Overview
The NOFV-Oberliga Mitte was formed in 1991 when, along with the political reunion of Germany, the former East German football league system was integrated into the German one.
The abbreviation NOFV stands for Nord-Ostdeutscher Fußballverband, meaning North East German Football Association.
Along with this league, two other NOFV-Oberligas were formed, the NOFV-Oberliga Nord and the NOFV-Oberliga Süd. Unlike the other two leagues who had 18 clubs, the Mitte-division started out with 20 clubs.
The league was formed from clubs from six different leagues: Two clubs from the Oberliga Nordost, the former DDR-Oberliga, six clubs from the NOFV-Liga A and B, the former East German second division, one club from the Bezirksliga East-Berlin, one of the regional leagues of the old East German third league level, one from the Verbandsliga Brandenburg, a new league, and ten clubs from the Amateur-Oberliga Berlin, the West-German third division for the city of Berlin. The league accommodated therefore a wide mix of clubs from the east and west of Germany. It was also the first time since 1950 that clubs from East- and West-Berlin played in the same league.
The league became one of the then ten Oberligas in the united Germany, the third tier of league football. Its champion was however not directly promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga but had to take part in a promotion play-off. The 1. FC Union Berlin, the only team ever to win the league, failed in all three attempts to win promotion.
For the duration of the league the leagues below it were:
- Verbandsliga Berlin
- Verbandsliga Brandenburg
- Verbandsliga Sachsen-Anhalt
In the 1992–93, Hertha BSC II, playing in the NOFV-Oberliga Mitte, became the first third division club and the only Oberliga club so far to reach the DFB-Pokal final, losing to Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1–0.
In 1994, the German football league system saw some mayor changes. The four Regionalligas were introduced as an intermitand level between 2nd Bundesliga and Oberligas, relegating the Oberligas to fourth tier from now on. In the east of Germany, the Regionalliga Nordost was formed, a league covering the area of former East Germany and West-Berlin. Six clubs from the NOFV-Oberliga Mitte were admitted to the new league:
- 1. FC Union Berlin
- FC Energie Cottbus
- Türkiyemspor Berlin
- Lok Altmark Stendal
- Hertha BSC II
- Hertha Zehlendorf
The NOFV-Oberliga Mitte however was disbanded and its clubs, apart from the ones that went to the Regionalliga, were spread between the two remaining Oberligas in the east. Five of its clubs went to the NOFV-Oberliga Nord, four to the Süd-division. The last placed team, Frohnauer SC, was relegated to the Verbandsliga Berlin.
Read more about this topic: NOFV-Oberliga Mitte