Südkreis-Liga

The Südkreis-Liga (English: Southern district league) was the highest association football league in the German Kingdom of Württemberg, Grand Duchy of Baden, the Province of Hohenzollern and Alsace-Lorraine from 1908 to 1918. The league was disbanded with the introduction of the Kreisliga Südwest and Kreisliga Württemberg in 1919.

Südkreis-Liga
Founded1908
Folded1918
Replaced by
Country German Empire
State
Level on pyramidLevel 1
Last championsUnion Stuttgart
(1917–18)

History

The league was formed in a move to improve the organisation of football in Southern Germany in the early 1900s. Within the structure of the Southern German football championship, four regional leagues were gradually established from 1908, these being:

Until then, regional leagues had existed which send their champions to the Kreis finals and, from there, the winners went on to the Southern and German championships.

In 1908, the Südkreis-Liga was established, consisting of ten clubs and playing a home-and-away season, these clubs being:[1]

An eleventh club, the FV Straßburg, withdrew before the start of the season.[2] Phönix Karlsruhe, the first league champion, qualified thereby for the Southern German championship, which it won, finishing ahead of 1. FC Nürnberg. From there, the club moved on to the German finals, where BFC Viktoria 89 could be beaten, making the club German champions.[3]

In its second year, the league operated with only nine clubs, with the Karlsruher FV bringing home another Southern and German title to Karlsruhe. In 1909-10, the league played with ten clubs again and Karlsruher FV once more took out the league title as well as the Southern German one. In the national title round, it failed in the semi-finals, being beaten by VfB Leipzig.[4]

In 1911-12, the league played with eleven clubs and KFV continued its dominance, reaching the German final once more but losing 1-0 to Holstein Kiel in that game.[5]

Now with eight clubs, the 1912-13 league champion, Stuttgarter Kickers, took out the Southern championship but only managed to reach the first round of the German finals, signaling the end of the dominance of the Südkreis-Liga in Germany.[6] In the last pre-First World War season, 1913–14, Kickers won the league title once more but in the Southern finals, rising SpVgg Fürth proved to good and went on to win the German title as well.[7]

The war starting in August 1914 meant an end to the league, no championship was played in 1914-15 at all. In the following three seasons, regional leagues operated, like before 1908. A Südkreis championship as well as a Southern German one was played, but no national title games were held.[8]

With the end of the war in November 1918, football came to a halt once more. Alsace ceased to be a part of Germany and the German football league system, being awarded to France. New leagues started to operate from 1919 and in the parts of the Südkreis still with Germany, the Kreisliga Südwest and Kreisliga Württemberg were formed.[9]

National success

The Südkreis was one of the strongest regions as football was concerned in this era, taking out most Southern German championships at the time. On national level, the clubs from there were quite successful, too.

Southern German championship

Qualified teams and their success:

  • 1909: Phönix Karlsruhe, Southern German champions
  • 1910: Karlsruher FV, Southern German champions
  • 1911: Karlsruher FV, Southern German champions
  • 1912: Karlsruher FV, Southern German champions
  • 1913: Stuttgarter Kickers, Southern German champions
  • 1914: Stuttgarter Kickers, 3rd
  • 1916: Freiburger FC, Semi-finals
  • 1917: Stuttgarter Kickers, Southern German champions
  • 1918: Union Stuttgart, Runners-up

German championship

Qualified teams and their success:

  • 1909: Phönix Karlsruhe, German champions
  • 1910: Karlsruher FV, German champions
  • 1911: Karlsruher FV, Semi-finals
  • 1912: Karlsruher FV, Runners-up
  • 1913: Stuttgarter Kickers, First round

Winners and runners-up of the Südkreis-Liga and championship
Season Winner Runner-Up
1908–09 Phönix Karlsruhe Stuttgarter Kickers
1909–10 Karlsruher FV Phönix Karlsruhe
1910–11 Karlsruher FV Stuttgarter Kickers
1911–12 Karlsruher FV Phönix Karlsruhe
1912–13 Stuttgarter Kickers 1. FC Pforzheim
1913–14 Stuttgarter Kickers 1. FC Pforzheim
1914–15 not held
1915–16 Freiburger FC Phönix Karlsruhe
1916–17 Stuttgarter Kickers Straßburger FV
1917–18 Union Stuttgart Phönix Karlsruhe
1918–19 not held

Placings in the Südkreis-Liga 1908–14
Club 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914
Phönix Karlsruhe 1 2 5 2 7 6
Stuttgarter Kickers 2 3 2 4
1. FC Pforzheim 3 4 6 5 2 2
Karlsruher FV 4 1 1 1 4 8
Viktoria 97 Mannheim 5
Alemannia Karlsruhe 6 6 9 8
Sportfreunde Stuttgart 7 5 4 7 8
Freiburger FC 8 8 3 3 5 3
Union Mannheim 9
FG 96 Mannheim 10
FV Straßburg 7 8 10
Union Stuttgart 9 7 6 3 4
FV Beiertheim 10 11
FC Mühlburg 9 5
VfB Stuttgart 6 7

References
  1. Verband Süddeutscher Fussball Vereine 1909 Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine (in German), accessed: 21 April 2009
  2. Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, (in German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 32, accessed: 21 April 2009
  3. Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, (in German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 35, accessed: 21 April 2009
  4. Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, (in German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 43, accessed: 21 April 2009
  5. Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, (in German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 47, accessed: 21 April 2009
  6. Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, (in German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 50, accessed: 21 April 2009
  7. Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, (in German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 53, accessed: 21 April 2009
  8. Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, (in German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 54-56, accessed: 21 April 2009
  9. Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, (in German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 62, accessed: 21 April 2009

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