Berliner TuFC Elf
Encyclopedia
Berliner Thor- und Fußballclub Elf 1900 was a German association football club
from the Schöneberg
district of south central Berlin
. Predecessor to current day club BSC Kickers 1900 Berlin
, it was established 1 November 1900 — which Kickers take as their foundation date — and was active as an independent side until 1912. The German term Elf is the number 11 and refers to the month of the club's founding.
From 1904 to 1906 BTuFC Elf was part of the Märkischen Meisterschaft, one of two competing top-flight city leagues, where they earned only lower table finishes. In 1912, they merged with Berliner Fußballclub Hubertus 05 to form Berliner Sportclub Hubertuself. A second merger in 1923 with Ballspielverein Sportlust Borussia 1899 Schöneberg created Schöneberger FC Kickers 1900 which won promotion to the Oberliga Berlin-Brandenburg
(I). BSV was the product of an earlier 1920 union between TuFC Sportlust 1904 and Schöneberger FC Borussia which had been formed 1 March 1899 as Berliner TuFC Borussia.
Kickers finished the 1926–27 campaign atop the Oberliga's Staffel B and played Hertha Berlin for the overall league title and were beaten (1:4, 2:6) although both clubs advanced to take part in the national playoffs. Kickers were eliminated in the quarterfinals by defending champion SpVgg Fürth (0:9), while Hertha continued on to the second of what would be six consecutive final appearances. The following season the Schöneberg team adopted the name Berliner Sportclub 1900 Kickers. In 1931, the team was bankrupted and on 1 July was reformed as Berliner SC Grün-Weiß-Rot. They were again named Kickers on 1 January 1934.
After World War II, occupying Allied authorities disbanded organizations throughout the country, including sports and football clubs. The membership became part of the community-based SG Schöneberg Nord and played in the Amateurliga Berlin (II). They re-adopted their historical identity as Kickers in 1949 and remained a second division club through most of the next two-and-a-half decades with single season appearances in the Oberliga Berlin
(I) in 1953–54 and 1960–61. Descendant Kickers remain active today playing lower tier football at the Kreisliga
(IX-X) level.
In addition to playing football the original club fielded a cricket
team. Thorball or Torball was a German word in use in the 1890s and early 1900s for the sport. 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, although some clubs still carry the term as part of their names as part of their tradition. Today torball may be used to refer to a form of football played by the blind or vision-impaired.
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 Schöneberg
Schöneberg
Schöneberg is a locality of Berlin, Germany. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a separate borough including the locality of Friedenau. Together with the former borough of Tempelhof it is now part of the new borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg....
district of south central 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...
. Predecessor to current day club BSC Kickers 1900 Berlin
BSC Kickers 1900 Berlin
BSC Kickers 1900 Berlin is a German association football club from the Schöneberg district of south central Berlin. The roots of the club are in the establishment of Berliner Thor- und Fußball Club Elf on 1 November 1900...
, it was established 1 November 1900 — which Kickers take as their foundation date — and was active as an independent side until 1912. The German term Elf is the number 11 and refers to the month of the club's founding.
From 1904 to 1906 BTuFC Elf was part of the Märkischen Meisterschaft, one of two competing top-flight city leagues, where they earned only lower table finishes. In 1912, they merged with Berliner Fußballclub Hubertus 05 to form Berliner Sportclub Hubertuself. A second merger in 1923 with Ballspielverein Sportlust Borussia 1899 Schöneberg created Schöneberger FC Kickers 1900 which won promotion to the Oberliga Berlin-Brandenburg
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...
(I). BSV was the product of an earlier 1920 union between TuFC Sportlust 1904 and Schöneberger FC Borussia which had been formed 1 March 1899 as Berliner TuFC Borussia.
Kickers finished the 1926–27 campaign atop the Oberliga's Staffel B and played Hertha Berlin for the overall league title and were beaten (1:4, 2:6) although both clubs advanced to take part in the national playoffs. Kickers were eliminated in the quarterfinals by defending champion SpVgg Fürth (0:9), while Hertha continued on to the second of what would be six consecutive final appearances. The following season the Schöneberg team adopted the name Berliner Sportclub 1900 Kickers. In 1931, the team was bankrupted and on 1 July was reformed as Berliner SC Grün-Weiß-Rot. They were again named Kickers on 1 January 1934.
After World War II, occupying Allied authorities disbanded organizations throughout the country, including sports and football clubs. The membership became part of the community-based SG Schöneberg Nord and played in the Amateurliga Berlin (II). They re-adopted their historical identity as Kickers in 1949 and remained a second division club through most of the next two-and-a-half decades with single season appearances in the Oberliga Berlin
Oberliga 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...
(I) in 1953–54 and 1960–61. Descendant Kickers remain active today playing lower tier football at the Kreisliga
Kreisliga
The Kreisliga is a low tier in league sports in Germany and the 9th tier of league soccer there.The Kreisligen usually rank right below the Bezirksligen, Bezirksklassen or Landesligen. Any teams finding themselves at the bottom of the Kreisligen would find themselves in one of the local...
(IX-X) level.
In addition to playing football the original club fielded a 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...
team. Thorball or Torball was a German word in use in the 1890s and early 1900s for the sport. 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, although some clubs still carry the term as part of their names as part of their tradition. Today torball may be used to refer to a form of football played by the blind or vision-impaired.