The Verbandsliga Südbaden is a German amateur football division administered by the South Badenese Football Association, one of the 21 German state football associations. Being the top flight of the South Baden state association, the Verbandsliga is currently a level 6 division of the German football league system. Overview The Verbandsliga Südbaden was formed in 1945, then called Landesliga Südbaden, in the southern half of the then state of Baden, which is now the western half of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It was originally a feeder league to the Oberliga Südwest (southern section) and therefore the second tier of the football league system in the southwest of Germany until 1950, when the clubs from Südbaden left the southwest league system and returned to the southern system where they geographically belong. From 1950 until the establishment of the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg in 1978, it was the third tier of the football league system. The separation of North Baden and South Baden results from the outcome of the 2nd World War when the state was split into two separate occupation zones. The north was in the US zone and the south in the French zone. For this reason the clubs from the south of Baden found themselves thrown in with the Oberliga Südwest (northern group), as those also were in the French zone. The league was established in 1945 with nine teams in the western and eight teams in the eastern group. Four of those clubs gained entry into the new Oberliga Südwest (southern group) for the 1946–47 season. The year after the league was split into three groups, from 1947 it was staged in one single group and adopted the name Amateurliga Südbaden. The twelve founding members of the league were: ASV Villingen (FC Villingen) Lahrer FV SC Baden-Baden VfR Stockach SpVgg Rheinfelden (FC Rheinfelden) SpVgg Ottenau (SV Ottenau) SpVgg Emmendingen (FC Emmendingen) FC Gutach SV Schopfheim VfR Engen (FC Engen) FC Donaueschingen (FV Donaueschingen) FV Fahrnau (Current name in brackets) In the post-war days, clubs in the French zone were not allowed to operate under their pre-war names and had to adopt a new name. They gradually reverted to their old names as this rule was revoked. In 1950, with the dissolution of the southern group of the Oberliga Südwest, its 16 clubs were integrated in the southern league system. Two went to the Oberliga Süd, three to the new