VfB Lübeck is a German association football club

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...

 playing in Lübeck

Lübeck

The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...

, Schleswig-Holstein

Schleswig-Holstein

Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...

 in the country's north. In addition to its football side the 1,000 member sports club also has departments for badminton, women's 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...

, and table tennis.

Foundation to WWII

The earliest origins of the club go back to a pair of predecessor sides; Ballsportverein Vorwärts Lübeck established on 1 April 1919 and Sportvereinigung Polizei Lübeck founded in 1921.

SV Polizei Lübeck was the local police sports club. In 1931 it was merged with Verein für Rasensport Lübeck, which was the product of the 1923 union of Fußball Club Alemannia 1905 Lübeck and Lübecker Fußball Club Germania 1913. SVP played well enough to earn appearances in the playoff rounds of the senior north German circuit, but did not enjoy any success. VfR made only a single such appearance, in 1924.

BSV Vorwärts Lübeck played as an unheralded local side until 1933 when it was dismantled by the Nazi regime, which regarded workers sports clubs of the sort as politically undesirable. The club's membership became part of SVP and the expanded association joined the Gauliga Nordmark, one of sixteen top flight divisions formed in the 1933 reorganization of German football under the Third Reich.

The club was renamed Polizei Sportverein Lübeck in 1935 and played in the Gauliga Nordmark

Gauliga Nordmark

The Gauliga Nordmark was the highest football league in the Prussian Province of Schleswig-Holstein and the German states of Hamburg, Lübeck, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz and parts of Oldenburg from 1933 to 1945...

 until 1942, with its best results coming as third place finishes. PSV made unsuccessful qualification round appearances in play for the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's DFB-Pokal (German Cup) in 1936–38. In 1942 the club was again renamed, becoming Sportgemeinschaft der Ordnungspolizei Lübeck, and moved to the Gauliga Schleswig-Holstein when wartime conditions forced the breakup 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:...

 Nordmark into three more local divisions.

Post-war era to present

Following World War II organizations throughout Germany, including sports and football clubs, were dissolved by occupying Allied authorities. In 1945 the former memberships of SG OrPo and BSV Vorwärts formed a new association called Verein für Bewegungsspile Lübeck. The new club resumed play in the top flight, first in the Berzirksmeisterschaft Schleswig-Holstein, and then in 1947, in the newly formed Oberliga Nord. Over the next decade and a half VfB bounced up and down between first and second division play; they were consistently a top performer in the Amateurliga Schlewig-Holstein (II), but completely incapable of escaping the basement of the Oberliga Nord (I).

Following the 1963 formation of the Bundesliga, the country's professional first division circuit, the team settled into the Regionalliga Nord (II), generally earning mid-table results. A second place finish in 1969 led VfB to the qualification round for the Bundesliga, where they finished last in their group with only a single point from eight matches.

After 1974, VfB slipped from the ranks of second tier teams to fourth division Landesliga Schleswig-Holstein. They recovered a place in the 2.Bundesliga just over two decades later and resumed their role as an "elevator side", moving frequently between the second and third divisions. In 2004, the team reached the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal

DFB-Pokal

The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...

 (German Cup), but lost to Werder Bremen in extra time. They currently play in the Regionalliga Nord

Regionalliga Nord

The Regionalliga Nord is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the northern and eastern part of Germany. It covers ten of the sixteen states of Germany...

 (IV) where they earned two consecutive third place finishes before slipping to ninth this past season.

After it was revealed that the club has been suffering from financial difficulties, it finally filed for bankruptcy at the district court Lübeck in April 2008.

In July 2009, VfB Lübeck shocked 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...

 club 1. FSV Mainz 05

1. FSV Mainz 05

1. Fußball- und Sportverein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05, Mainz 05, or simply Mainz, is a 1905 founded German association football club based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition to the football section the 1. FSV Mainz 05 has a handball and table tennis department...

, beating them 2–1 after extra time in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. They were eliminated in the next round by VfB Stuttgart

VfB 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...

 (3:1) after again taking a Bundesliga club into extra time.

Current squad

See also List of VfB Lübeck players

VfB Lübeck II squad

• Manager:   Wolf Müller

Famous players

 

• Giuseppe Canale

 

• Cedric Makiadi
  Cedric Makiadi
  Mapuata Cédric Makiadi is a Congolese international footballer who plays professionally for German side SC Freiburg, as a midfielder.-Early and personal life:Born in Kinshasa, Zaire, Makiadi moved to Germany at the age of eight....
  
  

 

• Silvio Adzic
  Silvio Adzic
  Silvio Adzic is a German football player who currently play for TuS Altleiningen. He made his debut on the professional league level in the Bundesliga for 1. FC Kaiserslautern on 30 September 2000 when he came on as a substitute in the 68th minute in a game against FC Energie Cottbus...
  
  

 

• Timo Achenbach
  Timo Achenbach
  Timo Achenbach is a German footballer. He is a left-sided defender and midfielder. He started his footballing career as a youth player for teams such as his home team, FSV Witten and other clubs...
  
  
• Benjamin Baltes
  Benjamin Baltes
  Benjamin Baltes is a German footballer who plays for Kickers Offenbach.-Career:During his youth career, Baltes played for KFC Uerdingen, though in 2005/06 he started playing for SC Freiburg. He began playing for Uerdingen in 2002, having switched from the youth team to the first team...
  
  
• Dietmar Hirsch
  Dietmar Hirsch
  Dietmar Hirsch is a retired German football player who last played for VfB Lübeck.-Coaching career:From June 2008 to December 2009 Hirsch worked as athletic director at VfB Lübeck.-Honours:* DFB-Pokal winner: 1994–95...
  
  
• Torben Hoffmann
  Torben Hoffmann
  Torben Hoffmann is a German football former defender.-External links:*...
  
  
• Dennis Kruppke
  Dennis Kruppke
  Dennis Kruppke is a German footballer currently playing for Eintracht Braunschweig.He joined SC Freiburg from VfB Lübeck in 2003. He returned to Lübeck for a six month loan in January 2007. After this loan he played again for SC Freiburg but was transferred in January 2008 to Eintracht...
  
  
• Markus Kullig
  Markus Kullig
  Markus Kullig is a retired German football player. He spent 2 seasons in the Bundesliga with VfL Wolfsburg and 1. FC Kaiserslautern.-External links:...
  
  
• Joseph Laumann
  Joseph Laumann
  Joseph Laumann is a German footballer who played for Vissai Ninh Bình.-Career:Laumann started his career at Oestrich-Iserlohn before moving to SpVgg Erkenschwick in 2004...
  
  
• Enrico Neitzel
  Enrico Neitzel
  Enrico Neitzel is a German striker, who plays for FC Anker Wismar.-Career:Neitzel played in his youth for ISG Schwerin, 1. FC Magdeburg, Schweriner SC and 1. FSV Schwerin....
  
  
• Tobias Schweinsteiger
  Tobias Schweinsteiger
  ' is a German footballer who plays for SSV Jahn Regensburg in the 3rd Liga. His most remarkable effort was a second division 2–0 away win in 2006 with Eintracht Braunschweig against TSV 1860 München in which he scored both goals.-Personal life:He is the older brother of German international...
  
  
• Jörn Schwinkendorf
  Jörn Schwinkendorf
  Jörn Schwinkendorf is a former German professional footballer currently manager of VfB Pößneck.Playing his football at various sides in the lower division league in Germany, Schwinkendorf came to the attention of Cardiff City who paid £110,000 to SV Waldhof Mannheim for his services and Cardiff...
  
  
• Florian Thorwart
  Florian Thorwart
  Florian Thorwart is a German retired football player who last played for FC Schalke 04 II.-Career:He made his professional debut in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund on November 16, 2002 in a game against TSV 1860 München, when he came on as a substitute in the 90th minute.-External links:...
  
  
• Holger Wehlage
  Holger Wehlage
  Holger Wehlage is a German football player currently playing for BSV Ölper 2000.-External links:...
  
  
• Thomas Hallion
• André Golke
  André Golke
  André Golke is a German former football player.-External links:...
  
  

 

• Alexander Iashvili
  Alexander Iashvili
  Alexander Iashvili is a Georgian football striker. He currently plays for German club Karlsruher SC.He started his career in Dinamo Tbilisi, where he was a great goalscorer. With 24 goals in 24 games and 26 goals in 25 games he attracted interest from foreign clubs, and decided to join VfB...
  
  

 

• Francis Bugri
  Francis Bugri
  Francis Bugri is a German footballer playing for TuS Eving-Lindenhorst. He is the son of a Ghanaian father and a Romanian mother.-Honours:* UEFA Cup finalist: 2001–02* Bundesliga champion: 2001–02-External links:...
  
  

 

• Ferydoon Zandi
  Ferydoon Zandi
  Ferydoon Zandi is an Iranian-German professional footballer who is currently playing for Esteghlal in Iran Pro League.- Childhood :Zandi was born in the city of Emden, in northern Germany, to an Iranian father and a German mother. He speaks German and Persian...
  
  

 

• Gustav Policella
  Gustav Policella
  Gustav Policella is a German football coach and a player, who plays for SC Hauenstein.-External links:...
  
  

 

• Naoki Imaya
  Naoki Imaya
  Naoki Imaya was a Japanese footballer who played as a midfielder or forward.-Career:As a child he moved to Sydney Australia with his parents at age 10. He played for various Australian clubs before moving to Switzerland...
  
  

 

• Aleksei Anatolyevich Kozlov
  Aleksei Anatolyevich Kozlov
  Aleksei Anatolyevich Kozlov is a Russian professional footballer. Currently, he plays for FC Kuban Krasnodar. He made his professional debut in the Russian First Division in 2007 for FC KAMAZ Naberezhnye Chelny.-External links:...
  
  

 

• Daniel Thioune
  Daniel Thioune
  Daniel Thioune is a retired German footballer. He is now an assistant coach for Rot Weiss Ahlen.-References:...
  
  
• Ali Dia
  Ali Dia
  Ali Dia is a former professional Senegalese footballer who once played for the English FA Premier League club Southampton after falsely claiming to be a cousin of Liberian international George Weah.- Career :...
  
  

 

• Deniz Dogan
  Deniz Dogan
  Deniz Doğan is a German football player of Turkish descent. He has played a variety of positions for Eintracht Braunschweig with number 8.He is the twin brother of SV Meppen defender Hüseyin Doğan.-External links:...
  
  
• Hüseyin Doğan
  Hüseyin Dogan
  Hüseyin Doğan is a German football player. He has play a variety of positions for the SV Meppen with number 10.He is twin brother of Eintracht Braunschweig defender Deniz Doğan.-External links:* at Fussballdaten.de...
  
  
• Deniz Kadah
  Deniz Kadah
  Deniz Kadah is a Turkish footballer, who is currently playing for VfB Lübeck.-External links:*...
  
  

 

• Jacob Thomas
  Jacob Thomas (soccer)
  Jacob Thomas is an American soccer midfielder who last played for the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer....
  
  

Former players

Idris Alioua Salih Altin Florent Aziri Daniel Bärwolf Kevin Becker Michael Butrej Daniel Cartus Alessandro Caruso Francesco di Frisco Arek Florczak Alexander Frank Dustin Heun Jan Hoffmann Achim Hollerieth Jiri Homola Dmytro Grybkow

Riza Karadas Necati Kayahan Hendrik Alexander Koep Fabian Kolodzick Mohamed Labiadh Sita Lutula Thomas Manthey Ivan Markow Abdoul Karim Martens Oliver Madejski Antoine Mbassa-Kone Farai Mbidzo George Stanley Mbwando Imad Mokaddem Mürsat Morina Wolf Müller

Zbigniew Murdza Hannes Niemeyer Athanasios Noutsos Darko Novacic Ole Oberbeck Thomas Ollhoff Naim Osmani Jens Paeslack Kevin Perusko Thomas Piper Martin Przondziono Serkan Rinal Roberto Rivelino Metin Sari Mark Sembritzki Rouven Schröder

Lutz Schwerinski Marcel Skordos Stefan Studtrucker Dennis Sudbrak Károly Szanyó Finn-Lasse Thomas Mustafa Turgut Ibrahim Türkmen Vidmantas Vysniauskas Jan Vierig Carsten Wehlmann Ayhan Yazici Tahir Yavuz Ramazan Yildirim Karol Zaborowski

External links

• Official club site
• VfB Lübeck-Fanclub Berlin
• The Abseits guide to German Soccer
• eufo.de European football club profiles and current team rosters