German amateur championship
| German amateur football championship |
|---|
| Founded |
| 1950 |
| Disbanded |
| 1998 |
| Nation |
 Germany
|
| Number of Seasons |
| 48 |
| Replaced by |
| Competition disbanded |
| Level on Pyramid |
| Level 3 |
| Last Champions 1997–98 |
| Tennis Borussia Berlin |
The German amateur football championship was a national football competition in Germany organized by the German Football Association (German: Deutscher Fußball-Bund; DFB) and in existence from 1950 to 1998.
The championship was established in 1950 as a counterpart to the German football championship, which was open only to the winners of the tier-one Oberligas.
To qualify for the German amateur championship, a club had to play in the highest amateur league of its regional football federation. The majority of these leagues were tier-three leagues. Only in Niedersachsen, Bremen, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Berlin were these leagues set at the second level. From 1963, with the introduction of the Fußball-Bundesliga, all these leagues became tier-three leagues too.
To qualify for the amateur championship, a club either had to win its highest local amateur league and then not to have to take part in any post-season promotion-round. A club could also decline to take part in the promotion round and play in the amateur championship instead. Also, league winners who were reserve teams of professional clubs were ineligible for promotion to the professional level and had to play in the amateur championship instead. Mostly however, the clubs playing in the championship were the runners-up of their leagues.
In the first five editions of the competition, the modus remained unchanged from season to season. Fifteen clubs competed in a knock-out system, whereby one club had a bye for the first round. Clubs paired against each other would only play one game to determine the winner of the tie. The competition only included teams from West Germany and West Berlin, East German clubs did not take part. Also, clubs from the Saarland did not take part either at this stage. The fifteen clubs came from the following leagues (tier):
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