1. SV Gera
Encyclopedia
BSG Wismut Gera is a German association football club
playing in Gera
, Thuringia
. The club is the successor to 1. SV Gera whose football department joined Blau-Weiß Gera and Geraer KFC Dynamos in 2007 to form FV Gera Süd, which, in turn, changed its name to BSG Wismut Gera in 2009. They play in Landesklasse Ost (VI) in the place previously held by Blau-Weiß.
, one of sixteen upper divisions created in the 1933 re-organization of German football under the Third Reich. However, their stay in first division competition was short-lived. After narrowly escaping relegation in the two seasons following their debut, they were sent down in 1943.
It was as Gera-Süd that the club returned to first division play in inaugural season of East Germany's DDR-Oberliga
in 1949. They managed only a weak 11th place finish just two points clear of relegation, but enjoyed a successful run in the FDGB-Pokal (East German Cup) advancing to the first ever Cup final against Waggonbau Dessau
where they dropped a 0:1 decision. The club had a long list of Cup appearances over the next four decades, but never did better than an advance to the 1969 quarter finals.
Geras poor league play continued and the side was relegated in 1953 to the DDR-Liga
. They made two single season cameo appearances in the top flight in 1966 and 1977 and struggled to distant last place finishes on both occasions.
After German re-unification in 1990 the club took on the name FSV Wismut Gera and was seeded into the NOFV-Oberliga Süd
for the 1992 season. By 1996 they had slipped for the first time to fifth tier play in the Landesliga Thüringen
. A division championship returned them to what was now the fourth division Oberliga Nordost/Süd for one season in 1999.
A three-year-long turn in the Landesliga Thüringen (V) ended in bankruptcy and demotion to the Bezirksliga Thüringen-4 (VII) in 2003 where the club played until 2007 and the merger that created the current day club.
At the end of the 2008–09 season, the club decided to revert to the name of BSG Wismut Gera, which it will play under in 2009–10.
.
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 Gera
Gera
Gera, the third-largest city in the German state of Thuringia , lies in east Thuringia on the river Weiße Elster, approximately 60 kilometres to the south of the city of Leipzig and 80 kilometres to the east of Erfurt...
, Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
. The club is the successor to 1. SV Gera whose football department joined Blau-Weiß Gera and Geraer KFC Dynamos in 2007 to form FV Gera Süd, which, in turn, changed its name to BSG Wismut Gera in 2009. They play in Landesklasse Ost (VI) in the place previously held by Blau-Weiß.
History
SpVgg Gera was created in 1922 out of the merger of the predecessor associations Allgemeinen Turngemeinde Gera and 1. VfR Gera.In 1936, SpVgg was joined by Sport Club Concordia Gera-Reuß to form SV Gera 04. The new association included as part of its heritage the side Sport Club Reuß which was established in 1904. SV made its first appearance in top flight football in 1939 in the Gauliga MitteGauliga Mitte
The Gauliga Mitte was the highest football league in the Prussian province of Saxony and the German states of Thuringia and Anhalt from 1933 to 1945, all located in the center of Germany...
, one of sixteen upper divisions created in the 1933 re-organization of German football under the Third Reich. However, their stay in first division competition was short-lived. After narrowly escaping relegation in the two seasons following their debut, they were sent down in 1943.
Postwar play in East Germany
Like other most organizations in Germany, including sports and football clubs, Gera was dissolved at the end of World War II by occupying Allied authorities. The club was re-established in 1945 as SG Gera-Pforten and was re-named BSG Gera-Süd in 1949. In October 1950 that club was joined by BSG RFT Gera to form BSG Mechanik Gera which underwent names changes to become SG Motor Gera in May 1951, and then BSG Wismut Gera in March 1953.It was as Gera-Süd that the club returned to first division play in inaugural season of East Germany's DDR-Oberliga
DDR-Oberliga
The DDR-Oberliga was, prior to German reunification in 1990, the elite level of football competition in the DDR , being roughly equivalent to the Oberliga or Bundesliga in West Germany.-Overview:Following World...
in 1949. They managed only a weak 11th place finish just two points clear of relegation, but enjoyed a successful run in the FDGB-Pokal (East German Cup) advancing to the first ever Cup final against Waggonbau Dessau
SV Dessau 05
SV Dessau 05 is a German association football club based in Dessau, Saxony-Anhalt. They distinguished themselves in 1949 as winners of the inaugural FDGB-Pokal .-History:...
where they dropped a 0:1 decision. The club had a long list of Cup appearances over the next four decades, but never did better than an advance to the 1969 quarter finals.
Geras poor league play continued and the side was relegated in 1953 to the DDR-Liga
DDR-Liga
The DDR-Liga was, prior to German reunification in 1990, the second level of football competition in the DDR , being roughly equivalent to the Bundesliga in West Germany.-1950-1955:The league was established with two divisions of ten teams each in 1950...
. They made two single season cameo appearances in the top flight in 1966 and 1977 and struggled to distant last place finishes on both occasions.
Post re-unification
NOFV-Oberliga Süd
The NOFV-Oberliga Süd is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the southern states of former East Germany. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony...
for the 1992 season. By 1996 they had slipped for the first time to fifth tier play in the Landesliga Thüringen
Landesliga Thüringen
The Thüringenliga is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Thuringia . Until the introduction of the 3...
. A division championship returned them to what was now the fourth division Oberliga Nordost/Süd for one season in 1999.
A three-year-long turn in the Landesliga Thüringen (V) ended in bankruptcy and demotion to the Bezirksliga Thüringen-4 (VII) in 2003 where the club played until 2007 and the merger that created the current day club.
At the end of the 2008–09 season, the club decided to revert to the name of BSG Wismut Gera, which it will play under in 2009–10.
Stadium
BSG Wismut Gera plays in the Stadion am Steg. 1. SV Gera left the Stadion der Freundschaft in 2006, which is now used by their local rival, 1. FC Gera 031. FC Gera 03
1. FC Gera 03 is a German association football club located in Gera, Thuringia.-History:The club was founded in 2003 through the fusion of TSV 1880 Gera-Zwötzen and SV 1861 Liebschwitz. The club is made up largely of players who used to play in higher divisions wityh a large number coming from the...
.
External links
- Official website
- Wismut fan site
- Abseits Guide to German Soccer
- Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv historical German football league tables (in German)