Regionalliga Germany Hockey

[jaay9]

I’ve been trying to find out what players make in salary/wages in the German Regionalliga, they’re 4th division but I’ve been having difficulty. I know that imports make around 15,000-40,000 Euro in the Oberliga which is the 3rd division. Any information would definitely help thanks!

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[Chapin Landvogt]

I can only say that it is surely vastly different from region to region and club to club.

If you include the Bayernliga as a regional league (it is right below the Oberliga Süd), then there will be players throughout the regional leagues who earn as much as they could in the Oberliga. In some very few cases, maybe even more depending on the local sponsor and ambitions of the club.

But rest assured that most all regional teams are playing with amateurs, some may even still be paying to play. Usually the one thing that a team can offer most of its players is to play free of charge and to receive a certain number of sticks and perhaps even a set of equipment. Various suits and ahtletic wear goodies are often part of the package, but you often have to turn that stuff in once your time with the club comes to an end.

There are surely several very good German players and even more foreigners playing throughout the various regional leagues who are getting 2+ k per month to play plus a place to live and either a car to share or a paid for ticket for local public transportation. They may also have their plane tickets paid for to fly in at the beginning of the season and then away once the season is over. That's more than some guys get to play in the Oberliga where it is not uncommon to simply get 600-800 a month plus living accomodations and transportation.

Again, how professional the team is run often depends on the club structure, what money comes in, and if they can find sponsors or have a major donor to carry some of the larger costs (namely player fees and/or things such as team busses).

 

[pgfan66]

I can only say that it is surely vastly different from region to region and club to club.

If you include the Bayernliga as a regional league (it is right below the Oberliga Süd), then there will be players throughout the regional leagues who earn as much as they could in the Oberliga. In some very cases, maybe even more depending on the local sponsor and ambitions of the club.

But rest assured that most all regional teams are playing with amateurs, some may even still be paying to play. Usually the one thing that a team can offer most of its players is to play free of charge and to receive a certain number of sticks and perhaps even a set of equipment. Various suits and ahtletic wear goodies are often part of the package, but you often have to turn that stuff in once your time with the club comes to an end.

There are surely several very good German players and even more foreigners playing throughout the various regional leagues who are getting 2+ k per month to play plus a place to live and either a car to share or a paid for ticket for local public transportation. They may also have their plane tickets paid for to fly in at the beginning of the season and then away once the season is over.

Again, how professional the team is run often depends on the club structure, what money comes in, and if they can find sponsors or have a major donor to carry some of the larger costs (namely player fees and/or things such as team busses).

To add to that, about the general concept of the Regionalliga: Most players go there for two reasons. One is that they simply aren't good enough for higher levels, the other is that the league and team schedules allow players to work a full-time job or go to university full-time, so once players realize they might not be destined for life as a professional player, they go this route to make sure they have something to fall back on. Like @Chapin Landvogt said, it varies from league to league and team to team, but generally, the Regionalliga is almost seen as a high-level hobby rather than a job – the exception being potential future Oberliga players getting their first sniff of men's hockey and imports that are brought in to help reach the more ambitious teams' goals.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

To add to that, about the general concept of the Regionalliga: Most players go there for two reasons. One is that they simply aren't good enough for higher levels, the other is that the league and team schedules allow players to work a full-time job or go to university full-time, so once players realize they might not be destined for life as a professional player, they go this route to make sure they have something to fall back on.

A good example of this in my region is the HSV, a team that plays with a lot of amateurs who are studying or doing some vocational measures on the side. A good handful actually play for this club because the management here can assist them directly in getting set up with these things (well, particularly the vocational job training). The university itself draws a lot of students from across the country, so there's usually a student or two every fall who falls into this category.

Like @Chapin Landvogt said, it varies from league to league and team to team, but generally, the Regionalliga is almost seen as a high-level hobby rather than a job – the exception being potential future Oberliga players getting their first sniff of men's hockey and imports that are brought in to help reach the more ambitious teams' goals.

A good example of this is also in my region, namely the former Oberliga team Hamburg Crocodiles. They just made their way into the regional league this past season and are already loading the team with young men 18-25, some of whom thoroughly see the team and league as a stepping stone to the Oberliga or beyond. A couple are even coming in from places like Cologne and southern Bavaria with this intention.

 

[Albatros]

The Crocodiles of course being a fairly traditional Oberliga team that went bust a year ago and now have to make their way back up through promotions.