Viktoria 89 Berlin
Encyclopedia
Berliner Fußball-Club Viktoria 1889 is a German sports club based in the Tempelhof
district of Berlin
. Football, rugby
, and cricket
came to continental Europe in the late 19th century, and these "English games" became immediately popular in many countries. Viktoria is the oldest club in Germany that has both teams playing football
and cricket. It was one of the founding members of the German Football Association
(DFB) in 1900.
One of Berlin's earliest sides, the club was established on 6 June 1889 as Berlin Thorball and Football Club Viktoria (BTuFC Viktoria 89). They enjoyed almost immediate success, claiming the city championship in five consecutive seasons from 1893 to 1897. Viktoria then went on to become a presence on the national stage appearing in the country's championship final three years in a row from 1907 to 1909, and laying claim to the German title in 1908. The side captured a second national title in 1911 and continued to enjoy success in city league play until the end of World War I. They earned uneven results in early 1920s before settling firmly into to the Oberliga Berlin-Brandenburg
.
, one of sixteen premier level divisions formed in the re-organization of German football under the Third Reich in 1933. The team captured the division title that year and advanced to the national playoffs, going out 1:2 to 1. FC Nuremberg in the semi-finals. Re-named BFC Viktoria 89 Berlin in 1936, the club played in the top-flight until being relegated in 1938, making a fleeting re-appearance as part of the combined wartime side KSG Lufthansa/Viktoria 89 Berlin in the abbreviated 1944–45 season. Like most other organizations in Germany, including sports and football clubs, the club was dissolved by occupying Allied authorities at the end of World War II.
, affiliated with football in the western half of the now divided country. Viktoria claimed the division championship in 1955 and 1956, but were unable to advance in the national playoff rounds in either year. The Oberliga Berlin was relatively weak and generally performed poorly against top-flight teams from other divisions in western Germany. When the Fußball-Bundesliga
, Germany's new professional league, was formed in 1963, only a single place was held open among the sixteen teams selected to the new circuit for a side from Berlin. While the city's teams were not as competitive as others in the country, it was felt to be an important gesture in the Cold War
era to represent the former capital in the newly established league: the selection went to Hertha BSC Berlin
.
Through the 60s, the club suffered through a series of financial problems caused in part by the division and isolation of Berlin after the construction of the Berlin Wall
, and by simple mismanagement. Viktoria survived and today plays in the fifth tier Verbandsliga Berlin
.
The club won its last city title in 2003 and advanced as far as the semi-final round of the national championship in 2005. Viktorias cricketers play in the Cricket Bundesliga while a second side plays in the 2. Cricket Bundesliga. The club also fields a team in the Women's Cricket Bundesliga.
, organized a national final. Viktoria and FC Hanau 93
were slated to contest the country's championship in Berlin, but Hanau could not afford to make the trip and thus forfeited the match, leaving Viktoria national football champions. In 2007 (113 years later) the match was finally played after enthusiastic support from the President of the German Football Federation (DFB), Theo Zwanziger. The first leg was won by Viktoria 3–0 and the second leg on 28 July ended as a draw at 1–1. The final was played with the heavy leather balls used in the late 19th century.
Tempelhof
Tempelhof is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg. It is the location of the former Tempelhof Airport, one of the earliest commercial airports in the world. It is now deserted and shows as a blank spot on maps of Berlin. Attempts are being made to save the still-existing...
district of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Football, rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
came to continental Europe in the late 19th century, and these "English games" became immediately popular in many countries. Viktoria is the oldest club in Germany that has both teams playing football
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...
and cricket. It was one of the founding members of the German Football Association
Founding Clubs of the DFB
The DFB was formed January 28, 1900 in Leipzig. The commonly accepted number of founding clubs represented at the inaugural meeting is 86, but this number is uncertain. The vote held to establish the association was 62:22 in favour . Some delegates present represented more than one club, but may...
(DFB) in 1900.
Early success
Oberliga Berlin-Brandenburg
The Oberliga Berlin-Brandenburg was the highest association football competition in the Prussian Province of Brandenburg, including Berlin, from 1923 to 1933...
.
Play in the Third Reich
The club went on to play as Berliner FC Viktoria 89 in the Gauliga Berlin-BrandenburgGauliga Berlin-Brandenburg
The Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg was the highest football league in the provinces of Brandenburg and Berlin in the German state of Prussia from 1933 to 1945...
, one of sixteen premier level divisions formed in the re-organization of German football under the Third Reich in 1933. The team captured the division title that year and advanced to the national playoffs, going out 1:2 to 1. FC Nuremberg in the semi-finals. Re-named BFC Viktoria 89 Berlin in 1936, the club played in the top-flight until being relegated in 1938, making a fleeting re-appearance as part of the combined wartime side KSG Lufthansa/Viktoria 89 Berlin in the abbreviated 1944–45 season. Like most other organizations in Germany, including sports and football clubs, the club was dissolved by occupying Allied authorities at the end of World War II.
Postwar football
The club was re-established in late 1945 as SG Tempelhof and re-claimed the name BFC Viktoria 89 Berlin on 12 July 1947. They played from the late 40s, through the 50s, and into the early 60s in the Oberliga BerlinOberliga Berlin
The Amateur-Oberliga Berlin was the second tier of the German football league system in the city of West-Berlin in Germany from 1947 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963, operating under the name of Amateurliga Berlin. After 1963, it was the third tier until 1991, when the league was...
, affiliated with football in the western half of the now divided country. Viktoria claimed the division championship in 1955 and 1956, but were unable to advance in the national playoff rounds in either year. The Oberliga Berlin was relatively weak and generally performed poorly against top-flight teams from other divisions in western Germany. When the Fußball-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...
, Germany's new professional league, was formed in 1963, only a single place was held open among the sixteen teams selected to the new circuit for a side from Berlin. While the city's teams were not as competitive as others in the country, it was felt to be an important gesture in the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
era to represent the former capital in the newly established league: the selection went to Hertha BSC Berlin
Hertha BSC Berlin
Hertha Berliner Sport-Club von 1892, commonly known as Hertha BSC or Hertha Berlin, is a German association football club based in Berlin. A founding member of the German Football Association in Leipzig in 1900, the club has a long history as Berlin's best-supported side...
.
Through the 60s, the club suffered through a series of financial problems caused in part by the division and isolation of Berlin after the construction of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
, and by simple mismanagement. Viktoria survived and today plays in the fifth tier Verbandsliga Berlin
Verbandsliga Berlin
The Berlin-Liga is the highest league for football teams exclusively in the German capital. Since German reunification in 1990, it is the highest level of domestic football in Berlin, replacing the Oberliga Berlin in this position...
.
Cricket
Viktoria has a long cricket tradition and has been prominent in the growth and development of the game both in Germany and Europe.The club won its last city title in 2003 and advanced as far as the semi-final round of the national championship in 2005. Viktorias cricketers play in the Cricket Bundesliga while a second side plays in the 2. Cricket Bundesliga. The club also fields a team in the Women's Cricket Bundesliga.
Trivia
- Thorball or Torball was a German word in use in the 1890s and early 1900s for the sport of cricket. Several early clubs playing the new "English" games of football, rugby, and cricket incorporated it into their name. The term never caught on and did not enter into common usage, soon being abandoned by sports clubs. Today torball may be used to refer to a form of football played by the blind or vision-impaired.
Honours
In 1894, the Deutscher Fußball- und Cricketbund (German Football and Cricket League), a predecessor of the German Football AssociationGerman Football Association
The German Football Association is the governing body of football in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB organises the German football leagues, including the national league, the Bundesliga, and the men's and women's national teams. The DFB is based in Frankfurt and is...
, organized a national final. Viktoria and FC Hanau 93
FC Hanau 93
FC Hanau 93 is a German association football club based in Hanau, Hesse.-Early history:Founded in 1893, the club is Hesse's oldest. In its first year, the club was winless in a half dozen matches, but the next season emerged as south German champion and earned an appearance in a national...
were slated to contest the country's championship in Berlin, but Hanau could not afford to make the trip and thus forfeited the match, leaving Viktoria national football champions. In 2007 (113 years later) the match was finally played after enthusiastic support from the President of the German Football Federation (DFB), Theo Zwanziger. The first leg was won by Viktoria 3–0 and the second leg on 28 July ended as a draw at 1–1. The final was played with the heavy leather balls used in the late 19th century.
Football
- German championship:
- Winners 1893–94, 1907–08, 1910–11
- Runners-up 1906–07, 1908–09
- Brandenburg football championsBrandenburg football championshipThe Brandenburg football championship was the highest association football competition in the Prussian Province of Brandenburg, including Berlin, established in 1898...
(16):- Winners 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1902, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1911, 1913, 1916, 1919, 1934, 1955, 1956
- Berliner Landespokal: 6
- Winners 1907, 1908, 1909, 1926, 1927, 1953
- Runners-up 1929
Cricket
- German championship (21):
- Winners 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1909, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1918, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 2006