The Bavarian Football Association (), the BFV, is one of 21 regional organisations of the German Football Association, the DFB, and covers the state of Bavaria. It was formed as an independent association on 4 February 1949 but its origins date back to 1945. The Bavarian FA is also part of the Southern German Football Association, the SFV, one of five regional federations in Germany. The other members of the SFV are the football associations of Baden, Hesse, South Baden and Württemberg. It is the largest of the five regional federations and based in Munich. In 2016, the BFV had 1,602,807 members, 4,611 member clubs and 26,440 teams playing in its league system, making it the largest of the 21 regional associations in Germany. Because of its status, Bavaria is awarded an extra entry to the first round of the German Cup. History Pre-BFV history Football in Southern Germany, and thereby in Bavaria was originally administrated by the Süddeutscher Fussball-Verband, which was formed on 17 October 1897 in Karlsruhe, then under the name of Verband Süddeutscher Fussball-Vereine. The new federation soon began to organise a regional football competition, the Southern German football championship, followed by a league system a few years later. In November 1927, the federation merged with the Southern German track and field association, forming a much enlarged federation, the Süddeutscher Fussball- und Leichtathletik-Verband - SFLV. With the rise of the Nazis to power in 1933, the federation received the order from Berlin to disband itself in March 1933. On 6 August 1933, the SFLV held its last general meeting, in Stuttgart, where the order to disband was officially carried out. The financial liquidation of the federation was completed in 1942. The BFV Post-Second World War Germany saw Bavaria become part of the US occupation zone. As travel within the occupation zone was restricted, the reestablishing of a Southern German federation seemed initially impossible. Instead, on 18 July 1945, a Bavarian State Sports Association. the BLSV, was established and officially sanctioned by the US authorities a year later. This new association was not exclusively popular, as it was seen by former members of the SFLV as an obstacle to reestablish the later. The situation soon deteriorated into conflict as, in September 1945, a regional football league was established, the Oberliga Süd, which was made up of 16 of the foremost football clubs of Southern Germany. The organisers of