2.Bundesliga

The second tier or German football is the 2.Bundesliga or Zweite Bundesliga. The current format for the 2.Bundesliga has been in place since 1974. Initially starting with two leagues it was reduced to the one division that we know today in 1981.

Currently 18 teams contest the 2. Bundesliga with the objective to gain promotion to the Bundesliga or avoid relegation to the 3.Liga.

Promotion & Relegation

The current format of the 2.Bundesliga sees 3 teams promoted to the Bundesliga with the top 2 teams gaining automatic promotion while the third place team plays the 16^th positioned team from the Bundesliga in a 2 leg play-off tie.

The same system is in place for relegation from 2.Bundesliga with the bottom 2 teams automatically relegated and the 3^rd bottom team playing the team that finished 3^rd in the 3.Liga in a 2 leg play-off tie.

League Rules

To promote and encourage the use of youth systems in German football clubs must have 8 players in their squad that have graduated from the youth set up of a German club and 4 that must come from their own youth system.

Player Records

The player to have amassed the largest number of 2.Bundesliga appearances is Willi Landgraf who played 508 times for Alemannia Aachen , Rot-Weiss Essen, FC 08 Homburg and FC Guterslogh. The player to have scored the most goals in the division is Dieter Schatzshneider who scored 154 times.

Attendances

Attendances will always fluctuate in leagues that see a considerable turnover in teams promoted and relegated but the following information gives you the best supported clubs since 1992 and their average attendances.

Season Best supported club       Average

1992–93               FC St. Pauli          14,120

1993–94               TSV 1860 München         19,553

1994–95               FC St. Pauli          17,211

1995–96               1. FC Nürnberg  16,465

1996–97               1.FC Kaiserslautern         36,680

1997–98               1. FC Nürnberg  24,759

1998–99               Hannover 96      19,229

1999–2000         1. FC Köln              28,853

2000–01               Borussia Mönchengladbach        23,458

2001–02               Hannover 96      20,562

2002–03               1. FC Köln            26,459

2003–04               1. FC Nürnberg  16,152

2004–05               1. FC Köln            38,482

2005–06               TSV 1860 München         41,932

2006–07               1. FC Köln            42,194

2007–08               1. FC Köln            43,763

2008–09               1. FC Kaiserslautern        34,409

2009–10               1. FC Kaiserslautern        35,398

2010–11               Hertha BSC         46,131

2011–12               Eintracht Frankfurt          37,641

2012–13               1. FC Köln            40,688

2013–14               1. FC Köln            46,176

2014–15               1. FC Kaiserslautern        33,013

2015–16               1. FC Nürnberg  30,723