SC Verl
Encyclopedia
SC Verl is a German association football club
based in Verl
, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club was founded on 6 September 1924, and since 1970 has consistently played in the higher echelons of amateur football.
once (in 1991). Had they advanced, SC Verl would have been the smallest town ever to field a German pro football team, but they fell short of that goal. Their second bid for advancing to pro football was the 1994/95 season, when they finished second in the newly-formed Regionalliga Nord (III), six points behind neighboring rival Arminia Bielefeld
.
(German Cup) tournament so far. In 1979, they defeated VfB Oldenburg
(III) and Spvgg Elversberg
(IV) before going out to Stuttgarter Kickers
(II). In 1992 they lost an all-amateur match in the first round. In 1999, SC Verl had its biggest appearance yet when they eliminated Bundesliga
club Borussia Mönchengladbach
6:5 on penalties, with Arne Friedrich
scoring the decisive penalty for the club. They were defeated by Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt
in the second round that year. In both their fourth (2007) and fifth (2010) appearance, they lost their first round matches against TSV 1860 München
(II) - in the 2010 match by 1:2 after a 1:0 halftime lead.
SC Verl had to play the Oberliga Westfalen
(IV) for four years before winning the championship and advancing to Regionalliga again in 2007. One season later, the 3rd Liga
was introduced between the Zweite Bundesliga
and the Regionalliga, which in turn was split up from two into three divisions. SC Verl suffered through a poor 2007/08 campaign, finishing 18th and failing to qualify for the 3rd Liga. They remained in the now fourth-tier Regionalliga since.
2009 European football betting scandal
Two SC Verl games from the 2008/09 season - among over two hundred games by other clubs - were suspected of having been rigged by players, leading to significant attention by the press as, for several days, SC Verl was the only club actually named. The two players accused were summarily suspended, their contracts eventually terminated.
one of only two clubs in the Regionalliga West working under amateur conditions (both players and coaches have day-time jobs), the club is without any liabilities - a direct result of a continued policy of "no credit financing".
who played his last amateur season with the club before joining Arminia Bielefeld
in 2000. He would go on to appear for the national side
and currently captains Hertha BSC Berlin.
(as the Poststraße was not up to the task both capacity- and security-wise).
whose supporters look down on the "village club", while SCV supporters in their turn tease the "big city club" over its inconsistent performance and financial woes.
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...
based in Verl
Verl
Verl is a town in the district of Gütersloh in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approximately 15 km south of Bielefeld and 10 km east of Gütersloh....
, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club was founded on 6 September 1924, and since 1970 has consistently played in the higher echelons of amateur football.
History
After almost 50 years of comparably insignificant existence, SC Verl advanced to the Landesliga Westfalen (IV) in 1970. Since then, SC Verl relegated only once (in 2003), qualified for newly-introduced higher-class leagues three times out of four, won their league twice, and played the promotion round for 2. Bundesliga2. 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...
once (in 1991). Had they advanced, SC Verl would have been the smallest town ever to field a German pro football team, but they fell short of that goal. Their second bid for advancing to pro football was the 1994/95 season, when they finished second in the newly-formed Regionalliga Nord (III), six points behind neighboring rival Arminia Bielefeld
Arminia Bielefeld
DSC Arminia Bielefeld is a German sports club from Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. Arminia offers the sports of football, field hockey, figure skating and cue sports. The club has 11,394 members and the club colours are black, white and blue...
.
German Cup Appearances
SC Verl had five appearances in the DFB-PokalDFB-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) tournament so far. In 1979, they defeated VfB Oldenburg
VfB Oldenburg
VfB Oldenburg is a German association football club based in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony. As of the 2011/12 season they play in the Oberliga Niedersachsenliga, which is at the 5th level of football in Germany.-History:...
(III) and Spvgg Elversberg
SV Elversberg
SpVgg 07 Elversberg Saar is a German association football club, located in Spiesen-Elversberg, Saarland.-History:The club was founded in 1907 as FC Germania Elversberg. It was dissolved in 1914, but then re-constituted in 1918 as Sportvereinigung VfB Elversberg, spending a season in the tier-one...
(IV) before going out to Stuttgarter Kickers
Stuttgarter Kickers
Stuttgarter Kickers is a German association football club that plays in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, founded on 21 September 1899 as FC Stuttgarter Cickers...
(II). In 1992 they lost an all-amateur match in the first round. In 1999, SC Verl had its biggest appearance yet when they eliminated Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The 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...
club Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
6:5 on penalties, with Arne Friedrich
Arne Friedrich
Arne Friedrich is a German international football defender, who plays for the German national team....
scoring the decisive penalty for the club. They were defeated by Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt is a German sports club, based in Frankfurt, Hesse that is best known for its association football club.- Club origins :...
in the second round that year. In both their fourth (2007) and fifth (2010) appearance, they lost their first round matches against TSV 1860 München
TSV 1860 München
Turn- und Sportverein München von 1860, commonly known as TSV 1860 München or 1860 Munich, is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. The club's football team plays in the Second Bundesliga, after relegation from the Bundesliga following the 2003–04 season...
(II) - in the 2010 match by 1:2 after a 1:0 halftime lead.
Relegation and Non-Qualification
In 2003, a 15th place finish in the Regionalliga Nord (III) saw the team sent down for the first (and only) time in over thirty years. Some dispute surrounds Verl having to play the last game of the season in Paderborn during torrential rain, while competing Hamburger SV II was able to claim unplayable field and played the next day, securing a victory against an indifferent KFC Uerdingen, and remaining in the league.SC Verl had to play the Oberliga Westfalen
Oberliga (football)
The Oberliga is currently the name of the fifth tier of the German football leagues. Before the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier...
(IV) for four years before winning the championship and advancing to Regionalliga again in 2007. One season later, the 3rd Liga
3rd Liga
The 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...
was introduced between the Zweite 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...
and the Regionalliga, which in turn was split up from two into three divisions. SC Verl suffered through a poor 2007/08 campaign, finishing 18th and failing to qualify for the 3rd Liga. They remained in the now fourth-tier Regionalliga since.
2009 European football betting scandal2009 European football betting scandalThe 2009 European football betting scandal was an attempt to influence the outcome of professional association football matches in Europe, and to defraud the gambling industry by betting on the results...
Two SC Verl games from the 2008/09 season - among over two hundred games by other clubs - were suspected of having been rigged by players, leading to significant attention by the press as, for several days, SC Verl was the only club actually named. The two players accused were summarily suspended, their contracts eventually terminated.Amateur Success
Having played at least fourth tier ever since 1970, with 17 consecutive seasons in the third tier, makes SC Verl one of the most consistent top teams of Germany's amateur football. One of the smallest cities to field a fourth-tier football team, and together with neighbouring club SC Wiedenbrück 2000SC Wiedenbrück 2000
SC Wiedenbrück is a German association football club from the city of Rheda-Wiedenbrück, North Rhine-Westphalia. The footballers are part of a sports club of some 1,150 members that also includes departments for dance, gymnastics, and table tennis.-History:...
one of only two clubs in the Regionalliga West working under amateur conditions (both players and coaches have day-time jobs), the club is without any liabilities - a direct result of a continued policy of "no credit financing".
Current squad
This is the lineup for the 2011/12 campaign:Famous players
SC Verl has seen many players who would go on to pro careers, the most notable being Arne FriedrichArne Friedrich
Arne Friedrich is a German international football defender, who plays for the German national team....
who played his last amateur season with the club before joining Arminia Bielefeld
Arminia Bielefeld
DSC Arminia Bielefeld is a German sports club from Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. Arminia offers the sports of football, field hockey, figure skating and cue sports. The club has 11,394 members and the club colours are black, white and blue...
in 2000. He would go on to appear for the national side
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....
and currently captains Hertha BSC Berlin.
International Players
- Musemestre Bamba, 3 A-Games for the Democratic Republic of the Congo national football team
- Ousseni LaboOusseni LaboOusseni Labo is a Togolese footballer, who currently plays for VfL Wolbeck.-Career:Labo played formerly for FC Eintracht Rheine in the Oberliga Westfalen, he left the team on 15 May 2008. Labo formerly played for SC Verl, SV Davaria Davensberg, GW Gelmer, ESV Münster and FC Modèle da Lomé...
, 6 A-Games for the Togo national football teamTogo national football teamThe Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus... - Etienne BarbaraEtienne BarbaraEtienne Barbara is a Maltese footballer. He currently plays for Carolina RailHawks in the North American Soccer League.-Malta:...
, 30 A-Games for the Malta national football teamMalta national football teamThe Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...
Stadium
After its establishment in 1924 and through part of the 1930s, SC Verl played at Auf der Heide. Sometime in the 1930s they moved to Birkenallee, where they remained until the end of World War II in 1945. Between 1945 and '55 their home ground was the Sportplatz Poststraße, and after 1955 the Stadion an der Poststraße, which was last expanded in 2008 to a capacity of 5,001. After capturing the Amateuroberliga Westfalen title in 1991, the team played its promotion round matches in the Heidewaldestadion Gütersloh in its failed attempt to advance to the 2. Bundesliga2. 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...
(as the Poststraße was not up to the task both capacity- and security-wise).
Club culture
SC Verl followers share a heartfelt rivalry with nearby FC GüterslohFC Gütersloh
FC Gütersloh 2000 is a German association football club based in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia.- History :The club was formed in 1978 out of the merger of the football sides of Sport Verein Arminia and Deutsche Jugendkraft Gütersloh in the hopes that the new club would be more successful than...
whose supporters look down on the "village club", while SCV supporters in their turn tease the "big city club" over its inconsistent performance and financial woes.
External links
- Official website
- Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv historical German domestic league tables
- eufo.de European football club profiles and current team rosters
- Abseits Guide to German Soccer