The South Eastern German football championship () was the highest association football competition in the Prussian provinces of Silesia, which was divided into the Province of Lower Silesia and the Province of Upper Silesia after 1919, and Posen, which mostly became part of Poland in 1919. The competition was disbanded in 1933.
Overview
German football was, from its beginnings, divided into regional associations, each of which carried out their own championship matches. These often pre-dated the national German championship. With the inception of the latter in 1903, the former became qualifying tournaments. Regional championships still held a high value for the local clubs. These regional championships were: Southern German football championship - formed in 1898 Brandenburg football championship - formed in 1898 Central German football championship - formed in 1902 Western German football championship - formed in 1903 March football championship - existed from 1903 to 1911 Northern German football championship - formed in 1906 South Eastern German football championship - formed in 1906 Baltic football championship - formed in 1908
Regional championships were suspended with the rise of the Nazis to power in 1933. At the end of the Second World War, some resumed, but in league format. Others, such as the Baltic championship, completely disappeared, especially if the territories they were held in were no longer part of Germany. With the South West German football championship, a new regional competition also appeared in 1945. Ultimately, with the formation of the Fußball-Bundesliga, regional championships ceased altogether.
History
Background
When the South Eastern German championship was established in 1906, the region of South Eastern Germany (German: Südostdeutschland) was politically part of the Kingdom of Prussia, as the Province of Silesia and the Province of Posen.
With the defeat of the German Empire in 1918 and the formation of a Republic, the former Kingdoms and Principalities of Germany became states. For most of the Prussian provinces, this only meant that the Kingdom was replaced with the Free State of Prussia. Silesia (German: Schlesien) however was subdivided into two new provinces, those being: Province of Upper Silesia Province of Lower Silesia
Additionally, parts of the former province of Silesia were awarded to Poland and Czechoslovakia after the war, these being: Hlučín Region, to Czechoslovakia Eastern parts of Upper Silesia, to Poland to become the Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship
Posen became almost completely part of Poland, as the Poznań Voivodeship. A small strip along the border remained with Germany and became the border province Posen-West Prussia (German: Grenzmark Posen-Westpreussen).
Football association
The South Eastern German Football Association was formed on 18 March 1906, thereby in cooperating all regional associations: Verband Breslauer Ballspielvereine, formed 23 February 1902 Verband Niederlausitzer Ballspielvereine, formed 17 January 1904 Verband Kattowitzer Ballspiel Vereine, formed 1906
Competition
1906 to 1914
The South Eastern German football championship was first contested in 1906 and won by the SC Schlesien Breslau. No results beyond the final are known. The winner of this first competition then took part in the fourth edition of the national German championship. Clubs from the south east of Germany had already taken part in the previous edition of the competition, but not in 1903 or 1904. No club from the south east ever reached the German championship final and even semi-final appearances were limited to two occasions, 1920 and 1929.
To qualify for the South Eastern German championship, a club had to take out the title in its regional competition or league. As more football clubs were formed in Germany, the number of leagues increased and thereby also the numbers of clubs taking part in the South Eastern championship. Originally, from 1907, four regional champions took part from the following regions: Breslau Niederlausitz Niederschlesien Oberschlesien
In 1910, Posen was added as a fifth region. In 1911, the Oberlausitz champions joined.
The second edition was played out in the knockout modus again, but now involving four clubs, a system that remained in place until 1910, when the number of clubs was enlarged to six.
In its last pre-First World War season, 1914, the competition was enlarged to seven clubs, but remained unchanged otherwise.