Oberliga Nordrhein
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|
| Country |
 Germany
|
|---|---|
| State |
 Nordrhein-Westfalen
|
| Founded | 1978 |
| Folded | 2008 (30 season) |
| Replaced by | Oberliga Nordrhein-Westfalen |
| Level on pyramid | Level 4 |
| Promotion to | Regionalliga Nord |
| Relegation to | |
| Last champions |
Borussia Mönchengladbach II (2007-08) |
The Oberliga Nordrhein was the highest Football League in the region of Nordrhein which is part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1978 to 2008. In its last season, it was one of nine Oberligas in German Football, the 4th tier of the German football league system. From 2008, it was replaced by the Oberliga Nordrhein-Westfalen, a new statewide league.
The league was formed in 1978 as a highest level of play for the two regions of Mittelrhein and Niederrhein, which cover the western half of the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. The main reason for the creation of this league was to allow its champion direct promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga Nord rather than having to go through a promotion play-off. It was created from nine clubs from the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein and seven clubs from the Verbandsliga Niederrhein which remained as the leagues below the Oberliga. Additionally, two teams from the 2nd Bundesliga were relegated to the new league, bringing the initial number of teams to eighteen.
Originally, the league was called Amateur Oberliga Nordrhein, from 1994 this was shortened to just Oberliga Nordrhein.
With the introduction of the unified 2nd Bundesliga in 1981, direct promotion for the Oberliga champions became impossible again because there were eight of them competing for four promotion spots. The champion of the Oberliga Nordrhein had to compete with the winners of the Oberligas Nord, Berlin and Westfalen for two 2nd Bundesliga spots.
Upon creation of the Regionalligas in 1994, the champions of the Oberligas were directly promoted again, however the Oberligas slipped to fourth tier in the German football league system. The top six teams in the Oberliga that year were qualified for the new Regionalliga West/Südwest, however, the champion, Fortuna Düsseldorf, won promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga and Bayer Leverkusen II declined, therefore only four teams went to the Regionalliga, the clubs being:
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