Stahl Riesa
Encyclopedia
TSV Stahl Riesa is a German association football club
from Riesa
in Saxony.
, one of sixteen divisions in the top flight of German football during the Third Reich. After World War II the club was dissolved and replaced by the SG Riesa in late 1945. Three years later the club developed an affiliation with the local steelworkers and came to be known as BSG Stahl Riesa. The football team played independently of the sports club from 1952 to 1957 before rejoining the parent club. They climbed into the second division in 1955 and in 1968 they played their way into the top tier DDR-Oberliga for the first time. Stahl would spend sixteen of the next twenty seasons in the top level, but frequently struggled to avoid relegation. Their best finish came in the 1974–75 season when they finished sixth and just barely missed qualifying for the UEFA Cup
tournament.
With German re-unification in 1990 the club took on the name FC Stahl Riesa but returned to its old name of Riesaer SV within a year. In an attempt to remain financially viable it absorbed other local clubs including Riesaer SV Blau-Weiß in 1996 and SC Riesa-Röderau (formerly Chemie Riesa) in 1998. Initially seeded into the third division of the NOFV-Oberliga Süd
, the club quickly slipped to play in the fifth division Landesliga Sachsen
.
The new millennium brought another name change, this time back to FC Stahl Riesa. Unfortunately, like many other clubs in the former East Germany, Riesa found it tough to keep going financially: in 2002 they filed for bankruptcy and the club was officially dissolved on 30 June 2003 for reason of insolvency. A handful of former coaches and players formed the TSV Stahl Riesa, a successor club, that started play in the 2. Kreisklasse Riesa-Grossenhain (XI) and has since worked its way up to the Bezirksliga Dresden (VII).
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 Riesa
Riesa
Riesa is a town in the district of Meißen in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is located at the river Elbe, approx. 40 km northwest of Dresden.The world's first 110 kV power line was inaugurated between Riesa and Lauchhammer in 1912....
in Saxony.
History
The club was founded as SC Riesa in 1903 in the cellar of the local pub "Bodega" and was re-named Riesaer SV two years later. In 1917, they fused with FC Wettin and went on to play quietly as a local club until 1936 when they advanced to the Gauliga SachsenGauliga Sachsen
The Gauliga Saxony was the highest football league in the German state of Saxony from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the Gau Saxony replaced the state Saxony.-Overview:The league was introduced in 1933,...
, one of sixteen divisions in the top flight of German football during the Third Reich. After World War II the club was dissolved and replaced by the SG Riesa in late 1945. Three years later the club developed an affiliation with the local steelworkers and came to be known as BSG Stahl Riesa. The football team played independently of the sports club from 1952 to 1957 before rejoining the parent club. They climbed into the second division in 1955 and in 1968 they played their way into the top tier DDR-Oberliga for the first time. Stahl would spend sixteen of the next twenty seasons in the top level, but frequently struggled to avoid relegation. Their best finish came in the 1974–75 season when they finished sixth and just barely missed qualifying for the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
tournament.
With German re-unification in 1990 the club took on the name FC Stahl Riesa but returned to its old name of Riesaer SV within a year. In an attempt to remain financially viable it absorbed other local clubs including Riesaer SV Blau-Weiß in 1996 and SC Riesa-Röderau (formerly Chemie Riesa) in 1998. Initially seeded into the third division of 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...
, the club quickly slipped to play in the fifth division Landesliga Sachsen
Landesliga Sachsen
The Sachsenliga, formerly referred to as Landesliga Sachsen, is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Saxony,...
.
The new millennium brought another name change, this time back to FC Stahl Riesa. Unfortunately, like many other clubs in the former East Germany, Riesa found it tough to keep going financially: in 2002 they filed for bankruptcy and the club was officially dissolved on 30 June 2003 for reason of insolvency. A handful of former coaches and players formed the TSV Stahl Riesa, a successor club, that started play in the 2. Kreisklasse Riesa-Grossenhain (XI) and has since worked its way up to the Bezirksliga Dresden (VII).
German internationals
- Willi Arlt played eleven times for the German national team between 1939 and 1942 and was Germany's youngest ever national team football player at age 17.
- Ulf Kirsten started his career in Riesa as a young footballer.
External links