The Regionalliga Nord () is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regionalliga Bayern, Regionalliga Nordost, Regionalliga Südwest and the Regionalliga West. Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008 it was the third tier.
From 1963 to 1974, a Regionalliga Nord existed as the second tier of the German football league system, but it is not related to the current Regionalliga.
Overview
The Regionalliga Nord was introduced in 1994 along with three other Regionalligas, those being:
Regionalliga Süd
Regionalliga Nordost
Regionalliga West/Südwest
The reason for its introduction was to create a highest regional league for the north of Germany and to allow its champions, and some years the runners-up too, to be directly promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga. Prior to the introduction of the four Regionalligas, the leagues below the second division were the Oberligas, in which there was ten. Those ten Oberliga champions had to go through a promotion play-off rather than being directly promoted. The champions of the Regionalligas Nord and Nordost however had to play-off for a spot in the 2nd Bundesliga from 1996 to 2000. The winner of this contest was promoted, the loser faced the runners-ups of the Regionalligas Süd and West/Südwest for another spot in the second division.
The Regionalliga Nord was direct continuation of the Oberliga Nord, which was disbanded in 1994 in favour of the Regionalliga. Fourteen out of sixteen Oberliga Nord clubs qualified for the new league, only the bottom two teams were relegated to the two new Oberligas.
To replace the Oberliga Nord below the Regionalliga, two new leagues were formed, those being the Oberligas Niedersachsen/Bremen and Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein. These two leagues were in turn disbanded in 2004 when the Oberliga Nord was reformed.
In 2001, Union Berlin of this league became only the second Regionalliga side to reach a German Cup final, losing 2−0 to Schalke 04.
With the league changes in Germany in 2008, the Oberliga Nord was again disbanded and the level below the Regionalliga Nord in this region were the five Verbandligas. This required a promotion play-off for this league winners as there were not five promotion spots available for their region. No changes were made in the NOFV region, where the two Oberligas Nord and Süd remained.
The following four teams were promoted to the Regionalliga from 2009: NOFV-Oberliga Nord champions NOFV-Oberliga Süd champions Lower Saxony champions, being the winner of the home-and-away series of the champions of the Oberliga Niedersachsen-West and Oberliga Niedersachsen-Ost Winner of the promotion play-off for the champions of the Oberliga Hamburg, Bremen and Schleswig-Holstein
League history
Founding members
The Regionalliga Nord was formed in 1994 with 18 clubs, fourteen from the Oberliga Nord and one each from the Verbandsligas of Niedersachsen, Bremen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.
The founding members were:
From the Oberliga Nord: Kickers Emden Eintracht Braunschweig VfL Osnabrück VfL Herzlake TuS Hoisdorf VfB Oldenburg Holstein Kiel Werder Bremen II VfB Lübeck Hamburger SV II VfL 93 Hamburg TuS Celle 1. SC Göttingen 05 SV Lurup
From the Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein: Lüneburger SK
From the Verbandsliga Hamburg: Concordia Hamburg
From the Verbandsliga Bremen: FC Bremerhaven
From the Verbandsliga Niedersachsen: SV Wilhelmshaven
The "new" Regionalliga Nord was actually a reformation of the "old" Regionalliga Nord which operated from 1963 to 1974 in the same region but then as the second tier of German football. Unlike the "old" Regionalliga, the new one allowed reserve teams to compete in it.
Expansion of the league in 2000
After six seasons, in 2000, the number of Regionalligas was reduced from four to two. Only the Regionalligas Süd and Nord survived. The clubs of the other two were spread according to their geographical location.
Only the teams placed two to six were permitted to remain in the league. The league champion, VfL Osnabrück, was promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga and all clubs from place seven to eighteen were relegated to the Verbandsligas. The league was expanded to nineteen teams and fourteen clubs from the 2nd Bundesliga, Regionalliga West/Südwest and Regionalliga Nordost were admitted.
Remaining in the Regionalliga Nord: VfB Lübeck Eintracht Braunschweig SV Wilhelmshaven Werder Bremen II Lüneburger SK
Relegated from the 2nd Bundesliga: SC Fortuna Köln Tennis Borussia Berlin