Borussia Fulda

Borussia Fulda
Full name	Sport Club Borussia 1904 Fulda
Founded	June 4, 1904
Ground	Sportpark Johannisau (Capacity 18,000)
Chairman	Kai Möller
Manager	Henry Lesser
League	Oberliga Hessen (IV)
2006-07	Oberliga Hessen, 8th
Home colours 　 Away colours

Borussia Fulda is a German football club from Fulda, Hesse. The club was founded June 4, 1904 as FC Borussia 1904 Fulda and underwent a number of changes in 1923 when they were first joined by Radsportclub 1907 Fulda in July, and then by Kraftsportklub Germania Fulda in September. On September 6, 1923 the association was named 1. SV Borussia 04 Fulda.

History

In 1933 German football was re-organized under the Third Reich into sixteen top-flight divisions and Fulda immediately took up play in the Gauliga Hessen, capturing the division title and advancing to the national playoff round where they went out early. Over the next two seasons the team earned consecutive second place finishes behind FC Hanau 93 before being relegated in 1938. Fulda returned to first division play in 1939 and the next year claimed the first of what would be three divisional titles over the course of the next four seasons, but were unable to claim any successes at the national level or in play for the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's German Cup. They earned their last title playing as Reichsbahn SG Borussia Fulda after a 1943 wartime merger with Reichsbahn SG Fulda. Play in the Gauliga Hessen collapsed in the 1944-45 season as Allied armies advanced into Germany as World War II drew to a close. At war's end, occupying Allied authorities ordered the dissolution of all organizations in the country, including sports and football associations. The club was re-established as SG Borussia 04/45 Fulda on October 17, 1945 and was united with a club bearing the name 1. SV Borussia Fulda which has been formed on March 11, 1948. A January 17, 1951 merger with SC Fulda led to the creation of SC Borussia 04 Fulda. SC Borussia played as a local side until winning promotion to the Amateurliga Hessen (III) in 1957 and, with the exception of the 1959-60 season, remained a third division team through to 1963. The club finished well enough that year to earn a place in the newly formed Regionalliga Süd (II) but were promptly relegated. They would compete in the Amateurliga Hessen (III) for the next 11 seasons before slipping to fourth division play in the Landesliga Hessen-Nord in 1975 and then spending the next season in the fifth division. Fulda has since played largely as fourth tier side with occasional forays into third division competition. After some solid finishes in the Regionalliga Süd (III) in the late 90s the club ran into financial difficulties and nearly collapsed midway through the 1998-99 season. The club currently plays in the Oberliga Hessen (IV) and has earned upper table results in its last two seasons.

Stadium

Borussia Fulda plays in the Sportpark Johannisau which was built in 1957 to hold 30,000 spectators and today has a capacity of 18,000 (~750 seats).

Honours

• Gauliga Hessen champions: 1934, 1941, 1942, 1944
• Landesliga Hessen/Fulda champions: 1947
• Amateurliga Hessen champions: 1954, 1957, 1960
• Landesliga Hessen-Nord (V) champions: 1990, 2006
• Oberliga Hessen (IV) champions: 1996, 2001

Famous players

• Sebastian Kehl
• Altin Lala
• Karl-Heinz Metzner
• Matthias Tams

External links

• Official team site

References

• Grüne, Hardy (2001). Vereinslexikon. Kassel: AGON Sportverlag ISBN 3-89784-147-9
• Abseits Guide to German Soccer
• Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv historical German domestic league results
• eufo.de European football club profiles and current rosters