VfL Köln 99
Encyclopedia
VfL Köln was a German association football club
from the city of Cologne
, North Rhine-Westphalia
. The club was formed out of the pre-war merger of Kölner Club für Rasenspiele and Kölner Sportclub 1899, through which it lays claim to being the city's oldest football club.
, one of sixteen top flight divisions formed in the re-organization of German football under the Third Reich in 1933. The club was moderately successful there, capturing the division title in 1941 before moving on to take part in the national playoff rounds. They were eliminated in a semi-final match by eventual vice-champions Schalke 04 (4:1) and lost the subsequent third place match to Dresdner SC
by the same score.
As World War II progressed it forced German football competition to become more local in character and the Gauliga Mittelrhein was broken up. VfL became part of the Gauliga Köln-Aachen and won its second consecutive title there. They were put out of national level competition when they lost a quarterfinal contest to Kickers Offenbach
(3:1). The team made appearances in 1939, 1941, and 1942 in early round play for the Tschammerpokal, predecessor to today's DFB-Pokal
(German Cup).
In 1943 the club became part of the wartime side Kriegspielgemeinshaft VfL 99/Sülz 07 Köln in partnership with SpVgg Sülz 07. The combined side repeated as Gauliga Köln-Aachen champions and were again eliminated in a national quarterfinal, this time by KSG Spielverein/48-99 Duisburg (0:2).
VfL resumed play as an independent side following the war, and after a season in the Bezirksliga Rheinbezirk, joined the 2nd Oberliga West
(II) for the 1950–51 season. The following year the first team side of SC West Köln became part of VfL, which then played a single season as Spielgemeinschaft SC Köln 99 before readopting its original name. The side took up play in the Amateurliga Mittelrhein (III) where they earned mid-to-lower table results.
After the formation of the Bundesliga and new second division Regionalliga
in 1963, the Amateurliga became a third tier competition below those leagues, where the VfL continued to earn indifferent results. A fifteenth place finish in 1980 dropped the club to lower level local competition. The team currently plays in the Kreisliga
A Köln, where it finished second in the 2007–08 season.
as KSG VfL 99/Sülz 07 Köln
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 city of Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
. The club was formed out of the pre-war merger of Kölner Club für Rasenspiele and Kölner Sportclub 1899, through which it lays claim to being the city's oldest football club.
History
Following the union of the two clubs, VfL took up the place of predecessor SC in the Gauliga MittelrheinGauliga Mittelrhein
The Gauliga Mittelrhein was the highest football league in the central and southern part of the Prussian Rhine Province from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the Gaue Köln-Aachen and Moselland replaced the...
, one of sixteen top flight divisions formed in the re-organization of German football under the Third Reich in 1933. The club was moderately successful there, capturing the division title in 1941 before moving on to take part in the national playoff rounds. They were eliminated in a semi-final match by eventual vice-champions Schalke 04 (4:1) and lost the subsequent third place match to 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...
by the same score.
As World War II progressed it forced German football competition to become more local in character and the Gauliga Mittelrhein was broken up. VfL became part of the Gauliga Köln-Aachen and won its second consecutive title there. They were put out of national level competition when they lost a quarterfinal contest to Kickers Offenbach
Kickers Offenbach
Kickers Offenbach is a German association football club in Offenbach am Main, Hesse. The club was founded on 27 May 1901 in the Rheinischer Hof restaurant by footballers who had left established local clubs including Melitia, Teutonia, Viktoria, Germania and Neptun...
(3:1). The team made appearances in 1939, 1941, and 1942 in early round play for the Tschammerpokal, predecessor to 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).
In 1943 the club became part of the wartime side Kriegspielgemeinshaft VfL 99/Sülz 07 Köln in partnership with SpVgg Sülz 07. The combined side repeated as Gauliga Köln-Aachen champions and were again eliminated in a national quarterfinal, this time by KSG Spielverein/48-99 Duisburg (0:2).
VfL resumed play as an independent side following the war, and after a season in the Bezirksliga Rheinbezirk, joined the 2nd Oberliga West
2nd Oberliga West
The 2nd Oberliga West was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the west of Germany from 1949 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963. It covered the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, the most populous state of Germany....
(II) for the 1950–51 season. The following year the first team side of SC West Köln became part of VfL, which then played a single season as Spielgemeinschaft SC Köln 99 before readopting its original name. The side took up play in the Amateurliga Mittelrhein (III) where they earned mid-to-lower table results.
After the formation of the Bundesliga and new second division Regionalliga
Regionalliga
Regionalliga is a designation in Germany for sports leagues, which are led by one or more regional federations. Regionalligen often fall below the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga of a given sport...
in 1963, the Amateurliga became a third tier competition below those leagues, where the VfL continued to earn indifferent results. A fifteenth place finish in 1980 dropped the club to lower level local competition. The team currently plays in the Kreisliga
Kreisliga
The Kreisliga is a low tier in league sports in Germany and the 9th tier of league soccer there.The Kreisligen usually rank right below the Bezirksligen, Bezirksklassen or Landesligen. Any teams finding themselves at the bottom of the Kreisligen would find themselves in one of the local...
A Köln, where it finished second in the 2007–08 season.
Honours
as VfL Köln- Gauliga Mittelrhein (I) champions: 1941
- Gauliga Köln-Aachen (I) champions: 1942
as KSG VfL 99/Sülz 07 Köln
- Gauliga Köln-Aachen (I) champions: 1943