Nordkreis-Liga

Nordkreis-Liga
Founded
1909
Disbanded
1918
Nation
German Empire
State
Hesse-Nassau
Grand Duchy of Hesse
Number of Seasons
9
Replaced by
Kreisliga Nordmain
Kreisliga Südmain
Kreisliga Hessen
Level on Pyramid
Level 1
Last Champions 1917-18
Amicitia 02 Frankfurt

The Nordkreis-Liga (English: Northern district league) was the highest association football league in the German Grand Duchy of Hesse and the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau from 1909 to 1918. The league was disbanded with the introduction of the Kreisliga Nordmain, Kreisliga Südmain and Kreisliga Hessen in 1919.

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:

• 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

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 1909, the Nordkreis-Liga was established, consisting of twelve clubs and playing a home-and-away season, these clubs being:^[1]

• Viktoria 1894 Hanau
• SV Wiesbaden
• FSV Frankfurt
• FC Hanau 93
• Amicitia Bockenheim
• Kickers Frankfurt
• Kickers Offenbach
• Viktoria Frankfurt
• Germania Bockenheim
• Britannia Frankfurt
• Germania Bieber
• Fvgg Bockenheim

Viktoria 1894 Hanau, the first league champion, qualified thereby for the Southern German championship, where it came last out of four clubs.

In its second year, the league operated with thirteen clubs, with the Germania 94 Frankfurt joining the league. In 1911-12, the league played with twelve clubs again, Amicitia Frankfurt having been disqualified.

In 1912-13, the league was reduced to eight clubs and the Nordkreis champion, for the first time since the interception of the league, didn't come last in the Southern German finals, finishing second instead.^[2]

In the last pre-First World War season, 1913-14, things remained unchanged and champions Frankfurter FV finished runners-up in Southern Germany once more.^[3]

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 Nordkreis championship as well as a Southern German one was played, but no national title games were held.^[4]

With the end of the war in November 1918, football came to a halt once more. New leagues started to operate from 1919 and in the region that previously had formed the Nordkreis, the Kreisliga Nordmain, Kreisliga Südmain and Kreisliga Hessen were formed.^[5]

National success

The Nordkreis was one of the weaker regions as football was concerned in this era, taking out no Southern German championships at the time and never qualifying for the German championship.

Southern German championship

Qualified teams and their results:

• 1910: Viktoria 94 Hanau, 4th
• 1911: SV Wiesbaden, 4th
• 1912: Frankfurter FV, 4th
• 1913: Frankfurter FV, Runners-up
• 1914: Frankfurter FV, Runners-up
• 1916: FC Hanau 93, Semi-finals
• 1917: FSV Frankfurt, 3rd
• 1918: Amicitia 02 Frankfurt, Semi-finals

German championship

None qualified.

Winners and runners-up of the Südkreis-Liga and championship

Season	Winner	Runner-Up
1909-10	Viktoria 1894 Hanau	SV Wiesbaden
1910-11	SV Wiesbaden	FSV Frankfurt
1911-12	Frankfurter FV	FC Hanau 93
1912-13	Frankfurter FV	Viktoria 1894 Hanau
1913-14	Frankfurter FV	SV Wiesbaden
1914-15	not held
1915-16	FC Hanau 93	FSV Frankfurt
1916-17	FSV Frankfurt	Amicitia 02 Frankfurt
1917-18	Amicitia 02 Frankfurt	FSV Frankfurt
1918-19	not held

Placings in the Nordkreis-Liga 1909-14

Club	1910	1911	1912	1913	1914
Viktoria 1894 Hanau	1	6	4	2	5
SV Wiesbaden	2	1	7	5	2
FSV Frankfurt	3	2	3	4	6
FC Hanau 93	4	4	2	6	3
Amicitia 02 Frankfurt	5	9
Kickers Frankfurt 1	6	5
Kickers Offenbach	7	3	5	3	4
Viktoria Frankfurt 1	8	7
Germania Bockenheim	9	8	9
Britannia Frankfurt	10	11	8
Germania Bieber	11	10	11		8
Fvgg Bockenheim	12	13	12
Germania 94 Frankfurt		12	10	8
Frankfurter FV 1			1	1	1
SC Bürgel			6	7	7

• ¹ Viktoria and Kickers merged in 1911 to form Frankfurter FV, which, in turn, formed Eintracht Frankfurt in 1920.

References

1. ^ Verband Süddeutscher Fussball Vereine 1910 (German), accessed: 17 May 2009
2. ^ Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, (German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 50, accessed: 17 May 2009
3. ^ Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, (German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 53, accessed: 17 May 2009
4. ^ Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, (German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 54-56, accessed: 17 May 2009
5. ^ Süddeutschlands Fussball in Tabellenform 1897 - 1988, (German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 62, accessed: 17 May 2009

Sources

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

External links

• (German) The Gauligas Das Deutsche Fussball Archiv
• (German) German league tables 1892-1933 Hirschi's Fussball seiten
• Germany - Championships 1902-1945 at RSSSF.com