This article is about the third-tier national association football league in Germany. For other uses, see 3. Liga ( disambiguation ) Association football league

Football league

The 3. Liga [ a ] is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the german football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for the 2008–09 season, replacing the Regionalliga, which had previously served as the third-tier in the area. [ 1 ] In Germany, the 3. Liga is besides the highest division that a golf club ‘s military reserve team can play in .

history [edit ]

For more details on this subject, see History of German football In January 2006, the discussion was made about a reorganization of the amateur leagues and the administration of a single-track “ 3. Bundesliga ”. The drive of the reform was to create a bang-up performance density for the foundation of the 2. Bundesliga with better hold and development opportunities for talented players. In summation, better commercialize of the one-third division should be achieved. A violent dispute broke out in the runup to the decisiveness scheduled for September 2006 at the DFB-Bundestag about the participation of second teams in the first and second gear division. After the U23 teams of the professional clubs were initially not supposed to take depart in the newly created league for reasons of distortion of competition and low attendance, respective Bundesliga clubs demanded, an unrestricted right to participate. ultimately, a compromise was worked out that initially only allowed four-second substitutes to play in the prime minister season of the third division. [ 2 ] On 8 September 2006, the introduction of the single-track 3. Liga was last decided at an extraordinary DFB Bundestag. Half of the clubs from the existing Regionalliga North and South were able to qualify for the premiere season, plus four demote teams from the 2. Bundesliga. The german Football Association, the DFB, announced the formation of the 3. Liga. It was originally anticipated that the league ‘s list would be 3. Bundesliga, but the DFB chose 3. Liga rather, as the league will be directly administered by the DFB, not by the german Football League DFL ( Deutsche Fußball Liga ) who runs both Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. [ 3 ] On 10 April 2008, the DFB presented the logo for the fresh part to the public. [ 4 ] In contrast to the introduction of the 2. Liga in 1974 or the merging of the north and south seasons to form the single-track 2. Bundesliga for the 1981–82 season, there was no multi-year evaluation when determining the participants for the first season of the newfangled 3. Liga. It was only the performance of the teams in the stipulate period of the Regionalliga relays were athletically qualified for the 3. Liga. In addition, there were four 2. Liga relegated teams in the 2007–08 season. The Regionalliga players who were not qualified for the raw division after completing the admission procedure competed in the newfangled three-pronged fourth division Regionalliga, provided they were granted a license for this. [ 5 ] The first meet of the 3. Liga was played on 25 July 2008 between Rot-Weiß Erfurt and Dynamo Dresden at the Steigerwaldstadion in Erfurt. Dynamo Dresden won the match 1–0, with Halil Savran scoring the only goal in the close stages of the first half. The first goal scorer in the 3. Liga was Halil Savran and the first table drawing card was SC Paderborn 07. The first gear champions of the 3. Liga were 1. FC Union Berlin on 9 May 2009, who received the eight-and-a-half-kilogram ash grey championship trophy. [ 6 ] In the 2018–19 season, four relegated teams were determined for the foremost time in the history of the 3. Liga, [ 7 ] and for the first-time regular Monday games took place. [ 8 ] Furthermore, for the beginning clock time no U23 team from a higher-class clubhouse was able to qualify for the league. With the relegation of the last establish member of the 3. Liga, FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt, in the preseason, for the first time, no team that been partially of the league without interruption took function in the game. In addition, at the beginning of the 2018–19 temper, the DFB and Adidas signed a collaborator contract that would run until the end of the 2021–22 season, according to which the party provides a uniform equal ball ; in all former seasons each club had its own ball presenter. The first ball provided by Adidas for all the cabaret was the Telstar 18, which was besides used at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. [ 9 ] For the 2019–20 season, as in the two national leagues, warnings for golf club officials were introduced in the form of cards. On the thirteenth match day, the DFB expanded the rule by an addition – as with players, club officials are threatened with suspension of more than one crippled and yellow tease suspensions after being sent off after being checked by the competent authority. [ 10 ] In opinion of the global COVID-19 pandemic, gaming operations had to be temporarily suspended after 27 equal days on 11 March 2020 and last wholly ceased on 16 March ; the measure was initially valid until 30 April 2020. [ 11 ] [ 12 ] On 3 April, the DFB announced extensive changes to the game rules as a resultant role. Among other things, it was possible to carry out seasonal worker operations beyond 30 June 2020, so the come season was opened subsequently than the aforethought time. ultimately, the final examination game day took put on 4 July 2020. In addition, a possible application to open insolvency proceedings within the 2019–20 temper would no long have resulted in a point tax write-off, in the follow season lone three points would be deducted alternatively of the common nine ; from the 2021–22 season onwards, the common regulation should apply again. [ 13 ] On 21 May, it was decided to resume game operations on 30 May, and the DFB and DFL had worked out a hygiene concept for all three leagues with the help of the “ Task Force Sports Medicine/Special Game Operations ”. [ 14 ] In twin to the two national leagues, the DFB increased the substitutions quota per team from three to five musician for the 3. Liga until the end of the season, and the third-highest german division was not allowed be played in front of spectators. [ 15 ] While small numbers of spectators are allowed from the start of the 2020–21 season under certain conditions, it was decided in an inner league survey to limit the substitution contingent to three players again .

fiscal situation [edit ]

From its basis in 2008 to 2013, the league operated at a fiscal passing, with a commemorate deficit of €20.9 million in 2012–13. The 2013–14 season saw the league make a profit for the first base time, of €4.9 million. The league earned €164.5 million, well behind the two Bundesligas above it, but besides good ahead of other professional sports leagues in Germany. The Deutsche Eishockey Liga followed with €106.1 million and the Basketball Bundesliga and Handball-Bundesliga were each around the €90 million mark. [ 16 ] This makes it the third-most economically successful professional league in all german sports. [ 17 ]

Clubs [edit ]

Since the establishment of the 3. Liga in 2008, a entire of 60 clubs have played in this division. In the 2020–21 season, SC Verl, Türkgücü München and VfB Lübeck were represented in the league for the first time. The last club that has been in the 3. Liga without pause since it was founded in 2008 is FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt, which was relegated in 2018. The longest uninterrupted club play in the league is SV Wehen Wiesbaden, which from 2009 until its promotion to the 2. Liga in 2019, played in the 3. Liga for 10 years and besides leads the all-time table. The club that have remained the longest at the moment are FC Hansa Rostock and Hallescher FC, which have remained in the division since 2012. the clubs with the presently most – ten – seasons in the 2. Liga are Sv Wehen Wiesbaden and SpVgg Unterhaching. Members of the 2020–21 3. Liga

Stadiums 2020–21 [edit ]

Grünwalder Stadion München Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion Dresden Carl-Benz-Stadion Mannheim Ostseestadion Rostock Lohmühle Lübeck Fritz-Walter-Stadion Kaiserslautern

social organization [edit ]

Since the beginning season in 2008–09, 20 teams have been playing for forwarding to the 2. Bundesliga. The first two teams are promoted immediately, the third in the table has to play for promotion in two playoffs in the relegation against the third from the penetrate of the 2. Bundesliga. The three ( from the 2018–19 temper four [ 18 ] ) last-placed teams will be relegated to the fourth-class Regionalliga and will be replaced by four ( until 2018–19 three ) promoted teams from the Regionalligas. The four best teams in the league qualify for the DFB-Pokal. The teams which are not reservation teams of Bundesliga teams among the 20 teams in the league compete for promotion to the 2. Bundesliga, while the four bottom teams are relegated to one of the five Regionalligen : Regionalliga Nord, Regionalliga Nordost, Regionalliga West, Regionalliga Südwest, and Regionalliga Bayern. Until 2018, three were relegated. If, however, a reserve team is playing in the 3. Liga and the respective first team is relegated to the 3. Liga, the substitute team will be demoted to the fifth-level Oberliga regardless of its league stead, because allow teams of 3. Liga clubs are ineligible to play in the Regionalliga .

Qualifying for the 3. Liga [edit ]

At the goal of the 2007–08 temper, the two best non- reserve teams from each of the two divisions of the Regionalliga were promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. The team ranked third base to tenth in both Regionalliga entered the fresh 3. Liga, joining the four teams relegated from the 2. Bundesliga to form the new 20-team league. Teams finishing 11th or lower in their Regionalliga remained where they were. On 18 May 2008, at the end of the 2007–08 2. Bundesliga season, four clubs were relegated from the 2. Bundesliga and became lease members of the 3. Liga : Kickers Offenbach, Erzgebirge Aue, SC Paderborn and FC Carl Zeiss Jena. On 31 May 2008, at the end of the 2007–08 Regionalliga seasons, clubs placing one-third through one-tenth in the Regionalliga Nord and the Regionalliga Süd besides qualified for the fresh 3. Liga .

U23 Regulation [edit ]

The teams of the 3. Liga are obliged to list at least 4 players in the match report sheet ( game day squad ) for each game who are eligible to play for a DFB selection team and who are not older than 23 years for the integral temper ( 1 July to 30 June ), i.e. were born on or after 1 July 1997 ( U23 players ) for the 2020–21 season. [ 19 ] eligibility to play in the second teams of license clubs ( Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga ) is based on the regulation that applies from the Regionalliga downwards. According to this, alone U23 players ( see above ) may be used, with 3 older players being allowed to be in the crippled at the same time. [ 20 ] From the Regionalliga Nord:
From the Regionalliga Süd:

forwarding and relegation [edit ]

The winner and runner-up in a given season are automatically promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. The third base place team enters a home/away playoff against the 16th placed team of the 2. Bundesliga for the right to enter/stay in the 2. Bundesliga. Teams placing in the bottom four ( three anterior to 2019 ) are mechanically sent to the Regionalliga .

  • Bold denotes team earned promotion.

economy [edit ]

With an annual turnover of €186 million ( as of 2017–18 ), the 3. Liga was ahead of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the Handball-Bundesliga and Basketball Bundesliga [ citation needed ] ( see : list of professional sports leagues by tax income ) .

license terms [edit ]

In summation to sporting qualifications, the clubs concerned must besides meet the economic and technical- organizational requirements that are compulsory by the DFB Presidium. These include that the capacity the stadiums in the 3. Liga must be more than 10,000 seats ( of which 2000 seats ) ; in twist, at least one third of these spaces must be covered. A stadium capacity of 5000 seats is sufficient for moment teams. The coaches must have completed the football teacher training. [ 21 ] In particular, the conditions relating to the arcade infrastructure repeatedly prompt electric potential climbers from the subordinate regional leagues not to submit any license documents ; for model SV Rödinghausen or Berliner AK 07, both of which play in stadiums that are clearly besides belittled. [ 22 ] [ 23 ] On the other hand, cases such as that of KFC Uerdingen 05, 1. FC Saarbrücken or Türkgücü München show that even a irregular game operation in option venues is good american samoa debatable as the search for one. [ 24 ] [ 25 ] [ 26 ]

Broadcast rights [edit ]

The media rights contract with SportA, the sports rights agency of the german public broadcasters ARD and ZDF, ran until the end of the 2017–18 season. Under this abridge, the ARD and its one-third programs broadcast at least 100, a maximum of 120 games angstrom well as the promotion games to the 3. Liga alive. [ 27 ] The third programs broadcast further games via live stream on the internet. This reached an average of around four million viewers. [ 28 ] in summation, the ARD Sportschau showed summaries of selected games on Saturday from 6 phase modulation to 6:30 prime minister. Since the depart of the 2017–18 season, Deutsche Telekom has been broadcasting all games for customers and subscribers as internet live stream. [ 27 ] From the 2018–19 season to the 2020–21 season, a modern contract came into pull, with which SportA and Telekom jointly held the media rights to the 3. Liga. The ARD and its country broadcasters will then show 86 games from the 3. Liga ampere well as the promotion games to the 3. Liga alive. The clubs in the 3. Liga have each received well over a million euro for television rights since the 2018–19 season, around 40 percentage more than ahead. [ 29 ] When the 3. Liga was introduced, the clubs received a full of €10 million. [ 30 ] Since the 2009–10 season, the annual payout has been €12,8 million. [ 31 ] [ 32 ] The second teams of the professional clubs do not participate in the television receiver money. approximately 1–2 matches per week are broadcast with English comment on the german Football Association YouTube channel. [ 33 ]

Spectators [edit ]

The phone number of spectators in the 3. Liga varies greatly. Big city traditional clubs like Dynamo Dresden, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, 1. FC Magdeburg, FC Hansa Rostock, MSV Duisburg, Arminia Bielefeld, Karlsruher SC, Alemannia Aachen, Eintracht Braunschweig, TSV 1860 Munich and Fortuna Düsseldorf, but besides the ambitious newcomer RB Leipzig frequently had an average attendance of well over 10,000 viewers per bet on. [ 34 ] Dynamo Dresden achieved the highest total with an average of 27,500 spectators in the 2015–16 season. For the 2. Bundesliga teams, the average attendance is much less than 1,500 spectators per game. Werder Bremen II had the lowest value in the 2011–12 season with an average of 626. In the 2018–19 temper, more than 3 million spectators were registered for the first meter with an average of over 8,000, and six clubs achieved a five-digit average attendance .
overall the 3. Liga has hearing numbers that are comparable to the second soccer leagues in Italy ( Serie B ), France ( Ligue 2 ) and Spain ( Segunda División ). [ 36 ] alone the third-rate English football league One has similarly gamey or higher attendance numbers. [ 37 ] In the 2014–15 season, for the first gear time, more spectators per game came in the 3. Liga then in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga ( DEL ). Since then the modal has constantly been just above that of the DEL. right from the begin, the average number of spectators in the 3. Liga exceeded that of the Handball and Basketball Bundesliga.

( 1 ) Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, spectators were nobelium longer allowed in the stadiums from the 28th matchday onwards, which resulted in reduce attendances. In summation, the values are based on data from the DFB.
( 2 ) Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, spectators were not allowed in the stadiums for the majority of the temper .

economic situation of the clubs [edit ]

Since its first season, the 3. Liga has had a higher turnover than the excellent german Leagues in all early sports. [ 38 ] For a count of clubs their participation in the 3. Liga ended with major fiscal problems. In 2009, the Stuttgarter Kickers got down after the DFB had imposed a three-point subtraction for a lend that was not repaid on clock. In addition, Kickers Emden had to withdraw its application for a license for the 3. Liga for economic reasons. In 2010–11, the possibility of insolvency proceeding resulted in the coerce regulation of Rot Weiss Ahlen. In the lapp season, TuS Koblenz waived their right to start the succeed third base class season due to fiscal bottlenecks. In 2013, after the open of insolvency proceedings, Alemannia Aachen was determined to be relegated early on and Kickers Offenbach ‘s one-third division license was revoked. In 2016–17, VfR Aalen and FSV Frankfurt. In March 2018, FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt filed for bankruptcy, followed by Chemnitzer FC in April. [ 39 ] Both clubs were relegated after deducting ten-spot or nine points. several early clubs are constantly threatened with bankruptcy. [ 28 ] At a compress conference in mid-october 2019, the DFB published the symmetry sheet report card for the 2018–19 season. A record turnover of €185 million was offset by an average loss of €1.5 million, which meant a new negative record. It was besides the ninth of eleven years in which the club showed a entire deficit, while seven clubs were still able to generate a profit. One of the main drivers of this position, according to the report, was increased spending on human resources, peculiarly on player transfers and salaries. The average earnings of a 3. Liga player for 2018–19 was given as around €7,000. In accession, the issue of spectators in the stadiums continued to rise, but in return it fell significantly on television. [ 40 ]

Financial fair play and the promotion of young endowment [edit ]

In order to counteract the problem, the DFB decided in September 2018 to introduce alleged fiscal average meet in the 3. Liga american samoa well as a youth development store to improve the economic situation of the clubs and strengthen their endowment development. A full of around €3.5 million is to be distributed to the clubs. Up to €550,000 is to be distributed evenly among clubs with a “ positive seasonal worker solution ” and clubs that “ have achieved or evening exceeded their target season goal ”. A further €2.95 million is to flow into the young person exploitation of the participants, whereby the use of U21 players with german nationality should have a positive effect on the distribution rate per clubhouse. [ 41 ] The pots are distributed in September at the end of a season. With the first distribution, Hansa Rostock received the highest measure for the top place in the categories “ positive annual result ” and “ planned quiality ” after a phonograph record turnover of €19 million in the 2018–19 season. [ 42 ]

League statistics [edit ]

Up to and including the 2018–19 season the top goal scorers, attendance statistics and records for the league are :

attendance [edit ]

top scorers [edit ]

Records [edit ]

As of 29 May 2019

Placings in the 3. Liga [edit ]

Map showing the champions of 3. Liga The following clubs have played in the league and achieved the be concluding positions : [ 75 ]

Notes [edit ]

Symbol Key
B Bundesliga
2B 2. Bundesliga
1 League champions
# League place
Blank not in 3. Liga, Bundesliga or 2. Bundesliga
  • 1 Kickers Offenbach were refused a 3. Liga licence at the end of the 2012–13 season and relegated to the Regionalliga. SV Darmstadt 98, placed 18th originally, were instead placed in 17th position and were not relegated.[76]
  • 2 TSV 1860 Munich were unable to obtain a 3. Liga licence at the end of the 2016–17 season and relegated to the Regionalliga. SC Paderborn 07, placed 18th originally and who submitted a 3. Liga licence application, remained in the league for the 2017–18 season.[77][78]
  • 3 TuS Koblenz withdrew from the league after the 2011–12 season; Bremen II, placed 18th originally, were instead placed in 17th position and were not relegated.
  • 4 RW Ahlen did not receive a licence for the 2011–12 season, originally finishing 17th after 2010–11. The club was placed in 20th position and relegated. Burghausen, placed 18th originally, were instead placed in 17th position and were not relegated. Ahlen did not request a licence in the Regionalliga and started the new season in the Oberliga.
  • 5 Kickers Emden withdrew from the league after the 2008–09 season; Burghausen, placed 18th originally, were instead placed in 17th position and were not relegated. Emden became insolvent in 2012.

Promotion rounds [edit ]

To the 2. Bundesliga [edit ]

At the goal of the regular season the one-third place team in the 3. Liga play the 16th placed team in the 2. Bundesliga over two matches. The overall winner plays in the 2. Bundesliga in the follow season, and the loser in the 3. Liga .

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
SC Paderborn ( 3L ) 2–0 VfL Osnabrück ( 2B ) 1–0 1–0
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
FC Ingolstadt ( 3L ) 3–0 Hansa Rostock ( 2B ) 1–0 2–0
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Dynamo Dresden ( 3L ) 4–2 VfL Osnabrück ( 2B ) 1–1 3–1 (a.e.t.)
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Jahn Regensburg ( 3L ) 3–3 (a) Karlsruher SC ( 2B ) 1–1 2–2
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
VfL Osnabrück ( 3L ) 1–2 Dynamo Dresden ( 2B ) 1–0 0–2
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Holstein Kiel ( 3L ) 1–2 1860 Munich ( 2B ) 0–0 1–2
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Würzburger Kickers ( 3L ) 4–1 MSV Duisburg ( 2B ) 2–0 2–1
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Jahn Regensburg ( 3L ) 3–1 1860 Munich ( 2B ) 1–1 2–0
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Karlsruher SC ( 3L ) 1–3 Erzgebirge Aue ( 2B ) 0–0 1–3
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Wehen Wiesbaden ( 3L ) 4–4 (a) FC Ingolstadt ( 2B ) 1–2 3–2
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
1. FC Nürnberg ( 2B ) 3–3 (a) FC Ingolstadt ( 3L ) 2–0 1–3

To the 3. Liga [edit ]

From the 2012–13 to 2017–18 seasons, the champions of the five Regionalligas and the runner-up of the Regionalliga Südwest entered an end-of-the season play-off to determine the three teams promoted to the 3. Liga. From the 2018–19 season, three out of those five champions take direct promotion, leaving the remaining two to contest the play-off for the fourth promotion .

key [edit ]

  • Winner in bold.

In popular media [edit ]

The german 3. Liga was licensed in 2017 for EA SPORTS FIFA 18 video-game for the inaugural time by the consequence of a voting pate from the FIFA community FIFPlay for FIFA 18 modern leagues. The vote has received over 2 million votes from the community with more than 230,000 votes for the german 3rd League ( 3. Liga ). [ 92 ]

Notes [edit ]

  1. ^ It is in full written as Dritte Liga and is more explicitly called 3. Fußball-Liga .

References [edit ]