3. Liga - last updated on 9 June 2008
(Courtesy of Johnny Beaufays)
Competition name: 3. Liga
Foundation: 2008
Country: Germany
Website: no website
A bit of history:
On September 8, 2006, the German Football Association, the DFB, announced the formation of the 3. Liga. It was originally anticipated that the leagues name would be 3. Bundesliga, but the DFB chose 3rd Liga instead, reflecting the fact that the league will be directly administered by the DFB, not by the DFL (Deutsche Fußball Liga, English:German Football League) who runs the two Bundesligen.
At the end of the 2007/08 season, the two best teams which are not B-teams from each of the two divisions of the Regionalliga will be promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. The eight best remaining teams in each of the two Regionalliga divisions after allowing for the restrictions on B-teams described in the next paragraph will be promoted to the new 3rd Liga, joining the four teams relegated from the 2007/08 2. Bundesliga to form the 20 team division.
During the 2008/09 season, only a maximum of four B-teams belonging to teams from the two upper Bundesligen will be allowed in 3rd Liga. These will be the two highest placed B-teams from each of the two divisions of the Regionalliga as long as all four finish in the first ten of their respective division. If four or less B-teams finish in the top ten places of the two divisions, these teams will be placed in the 3rd Liga regardless of which divisions they were competing in. If more than four B-teams finish in the top ten places, but in one division less than two B-teams finish in the top ten places, the four places in the 3rd Liga for B-teams will be filled by the B-team, if any, from the latter division finishing in the first ten places, and the highest placed B-teams from the former division. Play-offs will only take place if a promotion place must be decided between two teams which have the same number of points, goal difference, number of goals scored, scores in the matches against each other, and away goals.
In the following years, B-teams will be relegated and promoted like every other team. The B-clubs gained that right in exchange for giving up the right to compete in DFB-Pokal.
Competition crests: (roll on the crest to get more informations)
3. Liga
