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| Founded | 1951 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1978 (27 seasons) |
| Replaced by |
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| Country |  Germany |
| State |  Saarland |
| Level on pyramid | Level 3 |
| Promotion to |
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| Domestic cup(s) | Saarland Pokal |
| Last champions | Borussia Neunkirchen (1977–78) |
TheAmateurliga Saarland was the highest football league in the state ofSaarland and the third tier of theGerman football league system from 1951, when the clubs from the Saar returned toGermany, until the formation of theOberliga Südwest and theVerbandsliga Saarland below it in 1978.
The Ehrenliga Saarland was formed in 1947 in the state of Saarland. The league was originally a feeder league to theOberliga Südwest. Due to the special situation of Saarland, its clubs left the German football league system from 1948 to 1951 with the1. FC Saarbrücken playing a year in theFrench second division.[1]Three seasons in this period were played under independentSaarland Football Association control.From its return in 1951, now under the name of Amateurliga Saarland, until the establishment of the Oberliga Südwest in 1978, it was the third tier of the football league system.
The league was established in 1947 with ten teams, the winner gaining promotion to the Oberliga Südwest. The founder members were:
With the return to the German league system in 1951, two teams from the Amateurliga were admitted to the Oberliga Südwest, the 1. FC Saarbrücken andBorussia Neunkirchen.
The year after, three clubs were admitted to the new 2. Oberliga Südwest, theViktoria Hühnerfeld,SC Altenkessel undSportfreunde Saarbrücken.
The winner of the Amateurliga Saarland was not automatically promoted to its superior league but rather had to take part in apromotion play-off. The champion would have to compete with the winners of theAmateurliga Südwest andRheinland.
With the introduction of theBundesliga in 1963 the Amateurliga was placed below the newRegionalliga Südwest but still retained its third-tier status. It continued to do so after the introduction of the2. Bundesliga Süd in 1974.
In 1978, the Oberliga Südwest was formed to allow direct promotion to the 2. Bundesliga Süd for the amateur champion of the area. The last league winner, Borussia Neunkirchen, was promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. The teams placed two to seven gained entry to the Oberliga while the other twelve teams were put into the new Verbandsliga Saarland, now the fourth tier of the football league system.
Admitted to the newOberliga:
Relegated to the newVerbandsliga:
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Source:"Verbandsliga saarland". Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv.Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved18 March 2008.
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