FSV Wacker 03 Gotha
Encyclopedia
FSV Wacker 03 Gotha is a German association football club
from the city of Gotha
, Thuringia
. The roots of the club go back to the founding of Fußball-Club Einigkeit Gotha on 7 July 1907. Later that year they took on the name FC Wacker Gotha before becoming Sportverein Wacker Gotha. In 1915, the club took part in the final rounds of the Mitteldeutsche Meisterschaft (Central German Championship) beating SpVgg Erfurt (3:0) before going out to Borussia Halle (0:1). They did not reappear in the final rounds again until 1933 when they were put out in the quarterfinals by Wacker Gera (1:3).
The club disappeared after World War II
, but was reestablished in 1945 as SG Gotha, which became part of the separate football competition that emerged in Soviet-occupied East Germany. The team was renamed SG Vorwärts Gotha in 1948 and then BSG Motor Gotha in 1950. Motor played a single season in the 2. DDR-Liga (II) and took part in play for the FDGB Pokal
in 1954, 1969, and 1982, going out in the opening round in each of their appearances.
Following German reunification
, the team took on the name SV Motor Gotha in 1990 before reclaiming its historical identity as SV Wacker Gotha in 1993. Wacker won its way into the Oberliga Nordost-Süd (IV) in 2001, becoming the first team from Thuringia to advance to Oberliga play since the return of former East German clubs to the restored national competition. They were relegated after just two seasons of play there.
In 2003, the football department became independent as FSV Wacker 03 Gotha and spent the next 7 seasons in the Thüringenliga. They finished the 2009-10 season there behind Eintracht Sondershausen, but advanced to the NOFV-Oberliga Süd
after that club refused promotion for financial reasons.
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 Gotha
Gotha (town)
Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the district of Gotha.- History :The town has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by Charlemagne as Villa Gotaha . Its importance derives from having been chosen in...
, 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 roots of the club go back to the founding of Fußball-Club Einigkeit Gotha on 7 July 1907. Later that year they took on the name FC Wacker Gotha before becoming Sportverein Wacker Gotha. In 1915, the club took part in the final rounds of the Mitteldeutsche Meisterschaft (Central German Championship) beating SpVgg Erfurt (3:0) before going out to Borussia Halle (0:1). They did not reappear in the final rounds again until 1933 when they were put out in the quarterfinals by Wacker Gera (1:3).
The club disappeared after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but was reestablished in 1945 as SG Gotha, which became part of the separate football competition that emerged in Soviet-occupied East Germany. The team was renamed SG Vorwärts Gotha in 1948 and then BSG Motor Gotha in 1950. Motor played a single season in the 2. DDR-Liga (II) and took part in play for the FDGB Pokal
FDGB Pokal
The FDGB-Pokal was an elimination football tournament held annually in the former East Germany. It was the second most important national title in East German football after the DDR-Oberliga championship...
in 1954, 1969, and 1982, going out in the opening round in each of their appearances.
Following German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, the team took on the name SV Motor Gotha in 1990 before reclaiming its historical identity as SV Wacker Gotha in 1993. Wacker won its way into the Oberliga Nordost-Süd (IV) in 2001, becoming the first team from Thuringia to advance to Oberliga play since the return of former East German clubs to the restored national competition. They were relegated after just two seasons of play there.
In 2003, the football department became independent as FSV Wacker 03 Gotha and spent the next 7 seasons in the Thüringenliga. They finished the 2009-10 season there behind Eintracht Sondershausen, but advanced to the NOFV-Oberliga Süd
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...
after that club refused promotion for financial reasons.