FSV Zwickau
Encyclopedia
FSV Zwickau is a German association football club
located in Zwickau
, Saxony. Today's club claims as part of its complex heritage sides that were East Germany's first champions: 1948 Ostzone winners SG Planitz and 1950 DDR-Oberliga
champions ZSG Horch Zwickau.
Under the Third Reich German football was reorganized in 1933 into sixteen top-flight divisions known as Gauligen. Planitz played in the Gauliga Sachsen
where they struggled early on, but improved steadily until in the early 40s they regularly duelled rivals Dresdner SC
for the division title, taking the prize in 1942. They advanced to the national level quarter finals where they were put out 2:3 by eventual vice-champions Vienna Wien. Through the late 30s and early 40s, SC made several early round appearances in play for the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's DFB-Pokal
(German Cup).
Ostzone (en:East Zone) through a 1:0 victory over SG Freiimfelde Halle
on 4 July 1948 in Leipzig
. The club was scheduled to represent the eastern region of the country in the national playoffs in a preliminary round match versus 1. FC Nuremberg, but were denied permission to travel to Stuttgart to play the match as a result of early Cold War
tensions between the Soviets and the Western Allies
. Nuremberg went on to claim the national title in a playoff staged under the authority of the German Football Association
(Deutscher Fußball Bund or German Football Association) and made up entirely of Westzonen (en:Western Zones) teams. The following year Planitz had a poor season and failed to qualify for the playoffs.
In 1950 the club became part of BSG Aktivist Steinkohle Zwickau another postwar side which had been formed 14 June 1949. Sometime in 1951 part of this club broke away to become BSG Fortschritt Planitz which would in 1990 re-adopt the name SV Planitz. The remainder of Aktivist Steinkohle Zwickau was re-christened BSG Aktivist Karl-Marx Zwickau.
, for the inaugural 1949–50 season. They emerged as the league's first champions with a disputed victory over Dresden Friedrichstadt
on the last day of the season.
The unfortunate Dresdners had run afoul of communist authorities which regarded the club as being too bourgeoisie
. Zwickau played a viciously physical game and, abetted by the referee who refused the homeside substitutions and eventually reduced Friedrichstadt to an 8-man squad, "won" the match 5:1. Unhappy Dresden Friedrichstadt fans invaded the field several times, and at game's end, badly beat a Zwickau player. Mounted police were called in to restore order. Within weeks the Dresden side was dismantled and the players scattered to other teams: most eventually fled to the west, many to play for Hertha BSC Berlin
. What occurred in this match foreshadowed what would become commonplace in East German football as highly placed politicians or bureaucrats manipulated clubs and matches for various purposes.
ZSG merged with BSG Aktivist Steinkohle Zwickau (established 14 June 1949) in 1950 becoming Betriebbsportgemeinschaft Horch Zwickau. In 1951 the club was re-christened BSG Aktivist Karl-Marx Zwickau. They remained competitive through the early 50s but were unable to claim another national championship as in the following decades they settled into the role of a mid- or lower-table side. Zwickau enjoyed a measure of success in play for the FDGB-Pokal, or East German Cup. After a losing cup final appearance in 1954 they enjoyed victories in 1963, 1967, and 1975.
In 1968 the club merged with Aktivist Karl Marx Zwickau to become BSG Sachsenring Zwickau. They finally took on their current name in 1990.
Internationally, the club had a good European Cup Winners Cup run in season 1975–76, advancing to the semi-finals with wins over Panathinaikos
, AC Fiorentina
, and Celtic F.C.
before going out against eventual cup winner RSC Anderlecht. By the early 80s they had descended to play in the second tier DDR-Liga, making just intermittent re-appearances in the DDR-Oberliga.
(III) and in 1994 won promotion to the 2.Bundesliga where they would play four seasons. The team then descended through the third division to play in the fourth tier NOFV-Oberliga Süd. Financial problems in 2005 saw Zwickau sent down to the Landesliga Sachsen
(V), but a successful campaign in 2005–06 earned them promotion yet again to the Oberliga.
D
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...
located in Zwickau
Zwickau
Zwickau in Germany, former seat of the government of the south-western region of the Free State of Saxony, belongs to an industrial and economical core region. Nowadays it is the capital city of the district of Zwickau...
, Saxony. Today's club claims as part of its complex heritage sides that were East Germany's first champions: 1948 Ostzone winners SG Planitz and 1950 DDR-Oberliga
DDR-Oberliga
The DDR-Oberliga was, prior to German reunification in 1990, the elite level of football competition in the DDR , being roughly equivalent to the Oberliga or Bundesliga in West Germany.-Overview:Following World...
champions ZSG Horch Zwickau.
History
In addition to the earliest East German championship sides, current day club FSV Zwickau can name a long list of other local associations among its predecessors.Planitzer Sportclub
Fußball-Club Planitz was established 27 April 1912 in a village of that name located south of Zwickau. On 28 August that year the team adopted the name Planitzer Sportclub and in 1918 was briefly known as Sportvereinigung Planitz, before again becoming SC on 2 February 1919. The club's first notable appearance was in the playoffs of the regional Mitteldeutschland (en:Central German) league in 1931 that saw them advance as far as the semi-finals.Under the Third Reich German football was reorganized in 1933 into sixteen top-flight divisions known as Gauligen. Planitz played in the Gauliga Sachsen
Gauliga Sachsen
The Gauliga Saxony was the highest football league in the German state of Saxony from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the Gau Saxony replaced the state Saxony.-Overview:The league was introduced in 1933,...
where they struggled early on, but improved steadily until in the early 40s they regularly duelled rivals Dresdner SC
Dresdner SC
Dresdner SC is a German multisport club playing in Dresden, Saxony. Founded on 30 April 1898, the club was a founding member of the German Football Association in 1900...
for the division title, taking the prize in 1942. They advanced to the national level quarter finals where they were put out 2:3 by eventual vice-champions Vienna Wien. Through the late 30s and early 40s, SC made several early round appearances in play for the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's DFB-Pokal
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
(German Cup).
Ostzone winners in divided Germany
In the aftermath of World War II most German organizations, including sports and football clubs, were dissolved by the occupying Allied authorities. In 1945, the club became part of Sportgruppe Planitz, an association made up of several area clubs. Football competition quickly resumed throughout the country and SG emerged as champions of the Soviet-controlledAllied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
Ostzone (en:East Zone) through a 1:0 victory over SG Freiimfelde Halle
Hallescher FC
Hallescher FC is a German association football club based in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt.-History:The club's roots are in the 1946 formation of SG Glaucha in Soviet-occupied East Germany around the core of Hallescher Fußball-Club Wacker which was founded in 1900...
on 4 July 1948 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...
. The club was scheduled to represent the eastern region of the country in the national playoffs in a preliminary round match versus 1. FC Nuremberg, but were denied permission to travel to Stuttgart to play the match as a result of early Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
tensions between the Soviets and the Western Allies
Western Allies
The Western Allies were a political and geographic grouping among the Allied Powers of the Second World War. It generally includes the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth, the United States, France and various other European and Latin American countries, but excludes China, the Soviet Union,...
. Nuremberg went on to claim the national title in a playoff staged under the authority 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...
(Deutscher Fußball Bund or German Football Association) and made up entirely of Westzonen (en:Western Zones) teams. The following year Planitz had a poor season and failed to qualify for the playoffs.
In 1950 the club became part of BSG Aktivist Steinkohle Zwickau another postwar side which had been formed 14 June 1949. Sometime in 1951 part of this club broke away to become BSG Fortschritt Planitz which would in 1990 re-adopt the name SV Planitz. The remainder of Aktivist Steinkohle Zwickau was re-christened BSG Aktivist Karl-Marx Zwickau.
BSG Aktivist Karl-Marx Zwickau
This club also claimed the 1948 Ostzone champions as part of its lineage. They slipped to lower level local competition until re-appearing in the third tier 2. DDR-Liga, Staffel 4 in 1958. They captured that division in 1962 were promoted to the DDR-Liga, Staffel Süd (II). After a string of undistinguished campaigns, they became part of BSG Motor Zwickau in 1968 which was re-named BSG Sachsenring Zwickau on 1 May that year.East Germany's first champions
Like many other teams in Soviet-occupied East Germany, Planitz would undergo a number of name changes associating the club with the "socialist work force" in various sectors of the economy in a commonly used propaganda device. They were re-named ZSG Horch Zwickau in 1949 and became part of East Germany's new top-flight circuit, the DDR-OberligaDDR-Oberliga
The DDR-Oberliga was, prior to German reunification in 1990, the elite level of football competition in the DDR , being roughly equivalent to the Oberliga or Bundesliga in West Germany.-Overview:Following World...
, for the inaugural 1949–50 season. They emerged as the league's first champions with a disputed victory over Dresden Friedrichstadt
Dresdner SC
Dresdner SC is a German multisport club playing in Dresden, Saxony. Founded on 30 April 1898, the club was a founding member of the German Football Association in 1900...
on the last day of the season.
The unfortunate Dresdners had run afoul of communist authorities which regarded the club as being too bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
. Zwickau played a viciously physical game and, abetted by the referee who refused the homeside substitutions and eventually reduced Friedrichstadt to an 8-man squad, "won" the match 5:1. Unhappy Dresden Friedrichstadt fans invaded the field several times, and at game's end, badly beat a Zwickau player. Mounted police were called in to restore order. Within weeks the Dresden side was dismantled and the players scattered to other teams: most eventually fled to the west, many to play for Hertha BSC Berlin
Hertha BSC Berlin
Hertha Berliner Sport-Club von 1892, commonly known as Hertha BSC or Hertha Berlin, is a German association football club based in Berlin. A founding member of the German Football Association in Leipzig in 1900, the club has a long history as Berlin's best-supported side...
. What occurred in this match foreshadowed what would become commonplace in East German football as highly placed politicians or bureaucrats manipulated clubs and matches for various purposes.
ZSG merged with BSG Aktivist Steinkohle Zwickau (established 14 June 1949) in 1950 becoming Betriebbsportgemeinschaft Horch Zwickau. In 1951 the club was re-christened BSG Aktivist Karl-Marx Zwickau. They remained competitive through the early 50s but were unable to claim another national championship as in the following decades they settled into the role of a mid- or lower-table side. Zwickau enjoyed a measure of success in play for the FDGB-Pokal, or East German Cup. After a losing cup final appearance in 1954 they enjoyed victories in 1963, 1967, and 1975.
In 1968 the club merged with Aktivist Karl Marx Zwickau to become BSG Sachsenring Zwickau. They finally took on their current name in 1990.
Internationally, the club had a good European Cup Winners Cup run in season 1975–76, advancing to the semi-finals with wins over Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos FC
Panathinaikos Football Club is a Greek professional football club based in Athens. Founded in 1908, they play in the Super League Greece and are one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Greek football history. They have won 20 Greek Championships and 17 Greek Cups.Panathinaikos is the most...
, AC Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
, and Celtic F.C.
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
before going out against eventual cup winner RSC Anderlecht. By the early 80s they had descended to play in the second tier DDR-Liga, making just intermittent re-appearances in the DDR-Oberliga.
German re-unification
After German re-unification in 1990 the club found itself in the NOFV-Oberliga SüdNOFV-Oberliga Süd
The NOFV-Oberliga Süd is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the southern states of former East Germany. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony...
(III) and in 1994 won promotion to the 2.Bundesliga where they would play four seasons. The team then descended through the third division to play in the fourth tier NOFV-Oberliga Süd. Financial problems in 2005 saw Zwickau sent down to the Landesliga Sachsen
Landesliga Sachsen
The Sachsenliga, formerly referred to as Landesliga Sachsen, is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Saxony,...
(V), but a successful campaign in 2005–06 earned them promotion yet again to the Oberliga.
Honours
- Soviet zone championship: 1
- Winners 1948
- DDR-OberligaDDR-OberligaThe DDR-Oberliga was, prior to German reunification in 1990, the elite level of football competition in the DDR , being roughly equivalent to the Oberliga or Bundesliga in West Germany.-Overview:Following World...
: 1- Winners 1949–50DDR-Oberliga 1949-50-Overview:It was contested by 14 teams, and ZSG Horch Zwickau won the championship.-League standings:relegation playoff: ZSG Altenburg – ZSG Anker Wismar 3:2-References:...
- Winners 1949–50
- East German Cup winners: 3
- Winners 1963, 1967, 1975FDGB-Pokal 1974-75The 1974-75 season saw the 24th competition for the FDGB-Pokal.89 teams participated. After a qualifying round pitting 6 clubs from the second-tier DDR-Liga against each other, the first round and an additional intermediate round were played with 55 teams from the 1973-74 DDR-Liga, the teams...
- Winners 1963, 1967, 1975
- Gauliga SachsenGauliga SachsenThe Gauliga Saxony was the highest football league in the German state of Saxony from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the Gau Saxony replaced the state Saxony.-Overview:The league was introduced in 1933,...
: 1- Winners 1942
Team trivia
- FSV was briefly known as BSG Horch Zwickau honoring local the autoworks founded by August HorchAugust HorchAugust Horch was a German engineer and automobile pioneer, the founder of the manufacturing giant which would eventually become Audi.-Beginnings:...
. The company went on to become AudiAudiAudi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
– that name being a Latinized version of Horch. - The club was renamed BSG Sachsenring Zwickau in 1968 after the VEB Sachsenring autoworks in the city, where the TrabantTrabantThe Trabant is a car that was produced by former East German auto maker VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau in Zwickau, Sachsen. It was the most common vehicle in East Germany, and was also exported to countries both inside and outside the communist bloc...
was built. The factory was named after the SachsenringSachsenringThe Sachsenring racing circuit is located in Hohenstein-Ernstthal near Chemnitz in Saxony, Germany. Among other events, it features the annual German motorcycle Grand Prix of the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship.- History :...
race track. - The team logo shows three swans taken from the crest of the city of Zwickau. The swans appeared in the city crest based on the belief that the name of the city was derived from the Latin word "Cygnea", or swan. The city has a long tradition of maintaining a swan pond in a municipal park.
Notable players
- Jürgen CroyJürgen CroyJürgen Croy is a former international football goalkeeper for the German Democratic Republic.-Sporting career:...
, one of the greatest goalkeeperGoalkeeper (football)In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...
s of all time, spent 17 seasons at Zwickau until retiring in 1981, and then went on to coach the club from 1984 to 1988 - Heinz Satrapa won the DDR-Oberliga scoring title as part of the 1950 championship side before going on to enjoy a long career as a player and coach with various clubs
- Dwayne De RosarioDwayne De RosarioDwayne Anthony De Rosario is a Canadian soccer player who currently plays for D.C. United in Major League Soccer. He also plays for the Canadian national team.-Early career:...
is now a very famous and successful player in Major League SoccerMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
for D.C. UnitedD.C. UnitedD.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
. - Olegs KaravajevsOlegs KaravajevsOļegs Karavajevs is a former Latvian international football goalkeeper. Karavajevs was the goalkeeper with most appearances for Latvia in the 1990s.-Club playing career:...
Managers
|
Hans Speth Hans-Ludwig Speth was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 28. Jäger-Division. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross... (1976/78) Manfred Kupferschmied Manfred Kupferschmied is a retired German footballer, who was as a football manager in East Germany.-References:... (1982/84) |
Jürgen Croy Jürgen Croy is a former international football goalkeeper for the German Democratic Republic.-Sporting career:... (1984/88) Udo Schmuck Udo Schmuck is a German former footballer who played for Dynamo Dresden and won seven caps for East Germany. He is married to the Olympic medal-winning athlete Evelyn Kaufer and has two sons, one of whom, Thomas, is also a footballer.... (1988/91) Gerd Schädlich Gerd Schädlich is a German former footballer who is now manager of Chemnitzer FC.-External links:... (1991/96) Joachim Streich Joachim Streich is a former East German footballer, who won the bronze medal with East Germany at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.... (1996/97) Karl-Heinz Körbel Karl-Heinz "Charly" Körbel is a German former professional football defender. He is currently a member of Eintracht Frankfurt's Directors of Football, and runs their football academy.... (1997/98) Hans-Uwe Pilz Hans-Uwe Pilz is a German former footballer. He began his career with BSG Sachsenring Zwickau before joining Dynamo Dresden in 1982. He remained at Dynamo until German reunification when he moved west, following teammates Matthias Döschner and Andreas Trautmann to Fortuna Köln... (1998) Hans-Jürgen Dörner Hans-Jürgen „Dixie“ Dörner is a former German football player and who now coaches. He distinguished himself during his career by being named East Germany's player of the year three times - the only East German player to do this besides goalkeeper Jürgen Croy.Dörner's playing career began in 1960... (1998/99) Hans-Uwe Pilz Hans-Uwe Pilz is a German former footballer. He began his career with BSG Sachsenring Zwickau before joining Dynamo Dresden in 1982. He remained at Dynamo until German reunification when he moved west, following teammates Matthias Döschner and Andreas Trautmann to Fortuna Köln... (1999) |
Konrad Weise Konrad Weise is a former German football player.Weise played almost whole his career for FC Carl Zeiss Jena .... (1999/02) |
Current squad
Stadium
FSV Zwickau plays in the Westsachsenstadion built in 1942 in Zwickau's Schedewitz quarter. Originally constructed to hold more than 25,000 spectators, it has a capacity of 14,200 (~11,000 seats) today. The city is currently (January 2006) looking for a buyer to take over the facility.D