Although West German football will rank high in the UEFA yearly listings in the next few years, it could be said this was the last season Bundesliga really ruled Europe. Not only German football deteriorated somewhat, but there was strong pressure from other countries, notably Italy, determined to climb back on top after a mediocre decade and this ambition was backed up by big money. Something frugal Germans never had, or if they had – did not want to spend on foreign stars. Sure, the West German clubs were still very strong and this season the country was the only one in Europe featuring 2 European cups finalists – but winning, detectably, was another matter and slipping away. Both Bayern and Hamburger SV lost the finals and not to superior clubs. If Bayern lost to English club, and the English were always difficult enemy, Hamburger SV spectacularly lost to fairly modest opponent – traditionally, West Germans had little difficulties beating Swedish teams – now HSV lost at home! Ans add to it the disgusting performance of the national team at the World Cup finals. But most of it was in the distant future, hence, out of mind in the early fall of 1981, when the season started. Even the top players were not moving to Italy yet. As for the season itself, one thing was sure – no matter in what shape was German football in general, the championships were very competitive. And to make them even more competitive, there was a change in the league format, concerning the Second Division: it was announced earlier, of course, but now it was a fact: no more 2 Second Division leagues. This was the first year 2. Bundesliga was amalgamated into one league of 20 teams – that meant reduction by half of the participants, so the previous season had been very difficult and important in terms of who was going to stay and who was going down to the regional semi-professional and amateur championships. But the big reduction also strengthened the second level of German football: the championships became more competitive and financially stable. The change also addressed another problem – spectators had been a concern for years. Second division did not attract really big crowds and with time the numbers were declining. A new, stronger and more competitive league, eventually could increased the numbers. So, it was the first season of unified Second Division. Bellow were the regional championships, now reinforced by former members of second division – professional clubs with ambitions. That was relative, of course, and the third level winners showed it.
Four teams were promoted to the second division. The usually invisible to foreigners third level of German football had a lot of clubs with interesting past – many of them quite recently tested second division football, some played even higher.
FC St. Pauli (Hamburg) was a good example. Not long ago they played in first division. Now they were in third division. The club itself is peculiar and almost unique in the world, but in the same time it is a perfect illustration of something unique to German football: there is no city capable of supporting 2 strong clubs. Only Munich had something similar to a big local derby and even there it was no more. So far, only three cities had 2 teams playing in the Bundesliga together – Munich, (West) Berlin, and Hamburg. Munich apart – although TSV 1860 Munchen was already losing strength under the shadow of Bayern – neither Hamburg, nor West Berlin had even remotely equal clubs. St. Pauli’s appearance in the Bundesliga was short and not for a second they had been close to Hamburger SV. Even when HSV was far from great. So the fate of the second-strongest team of any city was rather gloomy: more likely to go down than up. With that – money and supporters also tended to disappear and the club was becoming less and less significant and memorable. And here it was St. Pauli already in the third division.
Whatever came close as a local derby, happened in the Regional leagues – here St. Pauli played against even more obscure Concordia (Hamburg). Nothing like Liverpool – Everton… that was the German case.
But clubs wanted to go higher. The lucky winners this season were
FC Augsburg
FSV Frankfurt,
BV 08 Luttringhausen,
and SC Paderborn 07.
A 50-50 case: two former members of second division, coming back after suffering from the changed formal of the championship, and two newcomers. Happily promoted, but going to be really tested the next year.
Well, these the real winners, for they were climbing up, but West Germany had a trophy for such lower-league teams: the Amateur Championship. It counted for less and less… but it was played every year.
The champions for 1981-82 were FSV Mainz 05. Success, of course, but who cared? Not the world, surely – Mainz was recognized many years later. Amateur championship did not matter – much better was to win promotion to the fully professional championships. Mainz did not go up, champions as they were.
