Deutscher Rugby-Verband
Encyclopedia
The German Rugby Federation ( or DRV) is the governing body for rugby union
in Germany
. It was founded on November 4, 1900 in Kassel
, and so it is the oldest national rugby union in continental Europe. After the Second World War, the DRV was restored on May 14, 1950.
, met in Februar 1898 for the first Rugby-Day in Frankfurt. Led by Professor Dr. Edward Hill Ulrich this group went on looking for closer contact to the north German clubs. Additional Rugby-Days followed in August 1898 and September 1899. It wasn't until the fifth of this gatherings, taking place in Hannover, that 19 clubs formally decided on a joint operation to form a German Rugby Football Union under the governing body of the German Football Association
. On the 4th of November 1901, only one year after the foundation the Rugby-Football Federation made the decision to leave the association football players and form the self-governed German Rugby Federation.
and the hosting of the European leg of the Rugby World Cup Sevens
in Heidelberg
, in which the German team
came close to upsetting Ireland
, who had Gordon D'Arcy
in their line-up. The tournament was won by the Welsh team
, which featured Andy Marinos
and Arwel Thomas
.
The highlight of the Centenary season was the Centenary Match against the Barbarians. The Barbarians included a host of internationals including Scott Hastings, Peter Stringer
, Shaun Longstaff
, Jeff Probyn
, Frankie Sheahan
, Russell Earnshaw
, Shaun Connor
, John Langford
and Derwyn Jones
and won 47-19 against a determined German team.
Also, from 2010-11, every club has to field a minimum of ten players per game who are eligible to play for the German national team, and can only field twelve non-eligible players at the same game.
For the national teams, the aim was set to have the men's side achieve qualification for the 2019 Rugby World Cup
, at the latest, and qualification for both the men and women for the 2016 Summer Olympics
.
fought with the ministry did not bring the desired result but instead worsened the situation. Bach consequently announced he would not stand for another term in July 2011 and was replaced by Ralph Götz. The DRV was able to secure a private loan to survive and hopes to attract sponsors that had withdrawn under Bach as well as to reach a settlement with the BMI.
(1934), and became affiliated to the International Rugby Board
in 1988. Moreover, it is a founding member of the German Olympic Sport Federation Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund
.
Source:
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was founded on November 4, 1900 in Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, and so it is the oldest national rugby union in continental Europe. After the Second World War, the DRV was restored on May 14, 1950.
History
Prior to its foundation several initiatives were taken to syndiacte the German clubs. When the efforts of the north German clubs failed in 1886, DFV Hannover 1878 joined the "German Football and Cricket federation", while the southern clubs opted for the "South German Football Union". Despite the well pronounced individualism of the clubs, representatives from Heidelberg and from FV Stuttgart 93, the later VfB StuttgartVfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
, met in Februar 1898 for the first Rugby-Day in Frankfurt. Led by Professor Dr. Edward Hill Ulrich this group went on looking for closer contact to the north German clubs. Additional Rugby-Days followed in August 1898 and September 1899. It wasn't until the fifth of this gatherings, taking place in Hannover, that 19 clubs formally decided on a joint operation to form a German Rugby Football Union under the governing body 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...
. On the 4th of November 1901, only one year after the foundation the Rugby-Football Federation made the decision to leave the association football players and form the self-governed German Rugby Federation.
Centenary and Barbarians Tour
In 2000 the German Rugby Federation celebrated its centenary. Centenary celebrations included a banquet in the Heidelberg CastleHeidelberg Castle
The Heidelberg Castle is a famous ruin in Germany and landmark of Heidelberg. The castle ruins are among the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps....
and the hosting of the European leg of the Rugby World Cup Sevens
Rugby World Cup Sevens
The Rugby World Cup Sevens is the premier international Rugby sevens competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board , and is contested by the men's national sevens teams every four years. The inaugural tournament was held in 1993 in Scotland, the...
in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
, in which the German team
Germany national rugby union team (sevens)
The German Sevens team is the national team of Germany in the sport of Sevens rugby.Germany's aim is, to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics sevens tournament.-Punta del Este and Paris:...
came close to upsetting Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team (sevens)
The Ireland national rugby union sevens team have previously competed in the IRB Sevens World Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens. Although there is no permanent team at present, there may well be in the future.-Results:...
, who had Gordon D'Arcy
Gordon D'Arcy
Gordon William D'Arcy is an Irish rugby player, more specifically an inside centre. He is registered to Lansdowne RFC and plays for provincial and RaboDirect Pro12 side Leinster.-Career:...
in their line-up. The tournament was won by the Welsh team
Wales national rugby union team (sevens)
The Wales national rugby union sevens team is the international rugby sevens side for Welsh rugby union players. They currently compete in the IRB Sevens World Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens and in the Commonwealth Games....
, which featured Andy Marinos
Andy Marinos
Andy Marinos is a former former Wales international rugby union player. A centre, he played for Newport Gwent Dragons and Canterbury Bulldogs in the Australian Rugby League competition.Andy Also represented the Two South Africans teams of Western Province as well as the Western Stormers He is...
and Arwel Thomas
Arwel Thomas
Arwel Camber Thomas is a former Wales international rugby union player. An outside-half, he played his club rugby for Swansea RFC....
.
The highlight of the Centenary season was the Centenary Match against the Barbarians. The Barbarians included a host of internationals including Scott Hastings, Peter Stringer
Peter Stringer
Peter Alexander Stringer is an Irish rugby union player who plays at scrum half for Munster and Ireland. He is one of the most recognisable players in world rugby as Stringer stands only 1.7m tall and weighs in at just over 70 kg .-Career:In February 2000, he made his debut for Ireland...
, Shaun Longstaff
Shaun Longstaff
Shaun Longstaff is a former rugby union footballer who played on the wing for Scotland.-Notes:...
, Jeff Probyn
Jeff Probyn
Jeff Probyn is an English former Rugby Union player.The Askeans, Streatham and Wasps prop was selected in England's squad for the 1987 Rugby World Cup, but Probyn did not make his international debut until 1988, at the age of 31, against France...
, Frankie Sheahan
Frankie Sheahan
Frankie Sheahan is a retired Hooker and played for Munster from 1996 up to the end of the 2008-2009 season, and also for the Ireland where he gained 29 caps, having made his debut on June 10, 2000....
, Russell Earnshaw
Russell Earnshaw
Russell Earnshaw is a rugby union player who currently plays flanker for English Championship side Birmingham & Solihull Rugby Club.-Club Rugby:...
, Shaun Connor
Shaun Connor
Shaun Connor is a Welsh rugby union player. He also helps in management in the Ospreys Under 20 side. A fly half, he scored a total of 456 points for the Ospreys and was influential in their historic 24–16 win against Australia at the Liberty Stadium....
, John Langford
John Langford (rugby)
John Langford is an Australian rugby union player. He played as a Lock.He played for Sydney University, Brumbies, Munster, and Australia.-External links:**...
and Derwyn Jones
Derwyn Jones
Derwyn Jones is a former professional Welsh rugby union player and Welsh international. A mountain of a player, he is 6 ft 10 inches tall and weighed over 20 stone at his peak...
and won 47-19 against a determined German team.
Proposed reform 2009
The DRV proposed a reform of its structure in October 2009, with the view of rugby having become an Olympic sport once more.Also, from 2010-11, every club has to field a minimum of ten players per game who are eligible to play for the German national team, and can only field twelve non-eligible players at the same game.
For the national teams, the aim was set to have the men's side achieve qualification for the 2019 Rugby World Cup
2019 Rugby World Cup
The 2019 Rugby World Cup is scheduled to be the 9th edition of the Rugby World Cup. At a special IRB meeting held in Dublin on 28 July 2009, Japan was announced as the host for the competition. This will be the first time this tournament to be held in Asia. Hong Kong and Singapore are expected to...
, at the latest, and qualification for both the men and women for the 2016 Summer Olympics
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, are a major international multi-sport event to be celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games, as governed by the International Olympic Committee...
.
Financial Crisis
The German Rugby Federation suffered a major crisis in 2011, finding itself close to insolvency, being € 200,000 in debt. The situation was brought on by the annual grant of the German federal ministry of the interior, BMI, not being paid in 2010 after the ministry voiced concerns that the DRV was not using the money for the desired purpose, to support the sport. A legal battle that the DRV chairman Claus-Peter BachClaus-Peter Bach
Claus-Peter Bach was the President of the German Rugby Federation from 2005 to 2011. He succeeded Bernd Leifheit at this position. He lives in Plankstadt, Germany, and is a sports journalist by profession....
fought with the ministry did not bring the desired result but instead worsened the situation. Bach consequently announced he would not stand for another term in July 2011 and was replaced by Ralph Götz. The DRV was able to secure a private loan to survive and hopes to attract sponsors that had withdrawn under Bach as well as to reach a settlement with the BMI.
Structure
The DRV is located and registered as a non-profitable organsiation in Hannover and combines the 13 regional unions (Landesverbände) with 11,656 members total of which 10,023 are male and 1,633 are female players. The 108 registered clubs have 319 referees (as of January 2011). The DRV has three sub-organisations these are the German Rugby Youth ( or DRJ) since 1967, the Referees Association ( or SDRV) since 1996 and the German Womens Rugby Association ( or DRF) since 2003. As an outcome of the Rugby-Tag in July 2010 the integration of Touch Rugby was scheduled for January 2011.Membership
The DRV is foundation member of FIRA - Association of European RugbyFIRA - Association of European Rugby
The FIRA - Association Européenne de Rugby is the administrative body for rugby union in Europe. It was formed in 1999 to promote, develop, organise and administer the game of rugby in Europe under the authority of the International Rugby Board .The predecessor to FIRA–AER was the Fédération...
(1934), and became affiliated to the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
in 1988. Moreover, it is a founding member of the German Olympic Sport Federation Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund
Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund
Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund was founded on 20 May 2006 by a merger of the Deutscher Sportbund , and the Nationales Olympisches Komitee für Deutschland which dates back to 1895, the year it was founded and recognized as NOC by the IOC.Seated in Frankfurt , it represents 89,000...
.
Publications
The DRV publishes the Deutsches Rugby-Journal with 11 editions per year. It is the official organ of the federation.President
Since the formation of the association in 1900, its presidents were:| Name | Years | Club |
| Ferdinand-Wilhelm Fricke Ferdinand-Wilhelm Fricke Ferdinand-Wilhelm Fricke was a German teacher and, at the age of 15, founder of the Deutscher FV 1878 Hannover, the oldest rugby union club in Germany... |
1900-01 | DFV 1878 Hannover |
| Edward Hill Ullrich | 1902-03 | Heidelberger RK Heidelberger RK The Heidelberger Ruderklub is a German rowing club and rugby union club from Heidelberg, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga.... |
| Ferdinand-Wilhelm Fricke | 1904-05 | DFV 1878 Hannover |
| Edward Hill Ullrich | 1906-07 | Heidelberger RK |
| Hermann Behlert | 1908-09 | SC Elite Hannover |
| Robert Müller | 1909-13 | SC Merkur Hannover |
| Ottomar Baron von Reden-Pattensen | 1913-20 | DFV 1878 Hannover |
| Albert Wolters | 1920-23 | DFV 1878 Hannover |
| Paul Simon | 1923-24 | TV 1860 Frankfurt |
| Theodor Freud | 1924-25 | Preußen Berlin BFC Preussen BFC Preussen is a German football club from Berlin. The team is part of a sports club which also has departments for handball, volleyball, athletics, gymnastics, and ice hockey... |
| Fritz Müller | 1925-27 | SC 1880 Frankfurt SC 1880 Frankfurt The SC 1880 Frankfurt is a German rugby union club from Frankfurt am Main, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga. Apart from rugby, the club also offers other sports like lacrosse, tennis and field hockey.... |
| Ottomar Baron von Reden-Pattensen | 1927-31 | DSV 78 Hannover |
| Hermann Meister | 1931-47 | RG Heidelberg RG Heidelberg The RG Heidelberg is a German rugby union club from Heidelberg, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga. Apart from rugby, the club also offers the sport of rowing.-History:The club was formed on 4 June 1898 as a rowing club... |
| Paul Schrader | 1947-49 | SV Odin Hannover SV Odin Hannover The SV Odin Hannover is a German rugby union club from Hanover, currently playing in the Regionalliga North. Apart from rugby, the club also offers other sports like association football, gymnastics and handball.... |
| Willi Abel | 1949-51 | FV 1897 Linden FV 1897 Linden The FV 1897 Linden is a German rugby union club from Hanover. As well as rugby, the club also offers other sports, such as American football and gymnastics.... |
| Fritz Bösche | 1951-56 | TSV Victoria Linden TSV Victoria Linden The TSV Victoria Linden is a German rugby union club from the Linden suburb of Hannover, currently playing in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga. Apart from rugby, the club also offers other sports, such as triathlon and athletics.... |
| Heinz Reinhold | 1956-74 | SV 1908 Ricklingen |
| Hans Baumgärtner Hans Baumgartner Hans Baumgartner is a retired West German long jumper.He won the silver medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich with a jump of 8.18 meters. Baumgartner again took part in the 1976 Summer Olympics, but did not win a medal... |
1974-85 | SC Neuenheim SC Neuenheim The SC Neuenheim is a German rugby union club from Heidelberg, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga. Having won nine men's and twelve women's German championships as of 2004, the club is one of the most accomplished in Germany.-History:... |
| Willi Eckert | 1985-91 | NTV 09 Hannover |
| Theodor Frucht | 1991-96 | TSV Victoria Linden |
| Ian Rawcliffe | 1996-2004 | BSC Offenbach |
| Bernd Leifheit | 2004-05 | SV 1908 Ricklingen |
| Claus-Peter Bach Claus-Peter Bach Claus-Peter Bach was the President of the German Rugby Federation from 2005 to 2011. He succeeded Bernd Leifheit at this position. He lives in Plankstadt, Germany, and is a sports journalist by profession.... |
2005-2011 | SC Neuenheim |
| Ralph Götz | 2011- |
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