1. FC Pforzheim
Encyclopedia
1. FC Pforzheim was a German association football club
playing in Pforzheim
, Baden-Württemberg
. The club was established on 5 May 1896 and was a founding member
of the German Football Association
in Leipzig
in 1900. In 2010 it merged with VfR Pforzheim
to 1. CfR Pforzheim
.
, one of the era's most prominent sides. This put Pforzheim into the national playoff rounds where they defeated favoured side Cologne FC 99 4–2 in a quarter final match, before eliminating defending champions Berlin TuFC Union 4–0 in the semi-finals. With the win the club advanced to the final in Nuremberg
where they lost a 1–2 decision to VfB Leipzig.
and then the Bezirksliga Württemberg-Baden
in the early 20s before being relgated in 1926, and then earning their re-promotion in 1929.
In 1933 German football was reorganized under the Third Reich into sixteen first division Gauligen
. 1. FC Pforzheim played in the Gauliga Baden
through to 1944 with their best results coming as second place finishes in 1936, 1938, and 1939. The club narrowly missed relegation in 1941 escaping only through the collapse of FC Birkenfeld. Play in the Gauliga Baden was disrupted and then ended in the 1944–45 season by the advance of Allied armies into Germany towards the end of World War II.
(II) playing there from 1950 to 1963, the year of the formation of the Bundesliga, Germany's first professional football league. League re-organization then saw Pforzheim in the Regionalliga Süd
(II) from 1963 until 1967 when a crash from 7th to 18th place led to the team being relegated. Pforzheims 17-year-long stay in the second division was the longest of any other team at the time. Their best result in this period was a third-place finish in 1963, just two points shy of TSG Ulm 1846
, and an advance to Oberliga Süd
(I).
In 1967, Pforzheim fell to the third division Amateurliga Nordbaden
and spent a dozen seasons there before slipping again in 1979 to fourth tier play. They returned to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
(III) in 1985 and followed up their promotion with a Baden Cup win in 1987 leading to their first German Cup appearance in 1987–88. They progressed into the Round of 16 before being put out by Bundesliga side Werder Bremen (1:1, 1:3). A second Baden Cup win and German Cup appearance came in 1989. The team pulled off a surprise victory over Bundesliga side VfL Bochum
in the second round of the 1989–90 German Cup. The side then captured a division title in 1991 and took part in the promotion rounds for the 2. Bundesliga, but were unable to advance.
League restructuring in 1994 saw the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg become a fourth tier league with the introduction of the Regionalliga Süd (III) and Pforzheim' s 10th place finish left them behind in the lower division.
The team narrowly missed a return to third class football in 2001 when they once again finished just two points behind TSG Ulm 1846. By 2004 the association was a million Euros in debt and declared bankruptcy. The financially re-structured club was forced down to the Verbandsliga Nordbaden
(V), but quickly recovered, and on the strength of their division championship in 2006 returned to play in the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg (IV) for a season before returning to the Verbandsliga.
In June 2010, the club merged with local rival VfR Pforzheim
to form the 1. CfR Pforzheim
.
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...
playing in Pforzheim
Pforzheim
Pforzheim is a town of nearly 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It is world-famous for its jewelry and watch-making industry. Until 1565 it was the home to the Margraves of Baden. Because of that it gained the nickname...
, Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. The club was established on 5 May 1896 and was a founding member
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...
of the German Football Association
German 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...
in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
in 1900. In 2010 it merged with VfR Pforzheim
VfR Pforzheim
The VfR Pforzheim was a German association football club from the city of Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg. The club archived notability by playing in Germany's second division in the 1965–66 season. In 2010 the club merged with 1. FC Pforzheim to form 1...
to 1. CfR Pforzheim
1. CfR Pforzheim
The 1. CfR Pforzheim is a German association football club from the city of Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg. The club, formed in a merger in 2010, also offers ice hockey as a sport.-History:...
.
Early success
The club enjoyed most of its success in its early years. In 1906 they captured the championship of the Süddeutschland Verband (South German League) by beating Karlsruher FVKarlsruher FV
Karlsruher FV is a German association football club that plays in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg. Established on 17 November 1891, KFV was a founding member of the German Football Association in 1900. The team went on to capture the national championship in 1910 with a 1–0 victory over Holstein Kiel...
, one of the era's most prominent sides. This put Pforzheim into the national playoff rounds where they defeated favoured side Cologne FC 99 4–2 in a quarter final match, before eliminating defending champions Berlin TuFC Union 4–0 in the semi-finals. With the win the club advanced to the final in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
where they lost a 1–2 decision to VfB Leipzig.
Interwar years
Pforzheim slipped to become a mid-table side until narrowly missing a chance to play in the playoff rounds of the Süddeutschland Verband in both 1913 and 1914: tied for first place, they finished second in both seasons on goal differential. World War I disrupted play in the country for several years and Pforzheim fell out of top-flight competition. They returned to, at first, the Kreisliga SüdwestKreisliga Südwest
The Kreisliga Südwest was the highest association football league in the German state of Baden from 1919 to 1923...
and then the Bezirksliga Württemberg-Baden
Bezirksliga Württemberg-Baden
The Bezirksliga Württemberg-Baden was the highest association football league in the German states of Württemberg and Baden and the Prussian Province of Hohenzollern from 1923 to 1933. The league was disbanded with the rise of the Nazis to power in 1933....
in the early 20s before being relgated in 1926, and then earning their re-promotion in 1929.
In 1933 German football was reorganized under the Third Reich into sixteen first division Gauligen
Gauliga
A Gauliga was the highest level of play in German football from 1934-45. The leagues were introduced in 1933, after the Nazi takeover of power by the Sports office of the Third Reich.-Name:...
. 1. FC Pforzheim played in the Gauliga Baden
Gauliga Baden
The Gauliga Baden was the highest football league in the German state of Baden from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the Gau Baden replaced the state Baden....
through to 1944 with their best results coming as second place finishes in 1936, 1938, and 1939. The club narrowly missed relegation in 1941 escaping only through the collapse of FC Birkenfeld. Play in the Gauliga Baden was disrupted and then ended in the 1944–45 season by the advance of Allied armies into Germany towards the end of World War II.
Postwar
After the war the club re-emerged in the 2nd Oberliga Süd2nd Oberliga Süd
The 2nd Oberliga Süd was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the south of Germany from 1950 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963. It covered the three states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hessen.-Overview:...
(II) playing there from 1950 to 1963, the year of the formation of the Bundesliga, Germany's first professional football league. League re-organization then saw Pforzheim in the Regionalliga Süd
Regionalliga Süd (1963-74)
The Regionalliga Süd was the second-highest level of the German football league system. It existed in the south of Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2nd Bundesliga in 1974. It covered the three states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hessen....
(II) from 1963 until 1967 when a crash from 7th to 18th place led to the team being relegated. Pforzheims 17-year-long stay in the second division was the longest of any other team at the time. Their best result in this period was a third-place finish in 1963, just two points shy of TSG Ulm 1846
SSV Ulm 1846
SSV Ulm 1846 is a German association football club from Ulm, Baden-Württemberg and is one of the country's largest and oldest sports clubs with over 12,000 members in more than twenty different departments. The modern-day club was formed out of 5 May 1970 merger of TSG Ulm 1846 and 1...
, and an advance to Oberliga Süd
Oberliga Süd (1945-63)
The Oberliga Süd was the highest level of the German football league system in the south of Germany from 1945 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963.It covered the three states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hessen.-Overview:...
(I).
In 1967, Pforzheim fell to the third division Amateurliga Nordbaden
Amateurliga Nordbaden
The Amateurliga Nordbaden was the highest football league in the region of the Nordbaden FA and the third tier of the German football league system from its inception in 1945 to the formation of the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg and the Verbandsliga Nordbaden below it in 1978.- Overview :The...
and spent a dozen seasons there before slipping again in 1979 to fourth tier play. They returned to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
The Oberliga Baden-Württemberg is the highest Football League in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Baden-Württemberg football league system. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German Football, the 5th tier of the German football league system...
(III) in 1985 and followed up their promotion with a Baden Cup win in 1987 leading to their first German Cup appearance in 1987–88. They progressed into the Round of 16 before being put out by Bundesliga side Werder Bremen (1:1, 1:3). A second Baden Cup win and German Cup appearance came in 1989. The team pulled off a surprise victory over Bundesliga side VfL Bochum
VfL Bochum
Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as simply VfL Bochum, is a German association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia.-Founding to World War II:...
in the second round of the 1989–90 German Cup. The side then captured a division title in 1991 and took part in the promotion rounds for the 2. Bundesliga, but were unable to advance.
League restructuring in 1994 saw the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg become a fourth tier league with the introduction of the Regionalliga Süd (III) and Pforzheim
The team narrowly missed a return to third class football in 2001 when they once again finished just two points behind TSG Ulm 1846. By 2004 the association was a million Euros in debt and declared bankruptcy. The financially re-structured club was forced down to the Verbandsliga Nordbaden
Verbandsliga Nordbaden
The Verbandsliga Baden is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga it was the 5th tier of the league system.- Overview :...
(V), but quickly recovered, and on the strength of their division championship in 2006 returned to play in the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg (IV) for a season before returning to the Verbandsliga.
In June 2010, the club merged with local rival VfR Pforzheim
VfR Pforzheim
The VfR Pforzheim was a German association football club from the city of Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg. The club archived notability by playing in Germany's second division in the 1965–66 season. In 2010 the club merged with 1. FC Pforzheim to form 1...
to form the 1. CfR Pforzheim
1. CfR Pforzheim
The 1. CfR Pforzheim is a German association football club from the city of Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg. The club, formed in a merger in 2010, also offers ice hockey as a sport.-History:...
.
League
- Southern German championship
- Champions: 1906
- German football championship
- Runners-up: 1906
- Kreisliga SüdwestKreisliga SüdwestThe Kreisliga Südwest was the highest association football league in the German state of Baden from 1919 to 1923...
(I)- Champions: 1921, 1923
- Bezirksliga Baden (I)
- Champions: 1932
- Gauliga BadenGauliga BadenThe Gauliga Baden was the highest football league in the German state of Baden from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the Gau Baden replaced the state Baden....
(I)- Runners-up: 1936, 1938, 1939
- Oberliga Baden-WürttembergOberliga Baden-WürttembergThe Oberliga Baden-Württemberg is the highest Football League in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Baden-Württemberg football league system. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German Football, the 5th tier of the German football league system...
- Champions: 1991
- Verbandsliga NordbadenVerbandsliga NordbadenThe Verbandsliga Baden is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga it was the 5th tier of the league system.- Overview :...
- Champions: 1985, 2006
- Landesliga NordbadenAmateurliga NordbadenThe Amateurliga Nordbaden was the highest football league in the region of the Nordbaden FA and the third tier of the German football league system from its inception in 1945 to the formation of the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg and the Verbandsliga Nordbaden below it in 1978.- Overview :The...
(II)- Champions: 1949
Recent seasons
The recent season-by-season performance of the club:| Season | Division | Tier | Position |
| 1999–2000 | Oberliga Baden-Württemberg Oberliga Baden-Württemberg The Oberliga Baden-Württemberg is the highest Football League in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Baden-Württemberg football league system. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German Football, the 5th tier of the German football league system... |
IV | 7th |
| 2000–01 | Oberliga Baden-Württemberg | 2nd | |
| 2001–02 | Oberliga Baden-Württemberg | 3rd | |
| 2002–03 | Oberliga Baden-Württemberg | 12th | |
| 2003–04 | Oberliga Baden-Württemberg | 19th ↓ | |
| 2004–05 | Verbandsliga Nordbaden Verbandsliga Nordbaden The Verbandsliga Baden is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga it was the 5th tier of the league system.- Overview :... |
V | 4th |
| 2005–06 | Verbandsliga Nordbaden | 1st ↑ | |
| 2006–07 | Oberliga Baden-Württemberg | IV | 16th ↓ |
| 2007–08 | Verbandsliga Nordbaden | V | 3rd |
| 2008–09 | Verbandsliga Nordbaden | VI | 10th |
| 2009–10 | Verbandsliga Nordbaden | 6th |
- With the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994 and the 3rd Liga3rd LigaThe 3rd Liga is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2...
in 2008 as the new third tier, below the 2nd Bundesliga2. Fußball-Bundesliga- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
, all leagues below dropped one tier.
Famous players
- Arthur HillerArthur Hiller (footballer)Arthur Hiller was a German association football player who played club football for 1. FC Pforzheim, as well as at international level for Germany, where he became the national side's first captain. His nephew, Marius Hiller, also played football, representing both Germany and Argentina at...
, Germany's first national team captain in the country's 1908 debut against Switzerland - Marius HillerMarius HillerMarius Hiller, also known as Eduardo Hiller was an association football player who played international football for both Germany and Argentina, as well as club football for clubs including 1...
, Arthur's nephew, was capped for Germany in 1910 and 1911, before emigrating to Argentina and also being capped there - Dieter Rosanowski, leading goal scorer of the Regionaliga Süd
- Rainer Scharinger, played professionally with the Karlsruher SCKarlsruher SCKarlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg. KSC rose out of the consolidation of a number of predecessor clubs. They currently play in the 2...
and SSV Ulm 1846SSV Ulm 1846SSV Ulm 1846 is a German association football club from Ulm, Baden-Württemberg and is one of the country's largest and oldest sports clubs with over 12,000 members in more than twenty different departments. The modern-day club was formed out of 5 May 1970 merger of TSG Ulm 1846 and 1... - Eberhard Carl, played professionally with the Karlsruher SC and Stuttgart Kickers
- Jürgen Klopp, coach of 1. FSV Mainz 051. FSV Mainz 051. Fußball- und Sportverein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05, Mainz 05, or simply Mainz, is a 1905 founded German association football club based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition to the football section the 1. FSV Mainz 05 has a handball and table tennis department...