Watch Live German Bundesliga
German Bundesliga is the top league of professional football in Germany. The winners of the Bundesliga are the national champions of Germany. Germany is slightly different when compared to its European rivals. Germany did not create a national league of professional football until the 1960’s, far after most of the other nations.
Football has been a favorite sport amongst Germans for a very long time. Before the German Bundesliga was created, there were several amateur leagues around the country at various levels of size and ability. These teams would play a series of games and tournament for the end prize of German national champions. Changes later came allowing teams from other countries to participate. The only stipulation was that they were of German ethnicity. This allowed teams from Austria-Hungary, Switzerland and then named Czechoslovakia to join in.
Football continued to grow in Germany throughout the 1900’s. In 1900 there were approximately 150,000 registered football players in Germany. By 1932, that number had increased exponentially to well over 1 million. Despite this increase there was no desire to professionalize the game. Promoters felt that keeping the leagues at an amateur level would bring forward the true sportsman and those that played football purely for the love of the game.
The third Reich brought about drastic changes to German football. Under the government all German football leagues had to disband and be replaced by those controlled directly by the Nazis. They controlled every aspect of the sport down to team formations and player selection. In order to be selected for a team you had to recommend by at least two high ranking Nazi party members.
The German Bundesliga was formed in the 1960’s. After continual changes and troubles in Germany, many of the clubs suffered. The effect of this was showing in international competitions. The 1962, world cup quarter final match where Germany lost to Chile 1-0 finally got serious talks going about forming a national, professional league. The German Bundesliga was officially created in Dortmund in 1962 and modeled itself on the English football association structure.
Today, Germany remains a powerhouse in professional football. The German Bundesliga remains one of the most competitive and sought after leagues to play for and recruit players from. The German Bundesliga has ensured that Germany will remain one of the greatest forces to be reckoned with in international professional football. Watch Live Bundesliga online on your pc through Live Sport Network.
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