VfR Neumünster
Encyclopedia
VfR Neumünster is a German association football club
based in Neumünster
, Schleswig-Holstein
. The club was established
on 3 March 1910 as FV Neumünster by members of FC Germania 1907 Neumünster and FC Viktoria 1909 Neumünster. In 1924, FV was joined by VfR 1923 Neumünster – which was the football department of TV Gut-Heil Neumünster – to form the present day club.
In the mid-90s the team returned to the Oberliga Nord (IV) and finished as vice-champions in 2002–03. That earned the club a place in the promotion playoffs for the Regionalliga Nord
where they beat Kickers Emden
to move up. Their third division adventure lasted only a single season and they were promptly relegated after an 18th place finish. This was followed by financial problems leading to bankruptcy proceedings in 2005. VfR briefly recovered itself but was forced back into bankruptcy in 2007, which will likely lead to forcible relegation to the fifth tier Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein despite an 14th place Oberliga result in 2006–07.
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 Neumünster
Neumünster
Neumünster is an independent town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, which has a total of four independent towns.-Current Situation:Neumünster station is major railway junction with lines running in six directions, including the important Hamburg-Altona–Kiel and Neumünster–Flensburg lines.Near...
, Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
. The club was established
on 3 March 1910 as FV Neumünster by members of FC Germania 1907 Neumünster and FC Viktoria 1909 Neumünster. In 1924, FV was joined by VfR 1923 Neumünster – which was the football department of TV Gut-Heil Neumünster – to form the present day club.
History
VfR enjoyed only modest success in its early years, taking part in second division competition for a single season in 1937–38. They advanced to the first division Oberliga Nord in 1955, with their best result coming as a third place finish there in 1959. After the formation of the Bundesliga, Germany's first top flight professional league, in 1963, VfR found itself in the second division Regionalliga, but quickly slipped from the professional ranks. During the late 50s and early 60s, until the formation of the Bundesliga, the club's amateur side played second-division football in the Amateurliga Schleswig-Holstein.In the mid-90s the team returned to the Oberliga Nord (IV) and finished as vice-champions in 2002–03. That earned the club a place in the promotion playoffs for the Regionalliga Nord
Regionalliga Nord
The Regionalliga Nord is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the northern and eastern part of Germany. It covers ten of the sixteen states of Germany...
where they beat Kickers Emden
Kickers Emden
BSV Kickers Emden is a German association football club, located in Emden, Lower Saxony.-History:The club first began playing in 1928 as a section of the gymnastics club Emder Turnverein, which was founded in 1861...
to move up. Their third division adventure lasted only a single season and they were promptly relegated after an 18th place finish. This was followed by financial problems leading to bankruptcy proceedings in 2005. VfR briefly recovered itself but was forced back into bankruptcy in 2007, which will likely lead to forcible relegation to the fifth tier Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein despite an 14th place Oberliga result in 2006–07.
Stadium
The club plays its home fixtures in the VfR-Stadion an der Geerdtsstraße built in 1927 and having a current capacity of 10,000.Honours
- Amateurliga Schleswig-Holstein (III) champions: 1966
- Landesliga Schleswig-Holstein (IV) champions: 1976
- Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein (IV) champions: 1980
- Verbandsliga Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein (IV) champions: 2000
- Oberliga Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein champions (IV): 2003
- Schleswig-Holstein Pokal (Schleswig-Holstein Cup) winner: 1975, 2004