Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The Oberliga (Plural: Oberligen) is currently the name of the fifth tier of the German football (soccer) leagues. Before the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier. The word Oberliga is equivalent to Premier League in English, however, its literal translation would be Upper League. The term Oberliga was also used prior to the establishment of the Gauliga system in 1933 and again between the end of World War II and the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963 for first division leagues in Germany. Between 1978-94 the term Amateuroberliga was used for third tier leagues, which were then the highest level of amateur play in the country. The current usage of the designation Oberliga was introduced in 1994. In East Germany a separate league structure was in place from 1948-1990 and the top flight division there was known as the DDR-Oberliga.