TSV Rain am Lech
Encyclopedia
The TSV Rain am Lech is a German association football club
from the town of Rain am Lech, Bavaria.
While the two clubs existed independently for many years, in 1941 a forced merger formed the TSG Rain am Lech. The worsening war situation had made this step necessary but activities were severely limited in the coming years.
With the end of the Second World War, this forced merger ended and both clubs became independent again. The FC soon reestablished itself but the TV was struggling to do so due to a high number of loses of its members during the war. In the spring of 1946, the two clubs decided to merge once more, this time by free choice and the TSV Rain am Lech was formed. The new club retained the old colors of the TV, red and white. A new club constitution was drafted on 30 April 1946 and the US occupation authorities sanctioned the new club on 6 May 1946. By the end of June 1946, the new club had already 180 members. While the club offered a number of sports, football was virtually the only one played on competitive level.
In the year 1987, the club celebrated a new record in membership, having reached a 1000 members.
The club continued in 1945 where it finished six years earlier, earning good results in the 2nd Kreisliga. Under the new name of TSV Rain, this trend continued.
In 1949, the 2nd Kreisliga was renamed B-Klasse and the club belonged to this league for two seasons until winning promotion in 1951 to the now A-Klasse Nordschwaben. The TSV remained in this league until 1962 with the exception of 1953–54, when one season was spent in the level below.
In 1962, a A-Klassen championship earned them promotion to the Bezirksliga for the first time and the team held this league, the Bezirksliga Schwaben (V) until 1967. From 1967 to 1974, they played in the A-Klasse once more. Another title in this league in 1973–74 meant a return to the now regionalised Bezirksliga Schwaben-Nord
. In this league, the TSV Rain finished on top in its first season and earned promotion for the first time to the Landesliga Bayern-Süd
(IV). The Landesliga proved to be a much harder place to succeed in and the team was immediately relegated.
After five Bezirksliga years and a championship in 1981, the club returned once more to the Landesliga, with the same result as before, relegation after one season. After a respectable 5th place in the Bezirksliga in 1983, the following season the team was relegated back to the A-Klasse. TSV returned to the Bezirksliga for 1986–87 but could not maintain this level and experienced a sharp decline, falling down to the B-Klasse in 1988. It recovered quickly with a B-Klasse championship in 1988–89.
The clubs rise to greater success came in 1994, when, after five seasons in the A-Klasse, promotion to the Bezirksliga was archived. The club marched straight on to the Bezirksoberliga Schwaben
in 1995, a relatively new league established in 1989. In its second season there, it earned promotion back to the Landesliga for a third time.
Now much stronger than in its two previous attempts, the team held the class and established itself in the top-half of this league. In the next eleven seasons, three third places in 2005, 2007, and 2008 were the highlights.
The TSV won the Schwaben Cup
for its first time in 2000. This qualified the team for the Bavarian Cup, where it finished runner-up. This in turn meant, the club could play in the DFB Cup 2000-01
, where it was paired with the later winner, FC Schalke 04
. A 0–7 home defeat for the then fifth division club against a Bundesliga team was a highlight in the history for the small amateur side.
Due to changes in the German league system in 2008, the third place qualified the club to take part in a promotion round
for the Oberliga Bayern
, something usually reserved for the second-placed team. Rain succeeded in this, earning for the first time promotion to Bavarias highest football league, beating the 1. FC Schweinfurt 05
3–0 after extra time to do so.
(15th) and therefore required a set of deciders to be played, which it won.
The stadium is used for relegation and promotion games as well, which have to be held on neutral grounds. In 2007, it also hosted the Schwaben Cup final between TSV 1861 Nördlingen
and FC Augsburg II
.
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 the town of Rain am Lech, Bavaria.
History
The club was formed in 1896 under the name TV Rain am Lech as a gymnastics club. A football department was however not formed, instead, the FC Rain am Lech came into being on 31 August 1920 and took up the sport.While the two clubs existed independently for many years, in 1941 a forced merger formed the TSG Rain am Lech. The worsening war situation had made this step necessary but activities were severely limited in the coming years.
With the end of the Second World War, this forced merger ended and both clubs became independent again. The FC soon reestablished itself but the TV was struggling to do so due to a high number of loses of its members during the war. In the spring of 1946, the two clubs decided to merge once more, this time by free choice and the TSV Rain am Lech was formed. The new club retained the old colors of the TV, red and white. A new club constitution was drafted on 30 April 1946 and the US occupation authorities sanctioned the new club on 6 May 1946. By the end of June 1946, the new club had already 180 members. While the club offered a number of sports, football was virtually the only one played on competitive level.
In the year 1987, the club celebrated a new record in membership, having reached a 1000 members.
Football
The FC Rain entered the 2nd Kreisklasse Schwaben Nord after its formation in 1920, a league it performed rather well in in the coming seasons. After its third title in this league in 1929–30, it finally earned promotion to the 1st Kreisklasse, where it spent two seasons before being relegated again. The club once more archived promotion in 1937 but this time only lasted for one year in the higher level. Despite winning the title and promotion again in 1938–39 the FC Rain chose to withdraw from the league due to the outbreak of the war.The club continued in 1945 where it finished six years earlier, earning good results in the 2nd Kreisliga. Under the new name of TSV Rain, this trend continued.
In 1949, the 2nd Kreisliga was renamed B-Klasse and the club belonged to this league for two seasons until winning promotion in 1951 to the now A-Klasse Nordschwaben. The TSV remained in this league until 1962 with the exception of 1953–54, when one season was spent in the level below.
In 1962, a A-Klassen championship earned them promotion to the Bezirksliga for the first time and the team held this league, the Bezirksliga Schwaben (V) until 1967. From 1967 to 1974, they played in the A-Klasse once more. Another title in this league in 1973–74 meant a return to the now regionalised Bezirksliga Schwaben-Nord
Bezirksliga Schwaben-Nord
The Bezirksliga Schwaben-Nord is currently the 8th tier of the German football league system in the northern half of the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Swabia...
. In this league, the TSV Rain finished on top in its first season and earned promotion for the first time to the Landesliga Bayern-Süd
Landesliga Bayern-Süd
The Landesliga Bayern-Süd is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga it was the 5th tier of the league system....
(IV). The Landesliga proved to be a much harder place to succeed in and the team was immediately relegated.
After five Bezirksliga years and a championship in 1981, the club returned once more to the Landesliga, with the same result as before, relegation after one season. After a respectable 5th place in the Bezirksliga in 1983, the following season the team was relegated back to the A-Klasse. TSV returned to the Bezirksliga for 1986–87 but could not maintain this level and experienced a sharp decline, falling down to the B-Klasse in 1988. It recovered quickly with a B-Klasse championship in 1988–89.
The clubs rise to greater success came in 1994, when, after five seasons in the A-Klasse, promotion to the Bezirksliga was archived. The club marched straight on to the Bezirksoberliga Schwaben
Bezirksoberliga Schwaben
The Bezirksoberliga Schwaben is currently the 7th tier of the German football league system in the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Swabia . Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the 6th tier of the league system....
in 1995, a relatively new league established in 1989. In its second season there, it earned promotion back to the Landesliga for a third time.
Now much stronger than in its two previous attempts, the team held the class and established itself in the top-half of this league. In the next eleven seasons, three third places in 2005, 2007, and 2008 were the highlights.
The TSV won the Schwaben Cup
Schwaben Cup
The Schwaben Cup was a domestic cup competition in the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Swabia , played from 1947 to 2009.-Overview:...
for its first time in 2000. This qualified the team for the Bavarian Cup, where it finished runner-up. This in turn meant, the club could play in the DFB Cup 2000-01
DFB Cup 2000-01
The DFB-Pokal is the second-most important national title in German football. The DFB-Pokal 2000–01 was the 58th season of the competition. 64 teams competed in the tournament of six rounds which began on 25 August 2000 and ended on 26 May 2001...
, where it was paired with the later winner, FC Schalke 04
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
. A 0–7 home defeat for the then fifth division club against a Bundesliga team was a highlight in the history for the small amateur side.
Due to changes in the German league system in 2008, the third place qualified the club to take part in a promotion round
Promotion to the Oberliga Bayern
The Fußball-Bayernliga, the fifth tier of the German football league system and highest football league in the state of Bavaria, has four teams annually promoted to the league, the champions of the three Landesligas, and a fourth club, determined by an annual promotion round...
for the Oberliga Bayern
Oberliga Bayern
The Fußball-Bayernliga, commonly referred to as the Bayernliga, is the highest football league in the state of Bavaria and the Bavarian Football League System. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German football, the fifth tier of the German football league system...
, something usually reserved for the second-placed team. Rain succeeded in this, earning for the first time promotion to Bavarias highest football league, beating the 1. FC Schweinfurt 05
1. FC Schweinfurt 05
1.FC Schweinfurt 05 is a German association football club that plays in Schweinfurt, Bavaria.-History:The club was founded on 5 May 1905 and played in the local leagues. The team attempted a merger with Turngemeinde Schweinfurt von 1848 which lasted from 1928 to 1930 before the two groups parted...
3–0 after extra time to do so.
Current
Like in its past experiences when earning promotion to a higher league for the first time, the club found it a hard level to play at and success was much harder to come by. The club had to continue its fight for Bayernliga survival in the post-season, having finished on equal points with Würzburger FV (14th) and SV SeligenportenSV Seligenporten
SV Seligenporten is a German association football club from Pyrbaum, Bavaria. It is part of a sportsclub established 23 July 1949 which also has departments for handball, Ju-Jitsu, horseback riding, dancing, singing, and women's recreational sport.-History:...
(15th) and therefore required a set of deciders to be played, which it won.
League
- Bezirksoberliga SchwabenBezirksoberliga SchwabenThe Bezirksoberliga Schwaben is currently the 7th tier of the German football league system in the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Swabia . Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the 6th tier of the league system....
(VI)- Champions: 1997
- Bezirksliga Schwaben-NordBezirksliga Schwaben-NordThe Bezirksliga Schwaben-Nord is currently the 8th tier of the German football league system in the northern half of the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Swabia...
(V-VII)- Champions: (3) 1975, 1981, 1995
- A-Klasse Schwaben
- Champions: (3) 1962, 1974, 1986
- B-Klasse Schwaben
- Champions: (3) 1951, 1954, 1989
- 2nd Kreisklasse Schwaben
- Champions: (7) 1925, 1929, 1930, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1949
Cup
- Bavarian Cup
- Runners-up: 20002000 Bavarian CupThe 2000 Bavarian Cup was the third edition of this competition which was started in 1998. It ended with the FC Ismaning winning the competition...
- Runners-up: 2000
- Schwaben CupSchwaben CupThe Schwaben Cup was a domestic cup competition in the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Swabia , played from 1947 to 2009.-Overview:...
- Winners: 2000
Stadium
The Georg-Weber-Stadion is named after Georg Weber, a former club chairman and the founder of Dehner, a local company which sponsors the club. It holds approximately 2,700 spectators.The stadium is used for relegation and promotion games as well, which have to be held on neutral grounds. In 2007, it also hosted the Schwaben Cup final between TSV 1861 Nördlingen
TSV 1861 Nördlingen
The TSV 1861 Nördlingen is a German football club in the town of Nördlingen, Schwaben, formed in 1861. It plays its home games at the Rieser Sportpark which has a capacity of 10000 spectators...
and FC Augsburg II
FC Augsburg II
The FC Augsburg II is a German association football club from the city of Augsburg, Bavaria. It is the reserve team of Fußball-Bundesliga side FC Augsburg....
.
Recent seasons
The recent season-by-season performance of the club:| Season | Division | Tier Bavarian football league system The Bavarian football league system of the Bavarian Football Association ranks within the German football league system. Its highest division, the Fussball-Bayernliga, is currently the 5th tier of German football. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the 4th tier of the league system... |
Position |
| 1999–2000 | Landesliga Bayern-Süd Landesliga Bayern-Süd The Landesliga Bayern-Süd is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga it was the 5th tier of the league system.... |
V | 4th |
| 2000–01 | Landesliga Bayern-Süd | 10th | |
| 2001–02 | Landesliga Bayern-Süd | 10th | |
| 2002–03 | Landesliga Bayern-Süd | 7th | |
| 2003–04 | Landesliga Bayern-Süd | 5th | |
| 2004–05 | Landesliga Bayern-Süd | 3rd | |
| 2005–06 | Landesliga Bayern-Süd | 7th | |
| 2006–07 | Landesliga Bayern-Süd | 3rd | |
| 2007–08 | Landesliga Bayern-Süd | 3rd ↑ | |
| 2008–09 | Oberliga Bayern Oberliga Bayern The Fußball-Bayernliga, commonly referred to as the Bayernliga, is the highest football league in the state of Bavaria and the Bavarian Football League System. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German football, the fifth tier of the German football league system... |
16th | |
| 2009–10 | Oberliga Bayern | 5th | |
| 2010-11 2010–11 Fußball-Bayernliga The 2010–11 season of the Bayernliga, the highest association football league in Bavaria, was the third season of the league at tier five of the German football league system and the 56th season overall since establishment of the league in 1945... |
Oberliga Bayern | 12th | |
| 2011–12 | Oberliga Bayern |
- With the introduction of the BezirksoberligasBezirksoberligen BayernThe seven Bezirksoberligas Bayern are the third highest level of the Bavarian football league system, below Oberliga and Landesliga. They are the 7th tier of the German football league system.-Overview:...
in 1988 as the new fifth tier, below the LandesligasLandesliga BayernIn the Bavarian football league system, the Landesliga Bayern is the second hightest level, below the Fußball-Bayernliga and organised in three regional divisions. The current Landesligas were formed in 1963, when the Fußball-Bundesliga was established...
, all leagues below dropped one tier. With the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994 and the 3rd Liga3rd 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...
in 2008 as the new third tier, below the 2nd 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...
, all leagues below dropped one tier.
DFB Cup appearances
The club has qualified for the first round of the German Cup only once:| Season | Round | Date | Home | Away | Result | Attendance |
| DFB-Pokal 2000–01 | First round | 27 August 2000 | TSV Rain am Lech | FC Schalke 04 FC Schalke 04 Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major... |
0–7 | 6,000 |