DFC Germania Prag
Encyclopedia
DFC Germania Prag was a German association football club
from the city of Prague
in what is today the Czech Republic
, consisting of ethnic Germans At the time of the club's founding in 1899, Prague was part of Bohemia
in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
and which would play a role in the early development of the sport there and in Germany. Alongside DFC Prag
it was a founding member
of the German Football Association
(Deutscher Fussball Bund or German Football Association) at Leipzig
in 1900.
After playing for both Regatta Prag
and DFC Prag, Heinrich Nonner decided to organize his own club and established Unitas Prag in 1898. The club was soon renamed Urania and then finally Germania and quickly had its own field and clubhouse. Founder and captain Nonner attended the inaugural meeting of the DFB to represent the team.
Early in its history the club played in the Verband der Deutschen Prager Fussballvereine (Federation of German Football Teams in Prague) and captured the league title in 1902. The next season, in one of a series of quirks of history that eventually led DFC Prag to the first-ever German national final, that club was selected as the league's representative in the German championship round despite being tied with Germania and a third club in the still incomplete VDPF championship.
In 1903 Germania abandoned Prag for the bordertown of Graslitz
to become DFC Graslitz. When Germany joined FIFA
(French: Fédération Internationale de Football Association or International Federation of Association Football) in 1904, Czech teams were no longer eligible for play in the DFB. FIFA also rebuffed attempts to create ethnic German and Slavic football associations within the borders of the fractious Autro-Hungarian empire, preferring to stay clear of politics.
After the annexation of the Sudetenland
by the Third Reich in 1938 the club joined the Gauliga Sudetenland
, a top-flight division established to accommodate clubs in the region within the league structure of German football. Re-organized as NSTG Graslitz (Nationalsozialistische Turngemeinde Graslitz or National Socialist Gymnastics Organization of Graslitz) in 1939 the team captured the divisional title in 1940 and went on to make an appearance in the preliminary round of play for the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's German Cup, being put out 0:4 by eventual cup winner Dresdner SC
. Graslitz played only a partial season in 1940–41 and was then out of the Gauliga
until returning for a single season in 1943–44. The team folded after the liberation of Czechoslovakia at the end of World War II.
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 Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in what is today the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, consisting of ethnic Germans At the time of the club's founding in 1899, Prague was part of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
History
Germania was one of many clubs formed by players of German origin in what would become CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and which would play a role in the early development of the sport there and in Germany. Alongside DFC Prag
DFC Prag
The Deutscher Fussball Club Prag was a German association football club that played in the city of Prague in what is today the Czech Republic, but was at the time of the club's founding on 25 May 1896, part of Bohemia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
it 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...
(Deutscher Fussball Bund or German Football Association) at 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.
After playing for both Regatta Prag
DFC Prag
The Deutscher Fussball Club Prag was a German association football club that played in the city of Prague in what is today the Czech Republic, but was at the time of the club's founding on 25 May 1896, part of Bohemia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
and DFC Prag, Heinrich Nonner decided to organize his own club and established Unitas Prag in 1898. The club was soon renamed Urania and then finally Germania and quickly had its own field and clubhouse. Founder and captain Nonner attended the inaugural meeting of the DFB to represent the team.
Early in its history the club played in the Verband der Deutschen Prager Fussballvereine (Federation of German Football Teams in Prague) and captured the league title in 1902. The next season, in one of a series of quirks of history that eventually led DFC Prag to the first-ever German national final, that club was selected as the league's representative in the German championship round despite being tied with Germania and a third club in the still incomplete VDPF championship.
In 1903 Germania abandoned Prag for the bordertown of Graslitz
Kraslice
Kraslice is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic.-Geography:The town is situated on the southern slopes of the eastern reaches of the Ore Mountains, some 5 km from the neighbouring German town of Klingenthal....
to become DFC Graslitz. When Germany joined FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
(French: Fédération Internationale de Football Association or International Federation of Association Football) in 1904, Czech teams were no longer eligible for play in the DFB. FIFA also rebuffed attempts to create ethnic German and Slavic football associations within the borders of the fractious Autro-Hungarian empire, preferring to stay clear of politics.
After the annexation of the Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
by the Third Reich in 1938 the club joined the Gauliga Sudetenland
Gauliga Sudetenland
The Gauliga Sudetenland, was the highest football league in predominantly German speaking parts of Czechoslovakia, the Sudetenland, which was awarded to Germany on 30 September 1938 through the Munich Agreement...
, a top-flight division established to accommodate clubs in the region within the league structure of German football. Re-organized as NSTG Graslitz (Nationalsozialistische Turngemeinde Graslitz or National Socialist Gymnastics Organization of Graslitz) in 1939 the team captured the divisional title in 1940 and went on to make an appearance in the preliminary round of play for the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's German Cup, being put out 0:4 by eventual cup winner Dresdner SC
Dresdner SC
Dresdner SC is a German multisport club playing in Dresden, Saxony. Founded on 30 April 1898, the club was a founding member of the German Football Association in 1900...
. Graslitz played only a partial season in 1940–41 and was then out of the Gauliga
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:...
until returning for a single season in 1943–44. The team folded after the liberation of Czechoslovakia at the end of World War II.
External links
- Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv historical German football league tables