Bundesliga - last updated on 9 June 2008
(Courtesy of Johnny Beaufays)
Competition name: Fußball-Bundesliga
Foundation: 1963
Country: Germany
Website: www.bundesliga.de
A bit of history:
The Bundesliga is composed of two divisions: the 1. Bundesliga (although it is rarely mentioned with the First prefix), and, below that, the 2. Bundesliga (Second Bundesliga), which has been the second tier of German football since 1974. The Bundesligen (pl.) are professional leagues, while the leagues below these top two tiers are of amateur level. A measure of professionalism has begun to creep into the third tier (the Regionalligen) from above as teams sign and then farm out prospects to have them gain playing experience.
Below the level of the 2. Bundesliga, leagues are most often subdivided on a regional basis. For example, the Regionalligen are currently made up of Nord (North) and Süd (South) divisions, and the Oberligen (upper leagues) are composed of nine divisions representing states, or large urban and geographical areas. The levels below the Oberligen differ between the local areas. League structure has shifted frequently and typically reflects the degree of participation in the sport in various parts of the country. In the early 1990s, changes were driven by the reunification of Germany and the subsequent integration of the national leagues of East and West Germany.
For the 2008–09 season, a third professional level, the 3. Liga, will be added. However, the 3. Liga will be run directly by the German Football Association (DFB) - unlike the Bundesligen, which are run by an affiliated organisation, the German Football League (DFL; German Deutsche Fußball Liga). At the same time, the Regionalligen will split into three divisions.
Every team in the Bundesligen must have a licence to play in the league, or else they are relegated into the regional leagues. To obtain a licence, teams must be financially healthy and meet certain standards of conduct as organisations.
As in other national leagues, there are significant benefits to being in the top division:
A greater share of television broadcast licence revenues goes to Bundesliga sides.
Bundesliga teams draw significantly greater levels of fan support. Average attendance in the upper class league is 40,000 per game - more than twice the average of the 2. Bundesliga.
Greater exposure through television and higher attendance levels helps Bundesliga teams attract the most lucrative sponsorships.
Bundesliga teams develop substantial financial muscle through the combination of television and gate revenues, sponsorships and marketing of their team brands. This allows them to attract and hold skilled players from domestic and international sources and to construct first-class stadium facilities.
The Bundesliga is financially strong, and the 2. Bundesliga has begun to evolve in a similar direction, becoming more stable organisationally and fiscally, and reflecting an increasingly higher standard of professional level play.
Internationally, the most well-known German clubs include Bayern Munich, Hamburger SV, Borussia Dortmund, FC Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen. Hamburger SV can lay claim to being the only club that has played continuously in the Bundesliga since its foundation.
Presently, at the end of the season, the bottom three teams of the Bundesliga are relegated to the 2. Bundesliga, and the top three finishers of the 2. Bundesliga are promoted to the top flight, where they will compete in the next season.
The season starts in early August and lasts until late May, with a winter break of six weeks (mid-December through to the end of January). In recent years, games have been played on Saturdays (seven games beginning at 3:30 PM) and Sundays (two games beginning at 5:00 PM). A new television deal in 2006 re-introduced a Friday game (beginning at 8:30 PM) in place of one of the Saturday matches.
Competition crests: (roll on the crest to get more informations)
Bundesliga
