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| Organising body | Rhineland Football Association |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1952 |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Rhineland-Palatinate |
| Region | Rheinland |
| Number of clubs | 18 |
| Level on pyramid | Level 6 |
| Promotion to | Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar |
| Relegation to |
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| Domestic cup | Rhineland Cup |
| Current champions | Ahrweiler BC (2021–22) |
TheRheinlandliga is a German amateur football division administered by theRhineland Football Association, one of the 21 German state football associations. Being the top flight of the Rhineland state association, the Verbandsliga is currently a level 6 division of theGerman football league system.
TheAmateurliga Rheinland was formed in 1952 in the northern half of the state ofRhineland-Palatinate. Before its inception, three separate leagues operated in the area as the highest level of play. The league was a feeder league to the2nd Oberliga Südwest. From 1952 until the establishment of theOberliga Südwest in 1978, it was the third tier of the football league system.
The winner of theAmateurliga Rheinland 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 theAmateurligen Saarland andSüdwest.
Until 1933, the region covered by the Rhinrland FA was politically part of the now dissolvedGerman state ofPrussia. It was part of the PrussianRhine Province.
The league was established in 1952 with sixteen teams, the winner gaining promotion to the2nd Oberliga Südwest. The founder members were:
In 1956 the league was split into a western and an eastern group with twelve teams each. In 1963 it reverted to its old single group setup.
With the introduction of theBundesliga in 1963 theAmateurliga was placed below the newRegionalliga Südwest but still retained its third-tier status. It continued to do so after the introduction of the2nd Bundesliga Süd in 1974.
SC Bad Neuenahr and SC Sinzig hold the record for years in theAmateurliga, each with 22 out of a possible 26.
In 1978, the league was renamedVerbandsliga Rheinland. At the same time, theOberliga Südwest was reintroduced. The top five teams out of theAmateurliga went to the newOberliga while the teams from place 6 to 15 found themselves in theVerbandsliga. The bottom team was relegated. TheVerbandsliga was now the fourth tier of the league system.
The winner of theRheinlandliga, like the winners of theVerbandsliga Südwest and theSaarlandliga gains direct promotion to theOberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar, formerly theOberliga Südwest. The runners-up will only get a chance for promotion when there is additional spots to fill in theOberliga, like 1994 when theRegionalligas were introduced andSpVgg EGC Wirges and theSG Betzdorf were promoted.
In the Rheinland, theVerbandsliga is calledRheinlandliga.
The Rheinland contains an unproportional amount ofSG's, which are joint teams without the contributing clubs actually merging. The reason for this is the relatively low population density and therefore a lack of players.SG's can usually not be promoted above their Verbandsliga.
Feeder Leagues to theRheinlandliga
Until 2003, twoLandesligas, north and south, existed in the region, set betweenVerbandsliga andBezirksliga. Those leagues were disbanded in 2003.
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Source:"Verbandsliga Rheinland". Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv. Retrieved19 March 2008.