So here we are in Mannheim for 13th vs 18th in the Oberliga Baden-Wurttermberg.
The higher divisions may conclude their league business this weekend, but in the Oberliga (tier V) there will still be matches to play, spread across the next two weekends. Of course there will also be the small matter of the DFB Pokal (the German Cup) plus all the regional Cup Finals, which are particularly important for fans of lower-league German football for reasons I have explained on here before (see blog entry for 12/08/23).
As you can see from a glance at the table, these last two games are thoroughly meaningless for Offenburger, but quite the opposite for Mannheim, who can potentially still escape relegation.
VfR Mannheim have a relatively undistinguished history, having resided in the regional/amateur leagues in all recent modern history. But – ‘twas not always thus. In 1949 – with a 3-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund, they became national champions of Germany, and the first winners of the Meisterschale, a trophy for the national champions ever since then, including the Bundesliga era – although it also includes the names of pre-Meisterschale champions also, starting with VfB Leipzig in 1903. Here they are the VfR Mannheim championship-winning team:
The Meisterschale is estimated to run out of room for the engraving of new champions in the year 2026, so we await developments with interest.
Before the Meisterschale, the national championship was a contest for the ‘Viktoria’, a trophy modelled on the Roman goddess of victory.
Interestingly, (well to me anyway) 1.FC Nürnberg were the first post-war champions, in 1948 – but this was after the loss/demise of the ‘Viktoria’, but before the advent of the ‘Meisterschale’. So they are the only German national champions not to receive a trophy. Kinda sad. But at least they won. Football.
