1947 to 1950 The league was formed in 1947, alongside three other divisions on the same level in the city of Hamburg, as the
Bezirksklasse Hamburg-Hansa. The other three leagues were: •
Bezirksklasse Hamburg-Hammonia •
Bezirksklasse Hamburg-Germania •
Bezirksklasse Hamburg-Olympia The four new leagues replaced the
1. Klasse Hamburg as the feeder leagues to the
Stadtliga Hamburg, which was now renamed
Verbandsliga Hamburg. The
1. Klasse Hamburg had been operating since the end of the
Second World War in 1945 and consisted of three divisions. The change in the league system at this level came together with the establishment of the
Oberliga Nord as the new tier-one league in Northern Germany. This meant the new
Bezirksklasse in Hamburg was now the third tier of the league system, below
Oberliga and
Verbandsliga. The league started out with ten clubs, with the league champion being promoted to the
Verbandsliga. In its second season, the league expanded to twelve clubs. The league above it was renamed from
Verbandsliga Hamburg to
Amateurliga Hamburg at the end of this season. The year after, in 1950, the
Amateurliga was then reduced to one single division from the two it had been operating at previously. For the
Bezirksklasse, this also meant a change: The four existing divisions were disbanded and replaced by two leagues: •
Bezirksklasse Hamburg-Alster •
Bezirksklasse Hamburg-Elbe For the
Hansa-division (German:
Hansa-Staffel) this meant a temporary end to its operation.
1953 to 1963 In 1953, the league was once more reestablished and the
Elbe-Staffel and
Alster-Staffel disbanded. Three of the four leagues in existence until 1950 were reformed, the
Olympia-Staffel however, was not. The leagues were now named
Verbandsligas: •
Verbandsliga Hamburg-Hansa •
Verbandsliga Hamburg-Hammonia •
Verbandsliga Hamburg-Germania Each of the three divisions had now fourteen clubs and the league champion was again promoted directly to the
Amateurliga Hamburg. The leagues were again the third tier of the German league system. In the fourteen-team per division era, usually the bottom two teams of each division were relegated. Additionally, teams would be moved between the three divisions according to geographical necessity, to balance them out. In 1963, the
Bundesliga was established in Germany. The old
Oberliga Nord was disbanded and at its stead, the
Regionalliga Nord was set as the second tier of the league system. The
Amateurliga Hamburg, now renamed
Landesliga Hamburg, slipped to third tier in the league system, making the three
Verbandsligas the fourth tier now. Otherwise, nothing changed for the three leagues.
1963 to 1974 In the first couple of seasons after 1963, nothing changed for the three leagues. The
Hansa-Staffel was upsized to fifteen teams for the 1968–69 season, but returned to fourteen the year after. In 1970, the
Germania-Staffel was disbanded, leaving only the
Hansa and
Hammonia division on this level, as it is today. The two remaining divisions were increased in size,
Hansa to seventeen and
Hammonia to sixteen. Also, the leagues changed their name from
Verbandsliga to
Amateurliga. The following season, both divisions operated with sixteen clubs. In 1974, the
Regionalliga Nord was replaced by the
2nd Bundesliga Nord as the second tier in the region. As the new third tier, the
Oberliga Nord was re-established. The
Landesliga Hamburg, now renamed
Verbandsliga Hamburg slipped to fourth tier because of this change and the two
Amateurligas below it therefore to fifth tier.
1974 to 1994 In 1978, the
Amateurligas in Hamburg were renamed to
Landesliga, a name they carry to date. Nothing changed otherwise for the
Landesliga Hamburg-Hansa. The league experienced no change in the two decades from 1974 to 1994, operating on sixteen teams for all but one season. Also, changes in the league system above it did not affect it in this time. In 1994, however, the
Regionalligas were reformed. In the north, this meant a reestablishing of the
Regionalliga Nord. The
Oberliga Nord was disbanded again and in its stead, the
Oberliga Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein was formed. The
Regionalliga becoming the new third tier in the league system meant for the
Landesligas that they now fell to sixth tier.
1994 to current The league continued to remain unchanged. The
Oberliga Nord was re-formed, again, in 2004, replacing the
Oberliga Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein at this level. This meant no change for the
Landesligas. In 2008, the
3. Liga was established and the
Oberliga Nord once more disbanded. Instead of this league, the five northern
Verbandsligas were elevated to the status of
Oberliga, meaning, the
Verbandsliga Hamburg now became the
Oberliga Hamburg. The two leagues below it remained as the
Landesligas, unchanged in name and tier. ==Position of the
Hansa-Staffel in the league system==