BFC Preussen
Encyclopedia
BFC Preussen is a German football club
from Berlin
. The team is part of a sports club which also has departments for handball, volleyball, athletics, gymnastics, and ice hockey. Preussen was one of the founding clubs
of the German Football Association
in Leipzig
in 1900.
, and were on their way to success playing in the VDBV (Verband Deutscher Ballspiel Vereine or Federation of German Ballgame Teams). The team lost the league final in 1898 before going on to win three consecutive titles in 1899, 1900, and 1901, and then repeating as champions in 1910 and 1912. While Preussen remained a prominent side playing in the Verbandsliga Berlin-Brandenburg and Oberliga Berlin-Brandenburg through to the early 1930s, they earned just mid-table results.
In 1933 German football was re-organized under the Third Reich into sixteen first division Gauligen
. However, an uncharacteristically poor finish to the 1932–33 season that saw Preussen finish in last place put the club out of top-flight football. In the aftermath of World War II occupying Allied authorities banned organizations throughout Germany, including sports and football clubs. The club was dissolved, then re-established in 1949.
By the 1970s Preussen had settled into third-tier competition in the Amateurliga Berlin (III). A short-lived breakthrough to the Regionalliga Berlin (II) lasted two seasons from 1972–74 before the team briefly crashed to the Landesliga Berlin (IV) in 1974–75. The team's quick return to the third tier Amateur Oberliga Berlin was marked by five exceptional seasons in which they earned three first and two second place finishes. They narrowly missed promotion to the 2. Bundesliga
in 1980 when they lost the playoff to SC Göttingen 05 (0–1 and 1–1). Preussen played out the balance of the 1970s and into the early 1990s in the third division.
The team soon found itself in the fifth tier Verbandsliga Berlin and slipped as low as the Landesliga Berlin-1 (VI) in 1999–2000.
Edwin Dutton
, former German international
Football in Germany
Association football is the most popular sport in Germany. The German Football Association is the sport's national governing body, with 6.6 million members organized in over 26,000 football clubs. There is a league system, with the 1. and 2. Bundesliga on top, and the winner of the first...
from Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. The team is part of a sports club which also has departments for handball, volleyball, athletics, gymnastics, and ice hockey. Preussen was one of the founding clubs
Founding Clubs of the DFB
The DFB was formed January 28, 1900 in Leipzig. The commonly accepted number of founding clubs represented at the inaugural meeting is 86, but this number is uncertain. The vote held to establish the association was 62:22 in favour . Some delegates present represented more than one club, but may...
of the German Football Association
German Football Association
The German Football Association is the governing body of football in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB organises the German football leagues, including the national league, the Bundesliga, and the men's and women's national teams. The DFB is based in Frankfurt and is...
in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
in 1900.
History
The club was formed as BFC Friedrich Wilhelm on 1 May 1894 by a number of players who had left Hevellia Berlin. By 1895, they were called Preussen, named after the Kingdom of PrussiaKingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
, and were on their way to success playing in the VDBV (Verband Deutscher Ballspiel Vereine or Federation of German Ballgame Teams). The team lost the league final in 1898 before going on to win three consecutive titles in 1899, 1900, and 1901, and then repeating as champions in 1910 and 1912. While Preussen remained a prominent side playing in the Verbandsliga Berlin-Brandenburg and Oberliga Berlin-Brandenburg through to the early 1930s, they earned just mid-table results.
In 1933 German football was re-organized under the Third Reich into sixteen first division Gauligen
Gauliga
A Gauliga was the highest level of play in German football from 1934-45. The leagues were introduced in 1933, after the Nazi takeover of power by the Sports office of the Third Reich.-Name:...
. However, an uncharacteristically poor finish to the 1932–33 season that saw Preussen finish in last place put the club out of top-flight football. In the aftermath of World War II occupying Allied authorities banned organizations throughout Germany, including sports and football clubs. The club was dissolved, then re-established in 1949.
By the 1970s Preussen had settled into third-tier competition in the Amateurliga Berlin (III). A short-lived breakthrough to the Regionalliga Berlin (II) lasted two seasons from 1972–74 before the team briefly crashed to the Landesliga Berlin (IV) in 1974–75. The team's quick return to the third tier Amateur Oberliga Berlin was marked by five exceptional seasons in which they earned three first and two second place finishes. They narrowly missed promotion to the 2. Bundesliga
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
in 1980 when they lost the playoff to SC Göttingen 05 (0–1 and 1–1). Preussen played out the balance of the 1970s and into the early 1990s in the third division.
The team soon found itself in the fifth tier Verbandsliga Berlin and slipped as low as the Landesliga Berlin-1 (VI) in 1999–2000.
International players
Edwin DuttonEdwin Dutton
Edwin Dutton is a former Anglo-German footballer and coach. Dutton played as a forward for Britannia Berlin 92, BFC Preussen, Newcastle United and Germany. During the First World War he was interned at Ruhleben, a civilian detention camp in Germany...
, former German international
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
Honours
- Brandenburg football championsBrandenburg football championshipThe Brandenburg football championship was the highest association football competition in the Prussian Province of Brandenburg, including Berlin, established in 1898...
: 1899, 1900, 1901, 1910, 1912 - Oberliga BerlinOberliga BerlinThe Amateur-Oberliga Berlin was the second tier of the German football league system in the city of West-Berlin in Germany from 1947 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963, operating under the name of Amateurliga Berlin. After 1963, it was the third tier until 1991, when the league was...
(III) champions: 1972, 1977, 1980, 1981 - Verbandsliga BerlinVerbandsliga BerlinThe Berlin-Liga is the highest league for football teams exclusively in the German capital. Since German reunification in 1990, it is the highest level of domestic football in Berlin, replacing the Oberliga Berlin in this position...
(V) champions: 2005 - Berliner Landespokal:
- Winners 1979, 1980, 1981
- Runners-up 1988
Recent seasons
| Year | Division | Position | Points | Goal difference |
| 2000–01 | Verbandsliga Berlin (V) | 2nd | 83 | +55 |
| 2001–02 | Verbandsliga Berlin (V) | 8th | 58 | +7 |
| 2002–03 | Verbandsliga Berlin (V) | 5th | 56 | +14 |
| 2003–04 | Verbandsliga Berlin (V) | 3rd | 62 | +19 |
| 2004–05 | Verbandsliga Berlin (V) | 1st  |
79 | +41 |
| 2005–06 | NOFV-Oberliga Nord NOFV-Oberliga Nord The NOFV-Oberliga Nord is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the northern states of former East Germany and West-Berlin. Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Berlin, Brandenburg and... (IV) |
11th | 38 | +1 |
| 2006–07 | NOFV-Oberliga Nord NOFV-Oberliga Nord The NOFV-Oberliga Nord is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the northern states of former East Germany and West-Berlin. Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Berlin, Brandenburg and... (IV) |
8th | 39 | -6 |
| 2007–08 | NOFV-Oberliga Nord NOFV-Oberliga Nord The NOFV-Oberliga Nord is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the northern states of former East Germany and West-Berlin. Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Berlin, Brandenburg and... (IV) |
13th | 20 | -44 |
| 2008–09 | NOFV-Oberliga Nord NOFV-Oberliga Nord The NOFV-Oberliga Nord is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the northern states of former East Germany and West-Berlin. Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Berlin, Brandenburg and... (V) |
15th  |
28 | -19 |
| 2009–10 | Berlin-Liga (VI) | 12th | 49 | +17 |
| 2010–11 | Berlin-Liga (VI) | 15th | 37 | -11 |