Bezirksliga Mittelfranken 1
The Bezirksliga Mittelfranken 1 (), formerly the Bezirksliga Mittelfranken Nord, is currently the seventh tier of the German football league system in the northern part of the Bavarian "Regierungsbezirk" of Middle Franconia (). Until the disbanding of the Bezirksoberliga Mittelfranken in 2012 it was the eighth tier. From 2008, when the 3. Liga was introduced, it was the seventh tier of the league system, until the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994 the sixth tier. From the league's inception in 1963 to the introduction of the "Bezirksoberliga" in 1988 it was the fifth tier. Overview. History. Before the  Bezirksoberligas in Bavaria were introduced in 1988 the Bezirksligas were the leagues set right below the Landesligas Bayern in the football pyramid from 1963 onwards, when the Landesligas and Bezirksligas were established. Until the establishment of the Bezirksoberliga, the league champions were not automatically promoted but instead had to play-off for promotion as there was six Bezirksligas feeding the Landesliga Mitte, two each in Middle Franconia, Upper Palatinate and Lower Bavaria. In 1988, when the Bezirksoberligas were introduced, the league lost some of its status as it was relegated one tier. On a positive note, the league champions were  now always promoted and the league runners-up had the opportunity to play-off for promotion as well. After the 2010–11 season the league's name was changed from the geographical distinction "Nord" to a number, becoming the Bezirksliga Mittelfranken 1. With the league reform at the end of the 2011–12 season, which included an expansion of the number of Landesligas from three to five, the "Bezirksoberligas" were disbanded. Instead, the Bezirksligas took the place of the Bezirksoberligas once more below the Landesligas. Format. The winner of the Bezirksliga Mittelfranken-Nord, like the winner of the Bezirksliga Mittelfranken-Süd was , until 2011, directly promoted to the Bezirksoberliga Mittelfranken. The runners-up of the Bezirksligas in Middle Franconia would take part in a promotion round with the best-placed Bezirksoberliga team which did finish on a relegation rank to determine one or more additional promotion spots, depending on availability. From the 2012–13 season onwards, the league champion will be promoted to one of the Landesligas, depending on geographic location. The bottom three teams of each group are relegated to one of the Kreisligas. At the same time the Kreisliga champions were promoted to the Bezirksliga. The runners-up of the Kreisligas  faced a play-off with each other and the 13th placed teams in the Bezirksliga. The Bezirksliga Mittelfranken 1 is fed by the following Kreisligas: From 1995, the league was generally operated with a strength of 16 clubs and rarely deviated from this until 2012, when the number was increased to 18. In 2019, it was decreased back to 16. League timeline. The league went through the following timeline of positions in the league system: League champions. The winners and runners–up of the league: 1963–88. The league champions and runners–up while being a feeder league to the Landesliga : 1988–2012. The league champions and runners–up while being a feeder league to the Bezirksoberliga: 2012–present. The league champions and runners–up while being a feeder league to the Landesliga once more: Current clubs. The clubs in the league in the 2021–22 season and their 2019–21 final positions: