Bavarian ice hockey leagues

Bavarian ice hockey leagues
Nation
 Germany
State
 Bavaria
Promotion To
Oberliga Süd
Levels
Bayernliga (IV)
Landesliga (V)
Bezirksliga (VI)
Number of leagues
9
Number of teams
80
Current Champions 2007-08
EHC Waldkraiburg

The Bavarian ice hockey leagues are part of the German ice hockey league system and form the tiers four to six of the league system in the state of Bavaria. The leagues are operated by the Bayrischer Eissport Verband, the Bavarian association for ice sports.

Overview

The league system in Bavaria consists of three separate tiers, these being the Bayernliga (IV) (English:Bavarian League), Landesliga (V) (English:State League) and Bezirksliga (VI) (English:County League). The overall system has remained unchanged for a lengthy period of seasons.

The number of clubs, especially in the lowest tier, the Bezirksliga, can fluctuate due to teams joining and other teams leaving the league. This is mostly due to lack of players, or, the other extreme, an over supply of players and the need to form a reserves team. Occasionally, clubs fold, reform or re-enter the league system. In the current Bayernliga season, the EC 2000 Ulm/Neu-Ulm folded in December 2007, being unable to pay their players.

The Bayernliga champion earns the right to gain promotion to the Oberliga. At the end of the 2006-07 season, the runner-up was also promoted, which is an exception.

Until the end of the 1999-2000 season, the Bayernliga was only the fifth tier of the league system. The league between Oberliga and Bayernliga, the Regionalliga, was disbanded after this season and the majority of its clubs integrated into the Oberliga.

The Bavarian Eissport Verband (BEV) is the largest regional ice hockey association in Germany with 14.000 registered players in over 90 clubs. Apart from the 79 senior teams playing in its league system for the 2007-08 season, there is also eight women's teams and 284 junior teams.[1] For this reason, the Bayernliga is the only statewide league whose champion directly qualifies for the Oberliga, all other leagues, the Regionalligas (English:Regional Leagues) cover larger areas or have to go through a promotion play-off round.

Above the BEV there is currently four Bavarian teams in the DEL (German Ice Hockey League) (I), three in the 2nd Bundesliga (II) and ten in the Oberliga (III). This means, 17 of 45 clubs in the first three divisions of German ice hockey currently come from Bavaria.

Ice hockey in Bavaria

Bavaria, especially the southern, mountainous region of it, is the "cradle" of German ice hockey with many former German internationals coming from there. Historically, the German championship was dominated by clubs from Bavaria and Berlin. Nowadays however, Bavarian teams rarely win a championship. The situation is actually very similar to the Canadian teams in the NHL, who provide the majority of players but win a minority of titles.

In 87 editions of the German championship until 2007, Bavarian clubs have won 35. Of the current DEL teams, none hold a German title to their name. In the 2nd Bundesliga, Landshut and Riessersee hold 12 titles between them and in the Oberliga, Füssen, Tölz and Rosenheim have earned 20 German championship between them. The EV Füssen is second only in numbers of titles to Berliner Schlittschuhclub, having won 16 German championships from 1949 to 1973.

One reason for the leading role, Bavarian ice hockey had, and still to some extend has is the number of ice hockey stadiums in the state. Almost 40 percent of all stadiums in Germany are in Bavaria and twice as many as in the second ranked state Nordrhein-Westfalen:

State Number
Bayern 73
Baden-Württemberg 24
Berlin 6
Brandenburg 0
Bremen 2
Hamburg 4
Hessen 10
Mecklenburg Vorpommern 4
Niedersachsen 10
Nordrhein Westfalen 35
Rheinland- Pfalz 8
Saarland 2
Sachsen 11
Sachsen- Anhalt 1
Schleswig- Holstein 2
Thüringen 1
Germany 193

Source:"Kunsteisbahnen Deutschland". Official DEB website. Archived from the original on 2008-03-25. Retrieved 2008-03-29. 

Leagues & modus

The nine senior leagues split over three tiers, operating on the following modus:[2]

Bayernliga

For the 2007-08 season, the Bayernliga operated in one single division of 16 clubs. The season went from October 2007 to March 2008.

Each team in the league played each other twice, home and away. at the end of the regular season, the top eight teams entered a play-off round. In a best-of-three modus, the winner of the Bayernliga was determined. The bottom eight teams also played a best-of-three play-down round to determine the two teams relegated to the Landesligas.

Until the end of the 1999-2000 season, the league operated on a fourteen club home-and-away season with no play-offs. From 2000, the strength of the league was increased to sixteen clubs in two regional groups of eight. After a first round, the top four of each group played another group stage, the championship group. The bottom four from each group did the same in a relegation group. From the 2002-03 season, play-offs were introduced after the championship round. The year after, the league moved to its current modus of a sixteen team home-and-away season with play-offs at the end.

Landesliga

Each of the four Landesligas played a regular season of home-and-away matches. The two first placed teams of each league then entered a championship round of eight teams. Again played in home-and-away modus, the top two teams of this round gain promotion to the Bayernliga. Should one or more teams from the Bayernliga gain entry to the Oberliga with a lesser number then that being relegated from the Oberliga to the Bayernliga, additional teams may be promoted from the Landesliga.

The other six teams in each of the four Landesligas played out another home-and-away round with the last placed team from each league being relegated to the corresponding Bezirksliga.

This modus for the 2007-08 season actually differs from the previous years, when after the first round of home-and-away games, the Landesligas were split into a top-four and a bottom-four group, with the latter determining the relegated team and the former playing for the group champion who would enter a four-team play-off for the Landesliga title and Bayernliga promotion.

Bezirksliga

In the Bezirksliga, the lowest level of play, each league again plays a home-and-away season. The winner of each 'Bezirksliga goes to the Bezirksliga championship where the four teams determined the champion of this level. Each of the four regional champions is also promoted to the corresponding Landesliga. For all other clubs in the Bezirksliga the season ends after the main round. there is no relegation as there is no league below the Bezirksliga.

Bayernliga, Landesliga and Bezirksliga champions

On top of the division champions, each tier also plays out its level champions, the Bayernliga Meister, Landesliga Meister and Bezirksliga Meister.

Bayernliga

Season Club
1975-76 EV Pegnitz
1976-77 TSV Königsbrunn
1977-78 TSV Farchant
1978-79 EA Schongau
1979-80 ESV Bayreuth
1980-81 SC Reichersbeuern
1981-82 ERSC Amberg
1982-83 ESV Burgau
1983-84
1984-85 EC Hedos München
1985-86 EV Bad Wörishofen
1986-87 EV Pegnitz
1987-88 VfL Waldkraiburg
1988-89 EHC Bad Reichenhall
1989-90 ERV Schweinfurt
1990-91 EV Bad Wörishofen
1991-92 ETC Crimmitschau
Season Club
1992-93 EC Pfaffenhofen
1993-94 ESC Dorfen
1994-95 Germering Wanderers
1995-96 ESC Dorfen
1996-97 ESV Bayreuth
1997-98 ESC München
1998-99 EHC Memmingen
1999–2000 ERV Schweinfurt
2000-01 Höchstadter EC
2001-02 EA Schongau
2002-03 EHC München
2003-04 Star Bulls Rosenheim
2004-05 EV Landsberg
2005-06 Höchstadter EC
2006-07 EHF Passau
2007-08 EHC Waldkraiburg
2008-09 ERV Schweinfurt

Landesliga

Season Club
1994-95
1995-96 EV Dingolfing
1996-97 ESC München
1997-98
1998-99
1999–2000 EHC Waldkraiburg
2000-01 TSV Schliersee
2001-02 EV Landsberg
2002-03 TuS Geretsried II
2003-04 TSV Erding
2004-05 ECDC Memmingen
2005-06 EHF Passau
2006-07 EHC Nürnberg
2007-08 ESV Buchloe
2008-09 EHC Bayreuth

Bezirksliga

Season Club
1994-95 ESV Bayreuth
1995-96 SC Reichersbeuern
1996-97
1997-98
1998-99 HC 1998 München
1999–2000
2000-01 EV Landsberg
2001-02 BTS Bayreuth
2002-03 TSV Erding
2003-04 TSV Kottern
2004-05 ERC Selb
2005-06 EC Bad Kissing
2006-07 ESV Gebensbach
2007-08 SC Gaißach
2008-09 TSV Schliersee

Divisionial champions

The Landsliga and Bezirksliga are subdivided in four divisions each with the following divisional champions:

Landesliga

Season North South East West
2000-01 ESV Würzburg TSV Schliersee EV Regensburg II EV Lindau
2001-02 EV Pegnitz SB Rosenheim Germering Wanderers EV Landsberg
2002-03 EV Pegnitz TuS Geretsried II EV Bruckberg Germering Wanderers
2003-04 EV Pegnitz EV Fürstenfeldbruck TSV Erding Jets TSV Peißenberg
2004-05 EHC Nürnberg II TSV Trostberg Deggendorfer SC ECDC Memmingen
2005-06 ERV Schweinfurt ESC Holzkirchen EHF Passau EC Ulm/Neu-Ulm
2006-07 VER Selb ESC Holzkirchen Germering Wanderers ESV Buchloe
2007-08 EHC Bayreuth ESC Holzkirchen SVG Burgkirchen ESV Buchloe
2008-09 EHC Bayreuth EHC Bad Aibling SVG Burgkirchen EV Lindau

Bezirksliga

Season North South East West
2000-01 EHC Regensburg SB Rosenheim Deggendorfer SC II EV Landsberg
2001-02 BTS Bayreuth TuS Geretsried II Deggendorfer SC II TSV Kottern
2002-03 EC Bayreuth SC Riessersee II TSV Erding Jets TSV Peißenberg
2003-04 EHC Ingolstadt II ESC Holzkirchen EHF Passau TSV Kottern
2004-05 VER Selb EAC Bad Reichenhall SE Freising ERC Lechbruck
2005-06 EC Bad Kissingen EHC München II ESV Waldkirchen EV Bad Wörishofen
2006-07 EHC Bayreuth ESC Geretsried ESV Gebensbach VfL Denklingen
2007-08 EC Amberg SC Gaißach EV Bruckberg ESC Kempten
2008-09 ERC Ingolstadt TSV Schliersee ESV Waldkirchen 1. EC Senden

League system in the 2008-09 season

Level

League(s)/Division(s)

IV

Bayernliga
16 clubs

V

Landesliga Nord
8 clubs

Landesliga Süd
8 clubs

Landesliga West
8 clubs

Landesliga Ost
8 clubs

VI

Bezirksliga Nord
7 clubs

Bezirksliga Süd
8 clubs

Bezirksliga West
9 clubs

Bezirksliga Ost
8 clubs

Source:"Bavarian ice hockey leagues". Fussball.de. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-22. 

Placings in the Bayernliga 2000 to 2009

Club 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
EHC München * 10 9 2 OL OL BL BL BL BL
Star Bulls Rosenheim * DEL 3 1 OL OL OL OL OL
EV Landsberg * RL 1 2 1 OL BL BL OL
EHF Passau 1 OL OL
Deggendorfer SC * OL OL OL 7 2 OL OL
TSV Peissenberg * RL RL RL 10 12 4 3 1
ERV Schweinfurt 1 RL RL OL OL OL 6 7 2
Höchstadter EC 3 1 RL OL OL OL 1 8 11 3
TSV Erding * OL BL OL 4 3 5 10 4
ESC Dorfen RL RL RL 9 9 6 10 11 9 5
ESV Buchloe 6
VER Selb * OL OL OL OL OL 13 7
ECDC Memmingen* RL RL RL OL 4 10 2 8
ERC Sonthofen 2 4 6 8 9 13 12 6 9
EHC Waldkraiburg 7 7 7 4 5 2 7 1 10
ESV Königsbrunn 9 4 2 5 13 14 6 9 8 11
Germering Wanderers 15 15 12 12
EC Pfaffenhofen RL 5 5 8 6 2 14 3 4 13
EV Pfronten 5 9 6 15 15 14
EHC Nürnberg 5 15
EV Dingolfing 8 6 3 4 3 15 16
EC Ulm/Neu-Ulm * OL OL 14 14
EV Fürstenfeldbruck 11 14 13 16 11 5 16 16
EV Pegnitz 8 9 13
SVG Burgkirchen * 12 8 10 11 10 7 16 15
Geretsried Riverrats * RL OL OL OL 5 3 8
EA Schongau 4 3 1 10 7 12 11
Augsburger EV* 2 RL RL OL 11 13
ERSC Ottobrunn 14 12 8 14 12 16
ERC Lechbruck 7 13 12 12 14
TSV Trostberg 6 11 11 13 16
EV Lindau 14
EV Regensburg II * 15
EV Moosburg 10 16 16
ESC Vilshofen 13 15
Colour Result
Gold Bayernliga champion
Silver Finalist
Green Semi finalist
Blue 1st round
White not qualified for play-offs
Colour Explanation
RL denotes club played in the Regionalliga (IV) (league now defunct)
OL denotes club played in the Oberliga (III)
BL denotes club played in the 2nd Bundesliga (II)
DEL denotes club played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (I)

Bavarian clubs in the German league system

For the 2010-11 season, the following clubs from Bavaria played in the top three German leagues:

In the DEL:

In the 2nd Bundesliga:

In the Oberliga:

External links

See also

League seasons

Sources

References

  1. "Zahlen und Facten der Fachsparte Eishockey (in German)". BEV. 3 September 2007. Archived from the original on June 17, 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
  2. "Ligenübersicht Senioren (in German)". BEV. 30 July 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
  3. "Championnat d'Allemagne 2000/2001 (in French)". hockeyarchives. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
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