The Regionalliga Berlin started out in 1963 with 10 teams in the league. From 1965 the league was expanded to 16 clubs. In 1969-70 the league played with 14 clubs and after that always with 12.
It was formed from the clubs of the Oberliga Berlin which finished second to eighth and the first three clubs of the Amateurliga Berlin. The last winner of the Oberliga Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, was promoted to the new Bundesliga and the bottom two teams of the Oberliga were relegated to the Amateurliga. The Regionalliga Berlin was as such a continuation of the Oberliga Berlin under a different name and a tier lower.
Along with the Regionalliga Berlin went another four Regionalligas, these five formed the second tier of German football until 1974:
The new Regionalligas were formed along the borders of the old post-World War II Oberligas, not after a balanced regional system. Therefore, the Oberligas Berlin and West covered small but populous areas while Nord and Süd covered large areas. Südwest was something of an anachronism, neither large nor populous.
The winners and runners-up of this league were admitted to the promotion play-off to the newBundesliga, which was staged in two groups of originally four, later five teams each with the winner of each group going up.
The bottom team was relegated to the Amateurliga. Below the Regionalliga Berlin was the Amateurliga Berlin.
The league was dissolved in 1974. Originally two clubs from the Regionalliga Berlin were to be integrated in the new 2. Bundesliga Nord, however, the Regionalliga champion Tennis Borussia Berlin won promotion to the Bundesliga and therefore only Wacker 04 Berlin was admitted into the new second division. The other ten teams in the league went to the new Oberliga Berlin.
Bold denotes team went on to gain promotion to the Bundesliga.
In 1965, SC Tasmania 1900 Berlin were promoted to Bundesliga even though they only finished third in the Regionalliga. This was because Hertha BSC was demoted from the Bundesliga for breach of rules, Tennis Borussia having failed in the promotion play–offs and Spandauer SV declining promotion. The German Football Association still wished to have a representative for Berlin in the league and elevated SC Tasmania 1900 Berlin instead.
TeBe is the only team from Berlin to have won the old Regionalliga (1965, 1974) and the new one (1996, 1998).
Deutschlands Fußball in Zahlen, (in German) An annual publication with tables and results from the Bundesliga to Verbandsliga/Landesliga, publisher: DSFS
kicker Almanach, (in German) The yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the kicker Sports Magazine
Die Deutsche Liga-Chronik 1945-2005(in German) History of German football from 1945 to 2005 in tables, publisher: DSFS, published: 2006
