Hünfelder SV
Encyclopedia
Hünfelder SV is a German association football club
from the city of Hünfeld
, Hesse
. In addition to a football section, the sports club has departments for athletics, basketball, gymnastics, handball
, table tennis
, and volleyball.
To re-ignite sporting live, and especially football, a handful of enthusiasts placed an add in the local newspaper, the Hünfelder Kreisblatte, requesting all interested people to meet on Sunday, 22 June 1919 in a local pub, to form a new sports and football club. The new club started out with football as its only sport, adding other departments later.
In its early days, the club existed under difficult circumstances. Having no regular playing field, it had to ask local farmers for permission to play on their fields, which was usually only granted after the harvest. The club played its first official match on 29 July 1919, losing 1–3 against Adler Neukirchen and playing at Sargenzeller Höhe, was only a friendly but the team soon entered into competitive football, joining the local B-Klasse. A first championship in this league was won in 1925–26.
The club remained stagnant on local level and did not distinguish itself in the following years. The rise of the Nazis to power in 1933 did not initially change this, but from 1936, under the leadership of the new club chairman Conrad Schäfer, the HSV slowly improved.
During the Second World War, the club managed to continue to field a team because a hospital of the German army was based in town and recovering soldiers were permitted to field for the club. In the war years, the HSV thereby attracted much stronger players as it usually could, having even a former German international, Hermann Gramlich, in their ranks. Eventually, in December 1944, even this came to a halt and football ceased due to the worsening war situation.
The club entered a short hibernation, lasting until September 1945, when a club meeting re-ignited activity within the Hünfelder SV.
, the highest league in the state and the third tier of German football in those days. In its first season on this level, 1962–63, the club did rather well finishing fifth out of 16 teams. Additionally, the club managed to win the Hesse Cup in this season. It was also the last season before introduction of the new Fußball-Bundesliga
.
The 1963–64 season was not quite as successful but with Norbert Fladung the club had the best goal scorer in the league with 34 goals. From then on, the HSV had to play against relegation in its league, which became a fact in 1967, when the club had to drop down to the Landesliga Hessen-Nord (IV). In this league, the team spent only one season before returning to the Amateurliga Hessen. In 1970, the club was once more relegated from this league and would not be able to return to it for 33 years.
The club played the next nine seasons as a mid-table side in the Landesliga before suffering another relegation in 1979. In 1982, it returned to the Landesliga Nord for three seasons, being relegated again in 1985. After one season, it managed to regain its Landesliga status. The fortunes of the club started to improve again, climbing up in the table season by season, culminating in two second-place finishes in 1990 and 1991. Missing out on promotion both times, the HSV fell back in the season standings again and was relegated in 1998 once more. After two seasons in the Bezirksoberliga Fulda, it returned to the Landesliga. From 2000 onwards, the club had an impressive run in this league, finishing in the top-four in all seven seasons. After a league championship in 2003, a return to the Hessenliga, now the fourth tier of the German league system, was an unsuccessful experience, being relegated straight away again. In 2008, the club once more archived promotion to the highest league in the state through a second place finish in the Landesliga.
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 Hünfeld
Hünfeld
Hünfeld is a town in the district of Fulda, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated 16 km northeast of Fulda.-Notable people:* Wilm Hosenfeld *Johann Leonhard Pfaff , bishop of Fulda* Konrad Zuse -Transport:...
, Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
. In addition to a football section, the sports club has departments for athletics, basketball, gymnastics, handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
, table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
, and volleyball.
1909 to 1945
Also the club was only formed in 1919, it was predated by the Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna, which was formed in 1909 and dissolved during the difficult years of the First World War.To re-ignite sporting live, and especially football, a handful of enthusiasts placed an add in the local newspaper, the Hünfelder Kreisblatte, requesting all interested people to meet on Sunday, 22 June 1919 in a local pub, to form a new sports and football club. The new club started out with football as its only sport, adding other departments later.
In its early days, the club existed under difficult circumstances. Having no regular playing field, it had to ask local farmers for permission to play on their fields, which was usually only granted after the harvest. The club played its first official match on 29 July 1919, losing 1–3 against Adler Neukirchen and playing at Sargenzeller Höhe, was only a friendly but the team soon entered into competitive football, joining the local B-Klasse. A first championship in this league was won in 1925–26.
The club remained stagnant on local level and did not distinguish itself in the following years. The rise of the Nazis to power in 1933 did not initially change this, but from 1936, under the leadership of the new club chairman Conrad Schäfer, the HSV slowly improved.
During the Second World War, the club managed to continue to field a team because a hospital of the German army was based in town and recovering soldiers were permitted to field for the club. In the war years, the HSV thereby attracted much stronger players as it usually could, having even a former German international, Hermann Gramlich, in their ranks. Eventually, in December 1944, even this came to a halt and football ceased due to the worsening war situation.
The club entered a short hibernation, lasting until September 1945, when a club meeting re-ignited activity within the Hünfelder SV.
1945 to 2008
Re-entering competitive football, the club at first played in the local A-Klasse, earning promotion to the Bezirksklasse in 1948, then the second-highest league in Hesse. The club remained in this league until 1962, when it archived promotion to the HessenligaHessenliga
The Hessenliga is the highest football league in the state of Hesse and the Hessian football league system. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German football, the 5th tier of the German football league system. It was, until the introduction of the 3...
, the highest league in the state and the third tier of German football in those days. In its first season on this level, 1962–63, the club did rather well finishing fifth out of 16 teams. Additionally, the club managed to win the Hesse Cup in this season. It was also the last season before introduction of the new Fußball-Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
.
The 1963–64 season was not quite as successful but with Norbert Fladung the club had the best goal scorer in the league with 34 goals. From then on, the HSV had to play against relegation in its league, which became a fact in 1967, when the club had to drop down to the Landesliga Hessen-Nord (IV). In this league, the team spent only one season before returning to the Amateurliga Hessen. In 1970, the club was once more relegated from this league and would not be able to return to it for 33 years.
The club played the next nine seasons as a mid-table side in the Landesliga before suffering another relegation in 1979. In 1982, it returned to the Landesliga Nord for three seasons, being relegated again in 1985. After one season, it managed to regain its Landesliga status. The fortunes of the club started to improve again, climbing up in the table season by season, culminating in two second-place finishes in 1990 and 1991. Missing out on promotion both times, the HSV fell back in the season standings again and was relegated in 1998 once more. After two seasons in the Bezirksoberliga Fulda, it returned to the Landesliga. From 2000 onwards, the club had an impressive run in this league, finishing in the top-four in all seven seasons. After a league championship in 2003, a return to the Hessenliga, now the fourth tier of the German league system, was an unsuccessful experience, being relegated straight away again. In 2008, the club once more archived promotion to the highest league in the state through a second place finish in the Landesliga.
Current
The club managed to establish itself reasonably well in the Hessenliga in 2008–09, sitting in mid-table after a third of the season played.Honours
- Hesse CupHesse CupThe Hesse Cup is one of the 21 regional cup competitions of German football. The winner of the competition gains entry to the first round of the German Cup.-History:...
winner: 1963 - Landesliga Hessen-Nord champions: 1968, 2003
- Landesliga Hessen-Nord runners up: 1990, 1991, 2005, 2006, 2008
Recent seasons
| Year | Division | Position |
| 1999–2000 | Bezirksoberliga Fulda (VI) | ↑ |
| 2000–01 | Landesliga Hessen-Nord (V) | 4th |
| 2001–02 | Landesliga Hessen-Nord | 3rd |
| 2002–03 | Landesliga Hessen-Nord | 1st↑ |
| 2003–04 | Oberliga Hessen (IV) | 18th ↓ |
| 2004–05 | Landesliga Hessen-Nord (V) | 2nd |
| 2005–06 | Landesliga Hessen-Nord | 2nd |
| 2006–07 | Landesliga Hessen-Nord | 3rd |
| 2007–08 | Landesliga Hessen-Nord | 2nd ↑ |
| 2008–09 | Oberliga Hessen (V) | 9th |
| 2009–10 | Oberliga Hessen |
External links
- Official team site
- Hünfelder SV profile at Weltfussball.de
- Information on the club and its stadium
- Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv historical German domestic league tables