Kreisliga Württemberg
 | |
| Founded | 1919 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1923 |
| Replaced by | Bezirksliga Württemberg-Baden |
| Country |  Germany |
| State | |
| Level on pyramid | Level 1 |
| Last champions | Stuttgarter Kickers (1922–23) |
The Kreisliga Württemberg (English: District league Württemberg) was the highest association football league in the German state of Württemberg from 1919 to 1923. The league was disbanded with the introduction of the Bezirksliga Württemberg-Baden in 1923.
Overview[edit]
Predecessor[edit]
From 1907, four regional leagues were formed within the structure of the Southern German football championship, in a move to improve the organisation of football in Southern Germany, these being:
- Ostkreis-Liga, covering Bavaria
- Nordkreis-Liga, covering Hesse
- Südkreis-Liga, covering Württemberg, Baden and Alsace
- Westkreis-Liga, covering the Palatinate, Lorraine and the southern Rhine Province
In 1908, a first Südkreis-Liga (English: Southern District League) was established, consisting of ten clubs and playing a home-and-away season.[1] With the outbreak of the First World War, league football came to a halt and, during the war, games were only played on a limited level.
Post-First World War[edit]
With the collapse of the German Empire in 1918, no Württemberg championship was played in 1918-19 but football returned to a more organised system in 1919.
Southern Germany, now without the Alsace region, which had to be returned to France, was sub-divided into ten Kreisligas, these being:
- Kreisliga Hessen
- Kreisliga Nordbayern
- Kreisliga Nordmain
- Kreisliga Odenwald
- Kreisliga Pfalz
- Kreisliga Saar
- Kreisliga Südbayern
- Kreisliga Südmain
- Kreisliga Südwest
- Kreisliga Württemberg
The Südkreis-Liga was split into three regional competitions, Württemberg, Odenwald and Südwest, each with ten clubs.[2] The three league winners advanced to the Southern championship. This system applied for the 1919-20 and 1920-21 season.[3]
In 1921-22, the Kreisliga Württemberg was split into two groups of eight, increasing the number of tier-one clubs in Württemberg to 16. The two league winners then played a final to determine the Württemberg champion, which in turn advanced to a Baden-Württemberg championship final against the Südwest champion. The Odenwald champion was not part of this series but rather played a Rhine championship.[4] This "watering down" of Württemberg football lasted for only one season, in 1922-23, the number of top clubs was reduced to eight clubs in a single division, with a Baden-Württemberg final against the Südwest champion once more.[5]
In 1923, a league reform which was decided upon in Darmstadt, Hesse, established the Southern German Bezirksligas which were to replace the Kreisligas.[6] The best four teams each from the Südwest and Württemberg were admitted to the new Bezirksliga Württemberg-Baden. The four clubs from Württemberg were:
National success[edit]
The clubs from the Kreisliga Württemberg were not particularly successful in this era and none managed to qualify for the German championship.
Baden-Württemberg championship[edit]
Played in 1922 and 1923, these were the finals:
- 1922:
- Württemberg final: Sportfreunde Stuttgart - Stuttgarter Kickers 1-0 / 3-2
- Baden-Württemberg final: Sportfreunde Stuttgart - Karlsruher FV 1-0 / 1-1
- 1923:
- Baden-Württemberg final: 1. FC Pforzheim - Stuttgarter Kickers 3-0 / 1-1
Southern German championship[edit]
Qualified teams and their success:
- 1920:
- SC Stuttgart, Group stage
- 1921:
- Stuttgarter Kickers, Group stage
- 1922:
- Sportfreunde Stuttgart, Semi-finals
- 1923:
- Stuttgarter Kickers, not qualified
Winners and runners-up of the Kreisliga Württemberg[edit]
| Season | Champions | Runner-Up |
| 1919-20 | SC Stuttgart | Stuttgarter Kickers |
| 1920–21 | Stuttgarter Kickers | SV Feuerbach |
| 1921–22 | Sportfreunde Stuttgart | Stuttgarter Kickers |
| 1922–23 | Stuttgarter Kickers | SV Feuerbach |
Placings in the Kreisliga Württemberg 1919-23[edit]
| Club | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC Stuttgart | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Stuttgarter Kickers | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sportfreunde Stuttgart | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| SV Feuerbach | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 5 | 5 | 2 | 6 |
| VfR Heilbronn | 6 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| FV Ulm 94 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 8 |
| FV Zuffenhausen | 8 | 9 | 8 | |
| Spgg. Tübingen | 9 | 6 | ||
| FV Kornwestheim | 10 | |||
| Spgg. Cannstatt | 7 | 6 | ||
| Union Böckingen | 10 | 7 | ||
| TB Ulm | 5 | |||
| Pfeil Gaisburg | 7 | |||
| Eintracht Stuttgart | 3 | 7 | ||
| Normannia Gmünd | 5 | |||
| VfL Stuttgart | 8 |
References[edit]
- ^ Verband Süddeutscher Fussball Vereine 1909 Archived July 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine (in German), accessed: 22 March 2009
- ^ Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, (in German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 62, accessed: 22 March 2009
- ^ Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, (in German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 65, accessed: 22 March 2009
- ^ Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, (in German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 70, accessed: 22 March 2009
- ^ Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, (in German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 73, accessed: 22 March 2009
- ^ History of the Offenburger Fußballverein Archived March 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine (in German) Page 5, accessed: 14 December 2008
Sources[edit]
- Fussball-Jahrbuch Deutschland (in German) (8 vol.), Tables and results of the German tier-one leagues 1919-33, publisher: DSFS
- Kicker Almanach, (in German) The yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the Kicker Sports Magazine
- Süddeutschlands Fussballgeschichte in Tabellenform 1897-1988 (in German) History of Southern German football in tables, publisher & author: Ludolf Hyll
External links[edit]
- The Gauligas (in German) Das Deutsche Fussball Archiv
- German league tables 1892-1933 (in German) Hirschi's Fussball seiten
- Germany - Championships 1902-1945 at RSSSF.com