The 1961–62 DDR-Oberliga was the 13th season of the

DDR-Oberliga The DDR-Oberliga (English: ''East German Premier League'' or ''GDR Premier League'') was the top-level association football league in East Germany. Overview Following World War II, separate sports competitions emerged in the occupied eastern ...

, the first tier of league football in

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

. It was the first season played in the traditional autumn-spring format again after the Oberliga had played for six seasons from 1955 to 1960 in the calendar year format instead, modelled on the system used in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. The league was played as a triple round with a home-and-away round and an additional round of games at neutral venues to allow for an earlier start. The league was contested by fourteen teams.

National People's Army The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) an ...

club

ASK Vorwärts Berlin 1. FC Frankfurt is a German football club based in Frankfurt (Oder), Brandenburg. The club was founded as the army club SV VP Vorwärts Leipzig in Leipzig in East Germany in 1951. The club won six East German championships as ASK Vorwärts Berl ...

won the championship, the club's second consecutive one and third overall, eventually winning six national East German championships overall. On the strength of the 1961–62 title Vorwärts qualified for the

1962–63 European Cup The 1962–63 European Cup was the eighth season of the European Cup, a football competition for European clubs. The competition was won by Milan, who beat two-time defending champions Benfica in the final at Wembley Stadium in London. Milan's v ...

where the club was knocked out by

Dukla Prague Dukla Prague ( cz, Dukla Praha) was a Czech football club from the city of Prague. Established in 1948 as ATK Praha, the club won a total of 11 Czechoslovak league titles and eight Czechoslovak Cups, and in the 1966–67 season, reached the semi ...

in the preliminary round. Eleventh-placed club SC Chemie Halle qualified for the

1962–63 European Cup Winners' Cup The 1962–63 season of the European Cup Winners' Cup football club tournament was won by Tottenham Hotspur in a crushing final victory over holders Atlético Madrid. It was the first time a European cup went to an English club. The so-called "wi ...

as the seasons

FDGB-Pokal The FDGB-Pokal (Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund Pokal or Free German Trade Union Federation Cup) was an elimination football tournament held annually in East Germany. It was the second most important national title in East German football aft ...

winner and was knocked out by

OFK Beograd OFK Beograd ( sr-Cyrl, ОФК Београд – Омладински фудбалски клуб Београд, English: ''Belgrade Youth Football Club'') is a Serbian professional football club based in Belgrade, more precisely in Karaburma, ...

in the preliminary round as well.

Arthur Bialas Arthur Bialas (21 November 1930 – 12 November 2012) was a German footballer. He scored 79 goals in the East German top division for SC Empor Rostock. Arthur Bialas won his only cap in a World Cup qualifier against Hungary Hun ...

SC Empor Rostock FC Hansa Rostock () is a German association football club based in the city of Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The club is also called as "the cog" because of its club crest. They have emerged as one of the most successful clubs from the forme ...

was the league's top scorer with 23 goals. The 1961–62 season saw the third-most games played in an Oberliga season, 273. Only 1950–51 and 1951–52 had there been more, 306 and 342, when the league consisted of 18 and 19 clubs. The season also saw the lowest-ever average attendance with 8,088 per match.

Table

The 1961–62 season saw two newly promoted clubs, SC Turbine Erfurt and BSG Lokomotive Stendal.

Results

First and second round

Third round

References

Sources

External links

Das Deutsche Fussball Archiv
Historic German league tables {{DEFAULTSORT:Ddr-Oberliga 1961-62

Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

Ober