Cities of Bonn and Siegen sign up for the 'Ascent reform 2025' undertaking
Title: The Promotion Push: 33 Clubs Demand Football Fairness
20th June 2025, 1:36 PM
The Promotion Reform wave is gaining steam. Bonn SC and Sportfreunde Siegen have hopped on board, pushing the movement to a whopping 33 clubs. It's all about saying "Champions deserve promotion!"
The newly joined clubs, Bonn SC and Sportfreunde Siegen, have joined forces with the Promotion Reform initiative of 2025. The combined power now stands at 33 clubs from the top four German football leagues. These clubs stand united, advocating for "Equal opportunities for all regionalliga clubs. Champions deserve promotion!"
Results & Table: Regionalliga Nordost, Season 24/25
Zillken on Promotion
Daniel Zillken, the sports director of Bonn SC, sheds light on the matter: "Winning a championship means you've done many things right. You've earned that promotion. However, the playoffs can shatter dreams and visions if victory isn't secured. Last season, 1. FC Lok Leipzig experienced this painfully, missing out on promotion after a strenuous playoff against TSV Havelse."
Stuck in Reform Red Tape
A Sluggish Path to Structural Reform
Recent discussions with representatives from the other four regionalligas suggest that a quick solution for fair promotion rules is unlikely.
West-Regionalliga Skeptical of Timely Structural Reform
The West-Regionalliga Doubts Quick Reform
The Promotion Reform 2025 initiative had a meeting with the West German Football Association. Vice-president Manfred Schnieders suspects that the time for reform before the next DFB Bundestag will be too short.
Growing Initiative
The initiative kicked off in February 2025 with 16 North-East regionalliga clubs. The main issue: The fourth league champions cannot directly ascend. Now, two teams from Regionalliga Bayern, four from North Regionalliga, six from West Regionalliga, along with third league clubs Energie Cottbus, Hansa Rostock, and Erzgebirge Aue, SG Dynamo Dresden, and Union Berlin have joined the fray.
Champion Tears: A Scandal for Football
The Tears of Champions: A Stain on Football
Lok Leipzig, the point-wise best champion of all five regionalligas, has yet to gain promotion. This systemic injustice needs to be rectified.
Spokesperson Speaks Up
Tommy Haeder, spokesperson for the Promotion Reform 2025 initiative, has pushed harder, insisting on a quick resolution: "The pressure keeps building. The gentlemen cannot hide behind their desks anymore, and it's time they come out and actively seek a fair solution for all regionalligas."
The initial plan of concluding the reform at the autumn 2025 DFB Bundestag has been scrapped due to insufficient preparation time. Instead, an extraordinary DFB Bundestag has been scheduled for the first half of the following year.
[The journey continues. Until then, champions will have to keep those tears at bay.]
Union Berlin Backs "Promotion Reform 2025" Initiative
Union Berlin Joins the Reform Fight
Even though Union Berlin is still a ways off from the 4th tier of German football, the club is stepping up to champion the cause of Regionalliga clubs. There's an Eastern vibe to this movement.
Promotion Reform to 3rd League
Putting the Reform to the Vote
The club initiative is engaging with all regional associations regarding the Promotion Reform to the 3rd league. Although a breakthrough is yet to come, the timeline has been revised.
Regionalliga Reform: Hansa Rostock and Three Regionallists Join North-East Initiative
Another Piece Added to the North-East Mosaic
The North-East clubs' Regionalliga reform drive is buying more supporters. With Hansa Rostock, another 3rd league club has hopped on board, along with three Regionalliga clubs.
Regionalliga Reform: First West Clubs Join North-East Initiative
West Meets East: A Reform Shift
The tension over a Regionalliga reform rages on. For the first time, two clubs from the West division have thrown their support behind the North-East initiative, setting themselves apart from their own regional association.
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Our website | Our website | 20th June 2025 | 5:45 PM
The newly joined clubs, Bonn SC and Sportfreunde Siegen, have announced their support for the Promotion Reform initiative of 2025, bringing the total number of clubs advocating for fair promotion rules to 33 from the top four German football leagues. Daniel Zillken, the sports director of Bonn SC, emphasized that winning a championship means earning the right to promotion, and participating in playoffs can still result in heartbreaking outcomes, as was experienced by 1. FC Lok Leipzig last season.
