FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt

FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt

Full name	Fußballclub Rot-Weiß Erfurt e.V.
Founded	1900 26 January 1966
Ground	Steigerwaldstadion
Ground Capacity	19,439
Chairman	Rolf Rombach
Manager	Stefan Krämer
League	3. Liga (III)
2014–15	12th
Home colours Away colours

FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt is a German association football club based in Erfurt, Thuringia.

History

Foundation to World War II

The club has roots that go back to a cricket club founded in 1895. As they broadened their interests they came to be called Sport Club Erfurt. The club was a founding member of the German Football Association in 1900 and in 1904 they joined the Verband Mitteldeutscher Ballspielvereine (Central German Football League). The side won the league championship in 1908–09 and advanced as far as the semi final of the national round where they lost to the eventual champion. While Erfurt did manage to play for a number of seasons in the premier level Gauliga Mitte, formed after 1933, they failed to earn any honours.

Post-World War II era

In the aftermath of World War II the Allies banned all organizations, including sport and football clubs. In 1946, the Soviet occupation authorities permitted the organization of five district sports clubs in Erfurt. SG Erfurt West encompassed the area of the city once served by SC Erfurt 1895 and VfB Erfurt and drew footballers who had played for these clubs. Success came quickly with an appearance in the 1948 Thüringer final, followed by a title in 1949. A quick series of name changes went hand-in-hand with a series of failed cup and final appearances: as Fortuna Efurt in 1949, KWU Erfurt in 1950, and BSG Turbine Erfurt in 1951. In 1954 and 1955, Turbine captured consecutive East German national titles, but then slipped back into the pack and out of tier I for the first time in 1959. The team was up and down between the first and second divisions through the 60s, being relegated three times, but always winning immediate promotion. Like other East German clubs at the time they suffered as the best players were routinely plucked to play for favoured clubs with politically powerful sponsors.

1960s–1980s

East German football underwent major changes in 1965 with the creation of "pure" football clubs in the place of broadly generalised sports clubs. The number one football sides of SC Turbine Erfurt and BSG Optima Erfurt were merged in 1966 and revived the name FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt, while the more junior sides stayed with their original clubs. Rot-Weiß was unusual for its time in that the club did not have a name that honoured some socialist virtue. In 1980, Rot-Weiß appeared in the East German Cup final, losing to Carl Zeiss Jena (3–1).

Reunification to present

Stand 3, home of "Erfordia Ultras"

German re-unification and the merger of the leagues of East and West Germany in the early 90's brought exciting times to Rot-Weiß. A third place finish in the NOFV-Oberliga in 1990–91 earned them a spot in the 2. Bundesliga for the next season, as well as a turn in the UEFA Cup 1991–92 where they went out against eventual winner AFC Ajax Amsterdam in the second round. That effort made them the last side to appear internationally for East Germany.

Through the 90s and into the new millennium, Rot-Weiß remained a tier three side. They had a close call in 2001 when they avoided relegation only because SSV Ulm 1846 was denied a license because of its financial difficulties. During this time the club went to the league final seven times and came away as Thuringian champion each time. Unfortunately, they were never able to make it past this point and were always subsequently put out in the first round of the German Cup. In 2004, the club made its way back into 2.Bundesliga, but finished dead last and so currently plays in Regionalliga Nord (III). In 2008, Erfurt finished in seventh place in Regionalliga Nord and so qualified for the new 3. Liga. it has played at this level since with two fifth places in 2011 and 2012 as its best results.

Honours

The club's honours:

League competitions

• DDR-Oberliga: 2
  • Winners: 1953–54, 1954–55
  • Runners-up: 1950–51

• Soviet Zone championship: 1
  • Runners-up: 1948–49

• Verband Mitteldeutscher Ballspiel-Vereine: 1
  • Champions: 1908–09

• Thuringian Gau championship: 12
  • Winners: 1902–03, 1903–04, 1904–05, 1905–06, 1906–07, 1907–08, 1908–09, 1909–10, 1911–12, 1916–17, 1918–19, 1919–20

• Northern Thuringia Gau championship: 9
  • Winners: 1910–11, 1911–12, 1913–14, 1916–17, 1917–18, 1923–24, 1926–27, 1931–32, 1932–33

• Thüringian championship: 1
  • Winners: 1948–49

Cup competitions

• FDGB-Pokal: 0
  • Runners-up: 1949–50, 1979–80
• Thuringia Cup: 8
  • Winners: 1993–94, 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05^‡, 2007–08, 2008–09
  • Runners-up: 1995–96, 1996–97, 2003–04^‡, 2012–13, 2013–14

• ^‡ Won by reserve team.

Recent seasons

The recent season-by-season performance of the club:

Year	Division	Tier	Position
1999–2000	Regionalliga Nordost	III	7th
2000–01	Regionalliga Süd		15th
2001–02	Regionalliga Süd		5th
2002–03	Regionalliga Süd		9th
2003–04	Regionalliga Süd		2nd ↑
2004–05	2. Bundesliga	II	18th ↓
2005–06	Regionalliga Nord	III	14th
2006–07	Regionalliga Nord		11th
2007–08	Regionalliga Nord		7th
2008–09	3. Liga		10th
2009–10	3. Liga		9th
2010–11	3. Liga		5th
2011–12	3. Liga		5th
2012–13	3. Liga		13th
2013–14	3. Liga		10th
2014–15	3. Liga		12th

• With the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994 and the 3. Liga in 2008 as the new third tier, below the 2. Bundesliga, all leagues below dropped one tier.

↑ Promoted

↓ Relegated

Current squad

As of 2 September 2015

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Philipp Klewin 3 DF Sascha Eichmeier 4 DF Jannis Nikolaou 5 MF Fabian Burdenski 6 DF André Laurito 7 MF Theodor Bergmann 8 MF Okan Aydın 9 FW Tugay Uzan 10 FW Marc Höcher 11 FW Patrick Schikowski 13 MF Sebastian Tyrala 14 MF Julian Löschner 15 MF Florian Bichler 16 GK Erik Domaschke

No. Position Player 17 DF Luka Odak 18 MF Patrick Twardzik 19 FW Otis Breustedt 20 DF Fabian Hergesell 21 DF Jens Möckel 22 MF Christoph Menz 23 DF Pablo Pigl 24 MF Juri Judt 25 DF Mario Erb 26 MF Amer Kadric 27 FW Carsten Kammlott 31 GK Paul Büchel 33 FW Sebastian Szimayer 34 DF Thure Ilgner

Managers

• 1964–1966: Helmut Nordhaus
• 1966–1970: Martin Schwendler
• 1970–1971: Gerhard Bäßler
• 1971–1973: Siegfried Vollrath
• 1973–1978: Gerhard Bäßler
• 1978–1982: Manfred Pfeifer
• 1982–1984: Siegmar Menz
• 1984–1987: Hans Meyer
• 1987–1988: Manfred Pfeifer
• 1988–1989: Wilfried Gröbner
• 1990–1991: Lothar Kurbjuweit
• 1991–1991: Rüdiger Schnuphase
• 1991–1992: Josip Kuže
• 1992–1995: Klaus Goldbach
• 1995–1995: Horst Kiesewetter
• 1995–1997: Frank Engel
• 1997–1997: Hans-Günter Schröder
• 1997–1997: Rudi Gores
• 1997–2000: Jürgen Raab
• 2000–2000: Frank Engel
• 2000–2001: Hans-Ulrich Thomale
• 2001–2002: Jens Große
• 2002–2003: Michael Feichtenbeiner
• 2003–2003: Alois Schwartz
• 2003–2005: René Müller
• 2005–2005: Ján Kocian
• 2005–2008: Pavel Dotchev
• 2008–2008: Heiko Nowak
• 2008–2009: Karsten Baumann
• 2009: Henri Fuchs
• 2009–2010: Rainer Hörgl
• 2010: Henri Fuchs
• 2010–2012: Stefan Emmerling
• 2012–2013: Alois Schwartz
• 2013–2015: Walter Kogler
• 2015: Christian Preußer
• 2016–: Stefan Krämer

Reserve team

The club's reserve team, FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt II, currently plays in the tier five NOFV-Oberliga Süd. It first played at this level from 2005 to 2007, and again since 2008 with a third place in 2012 as its best result.

The team also made a losing appearance in the 2004 Thuringia Cup final but won the competition in the following year. The later allowed the club qualification to the 2005–06 DFB-Pokal where it lost 8–0 to Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

External links

• Official website
• Abseits Guide to German Soccer