The Verbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was established in 1991 from sixteen clubs as a highest league for the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Football Association, LFVMV (German: Landesfußballverband Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). It comprised the area of the three Bezirksligen of Rostock, Neubrandenburg and Schwerin. Each of those three Bezirke contributed four to five clubs to the new league, with two clubs coming from the 2nd Division. The Verbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was the last of the five leagues established at this level in former East Germany, a year after the other four. The league was originally named Landesliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and changed to the Verbandsliga in 1996.
The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Football Association was formed on 14 July 1990.[1]
Throughout its existence, the league operated on a strength of sixteen clubs, occasionally diverting to seventeen to level out promotion and relegation.
The Verbandsliga was and is a feeder league to the NOFV-Oberliga Nord, together with the Berlin-Liga and Brandenburg-Liga, which its champion is directly promoted to. As such, it was the fourth tier of the German league system.
With the introduction of the Regionalliga Nordost as third tier of the league system in 1994, the Verbandsligen slipped to tier five. In 2008, the league was again demoted one level when the 3. Liga was established. However, this did not change anything in the leagues status as a feeder league to the NOFV-Oberliga.
The extended board of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Football Association (LFVMV) decided on 7 May 2020 to end the 2019-20 season prematurely, following the suspension of the game operations on 13 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. The official and final standings was set using the points per game quotient rule after an additional decision by the LFV on 26 May. There were therefore no champions, only table leaders.[2] Also, the 2020-21 season was ended prematurely.[3]
In 2020, FC Anker Wismar led the table after the 2019–20 season was curtailed but declined promotion. Second-placed Rostocker FC was promoted instead.
Founding members of the league
The league was established from sixteen clubs from four leagues in 1991. Most of the East German clubs changed their names in the years after the reunion, some reverted to their old ones after a brief period, current names, when different from the one in 1991, are listed. The clubs are:
