel 1 | Staffel 2 | Staffel 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-55 | Lok Stendal | Fortschritt Weißenfels | Motor Dessau |
| Season | DDR-Liga |
|---|---|
| 1955 | Fortschritt Meerane |
| 1956 | Motor Jena |
| 1957 | Dynamo Berlin |
| 1958 | Chemie Zeitz |
| 1959 | Chemie Halle |
| 1960 | Turbine Erfurt |
| 1961-62 | Dynamo Dresden |
| Season | Staffel Nord | Staffel Süd |
|---|---|---|
| 1962-63 | Lok Stendal | Motor Steinach |
| 1963-64 | SC Neubrandenburg | Dynamo Dresden |
| 1964-65 | Chemie Halle | Turbine Erfurt |
| 1965-66 | 1. FC Union Berlin | Wismut Gera |
| 1966-67 | 1. FC Magdeburg | Rot-Weiß Erfurt |
| 1967-68 | Dynamo Berlin | Stahl Riesa |
| 1968-69 | Stahl Eisenhüttenstadt | Dynamo Dresden |
| 1969-70 | 1. FC Union Berlin | 1. FC Lok Leipzig |
| 1970-71 | Vorwärts Stralsund | FC Karl-Marx-Stadt |
1971-1984
| Season | Staffel A | Staffel B | Staffel C | Staffel D | Staffel E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-72 | TSG Wismar | Dynamo Berlin II | Chemie Leipzig | Motor Werdau | Rot-Weiß Erfurt |
| 1972-73 | Vorwärts Stralsund | Dynamo Berlin II * | Vorwärts Leipzig | Dynamo Dresden II * | Chemie Zeitz |
| 1973-74 | Vorwärts Stralsund | 1. FC Union Berlin | Hallescher FC Chemie | Chemie Böhlen | Wismut Gera |
| 1974-75 | Dynamo Schwerin | 1. FC Union Berlin | Chemie Leipzig | Energie Cottbus | Wismut Gera |
| 1975-76 | Hansa Rostock | 1. FC Union Berlin | Hallescher FC Chemie II | Motor Werdau | FC Carl Zeiss Jena II |
| 1976-77 | Vorwärts Stralsund | Stahl Hennigsdorf | Chemie Leipzig | Chemie Böhlen | Wismut Gera |
| 1977-78 | Hansa Rostock | Vorwärts Neubrandenburg | Chemie Leipzig | Lok Dresden | Stahl Riesa |
| 1978-79 | TSG Bau Rostock | Vorwärts Frankfurt | Chemie Leipzig | Energie Cottbus | Motor Suhl |
| 1979-80 | Hansa Rostock | Dynamo Fürstenwalde | Chemie Böhlen | Energie Cottbus | Wismut Gera |
| 1980-81 | Schiffahrt/Hafen Rostock | 1. FC Union Berlin | Chemie Schkopau | Energie Cottbus | Motor Suhl |
| 1981-82 | Vorwärts Stralsund | 1. FC Union Berlin | Chemie Böhlen | Stahl Riesa | Motor Nordhausen |
| 1982-83 | Schiffahrt/Hafen Rostock | Stahl Brandenburg | Chemie Leipzig | Stahl Riesa | Wismut Gera |
| 1983-84 | Vorwärts Neubrandenburg | Stahl Brandenburg | Vorwärts Dessau | Sachsenring Zwickau | Motor Suhl |
1984-1991
| Season | Staffel A | Staffel B |
|---|---|---|
| 1984-85 | 1. FC Union Berlin | Sachsenring Zwickau |
| 1985-86 | Dynamo Berlin II * | Fortschritt Bischofswerda |
| 1986-87 | Hansa Rostock | Hallescher FC Chemie |
| 1987-88 | Energie Cottbus | Sachsenring Zwickau |
| 1988-89 | Stahl Eisenhüttenstadt | Fortschritt Bischofswerda |
| 1989-90 | FC Vorwärts Frankfurt | Chemie Böhlen |
| 1990-91 | 1. FC Union Berlin | FSV Zwickau |
Source:"DDR-Liga". Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv. Retrieved 4 March 2008.
- bold denotes club gained promotion.
- In 1973, the runners-up Energie Cottbus (Staffel B) and Stahl Riesa (Staffel D) were promoted as the champions of these two leagues were reserve teams and therefore ineligibil for promotion.
- In 1986, the runner-up Energie Cottbus was promoted instead.