Schleswig-Holstein-Liga
The Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein, formerly referred to as "Schleswig-Holstein-Liga", is the fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football. Overview. 1945–1963. The league was formed in 1947 as Schleswig-Holstein-Liga by thirty clubs in three divisions of ten, in the newly created state of Schleswig-Holstein which was then part of the British occupation zone in Germany. On 30 August 1947, the "Schleswig-Holstein FA" (SHFV) was formed. From the start, the league was  a feeder league to the Oberliga Nord which its champion had the option of promotion to. Promotion had to be achieved through a play-off with teams from the "Amateurligen" of Lower Saxony, Bremen and Hamburg. As such, the league was now the second tier of the northern German league system. The league was renamed Landesliga Schleswig-Holstein (English:"Schleswig-Holstein State League") in 1948 and united in one division of twelve teams, with the bottom two teams relegated to one of the four "Bezirksklassen". In 1951, the league was expanded to sixteen teams. The number of clubs in the league  fluctuated to eighteen in 1954-55, seventeen in 1955–56 and then returned to sixteen again. From 1954, the league was renamed Amateurliga Schleswig-Holstein. 1963–1974. In 1963, with the introduction of the Bundesliga, the disbanding of the "Oberliga Nord" and the formation of the Regionalliga Nord, the league fell to tier three, but remained unchanged otherwise, with sixteen clubs as its strength. The champion of Schleswig-Holstein continued to have to play-off for promotion, now to the "Regionalliga". From 1968, the "Amateurliga" reverted to the name Landesliga Schleswig-Holstein. Below the "Landesliga", the number of leagues was reduced from  four to two, the new "Verbandsligen" of "Schleswig-Holstein-Nord" and "-Süd". 1974-1994. After the 1973-74 season, the "Regionalliga Nord" was disbanded in favor of the 2nd Bundesliga Nord. The new Oberliga Nord was now introduced in northern Germany, as the third tier of the league system, below the "2nd Bundesliga". This meant for the "Landesliga" a slip to tier four. The top two team of the league was however promoted to the new "Oberliga". The system for promotion from the "Landesliga" remained mostly unchanged. In 1978, the league was finally renamed Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein, the name it  carried until 2008. It took ten seasons for a club of the league under the new name to gain promotion again, a long stretch of nine seasons without success. Below the "Verbandsliga" the two leagues were now renamed "Landesligen" instead. 1994–2008. In 1994, the Regionalliga Nord was re-established, now as the third tier of the league system. The "Oberliga Nord" was in turn replaced by two parallel Oberligen, Niedersachsen/Bremen and Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein. For the "Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein", this meant a further slip, now to tier five, but also, for the first time in its history, direct promotion  for the league champion and, in some seasons, even the runners-up. In 1994, the league saw its top eight clubs elevated to the new "Oberliga". From 1999, the number of leagues below the "Verbandsliga" was extended from two to four and the leagues renamed "Bezirksoberliga". The 1999-2000 season saw another league system change with the reduction of numbers of "Regionalligen", this however had no effect on the "Verbandsliga". In 2004, it was decided to restore the "Oberliga Nord" in favor of the two separate "Oberligen". The league was expanded, for the first time, to eighteen teams, for the  next three seasons. In 2007-08, the number increased to nineteen. The 2006-07 league winner, TSV Kropp, did not apply for an "Oberliga" licence and was not promoted. Fifth placed FC Kilia Kiel applied but was refused a licence. 2008 onwards. At the end of the 2007–08 season, the new 3rd Liga was established and the "Oberliga Nord" disbanded, again. The four northern German states were then the only regions without an "Oberliga" and the five "Verbandsligen" sit right below the "Regionalliga Nord", parallel to the two NOFV-Oberligen. At the end of the 2007-08 season, the five  winners of the northern "Verbandsligen" played with the sixth placed team from the "Oberliga Nord" for one last spot in the "Regionalliga". In the future seasons, promotion for the Schleswig-Holstein champion will only be available through a set of play-off matches with the league winners from Hamburg and Bremen. These three teams will compete for one promotion spot to the "Regionalliga". The "Schleswig-Holstein-Liga" however maintained its status as a tier five league. This fact means the league is now on the same level as other "Oberligas" in Germany. Accordingly, the league dropped the name "Verbandsliga" and  simply called itself Schleswig-Holstein-Liga. The leagues below it then adopted the name "Verbandsliga". Since the 2017-18 season, the league is known as "Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein" and relegates to the newly created "Landesliga Schleswig-Holstein" in the sixth tier. In April 2020, the SHFV curtailed the remainder of the 2019–20 season during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Germany and determined the final standings using points-per-game averages. It was decided in May to suspended relegation for one season to expand the league. The Oberliga was split into two 9-team groups for the 2020–21 season  that was later abandoned because of the pandemic, with no promotions or relegations. Winners of the Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein. The league champions: League placings. The complete list of clubs and placings in the league since elevation to Oberliga status (2008–present):