Regionalliga Nord (1963–74)
 |
|
| Country |
 Germany
|
|---|---|
| State | |
| Founded | 1963 |
| Folded | 1974 (11 seasons) |
| Replaced by | 2nd Bundesliga Nord |
| Level on pyramid | Level 2 |
| Promotion to | Bundesliga |
| Relegation to | |
| Last champions |
Eintracht Braunschweig (1973-74) |
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The Regionalliga Nord was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the north of Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2nd Bundesliga in 1974. It covered the states of Niedersachsen, Bremen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.
The Regionalliga Nord started out in 1963 with 18 teams in the league, had 17 clubs from 1964 to 1971 and then returned to a strength of 18.
It was formed from the thirteen clubs of the Oberliga Nord which did not get admitted to the new Bundesliga and from five promoted clubs from the Amateurliga. The Regionalliga Nord was as such a continuation of the Oberliga Nord under a different name and a tier lower.
Along with the Regionalliga Nord went another four Regionalligas, these five formed the second tier of German football until 1974:
The new Regionalligas were formed along the borders of the old post-World War II Oberligas, not after a balanced regional system. Therefore the Oberligas Berlin and West covered small but populos areas while Nord and Süd covered large areas. Südwest was something of an anachronism, neither large nor populos.
The winners and runners-up of this league were admitted to the promotion playoff to the Bundesliga, which was staged in two groups of originally four, later five teams each with the winner of each group going up.
The bottom two teams were relegated to the Amateurligas. Below the Regionalliga Nord were the following Amateurligas:
The FC St. Pauli, VfL Osnabrück, Holstein Kiel, Arminia Hannover, VfB Lübeck, VfL Wolfsburg and TuS Bremerhaven 93 all played all eleven seasons of the Regionalliga Nord. The VfL Osnabrück stands out in its consistency, having before that played every season of the Oberliga Nord (1947–1963) and afterwards also every season of the 2nd Bundesliga Nord (1974–1981). This 37-year run ended only in 1985 when the club was relegated from the 2nd Bundesliga to the Oberliga, for a year.
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