Viktoria Köln
Encyclopedia
FC Viktoria Köln 1904 is a German association football club
from the city of Cologne
in North Rhine-Westphalia
.
and entry to national championship play.
After the re-organization of German football in 1933 under the Third Reich into sixteen top flight divisions, VfR played in the Gauliga Mittelrhein
taking titles there in 1935 and 1937 but then performed poorly at the national level. In 1941 The Gauliga Mittelrhein was split into the Gauliga Moselland and Gauliga Köln-Aachen, with VfR playing in the latter division. Two years later the club joined Mülheimer SV to play as the combined wartime side (Kriegsspielgemeinschaft) KSG VfR 04 Köln/Mülheimer SV 06. Mülheim had also played in the Gauliga Mittelrhein since 1933 claiming titles of its own in 1934 and 1940, and had similarly poor results at the national level. Play in the Gauliga Köln-Aachen was suspended in the 1944–45 season as Allied armies advanced into Germany at the end of World War II.
After the war VfR Köln resumed playing first division football in the Oberliga West, but lasted only a single season before bing relegated. In 1949 the team merged with its wartime partner Mülheimer SV to become SC Rapid Köln 04 and played in the 2. Oberliga West (II) until falling to third tier football after 1952. Rapid joined local rivals SC Preußen Dellbrück forming SC Viktoria 04 Köln in 1957. Of these sides, Preußen Dellbrück was most successful, advancing to the semi-finals of the national championships in 1950 before going out against Kickers Offenbach
in a replay of their scoreless first match.
In 1963, the city selected Viktoria as its representative in the Fairs Cup, the forerunner of today's UEFA Cup
, but the club was unable to capitalize on the opportunity. The team played as a second and third division side with generally unremarkable results until the 1994 merger with SC Brück that created SCB Preußen Köln, the new team being named after predecessor Preußen Dellbrück. The new club earned a second place finish in their division in 2000, but quickly tumbled to the Oberliga Nordrhein (IV), even spending one season in fifth division Verbandsliga Mittelrhein. The pattern continued after the team was re-christened SCB Viktoria Köln in 2002 which toils today in the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein
.
On 22 June 2010, the club was renamed from SCB Viktoria Köln to FC Viktoria Köln 1904.
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...
in 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...
.
History
Founded in 1904 as FC Germania Kalk it is one of the oldest football clubs in the city. In 1909 Germania merged with FC Kalk to form SV Kalk 04 and in 1911 this club was, in turn, united with Mülheimer FC to create VfR Mülheim-Kalk 04. The club was renamed VfR Köln 04 in 1918 and, in 1926, won its first Western German football championshipWestern German football championship
The Western German football championship was the highest association football competition in Western Germany, in the Prussian Province of Westphalia, the Rhine Province, the northern parts of the province of Hesse-Nassau as well as the Principality of Lippe, later to become the Free State of Lippe...
and entry to national championship play.
After the re-organization of German football in 1933 under the Third Reich into sixteen top flight divisions, VfR played in the Gauliga Mittelrhein
Gauliga 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...
taking titles there in 1935 and 1937 but then performed poorly at the national level. In 1941 The Gauliga Mittelrhein was split into the Gauliga Moselland and Gauliga Köln-Aachen, with VfR playing in the latter division. Two years later the club joined Mülheimer SV to play as the combined wartime side (Kriegsspielgemeinschaft) KSG VfR 04 Köln/Mülheimer SV 06. Mülheim had also played in the Gauliga Mittelrhein since 1933 claiming titles of its own in 1934 and 1940, and had similarly poor results at the national level. Play in the Gauliga Köln-Aachen was suspended in the 1944–45 season as Allied armies advanced into Germany at the end of World War II.
After the war VfR Köln resumed playing first division football in the Oberliga West, but lasted only a single season before bing relegated. In 1949 the team merged with its wartime partner Mülheimer SV to become SC Rapid Köln 04 and played in the 2. Oberliga West (II) until falling to third tier football after 1952. Rapid joined local rivals SC Preußen Dellbrück forming SC Viktoria 04 Köln in 1957. Of these sides, Preußen Dellbrück was most successful, advancing to the semi-finals of the national championships in 1950 before going out against 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...
in a replay of their scoreless first match.
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
, but the club was unable to capitalize on the opportunity. The team played as a second and third division side with generally unremarkable results until the 1994 merger with SC Brück that created SCB Preußen Köln, the new team being named after predecessor Preußen Dellbrück. The new club earned a second place finish in their division in 2000, but quickly tumbled to the Oberliga Nordrhein (IV), even spending one season in fifth division Verbandsliga Mittelrhein. The pattern continued after the team was re-christened SCB Viktoria Köln in 2002 which toils today in the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein
Verbandsliga Mittelrhein
The Mittelrheinliga, formerly the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein, is the highest Football League in the region of Mittelrhein which is part of the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. It is the 6th tier of the German football league system...
.
On 22 June 2010, the club was renamed from SCB Viktoria Köln to FC Viktoria Köln 1904.