The 2015–16 3. Liga was the eighth season of the 3. Liga.
Teams
A total of 20 teams contested the league, including 14 sides from the 2014–15 3. Liga. Arminia Bielefeld and MSV Duisburg were directly promoted to the 2015–16 2. Bundesliga at the end of the 2014–15 season. Bielefeld made an immediate return to the 2. Bundesliga after being relegated in 2013–14. Duisburg returned to the 2. Bundesliga after two seasons in the third tier. The two promoted teams were replaced by FC Erzgebirge Aue and VfR Aalen, who finished in the bottom two places of the 2014–15 2. Bundesliga table.
At the other end of the table, Borussia Dortmund II, SpVgg Unterhaching and SSV Jahn Regensburg were relegated to the 2015–16 Regionalliga. The three relegated teams were replaced by the three winners of the 2014–15 Regionalliga promotion playoffs. SV Werder Bremen II from the Regionalliga Nord returned to the national level after three seasons in the fourth tier, while 1. FC Magdeburg from the Regionalliga Nordost and Würzburger Kickers from the Regionalliga Bayern are playing their debut seasons in the 3. Liga.
A further place in the league was available via a two-legged play-off between third-placed 2014–15 3. Liga team Holstein Kiel and 16th-placed 2014–15 2. Bundesliga side TSV 1860 München. The tie ended 2–1 on aggregate and saw Kiel remaining in the 3. Liga.
Stadiums and locations
Personnel and kits
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dynamo Dresden |  Peter Németh
|
Left | 10 April 2015 | Pre-season |  Uwe Neuhaus
|
10 April 2015[2] |
| SV Wehen Wiesbaden | Christian Hock
|
End of caretaker stint | 12 May 2015 | Sven Demandt
|
12 May 2015[3] | |
| FC Erzgebirge Aue |  Tomislav Stipić
|
Mutual termination | 27 May 2015[4] |  Pavel Dochev
|
4 June 2015[5] | |
| VfR Aalen | Stefan Ruthenbeck
|
Left | 12 June 2015 | Peter Vollmann
|
12 June 2015[6] | |
| VfL Osnabrück | Maik Walpurgis
|
Sacked | 24 August 2015 | 19th |  Joe Enochs
|
24 August 2015[7] |
| Hallescher FC | Sven Köhler
|
Sacked | 30 August 2015[8] | 19th | Stefan Böger
|
8 September 2015[9] |
| Energie Cottbus | Stefan Krämer
|
Sacked | 19 September 2015[10] | 17th |  Vasile Miriuță
|
23 September 2015[11] |
| Stuttgarter Kickers | Horst Steffen
|
Sacked | 4 November 2015[12] | 14th | Tomislav Stipić
|
4 November 2015[12] |
| VfB Stuttgart II | Jürgen Kramny
|
Promoted to first team | 24 November 2015[13][14] | 18th | Walter Thomae
|
21 December 2015[15] |
| Hansa Rostock | Karsten Baumann
|
Sacked | 5 December 2015[16] | 18th | Christian Brand
|
7 December 2015[17] |
| Rot-Weiß Erfurt | Christian Preußer
|
Sacked | 15 December 2015[18] | 16th | Stefan Krämer
|
30 December 2015[19] |
| Preußen Münster | Ralf Loose
|
Sacked | 19 December 2015[20] | 5th | Horst Steffen
|
25 December 2015[21] |
| Chemnitzer FC | Karsten Heine
|
Sacked | 2 March 2016[22] | 17th | Sven Köhler
|
2 March 2016[22] |
| Wehen Wiesbaden | Sven Demandt
|
Sacked | 7 March 2016[23] | 16th | Torsten Fröhling
|
14 March 2016[24] |
| Energie Cottbus | Vasile Miriuță
|
Sacked | 12 April 2016[25] | 18th | Claus-Dieter Wollitz
|
12 April 2016[25] |
| Hallescher FC | Stefan Böger
|
Sacked | 13 April 2016[26] | 15th | Rico Schmitt
|
13 April 2016[26] |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dynamo Dresden (C, P) | 38 | 21 | 15 | 2 | 75 | 35 | +40 | 78 | Promotion to 2. Bundesliga and qualification for DFB-Pokal |
| 2 | Erzgebirge Aue (P) | 38 | 19 | 13 | 6 | 42 | 21 | +21 | 70 | |
| 3 | Würzburger Kickers (O, P) | 38 | 16 | 16 | 6 | 43 | 25 | +18 | 64 | Qualification for promotion play-offs and DFB-Pokal |
| 4 | 1. FC Magdeburg | 38 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 49 | 37 | +12 | 56 | Qualification for DFB-Pokal |
| 5 | VfL Osnabrück | 38 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 46 | 41 | +5 | 56 | |
| 6 | Chemnitzer FC | 38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 52 | 46 | +6 | 55 | |
| 7 | Sonnenhof Großaspach | 38 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 58 | 47 | +11 | 54 | |
| 8 | Rot-Weiß Erfurt | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 47 | 50 | −3 | 50 | |
| 9 | Preußen Münster | 38 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 43 | 41 | +2 | 49 | |
| 10 | Hansa Rostock | 38 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 42 | 48 | −6 | 49 | |
| 11 | Fortuna Köln | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 56 | 69 | −13 | 49 | |
| 12 | Mainz 05 II[a] | 38 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 48 | 47 | +1 | 48 | |
| 13 | Hallescher FC | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 48 | 48 | 0 | 48 | |
| 14 | Holstein Kiel | 38 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 44 | 47 | −3 | 48 | |
| 15 | VfR Aalen | 38 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 35 | 40 | −5 | 44 | |
| 16 | Wehen Wiesbaden | 38 | 9 | 16 | 13 | 35 | 48 | −13 | 43 | |
| 17 | Werder Bremen II[a] | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 42 | 56 | −14 | 43 | |
| 18 | Stuttgarter Kickers (R) | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 38 | 52 | −14 | 43 | Relegation to Regionalliga |
| 19 | Energie Cottbus (R) | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 32 | 52 | −20 | 41 | |
| 20 | VfB Stuttgart II[a] (R) | 38 | 7 | 10 | 21 | 38 | 63 | −25 | 31 |
Source: DFB
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ a b c Reserve teams are ineligible for promotion or DFB-Pokal qualification.
Results
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[27] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Eilers
|
Dynamo Dresden | 23 |
| 2 | Christian Beck
|
1. FC Magdeburg | 19 |
| 3 | Pascal Testroet
|
Dynamo Dresden | 18 |
| 4 | Marco Königs
|
Fortuna Köln | 16 |
| 5 | Anton Fink
|
Chemnitzer FC | 15 |
| 6 | Julius Biada
|
Fortuna Köln | 14 |
| 7 | Julian Derstroff
|
Mainz 05 II | 12 |
| Carsten Kammlott
|
Rot-Weiß Erfurt | ||
| 9 | Five players | 11 | |
Number of teams by state
| Position | State | Number of teams | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Baden-Württemberg |
4 | VfR Aalen, SG Sonnenhof Großaspach, Stuttgart II and Stuttgarter Kickers |
| 2 |  Saxony |
3 | Chemnitzer FC, Dynamo Dresden and Erzgebirge Aue |
| 3 |  North Rhine-Westphalia |
2 | Fortuna Köln and Preussen Münster |
 Saxony-Anhalt |
2 | Hallescher FC and FC Magdeburg | |
| 5 |  Bavaria |
1 | Würzburger Kickers |
 Brandenburg |
1 | Energie Cottbus | |
 Bremen |
1 | Werder Bremen II | |
 Hesse |
1 | Wehen Wiesbaden | |
 Lower Saxony |
1 | VfL Osnabrück | |
 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
1 | Hansa Rostock | |
 Rhineland-Palatinate |
1 | Mainz 05 II | |
 Schleswig-Holstein |
1 | Holstein Kiel | |
 Thuringia |
1 | Rot-Weiss Erfurt |
References
- ^ "Heimat der U23 und der Fußballerinnen". Archived from the original on 15 September 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ "Uwe Neuhaus wird neuer Trainer von Dynamo Dresden" (in German). tagesspiegel.de. 10 April 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ^ "Sven Demandt neuer Trainer in Wiesbaden" (in German). dfb.de. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
- ^ "Trainer Stipic verlässt Absteiger Aue" (in German). dfb.de. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ "Pavel Dotchev neuer Trainer bei Aue" (in German). dfb.de. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
- ^ "Peter Vollmann übernimmt beim VfR Aalen" (in German). dfb.de. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ^ "VfL stellt Trainer Walpurgis frei" (in German). Archived from the original on 25 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
- ^ "Hallescher FC stellt Trainer Sven Köhler frei" (in German). Retrieved 30 August 2015.
- ^ "Hallescher FC: Stefan Böger neuer Trainer" (in German). Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ "Energie Cottbus entlässt Trainer Stefan Krämer" (in German). Retrieved 19 September 2015.
- ^ "Miriuta übernimmt bei Energie Cottbus" (in German). Retrieved 23 September 2015.
- ^ a b "Stuttgarter Kickers entlassen Steffen – Stipic wird Nachfolger" (in German). Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- ^ "Paukenschlag beim VfB! Zorniger muss gehen" (in German). Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- ^ "VfB verkündet: Kramny wird Cheftrainer" (in German). Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ "VfB II: Thomae wird Cheftrainer" (in German). Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ "Rostock trennt sich von Trainer Baumann" (in German). Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- ^ "Christian Brand neuer Trainer in Rostock" (in German). Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- ^ "Christian Preußer nicht mehr Trainer in Erfurt" (in German). Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ "Krämer wird Trainer bei Rot-Weiß Erfurt" (in German). Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ "Münster entlässt Trainer Loose" (in German). Retrieved 19 December 2015.
- ^ "Preußen Münster: Horst Steffen neuer Trainer" (in German). Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- ^ a b "CFC: Sven Köhler kommt für Karsten Heine" (in German). Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- ^ "Wehen Wiesbaden trennt sich von Demandt" (in German). Retrieved 7 March 2016.
- ^ "Wehen Wiesbaden: Fröhling neuer Trainer" (in German). Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- ^ a b "Cottbus trennt sich von Trainer Miriuta – Wollitz wird Nachfolger" (in German). Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- ^ a b "Rico Schmitt ab sofort Trainer in Halle" (in German). Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ Goalscorers