Oberliga Süd (1945–63)
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|
| Country |
 Germany
|
|---|---|
| State | |
| Founded | 1945 |
| Folded | 1963 (18 seasons) |
| Replaced by | Bundesliga |
| Level on pyramid | Level 1 |
| Relegation to | 2. Oberliga Süd |
| Last champions |
TSV 1860 Munich (1962–63) |
The Oberliga Süd (English: Premier League South) was the southernmost of the five Oberligen, the regional leagues forming the top level of association football in West Germany from 1945 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963. Oberliga Süd covered the southern three German states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse.
The league was introduced as the highest level of football in the US occupation zone in 1945 to replace the disbanded Gauligen. It played its first round on 4 November 1945 and continued on throughout winter. No less than 16 clubs were elected into the new league, a novelty in German football and quite an achievement in the early post-war conditions. At this stage, clubs from the south-western parts of Baden and Württemberg were not eligible to compete in it as they were based in the French occupation zone and had to play in the Oberliga Südwest (Südgruppe), where they remained until 1950, when the separation of South and Southwest was made final. Play in the southern parts of Germany went underway almost straight after the end of the war while the north and east still had to wait some more years. One reason for this was the fact that the less industrial, more agricultural south had sustained much less damage to infrastructure. But there was another specific advantage. The authorities in the U.S. zone encouraged the relaunch of competitive sports on a regional basis much earlier than this happened in the other zones. Regional (or nationwide) football associations were not tolerated anywhere before 1948. The Oberliga Süd, however, was licensed to a group of private persons, thus being a sort of "independent" league during its first five seasons. It did not join the South German F.A. until 1950.
The clubs in the Oberliga Süd had been in the following Gauligen:
In addition to the Oberliga Süd, four other Oberligas were formed in Germany in the 1940s.
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