Kicker (sports magazine)
Encyclopedia
kicker Sportmagazin is Germany
's leading sports magazine and is focused primarily on football. The magazine was founded in 1920 by German football pioneer Walther Bensemann
and is published twice a week, usually Monday and Thursday, in Nuremberg
. The Monday edition sells an average of 240,000 copies, while the Thursday edition has an average circulation of about 220,000 copies (2005 figures).
The magazine also publishes a yearbook, the kicker Almanach. It was first published from 1937 to 1942, and then continuously from 1959 to date.
but moved to Nuremberg in 1926. During World War II, the magazine merged with the publication Fußball, and was eventually discontinued in fall 1944. After the war, the magazine was again published (under the name Sport) by the newly-incorporated Olympia-Verlag publishing company. Former chief editor Friedebert Becker again began publishing kicker in 1951, and for a number of years, both kicker and Sport appeared at the same time. In 1966, kicker was sold to Axel Springer AG
. In 1968, Olympia-Verlag in Nuremberg acquired kicker and merged it with Sportmagazin, which had been published twice weekly since 1952. The first issue of the newly-founded kicker-sportmagazin was released on 7 October 1968.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's leading sports magazine and is focused primarily on football. The magazine was founded in 1920 by German football pioneer Walther Bensemann
Walther Bensemann
Walther Bensemann was a German pioneer of football and founder of the country's major sports publication, Kicker....
and is published twice a week, usually Monday and Thursday, in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
. The Monday edition sells an average of 240,000 copies, while the Thursday edition has an average circulation of about 220,000 copies (2005 figures).
The magazine also publishes a yearbook, the kicker Almanach. It was first published from 1937 to 1942, and then continuously from 1959 to date.
History
The magazine kicker first appeared in July 1920 in Konstanz, Germany. The magazine headquarters were originally in StuttgartStuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
but moved to Nuremberg in 1926. During World War II, the magazine merged with the publication Fußball, and was eventually discontinued in fall 1944. After the war, the magazine was again published (under the name Sport) by the newly-incorporated Olympia-Verlag publishing company. Former chief editor Friedebert Becker again began publishing kicker in 1951, and for a number of years, both kicker and Sport appeared at the same time. In 1966, kicker was sold to Axel Springer AG
Axel Springer AG
Axel Springer AG is one of the largest multimedia companies in Europe, with more than 11,500 employees and with annual revenues of about €2.9 billion. The Company is active in a total of 36 countries, including Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia and Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland...
. In 1968, Olympia-Verlag in Nuremberg acquired kicker and merged it with Sportmagazin, which had been published twice weekly since 1952. The first issue of the newly-founded kicker-sportmagazin was released on 7 October 1968.
Magazine
The modern version of kicker covers a number of sporting competitions and events, including:- The German BundesligaFußball-BundesligaThe Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
, 2. Bundesliga, 3. Bundesliga3rd LigaThe 3rd Liga is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2...
, and Regionalliga - The German DFB-PokalDFB-PokalThe 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...
- The German national (football) team and women's national (football) teamGermany women's national football teamThe German women's national football team represents Germany in international women's football and is directed by the German Football Association . The team – informally called West Germany in English – played its first international match in 1982...
- The German Women's BundesligaFußball-Bundesliga (women)The Women's Football Bundesliga is the main league competition for women's football in Germany. In 1990 the German Football Association created the German Women's Bundesliga, based on the model of the men's Bundesliga. It was first played with north and south divisions, but in 1997 the groups...
- Various European leagues and competitions, including the Premier League, Primera DivisionPrimera divisiónPrimera división can refer to multiple top division football leagues:*in CONMEBOL **Argentine Primera División, Argentina**Chilean Primera División, Chile**Paraguayan Primera División, Paraguay...
, Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, and Ligue 1Ligue 1Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2.... - Various international football leagues
- Formula 1 racing
- The Olympic GamesOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
- Various other sporting events, depending on on-going competitions
Trivia
- The magazine affects a lower case 'k' in its title and has done so since its establishment.
- kicker is a founding member of European Sports MagazinesEuropean Sports MagazinesEuropean Sports Magazines is a European association of football related publications.-ESM Members:The members of this group elect each month a European "Team of the Month", and annually a European "Team of the Year"....
, an association of football publications. - kicker annually awards the most prolific scorer of the Bundesliga with the kicker Torjägerkanone (kicker Scorer Cannon) award. It is equivalent to the Pichichi Trophy in Spanish football.