
The1956–57 Oberliga was the twelfth season of theOberliga, the first tier of thefootball league system inWest Germany and theSaar Protectorate. The league operated in five regional divisions,Berlin,North,South,Southwest andWest. The five league champions and the runners-up from the west, south, southwest and north then entered the1957 German football championship which was won byBorussia Dortmund. It was Borussia Dortmund's secondnational championship, having won its first in theprevious season and thereby becoming the first club to win back-to-back championships sinceDresdner SC in1943 and1944.[2][3]
During the season, on 1 January 1957, theSaar Protectorate officially joined West Germany, ending the post-Second World War political separation of the territory from the other parts of Germany,[4] which had also seen the Oberliga Südwest clubs from theSaarland,1. FC Saarbrücken,Borussia Neunkirchen,Sportfreunde Saarbrücken,Saar 05 Saarbrücken andSV Röchling Völklingen, leave the German league system from 1948 to 1951.[5]
A similar-named league, theDDR-Oberliga, existed inEast Germany, set at the first tier of theEast German football league system. The1957 DDR-Oberliga was won bySC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt.[6]
The 1956–57 season saw two new clubs in the league,Heider SV andConcordia Hamburg, both promoted from the Amateurliga. The league's top scorer wasUwe Seeler of Hamburger SV with 31 goals.[1]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamburger SV | 30 | 16 | 9 | 5 | 86 | 34 | +52 | 41 | Qualification toGerman championship |
| 2 | Holstein Kiel | 30 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 46 | 38 | +8 | 39 | |
| 3 | Hannover 96 | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 58 | 34 | +24 | 37 | |
| 4 | FC St. Pauli | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 40 | 52 | −12 | 33 | |
| 5 | Werder Bremen | 30 | 14 | 3 | 13 | 65 | 53 | +12 | 31 | |
| 6 | VfL Osnabrück | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 37 | 40 | −3 | 31 | |
| 7 | Eintracht Braunschweig | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 61 | 51 | +10 | 30 | |
| 8 | VfR Neumünster | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 35 | 50 | −15 | 30 | |
| 9 | TuS Bremerhaven 93 | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 42 | 49 | −7 | 29 | |
| 10 | Göttingen 05 | 30 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 51 | 61 | −10 | 29 | |
| 11 | FC Altona 93 | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 51 | 51 | 0 | 28 | |
| 12 | Concordia Hamburg | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 36 | 38 | −2 | 28 | |
| 13 | Eintracht Nordhorn | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 37 | 48 | −11 | 26 | |
| 14 | VfL Wolfsburg | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 51 | 71 | −20 | 26 | |
| 15 | Arminia Hannover(R) | 30 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 39 | 48 | −9 | 23 | Relegation to Amateurliga |
| 16 | Heider SV(R) | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 28 | 45 | −17 | 19 |
The 1956–57 season saw two new clubs in the league,BFC Südring andRapide Wedding, both promoted from theAmateurliga Berlin. The league's top scorer wasHelmut Faeder of Hertha BSC Berlin with 18 goals.[1]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hertha BSC Berlin | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 61 | 32 | +29 | 33 | Qualification toGerman championship |
| 2 | Tennis Borussia Berlin | 22 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 51 | 31 | +20 | 31 | |
| 3 | Union 06 Berlin | 22 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 46 | 36 | +10 | 27 | |
| 4 | Viktoria 89 Berlin | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 42 | 36 | +6 | 26 | |
| 5 | Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin | 22 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 42 | 35 | +7 | 25 | |
| 6 | Tasmania 1900 Berlin | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 36 | 30 | +6 | 25 | |
| 7 | Spandauer SV | 22 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 50 | 36 | +14 | 23 | |
| 8 | Berliner SV 92 | 22 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 42 | 36 | +6 | 23 | |
| 9 | Hertha Zehlendorf | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 32 | 39 | −7 | 17 | |
| 10 | Minerva 93 Berlin | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 29 | 47 | −18 | 17 | |
| 11 | BFC Südring(R) | 22 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 26 | 49 | −23 | 11 | Relegation toAmateurliga Berlin |
| 12 | Rapide Wedding(R) | 22 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 17 | 67 | −50 | 6 |
The 1956–57 season saw two new clubs in the league,VfL Bochum andMeidericher SV, both promoted from the2. Oberliga West. The league's top scorer wasAlfred Kelbassa of Borussia Dortmund with 30 goals.[1]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Borussia Dortmund(C) | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 73 | 33 | +40 | 41 | Qualification toGerman championship |
| 2 | Duisburger SV | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 56 | 39 | +17 | 39 | |
| 3 | 1. FC Köln | 30 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 67 | 50 | +17 | 39 | |
| 4 | FC Schalke 04 | 30 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 76 | 49 | +27 | 36 | |
| 5 | Alemannia Aachen | 30 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 65 | 54 | +11 | 34 | |
| 6 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 30 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 65 | 53 | +12 | 33 | |
| 7 | Meidericher SV | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 62 | 42 | +20 | 32 | |
| 8 | Rot-Weiß Essen | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 57 | 51 | +6 | 32 | |
| 9 | Wuppertaler SV | 30 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 41 | 52 | −11 | 30 | |
| 10 | VfL Bochum | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 29 | |
| 11 | Westfalia Herne | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 33 | 38 | −5 | 27 | |
| 12 | Preußen Dellbrück[a] | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 46 | 62 | −16 | 26 | |
| 13 | Preußen Münster | 30 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 48 | 70 | −22 | 25 | |
| 14 | SV Sodingen | 30 | 11 | 3 | 16 | 41 | 44 | −3 | 25 | |
| 15 | Schwarz-Weiß Essen(R) | 30 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 43 | 63 | −20 | 22 | Relegation to2. Oberliga West |
| 16 | Borussia München-Gladbach(R) | 30 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 39 | 112 | −73 | 10 |
The 1956–57 season saw two new clubs in the league,Sportfreunde Saarbrücken andFV Speyer, both promoted from the2. Oberliga Südwest. The league's top scorer wasOtto Hölzemann of TuS Neuendorf with 28 goals.[1]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 30 | 23 | 3 | 4 | 129 | 40 | +89 | 49 | Qualification toGerman championship |
| 2 | 1. FC Saarbrücken | 30 | 19 | 3 | 8 | 91 | 41 | +50 | 41 | |
| 3 | VfR Frankenthal | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 59 | 38 | +21 | 39 | |
| 4 | Phönix Ludwigshafen | 30 | 16 | 2 | 12 | 60 | 45 | +15 | 34 | |
| 5 | Borussia Neunkirchen | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 52 | 56 | −4 | 33 | |
| 6 | TuS Neuendorf | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 67 | 60 | +7 | 32 | |
| 7 | Saar 05 Saarbrücken | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 61 | 60 | +1 | 30 | |
| 8 | FK Pirmasens | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 57 | 58 | −1 | 30 | |
| 9 | Wormatia Worms | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 63 | 47 | +16 | 29 | |
| 10 | FSV Mainz 05 | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 38 | 59 | −21 | 28 | |
| 11 | Eintracht Kreuznach | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 44 | 54 | −10 | 27 | |
| 12 | Eintracht Trier | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 41 | 56 | −15 | 26 | |
| 13 | VfR Kaiserslautern | 30 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 37 | 51 | −14 | 25 | |
| 14 | FV Speyer | 30 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 54 | 69 | −15 | 23 | |
| 15 | SpVgg Andernach(R) | 30 | 7 | 4 | 19 | 42 | 98 | −56 | 18 | Relegation to2. Oberliga Südwest |
| 16 | Sportfreunde Saarbrücken(R) | 30 | 6 | 4 | 20 | 44 | 107 | −63 | 16 |
The 1956–57 season saw two new clubs in the league,Freiburger FC andFC Bayern Munich, both promoted from the2. Oberliga Süd. The league's top scorer wasHeinz Beck of Karlsruher SC with 34 goals, the highest total for any scorer in the five Oberligas in 1956–57.[1][7]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1. FC Nürnberg | 30 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 76 | 33 | +43 | 47 | Qualification toGerman championship |
| 2 | Kickers Offenbach | 30 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 81 | 35 | +46 | 43 | |
| 3 | Karlsruher SC | 30 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 74 | 41 | +33 | 41 | |
| 4 | VfB Stuttgart | 30 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 69 | 44 | +25 | 39 | |
| 5 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 60 | 42 | +18 | 35 | |
| 6 | SpVgg Fürth | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 61 | 57 | +4 | 29 | |
| 7 | VfR Mannheim | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 51 | 54 | −3 | 29 | |
| 8 | Viktoria Aschaffenburg | 30 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 44 | 54 | −10 | 27 | |
| 9 | Jahn Regensburg | 30 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 46 | 73 | −27 | 27 | |
| 10 | FC Bayern Munich | 30 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 52 | 62 | −10 | 26 | |
| 11 | FSV Frankfurt | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 41 | 60 | −19 | 26 | |
| 12 | FC Schweinfurt 05 | 30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 41 | 68 | −27 | 24 | |
| 13 | BC Augsburg | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 49 | 66 | −17 | 23 | |
| 14 | Stuttgarter Kickers | 30 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 46 | 50 | −4 | 22 | |
| 15 | Schwaben Augsburg(R) | 30 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 35 | 64 | −29 | 22 | Relegation to2. Oberliga Süd |
| 16 | Freiburger FC(R) | 30 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 43 | 66 | −23 | 20 |
The 1957 German football championship was contested by the nine qualified Oberliga teams and won byBorussia Dortmund, defeatingHamburger SV in the final. The runners-up of the Oberliga Nord and Süd played a pre-qualifying match. The remaining eight clubs then played a single round of matches at neutral grounds in two groups of four. The two group winners then advanced to the final.[8]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Kickers Offenbach | 3–2 aet | Holstein Kiel |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamburger SV(Q) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 5 | Qualified to final |
| 2 | Duisburger SV | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 4 | |
| 3 | 1. FC Nürnberg | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 2 | |
| 4 | 1. FC Saarbrücken | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 1 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Borussia Dortmund(Q) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 6 | Qualified to final |
| 2 | Kickers Offenbach | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 4 | |
| 3 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 8 | +9 | 2 | |
| 4 | Hertha BSC Berlin | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 19 | −16 | 0 |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Borussia Dortmund | 4–1 | Hamburger SV |