Kreisliga Württemberg

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

Predecessor

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. 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

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. The three league winners advanced to the Southern championship. This system applied for the 1919-20 and 1920-21 season.

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. 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.

In 1923, a league reform which was decided upon in Darmstadt, Hesse, established the Southern German ''Bezirksligas'' which were to replace the ''Kreisligas''.History of the Offenburger Fußballverein
Page 5, accessed: 14 December 2008 The best four teams each from the Südwest and Württemberg were admitted to the new ''Bezirksliga Württemberg-Baden''. The four clubs from Württemberg were:
* Stuttgarter Kickers
* SV Feuerbach
* VfR Heilbronn
* SC Stuttgart

National success

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

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

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

Placings in the Kreisliga Württemberg 1919-23

References

Sources

* ''Fussball-Jahrbuch Deutschland'' (8 vol.), Tables and results of the German tier-one leagues 1919-33, publisher: DSFS
* ''Kicker Almanach'', The yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the Kicker Sports Magazine
* ''Süddeutschlands Fussballgeschichte in Tabellenform 1897-1988'' History of Southern German football in tables, publisher & author: Ludolf Hyll

External links

The Gauligas
''Das Deutsche Fussball Archiv''

German league tables 1892-1933
''Hirschi's Fussball seiten''


at RSSSF.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kreisliga Wurttemberg
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1919 establishments in Germany
1923 disestablishments in Germany
Football competitions in Baden-Württemberg
20th century in Baden-Württemberg
Southern German football championship
Sports leagues established in 1919
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