NRW-Liga

{{short description|Highest football league in North Rhine-Westphalia (2008–2012)}} {{Infobox football league |name = NRW-Liga |image = [[File:Deutschland Lage von Westdeutschland.png|120px|Map of Germany: Position of Nordrhein-Westfalen highlighted]] |country = {{flag|Germany}} |state = {{flagicon|North Rhine-Westphalia}} [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] |founded = 2008 |folded = 2012 |teams = 18 |promotion = [[Regionalliga West]] |relegation = {{plainlist| * [[Niederrheinliga]] * [[Mittelrheinliga]] * [[Westfalenliga|Westfalenliga 1]] * [[Westfalenliga|Westfalenliga 2]] }} |level = [[German football league system|Level 5]] |season = 2011–12 |champions = [[FC Viktoria Köln]] }}

The '''Nordrhein-Westfalen-Liga''' (''North Rhine-Westphalia League''; '''NRW-Liga''') was the highest football league in the state of [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] (NRW) from 2008 to 2012. It was one of the eleven [[Oberliga (football)|Oberliga]] groups in German football, the fifth tier of the [[German football league system]].

With the reorganisation of the German league system in 2012, the NRW-Liga was disbanded once more as the [[Regionalliga West]] above it would then only contain clubs from North Rhine-Westphalia. The league was replaced by the three regional leagues, the [[Mittelrheinliga]], [[Niederrheinliga]] and [[Oberliga Westfalen]] at this level.<ref name="Reform">[http://www.wflv.de/index.php?id=216&backPID=25&tt_news=4264 NRW-Liga-Staffeltagung in Duisburg: Vereine begrüßen Auf- und Abstiegsreglement] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004233857/http://www.wflv.de/index.php?id=216&backPID=25&tt_news=4264 |date=4 October 2011 }} {{in lang|de}} WFLV website, published: 19 July 2011, accessed: 20 July 2011</ref>

==Overview== The NRW-Liga was established in 2008 as a feeder league to the also new [[Regionalliga West]]. The new Oberliga is actually a merger of the [[Oberliga Nordrhein]] and the [[Oberliga Westfalen]], giving the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen its first statewide league since the "old" [[Regionalliga West (1963–1974)|Regionalliga West]] was disbanded in 1974. Due to the introduction of the 3. Liga in the same year, unlike the two old Oberliga groups who were set at tier four of the league system, the new league will be fifth tier.

The league will retain the four [[Verbandsliga]] groups of the two predecessor [[Oberliga (football)|Oberliga]] groups as its feeder leagues, with the champion of each of those gaining direct promotion to the NRW-Liga. In turn, the top two teams of the NRW-Liga will gain promotion to the Regionalliga West.

The league was made up from a set quota of teams from each of the two predecessor Oberliga groups and the four Verbandsliga groups. While the top four clubs from Nordrhein and Westfalen were promoted to the Regionalliga, teams placed fifth to eleventh were headed go to the new NRW-Liga. The clubs placed twelve to eighteen were relegated to their Verbandsliga group.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weltfussball.de/spielplan.php?Thema=341&Liga=27|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130213034103/http://www.weltfussball.de/spielplan.php?Thema=341&Liga=27|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 February 2013|title=Current table of the Oberliga Nordrhein|access-date=8 February 2008|work=weltfussball.de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weltfussball.de/spielplan.php?Thema=360&Liga=28|title=Current table of the Oberliga Westfalen|work=weltfussball.de|access-date=28 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315171435/http://www.weltfussball.de/spielplan.php?Thema=360&Liga=28|archive-date=15 March 2008|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> From the four Verbandsliga groups, the champions will each gain admittance, unless it would be a reserve team of a club already qualified for the Oberliga. In this case, the next eligible club would be admitted.

There was some dispute about the name of the league with the suggestion having been made to rather call it '''Oberliga West''', a league of that name having already existed from 1947 to 1963, the "old" [[Oberliga West (1947–1963)|Oberliga West]]. The previous league of that name was a tier one league but covered the same region. It has however been decided to officially call it '''NRW-Liga''', short for Nordrhein-Westfalen-Liga.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wflv.de/fileadmin/downloads/NRW-Liga/A-NRW-Liga-Statut__komplett_.pdf|title=NRW-Liga Statut|work=WFLV Football Association|access-date=27 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719113852/http://www.wflv.de/fileadmin/downloads/NRW-Liga/A-NRW-Liga-Statut__komplett_.pdf|archive-date=19 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Additionally, the Verbandsliga groups were renamed Niederrheinliga, Mittelrheinliga and 2 groups of Westfalenliga.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amateurkick.de/ligareform.php|title=League reform|work=amateurkick.de|access-date=8 February 2008}}</ref>

With the end of the 2011-12 season, after four seasons of existence, the NRW-Liga was disbanded again. The place of the league as the fifth tier in North Rhine-Westphalia was then taken up by three regional leagues, the Mittelrheinliga and Niederrheinliga for the North Rhine region and the reformed Oberliga Westfalen for Westphalia. The top three clubs from the NRW-Liga gained direct entry to the Regionalliga while the teams placed fourth to seventh had to play-off with the four champions from the leagues below to determine four additional promoted teams.<ref name="Reform" />

== Teams 2011–12 == {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} Remaining in the '''NRW-Liga:''' * [[Alemannia Aachen|Alemannia Aachen II]] * [[SV Bergisch Gladbach 09]] * [[MSV Duisburg|MSV Duisburg II]] * [[Schwarz-Weiß Essen]] * [[SC Westfalia Herne|Westfalia Herne]] * [[VfB Homberg]] * [[VfB Hüls]] * [[Westfalia Rhynern]] * [[SV Schermbeck]] * [[Sportfreunde Siegen]] * [[VfB Speldorf]] * [[SSVg Velbert|SSVg. Velbert]] {{col-2}} From the '''3. Liga''': * [[Rot Weiss Ahlen]]

From the '''Regionalliga West''': * [[Arminia Bielefeld|Arminia Bielefeld II]]

From the '''Verbandsliga Niederrhein:''' * [[KFC Uerdingen 05]]

From the '''Verbandsliga Mittelrhein:''' * [[FC Viktoria Köln|Viktoria Köln]]

From the '''Verbandsliga Westfalen 1:''' * [[TuS Dornberg]]

From the '''Verbandsliga Westfalen 2:''' * [[TuS Erndtebrück]] {{col-end}}

==Champions and runners-up of the NRW-Liga== {| class="wikitable" |- align="center" bgcolor="#dfdfdf" |width="80"| '''Season''' |width="200"| '''Champions''' |width="200"| '''Runners-up''' |- |2008–09 |[[Bonner SC]] |[[Fortuna Düsseldorf II]] |- |2009–10 |[[SC Wiedenbrück 2000]] |[[Arminia Bielefeld|Arminia Bielefeld II]] |- |2010–11 |[[Rot-Weiss Essen]] |[[TSV Germania Windeck|Germania Windeck]] 1 |- |2011–12 |[[FC Viktoria Köln]] |[[Sportfreunde Siegen]] |} * 1 The TSV Germania Windeck declined its right to promotion and withdrew to the Mittelrheinliga, with [[Fortuna Köln]] promoted instead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100727060829/http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/amateure/nrw-liga/2010-11/0/0/spieltag.html NRW-Liga 2010-11] {{in lang|de}} kicker.de, accessed: 16 July 2011</ref>

== Placings in the league== The final placings in the league:<ref>[http://www.weltfussball.de/spielplan/nrw-liga-2011-2012-spieltag/34/ NRW-Liga tables and results] {{in lang|de}} Weltfussball.de, accessed: 20 February 2015</ref> {| class="wikitable" |- ! Club ! 09 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[Fortuna Düsseldorf II]] | 2 | style="background:#964B00"| '''R''' | style="background:#964B00"| '''R''' | style="background:#964B00"| '''R''' |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[SC Wiedenbrück]] | | style="background:#ffffbf"| '''1''' | style="background:#964B00"| '''R''' | style="background:#964B00"| '''R''' |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[Rot-Weiß Essen]] | style="background:#964B00"| '''R''' | style="background:#964B00"| '''R''' | style="background:#ffffbf"| '''1''' | style="background:#964B00"| '''R''' |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[Fortuna Köln]] | 9 | 15 | 3 | style="background:#964B00"| '''R''' |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[Viktoria Köln]] | | | | style="background:#ffffbf"| '''1''' |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[Sportfreunde Siegen]] | 11 | 13 | 7 | 2 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[MSV Duisburg II]] | 7 | 11 | 8 | 3 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[SSVg Velbert]] | 13 | 12 | 6 | 4 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[Arminia Bielefeld II]] | 5 | 2 | style="background:#964B00"| '''R''' | 5 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[Alemannia Aachen II]] | 3 | 6 | 4 | 6 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[VfB Hüls]] | 14 | 16 | 15 | 7 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[KFC Uerdingen 05]] | | | | 8 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[SV Bergisch Gladbach 09]] | | 9 | 12 | 9 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[Schwarz-Weiß Essen]] | 4 | 4 | 5 | 10 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[Westfalia Rhynern]] | | | 16 | 11 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[TuS Dornberg]] | | | | 12 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[SV Schermbeck]] | 15 | 14 | 10 | 13 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[VfB Speldorf]] | | 8 | 9 | 14 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[TuS Erndtebrück]] | | | | 15 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[VfB Homberg]] | | | 11 | 16 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[Rot-Weiss Ahlen]] | style="background:#808080"| '''2B''' | style="background:#808080"| '''2B''' | style="background:#FF7F00"| '''3L''' | 17 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[Westfalia Herne]] | 6 | 7 | 13 | 18 |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[Germania Windeck]] 1 | 10 | 3 | 2 | |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[FC Wegberg-Beeck]] 3 | | | 14 | |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[SpVgg Erkenschwick]] | | | 17 | |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[1. FC Kleve]] 4 | style="background:#964B00"| '''R''' | 10 | 18 | |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[Bonner SC]] 5 | style="background:#ffffbf"| '''1''' | style="background:#964B00"| '''R''' | | |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[Rot-Weiß Essen II]] 2 | 8 | 5 | | |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[Hammer SpVg]] | 16 | 17 | | |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[SG Wattenscheid 09]] | 12 | 18 | | |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[TSG Sprockhövel]] | | 19 | | |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[FC Gütersloh]] | 17 | | | |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[SF Oestrich-Iserlohn]] | 18 | | | |- style="text-align:center;" |align="left"| [[Delbrücker SC]] | 19 | | | |} * 1 At the end of the 2012–13 season Germania Dattenfeld withdrew from the league. * 2 At the end of the 2009–10 season Rot-Weiß Essen II was relegated from the league because the first team had been relegated to the NRW-Liga. * 3 FC Wegberg-Beeck did not apply for a licence for the 2011–12 season and was relegated. * 4 The 1. FC Kleve withdrew from the league during the 2010–11 season. * 5 At the end of the 2009–10 season Bonner SC had to declare insolvency and withdrew to the tier seven Landesliga. .

===Key=== {|class="wikitable" align="center" ! Symbol ! Key |- | style="background:#FFFF00"| '''B''' |[[Bundesliga]] {{small|(1963–present)}} |- | style="background:#808080"| '''2B''' |[[2. Bundesliga]] {{small|(1974–present)}} |- | style="background:#FF7F00"| '''3L''' |[[3. Liga]] {{small|(2008–present)}} |- | style="background:#964B00"| '''R''' | [[Regionalliga West]] {{small|(2008–present)}} |- | style="background:#ffffbf"| '''1''' |League champions |- | Place | League |- | Blank | Played at a league level below this league |}

== References == {{Reflist}}

===Sources=== * ''Deutschlands Fußball in Zahlen'', {{in lang|de}} An annual publication with tables and results from the Bundesliga to Verbandsliga/Landesliga, publisher: [[Deutscher Sportclub für Fußballstatistiken|DSFS]] * ''Kicker Almanach'', {{in lang|de}} The yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the [[Kicker (sports magazine)|Kicker Sports Magazine]]

== External links == * [http://www.f-archiv.de/ Das deutsche Fussball Archiv] {{in lang|de}} Historic German league tables * [http://www.weltfussball.de/spielplan/nrw-liga-2008-2009-spieltag/38/ Weltfussball.de] {{in lang|de}} Round-by-round results and tables of the ''NRW-Liga'' * [https://web.archive.org/web/20050227090545/http://fvn.de/index.html?news_id=298 Niederrhein Football Association (FVN)] {{in lang|de}} * [http://www.fvm.de/ Mittelrhein Football Association (FVM)] {{in lang|de}} * [http://www.flvw.de/ Westfalen Football Association (FLVW)] {{in lang|de}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:NRW-Liga}} [[Category:Defunct Oberligas (football)|Nrw]] [[Category:Football competitions in North Rhine-Westphalia]] [[Category:2008 establishments in Germany]] [[Category:2012 disestablishments in Germany]] [[Category:Sports leagues established in 2008]] [[Category:Sports leagues disestablished in 2012]]