Country Germany Founded 2009 Level on pyramid Level 6 | State Saarland Number of teams 18 | |
Promotion to Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar | ||
The Saarlandliga (English: Saarland league) is currently the sixth tier of the German football league system in the German federal state of Saarland. It is a new league, introduced at the end of the 2008-09 season.
Contents
In the past, the term Saarlandliga has unofficially been used for what was at times the Ehrenliga Saarland, the Amateurliga Saarland and, from 1978, the Verbandsliga Saarland. The new league however carries the name officially and is not known by any other name.
Overview
The league was introduced after a decision made by the Saarland Football Association on 31 May 2008. It was decided, that the new league will be operating from the 2009-10 season onwards and slot in between the tier-five Oberliga Südwest and the, from then on, tier-seven Verbandsliga Saarland. The Verbandsliga will remain as a single-division competition, which is unusual for the German football pyramid, where most leagues have two to three feeder leagues below itself.
To qualify for the new league, a club had to finish within the following specifications at the end of the 2008-09 season:
As the number of clubs relegated from the Oberliga from Saarland was not known at the time this system was decided on, it was determined that for every team relegated, one less from the Verbandsliga would qualify. In this case, the SV Mettlach having been relegated, the seventeenth club from the Verbandsliga would not gain entry to the new Saarlandliga. The clubs from the Verbandsliga not qualified for the new league are to remain in the Verbandsliga and will not suffer relegation to the Landesligas.
Modus
Eighteen teams are scheduled to compete in the league since 2009-10, with a home-and-away season format. The league winner will be promoted to the Oberliga, while the two last placed teams will be relegated to the Verbandsliga. In turn, the best two teams out of that league will earn direct promotion to the Saarlandliga.
League champions
The league champions:
Founding members
The following clubs are qualified for the new league, according to the above system: