1. FC Schweinfurt 05


1. Fussball-Club Schweinfurt 1905, Verein für Leibesübungen e.V., called 1. FC Schweinfurt 05, Schweinfurt 05, or simply FC 05, is a German association football club established in Schweinfurt in 1905. It has sections for netball, fistball, field hockey, badminton, gymnastics, rugby, American football, futsal, and athletics.
The club is well known nationally and even internationally due to successful years in top and second-tier football leagues from the 1930s to the 1970s. During the late 1930s, Schweinfurt's midfielders Albin Kitzinger and Andreas Kupfer, today considered as two of the best half-back players of all time, formed the core of the Germany national football team and represented their country at the 1938 FIFA World Cup and within the FIFA selection Europe XI.
The FC 05 first team, which competes in the tier-four Regionalliga Bayern since the 2013–14 season, is organized within 1. FC Schweinfurt 1905 Fußball GmbH. The club plays its home games at Willy-Sachs-Stadion in Schweinfurt.

History

Early years: 1905–1931

At a time when football became more and more popular among broad levels of the population, 1. Fussball-Club Schweinfurt 1905 was founded on 5 May 1905 by a group of sports enthusiasts. The club's first chairman, Pepi Popp, designed the still unchanged FC 05 crest.
The new team played in various local leagues until beginning of the First World War. The home games were held at Hutrasen south of river Main, the later venue of local competitor VfR 07 Schweinfurt. In 1919, Schweinfurt 05 had to move to a new court near Ludwigsbrücke and became member of the tier-one Kreisliga Nordbayern, but relegated after its first season. The team attempted a merger with Turngemeinde Schweinfurt von 1848, which lasted from 1921 to 1923, before the two groups parted ways again and the football division became 1. Fussball-Club Schweinfurt 1905, Verein für Leibesübungen e.V.
While FC 05 did not reap the expected benefits from the brief union, it improved dramatically after re-establishing itself as an independent club. Membership grew significantly and a number of new sports departments were formed within the organization. The football team yielded its first fruits in 1927 by winning the Unterfranken Cup championship, and in 1931, when it became Kreisliga Unterfranken champion.

Years of excellence: 1931–1963

Schweinfurt 05 finally gained first class status again with its entry into the Bezirksliga Bayern in 1931.
After introduction of the Gauliga system in 1933, the club became member of the top-flight Gauliga Bayern thanks to finishing 3rd in Bezirksliga Bayern Nord.
Schweinfurt experienced an era of successful seasons in those years, winning the Gauliga Bayern in 1939 and 1942, and qualifying for the German football championship round.
In the German football championship 1939 competition, the team barely missed the semi-final qualification games after three wins in the group stage, where it defeated later 1943 and 1944 German champion Dresdner SC 1–0 in the first leg, but then lost to Dresden 0–1 in the decisive away match.
The club failed in the round of 16 of the 1942 German football championship after a 1–2 loss to SG SS Straßburg.
Schweinfurt made a semi-final appearance in the 1936 Tschammerpokal, when it was defeated 2–3 by FC Schalke 04, the closest it ever came to winning a national title. Again in 1936, the club moved into its newly constructed stadium, the Willy-Sachs-Stadion, a donation by local industrialist and patron Willy Sachs.
At that time, FC 05 midfielders Albin Kitzinger and Andreas 'Ander' Kupfer became renowned in international football as they formed one of the best half-back duos in Europe. Kitzinger and Kupfer were an essential part of the famous Germany national team who defeated Denmark 8–0 in Breslau on 16 May 1937. One year later they competed at the 1938 FIFA World Cup, and were both called up to represent Germany within the FIFA selection Europe XI in the FA 75th anniversary game against England at Highbury in London.
Due to the Second World War, Schweinfurt 05 merged with Luftwaffen SV Schweinfurt into KSG Schweinfurt for the 1943–44 and 1944–45 Gauliga seasons. The club temporarily had been dissolved in May 1945 under pressure from the occupying powers.
After World War II, the re-established 1. FC Schweinfurt 05 was integrated into the tier-one Oberliga Süd, which, for the first time in German football, introduced the system of contract players in August 1948.
The club stayed in the Oberliga for the duration of the league's existence until the Bundesliga, Germany's new professional league, was founded in 1963.
Schweinfurt reached the round of the last sixteen of the 1954–55 DFB-Pokal, where it lost 0–1 in the replay against FC Schalke 04 after a 1–1 draw in the first match.
On the occasion of the club's 50th anniversary in 1955, Schweinfurt could demonstrate its level when the team defeated German champion Rot-Weiss Essen 3–1, and achieved a 1–1 draw against Everton F.C. from English Football League First Division.
In 1950, Andreas Kupfer became the first captain of the West Germany national football team in his very final 44th appearance. FC 05 goalkeeper Günter Bernard earned two West Germany caps in 1962, before he joined Bundesliga founding member SV Werder Bremen one year later, and was named in Germany's squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup.

Second tier years: 1963–1976

As it did not qualify for the newly established Bundesliga in 1963, Schweinfurt 05 found itself playing in the second tier Regionalliga Süd. In the 1965–66 season, the club became Southern German champion and made it to the Bundesliga advancement games, but was unable to ascend to the top tier.
With the introduction of the 2. Bundesliga in 1974, Schweinfurt was founding member of the southern division despite only finishing 15th in the last Regionalliga year. For its first 2. Bundesliga season in 1974–75, the club signed-up former national team striker and Bundesliga top scorer Lothar Emmerich. The team earned an excellent third place and barely missed the advancement games for promotion to Bundesliga.

Yo-yo years: 1976–2016

After the 1974–75 season, FC 05 began to falter: poor results and financial problems saw the club descend first to the Bayernliga and then, for the first time in 1983, to the Landesliga Bayern-Nord.
Schweinfurt 05 became a yo-yo club ascending and descending between tiers III and IV, with just a pair of brief 2. Bundesliga appearances in 1990–91 and in 2001–02.
As 1989–90 Bayernliga champion the club prevailed in the advancement games to 2. Bundesliga, but was not able to keep pace in the new league.
In 2001, Schweinfurt qualified for promotion to 2. Bundesliga after finishing 3rd in Regionalliga Süd.
Despite of a decent first half of the tier-two season, the team finally could not avoid relegation after one year.
The club made it into the last sixteen of the 1989–90 DFB-Pokal, where it lost 0–2 to Eintracht Braunschweig.
Disasters happened in 2004 when FC Schweinfurt 05 was forced to leave the Regionalliga Süd because of financial reasons, and in 2005 when the club went bankrupt. The results in the Bayernliga were annulled, and the team was relegated to the fifth tier Landesliga.
A re-structured club successfully worked its way back into Bayernliga in 2008. After it was relegated again to the Landesliga in 2009, the team returned to the Bayerliga immediately the following year. At the end of the 2011–12 season the club managed to qualify for the promotion round to the new Regionalliga Bayern and advanced to the second round, where the club missed out on promotion.
The club finally earned direct promotion to tier-four Regionalliga Bayern in the 2012–13 season by taking the championship in the Bayernliga northern division.
Schweinfurt's first three Regionalliga years, however, were characterized by a permanent struggle against relegation.

Recent years: 2016–today

In 2016, the FC 05 first team was spun off into 1. FC Schweinfurt 1905 Fußball GmbH. By means of the reorganization, the club again established professional structures that shall pave the way back to higher leagues.
Schweinfurt actually experienced an upturn in the 2016–17 season and finished 8th in Regionalliga Bayern. In addition, the team succeeded in winning the Bavarian Cup after a 1–0 victory over SV Wacker Burghausen in the final, combined with qualification for the 2017–18 DFB-Pokal.
In the 2017–18 Regionalliga, Schweinfurt's ambitioned team was not able to jeopardize the championship of TSV 1860 München.
The club finally finished 3rd, where striker Adam Jabiri became Regionalliga Bayern top scorer.
1. FC Schweinfurt 05 defeated 2. Bundesliga club SV Sandhausen 2–1 in the 2017–18 DFB-Pokal first round, but then lost 0–4 to later cup winner SG Eintracht Frankfurt.
In the same season, Schweinfurt 05 successfully defended the Bavarian Cup after a 3–1 victory over league competitor SpVgg Oberfranken Bayreuth in the final, and qualified for the 2018–19 DFB-Pokal.
With the objective of the 2018–19 Regionalliga championship and promotion to 3. Liga, Schweinfurt signed up former European U-17 Champion Florian Trinks.
However, the club clearly missed the chance for promotion and finished 4th end of this season.
In the 2018–19 DFB-Pokal first round, Schweinfurt lost 0–2 to previous season's Bundesliga runner-up and 2018–19 UEFA Champions League competitor FC Schalke 04.

Honours

League

† Northern division
‡ Promoted to 2. Bundesliga
# Reserve team

Seasons

First team

The season-by-season performance of the club from 1931 until today:

  • The 1944–45 Gauliga Bayern season operated in five regional divisions. It is unknown whether any of the season's games were played in the Lower Franconia division.
  • With the introduction of the Bezirksoberligas in 1988 as the new fifth tier, below the Landesligas, all leagues below dropped one tier. With the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994 and the 3. Liga in 2008 as the new third tier, below the 2. Bundesliga, all leagues below dropped one tier. With the establishment of the Regionalliga Bayern as the new fourth tier in Bavaria in 2012 the Bayernliga was split into a northern and a southern division, the number of Landesligas expanded from three to five and the Bezirksoberligas were abolished. All leagues from the Bezirksligas onward were elevated one tier.
  • The 2020–21 Regionalliga Bayern season has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, and the original 2019–20 season was extended until spring 2021.

    Reserve team

The recent season-by-season performance of the U23 reserve. After the 2017−18 season, the team had been pulled out from future league participation.
SeasonDivisionTierPosition
2011–12Kreisliga Schweinfurt 1VIII9th
2012–13Kreisliga Schweinfurt 1VIII1st ↑
2013–14Bezirksliga Unterfranken-OstVII1st ↑
2014–15Landesliga Bayern-NordwestVI5th
2015–16Landesliga Bayern-NordwestVI3rd
2016–17Landesliga Bayern-NordwestVI1st ↑
2017–18Bayernliga NordV16th ↓

German football championship appearances

The club's appearances in German football championship competitions:
SeasonRoundDateHomeAwayResultAttendance
1939Group stage10 April 1939Warnsdorfer FK1. FC Schweinfurt 051–44,000
1939Group stage16 April 19391. FC Schweinfurt 05Dresdner SC1–015,000
1939Group stage30 April 19391. FC Schweinfurt 05Warnsdorfer FK4–26,000
1939Group stage7 May 1939Dresdner SC*1. FC Schweinfurt 051–040,000
1942Last sixteen24 May 1942SG SS Straßburg1. FC Schweinfurt 052–112,000

* Dresdner SC finished top of the group, level on points with Schweinfurt, due to better scoring

DFB-Pokal appearances

The club's appearances in Tschammerpokal and DFB-Pokal:
SeasonRoundDateHomeAwayResultAttendance
1935First round1 September 19351. FC Schweinfurt 05SV 08 Steinach4–01,500
1935Second round22 September 1935PSV Chemnitz1. FC Schweinfurt 054–27,000
1936First round14 June 19361. FC Schweinfurt 05FC Hanau 934–02,000
1936Second round28 June 19361. FC Schweinfurt 05SV 1898 Feuerbach5–21,500
1936Last sixteen6 September 1936TSG Ulm 18461. FC Schweinfurt 052–43,000
1936Quarter-finals25 October 1936SV Waldhof Mannheim1. FC Schweinfurt 051–210,000
1936Semi-finals8 November 1936FC Schalke 041. FC Schweinfurt 053–27,000
1939First round20 August 19391. FC Schweinfurt 05SC Wacker Wien2–3 2,500
1942First round20 July 1942FC Hanau 931. FC Schweinfurt 052–12,000
1943First round12 September 1943*KSG Schweinfurt1. FC Nürnberg2–45,000
1954–55First round15 August 1954Tennis Borussia Berlin1. FC Schweinfurt 052–420,000
1954–55Last sixteen26 September 1954FC Schalke 041. FC Schweinfurt 051–1 5,000
1954–55Last sixteen7 October 19541. FC Schweinfurt 05FC Schalke 040–1†7,000
1967–68First round27 January 19681. FC Schweinfurt 05Eintracht Frankfurt1–2 10,000
1968–69First round22 January 1969Arminia Hannover1. FC Schweinfurt 054–03,174
1971–72First round4 December 19711. FC Schweinfurt 05Eintracht Frankfurt1–010,000
1971–72First round15 December 1971Eintracht Frankfurt1. FC Schweinfurt 056–1‡3,000
1974–75First round7 September 19741. FC Schweinfurt 051. FC Kaiserslautern3–414,000
1975–76First round2 August 1975Tennis Borussia Berlin1. FC Schweinfurt 052–03,000
1976–77First round7 August 19761. FC Schweinfurt 05FV Hassia Bingen2–32,000
1989–90First round19 August 19891. FC Schweinfurt 05Altonaer FC 931–02,100
1989–90Second round23 September 19891. FC Schweinfurt 05Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin4–26,500
1989–90Last sixteen11 November 19891. FC Schweinfurt 05Eintracht Braunschweig0–212,000
1991–92First round27 July 19911. FC Schweinfurt 05SV Waldhof Mannheim1–62,300
1996–97First round10 August 19961. FC Schweinfurt 05Hansa Rostock2–55,000
2002–03First round30 August 20021. FC Schweinfurt 051. FC Union Berlin1–2 2,500
2017–18First round13 August 20171. FC Schweinfurt 05SV Sandhausen2–14,610
2017–18Second round24 October 20171. FC Schweinfurt 05Eintracht Frankfurt0–415,060
2018–19First round17 August 20181. FC Schweinfurt 05FC Schalke 040–215,060

* Adjourned after the allied air-raid on Schweinfurt on 17 August 1943
† Replay
‡ Eintracht Frankfurt won 6–2 on aggregate

Stadium

In its first years, 1. FC Schweinfurt 05 played the home games at Hutrasen, the later venue of local competitor VfR 07 Schweinfurt. After the First World War, the club had to move to a court in close proximity, located at Ludwigsbrücke in Schweinfurt. With promotion to Gauliga Bayern in 1933, however, the existing venue proved to be more and more inadequate.
The club's necessity finally motivated local industrialist Willy Sachs to the donation of a football stadium to the City of Schweinfurt, where the patron designated a privileged right of use for FC Schweinfurt 05. The new Willy-Sachs-Stadion, built by German architect Paul Bonatz, was opened on 23 July 1936 in the presence of leading politicians of the Third Reich. The stadium saw its first game three days later with a 2–2 draw between Schweinfurt 05 and 1935 German champion FC Schalke 04. Attandance record was 22,500 at a friendly between Schweinfurt 05 and 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 1954.
Today, Willy-Sachs-Stadion has a capacity of 15,060, where the grandstand hosts 860 covered seats. Besides the football field, the stadium offers track and field facilities, and is equipped with a classical Marathon gate. Premises at the stadium include changing rooms for players, coaches, and referees. Speaker cabins and a press area are available in the grandstand.
The stadium has been renovated and equipped with floodlights in 2001 in order to meet the requirements for 2. Bundesliga. In addition, an electronic scoreboard was contributed by Schweinfurt's large industry. Wavebreakers have been installed on the standing rooms in 2014 to safeguard the stadium's full capacity.

Players

Current squad

Notable past players

Germany national football team :
  • Albin Kitzinger: 44/2
  • Andreas Kupfer: 44/1
  • Günter Bernard: 2/0
Europe XI :
  • Albin Kitzinger: 1/0
  • Andreas Kupfer: 1/0

    Non-playing staff

Current management team

Managerial history

Head coaches of the club from 1929:
ManagerStartFinish
Karl Willnecker1 July 192930 June 1930
Hans Teufel1 July 193030 June 1933
Leonhard Seiderer1 July 193330 June 1934
Fritz Bennöder1 July 193430 June 1935
Hans Teufel1 July 193530 April 1936
Hans Sauerwein1 May 193630 April 1938
Ludwig Leinberger1 May 193830 April 1941
Albin Kitzinger1 May 194130 April 1946
Hans Teufel1 May 194630 June 1947
Andreas Kupfer1 July 194730 March 1949
Erich Kratzsch1 April 194930 June 1950
Albin Kitzinger1 July 195030 June 1951
Kuno Krügel1 July 195131 October 1951
Andreas Kupfer1 November 195131 May 1953
Fritz Teufel1 June 195330 June 1959
Fritz Käser1 July 195930 June 1960
Alfons Remlein1 July 196031 December 1961
Fritz Käser1 January 196231 December 1963
Andreas Kupfer1 January 196430 June 1964
Fritz Käser1 July 196430 June 1965
Gunther Baumann1 July 196515 January 1967
Bernd Oles16 January 196730 Juny 1967
Jenő Vincze1 July 196730 June 1971
Kurt Koch1 July 197115 November 1972
WalterLang/Ludwig Merz16 November 197231 December 1972
Fritz Schollmeyer1 January 197315 February 1974
Walter Lang16 February 197430 Juny 1974
István Sztani1 July 197430 June 1975
Peter Velhorn1 July 197524 February 1976
Gunther Baumann25 February 197615 May 1976
István Sztani16 May 197615 October 1976
Fritz Käser16 October 197615 October 1978
Otto Baum16 October 197830 Juny 1979
Rolf Lamprecht1 July 197930 June 1980
Otto Baum1 July 198015 March 1983
István Sztani16 March 198330 June 1983
Rudi Ziegler1 July 198315 August 1984
Edgar Kommer16 August 198431 March 1985
Heinz Wendrich1 April 198515 December 1986
Werner Lorant16 December 198630 June 1990
Elmar Wienecke1 July 199012 August 1990
Niko Semlitsch13 August 199022 April 1991
Georg Baier23 April 199130 June 1991
Franz Brungs1 July 199117 November 1991
Georg Baier18 November 199130 June 1992
Erwin Albert1 July 199231 August 1993
Riko Weigand1 September 199315 February 1994
Djuradj Vasic16 February 199414 September 2002
Hans-Jürgen Boysen18 September 200218 November 2003
Rainer Hörgl19 November 200330 June 2004
Rainer Ulrich1 July 200415 November 2004
Rüdiger Mauder16 November 20042 April 2006
Bernd Häcker3 April 200630 June 2006
Wolfgang Hau1 July 200616 January 2008
Werner Dreßel17 January 200830 June 2008
Frank Lerch1 July 200830 June 2009
Klaus Scheer1 July 200919 September 2011
Udo Romeis20 September 201130 June 2012
Gerd Klaus1 July 201230 June 2018
Timo Wenzel1 July 20185 November 2019

Supporters and rivalries

The supporters of Schweinfurt 05 maintain a traditional friendship with the fans of Würzburger FV. They have a distinct hostility with fans of Würzburger FV's local rival FC Würzburger Kickers.
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