Germany’s highest soccer league, the Bundesliga (sometimes called the “Fußball-Bundesliga”), has a German origin and meaning, but what does it really mean?
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“Federal League” is the direct translation of “Bundesliga,” and it sounds a little less appealing than the German. However, some knowledge of the league’s past is necessary to comprehend the reasoning for the name.
Football was played at the regional levels in Germany before the Bundesliga was established in 1963. There were four Oberliga (North, South, West, and Southwest) in addition to the Vertragsliga Berlin.
The latter gained notoriety around the time when the city’s league started using licensed (Vertrag) players. Since they represent the highest level in certain regions, the others would be referred to as regional premier leagues (Ober meaning top).
The division of Germany among the victorious Allied nations during World War II is the explanation for this exact geographical split. West Germany would be made up of areas governed by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, while East Germany would be made up of territory under Soviet rule. Berlin, the capital, was divided as well.
At the regional level, sport, and football in particular, was then organized mostly along these lines. The victor of the regional competitions would then compete in a season-ending knockout tournament hosted by the DFB (Deutscher Fußball-Bund) to decide the champion of (West) Germany.
A national league has long been discussed as a way to bring Germany up to speed with most other European nations. Among the most well-known speakers was Sepp Herberger, who led West Germany to their first FIFA World Cup victory in 1954. The national ice hockey league, which went by the name Bundesliga, was the first, though.
The DFB used this moniker as well when they decided to form a national league in 1962. Although the precise creator of the concept is unknown, its basic premise is clear.
“Liga” stands for “league” and is used to refer to a variety of German leagues, including the Gauliga, Bezirksliga, Regionalliga, Landesliga, Verbandsliga, and others.
But “Bundes” divulges less information. It is characteristic of German political terminology and is used, among other places, by the Bundestag, Bundesland, and Bundeswehr.
These consist of the German army, the German state, and the German parliament. These are instances of the compound nouns that the German language may produce. However, “Bundes” does not always imply “German”.
A “Bund” is a confederation, federation (the German federation in this example), or the nation in its whole. Literally translated, “federal” is what happens when a word like “Bundes” is placed before it. Consequently, the federal league, federal state, federal army, and federal parliament exist.
Now, as a translation, this isn’t very attractive or useful unless the context makes it obvious what is being said.
Nonetheless, the very fact that anything is called a “Bundes-” item in German indicates that it is about Germany and not some other nation.
Consequently, even though the Bundesliga’s official name is “Federal League,” it would make more sense to translate it as “German League,” or more precisely, as a national German league that plays across the whole “Bund” rather than just its regions.
