BFC Germania 1888
The BFC Germania 1888 ( officially Berliner Fußball - Club Germania 1888 eV ) is a German football club from the district of Berlin Tempelhof. It was founded in 1888 and is the oldest surviving football club in Germany. Currently, the team plays in the Berlin district of League B (corresponding to the 10th Division).
History
1888: Foundation
Germania was founded on 15 April 1888 by then 17 -year-old Paul Jestram along with his brothers Max, Fritz and Walter Jestram well as a few friends from school. At that time football was not yet widespread in Germany or popular. The first football games were held in Berlin by present British in Winter 1881/82. Since there were no own sports grounds, the BFC initially used the Tempelhof Field on which the Tempelhof airport was built later.
1890: First (unofficial ) German Championship
Shortly after the founding of the club, the players were the first football association in Germany - the Association of German soccer players ( BDF) - at the end of 1890 and won its first championship, which was held in Cup mode. The field was indeed restricted to Berlin teams, but because of the BDF was at that time the only German Football Association, the German Cup Championship can be viewed as the first (unofficial ). According to the company, the club successfully defended the title the following year successfully. Lute playing and sports - the only German sports magazine in the first half of the 1890s - but not the second time the competition took place: " The only one ausgefochtene Federal Championship won the BFC Germania. "
1892-1897: dressing changes and competition to Victoria 89
Since it already was at the founding meeting of the BDF to a dispute over the question of whether foreign players ( especially the British ) could be used in championship games and were allowed to take over functions in a club, while especially the BFC Germania in the new national spirit of the straight fractured Wilhelmine era opposed it vehemently refused on several present clubs to join the BDF. Many of the " insurgents " start a little later the German Football and Cricket Federation ( DFuCB ) as a competitor to the BDF.
The BDF could only difficult to argue in the following years and was finally dissolved in February / March 1892. Some member clubs joined the DFuCB with others broke up or were (for some time) no bandage on. Also, the BFC applied for inclusion in the DFuCB, but this was rejected on the basis of the rigid attitude of the Germans in the founding of BDF and accepted until 1892. The BFC remained competitive in DFuCB and was runner-up four times behind the then largest competitors BTuFC Victoria in 1889, which the federation dominated and won five championships in a row.
In 1897, however, the successful period of the BFC ended abruptly. Like many other member clubs of the DFuCB also liked the Germans in the newly founded Association of German ball game clubs (VDB, later Association of Berlin ballgame clubs) change. However, this was not possible at first, as many club members are members of the BTuFC Britannia in 1892 and these were " dual membership " was not accepted by the VDB. So the Germans were excluded for two years from the game.
1897-1918: descent into second-class
In 1899, the BFC finally this half VDB participate. However, the balance of power had shifted significantly to the detriment of the team. The association could not hold in the top group and slipped ever further from end of the table. In 1904, then was finally the descent into the second class fixed. Although post haste managed to rise again, but in 1909 it rose again and the BFC after that could only twice qualify ( in 1911/12 and 1917 /18) for the top Berlin Game class, but in each case the penultimate course was used, which descend the meant.
Germania's influence in the " early days " of German football
Some members of Germania also shaped outside of the club football in Germany sustainably. Thus, the two Germanic player Georg Fritz Demmler and Boxhammer were actively involved in the establishment of the Berlin Football Association and the German Football Federation ( DFB). The first official international match of the DFB in 1908 stood with goalkeeper Fritz Baumgarten a Germania player in the selection. The third official international match of the Teuton Hans Schmidt was active. Already in the years before Germania 's Paul Eichel man and Zierold were involved in the so-called Ur - internationals.
Even at the biggest club Hertha BSC Berlin today the BFC had influence insofar as that at its naming in 1892 Hertha was initially only second choice behind Germania. As this name was already taken, however, the founders decided then but for Hertha.
Development to date
After 1918 Germania was never able to return to the glory of the turn of the century. Instead, the club crashed into the unterklassigen Berlin leagues. At the time of the Third Reich had the BFC Germania only politically listen up: In an anniversary publication is boasted to have excluded the first German club after the Nazi seizure of power Jewish members and persons of Jewish faith to refuse admission.
Only once more succeeded the club to leave the athletic insignificance and to compete in a higher division: At the end of the season 1952/53, the BFC Germania ( the second highest league in Berlin at that time under the Berlin City League ) stood as a climber in the Berlin Amateur League firmly. However, the short-term high-altitude flight already ended after only one year; as Table the team rose after the season 1953/54, directly off again.
In the recent past, the club became a proverbial elevator Team: Between the seasons 2000/ 01 and 2002/ 03 succeeded the walkover of the Berlin district league (7th Division) in the Berlin league ( 5 league). There, the first BFC could hold three years. In the season 2005/ 06, the " Germanic " but rose again as a table last in the national league from. In subsequent seasons, the losing streak continued on and so occupied Germania 2007 in the country and 2008 in the District League knocked off the last rank, what each means the descent. For the 2008/09 season the club competed in the ( by the introduction of the 3rd Liga only neuntklassigen ) circle League A. After the last place and the consequent descent Germania is now in the county league as
Venues
The BFC Germania played initially as several other Berlin football club on the Tempelhof Field. After the local football fields had been found at the beginning of the 20th century out of date, held the Berlin's leading football clubs on the lookout for suitable locations for the installation of soccer fields. Germania leased in 1904 by the Prussian military Treasury an open space on the barracks of the Guards Train Battalion in Tempelhof between the Ringbahnstraße and the Berlin ring road. There is a football pitch was created on which the club has since fought out their home games. On the construction of a grandstand was omitted.
In addition to the normal league games of Germania some historically significant football games were played on the new Germania Square. On 18 December 1904 the Berlin Association selection defeated the team of Central Germany 6-3. On April 29, 1905 Germania defeated a team from the Civil Service London in an international friendly match in front of more than 1000 spectators 3-2. This game was also attended by the Prussian Crown Prince Wilhelm. At Easter in 1906 was subject to Germania in an international friendly match the Corinthians from England before 1500 spectators at 12:11.
As part of the final round of the German Football Championship sports place served at several meetings as a venue: On April 30, 1905 Eintracht Braunschweig defeated in the first round Victoria 96 Magdeburg 2-1 after extra time. In the quarter- finals on 28 May of the same year, the Dresdner SC defeated the team of SC Victoria Hamburg 5-3. On 7 June 1908, the final of the German Championship was held at the Germania Platz in front of 4,000 spectators. Viktoria 89 hit the Stuttgarter Kickers 3-1. On April 17, 1910 Tasmania Rixdorf beat in the quarter-finals 1897 Breslau VfR 2-1.
1915 ended the military treasury the tenancy, so that the sports field had to be abandoned. Today, the site of the former Germania sports field built over the center of the Berlin city cleaning companies. In the following decades Germania played, among others, on the sports field Halker line in Lichtenrade and the Friedrich -Ebert Stadium in Tempelhof. Since 1988, the sports field at the Götzstraße in Tempelhof is the home of the club.
Achievements
- Berlin master ( VDB ): 1890, 1891 ( his own words )
- Berlin runner-up ( in DFuCB ): 1893, 1894, 1896, 1897
The oldest football club in Germany
The BFC Germania describes itself as Germany's oldest football club. However, he was not the first football club, which was founded in Germany. It already existed before clubs such as the Dresden English Football Club ( DFC; founded 1874) and the Berlin Football Club Frankfurt (1885 ). From the DTC 1898, the Dresdner SC, and the BFC Frankfurt broke up in the early years of the 20th century.
Others still active sports clubs are often a former founding year in club name. However, these were only after 1888 their football departments, such as TSV 1860 München, VfL Bochum 1848 or SSV Ulm 1846.