Fortuna Düsseldorf (Germany)

Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V. to give Fortuna Düsseldorf their full title, are a football club from the industrial city of Düsseldorf in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia region. The club were formed as part of the Turnverein Flingern gymnastics club in 1895, with the team moving to play home games at Lichtplatz from 1908.

Two other local clubs; Düsseldorfer Fußballklub Spielverein who were founded in 1908, and Fortuna (earlier FK Alemania) who were formed in 1911 amalgamated to form Düsseldorfer Fußball-Club Fortuna 1911 in 1913. Another club, TV Flingern joined forces to create Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna on 15 November 1919 as the club moved to a new home ground at Vennhauser Straße.

Outside the Espirit Arena

In the 1920's Fortuna began to win honours, picking up four Bezirksliga district titles and providing their first German international player; Ernst Albrecht. In 1930 the club moved grounds once again, this time to Flinger Broich or Fortunaplatz as it was otherwise called in the Flingern district of the city. In 1933 the club were crowned as German champions after winning the national championships and defeating the prominent Schalke 04 in the final in Cologne.

During the period in which the Third Reich were in power, Fortuna were placed in Gauliga Niederrhein, one of sixteen top tier divisions. They were dominant at this level, lifting the title five times as well as being defeated in the national final of 1936 and reaching the Tschammerpokal, which was the predecessor of the DFB Pokal, the following year. The stand out player of that period was Paul Janes, who was the record appearance holder for Germany until 1970.

Paul Janes Stadion

Once back in peacetime the club were placed in Oberliga West, where they were mainly a mid table team having moved across the city to the Rheinstadion in 1953, although they were beaten finalists of the DFB Pokal in 1957, 1958 and 1962. Fortuna were not selected as one of sixteen founder members of the Bundesliga, but they did gain a place after winning promotion three seasons later. However, their spell lasted just one season.

In 1970 Fortuna returned Fortunaplatz for a couple of seasons while the Rheinstadion was rebuilt, as well as winning promotion to the top flight in 1971, for a spell that lasted sixteen years. Third place finished came in the 1972/73 and 1973/74 seasons. The team reached another Pokal in 1978, this time losing to local rivals 1.FC Koln. On the 9th December 1978 Fortuna hammered Bayern Munich 7-1 at the Rheinstadion.

To see Bayern's largest Bundesliga's defeat, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2AU43uHtn8

The Rheinstadion in its prime

At the end of the 1978-79 season Fortuna reached the European Cup Winners Cup Final, where they lost to FC Barcelona in Berne in a classic encounter. Stand out players at the time were brothers Thomas and Klauss Aloffs, Bernd Zimmermann and Rudi Bommer.

To see the final, click on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ7bOOMWzU0

Fortuna were relegated in 1987, but they retiurned two years later for a spell of five seasons. They fought back once again to regain their top tier place between 1995 and 1997, before the club entered a period of turmoil. By 2002 Fortuna found themselves in the fourth tier Oberliga Nordrhein and in huge financial trouble, while playing at the Paul Janes Stadion as Fortunaplatz had been re-named from 1990 in honour of their former hero. The stadium also housed Fortuna Düsseldorf  II. Local punk band Die Toten Hosen helped out by sponsoring the club for a few seasons.

Inside the Espirit Arena

In 2005 Fortuna returned to the site where the new LTU Arena stood in place of the demolished Rheinstadion. In 2008 the club played in the newly formed 3.Bundesliga where they finished as runners-up and won promotion. The 2009-10 season saw the team narrowly miss out on another promotion after finishing in fourth place at the re-named Espirit Arena. After an average following campaign Fortuna started the 2011-12 season in great form, as they headed the table for some time. They eventually won promotion back to the 1.Bundesliga via a play off win over Hertha BSC Berlin. Team captain Andreas Lambertz became the first German player to be promoted three times with the same club.

However, the spell in the top flight lasted just one season as Fortuna were relegated on the final day of the 2012-13 season after defeat to Hannover 96. 

Fortuna Dusseldorf will play in 2. Bundesliga in the 2013-14 season.


My visit

Fortuna Düsseldorf 1 Bayern München 2 (Saturday 14th October 1989) 1.Bundesliga (att: 55,000)

I was on my first ever trip outside the UK with some pals from the Gas Club in Scarborough on a mini holiday in the Rhine Valley. We arrived in Germany on the Friday afternoon, with the coach stopping for an hour or so in Bonn for our driver Derek, to have his designated rest. Naturally enough, without further ado, we headed for a bar.

The establishment we chose had various football mementos hanging up. We managed to get through to the barman that we wanted to know the fixtures for the following day, with this been in the days before the internet and the same coverage that would later be taken as normal. It was established that the game that stood out was Düsseldorf v Munich, with Scottish international Alan McInally getting great reviews back home while starring for Bayern.

I went drinking on the Friday evening with Crusher and Kev Phillips before meeting up with the rest of the gang. Both were very keen on going to the game, so we agreed to make sure we got up and had breakfast to set us on our way. Derek, who wasn't exactly endearing us gave us the advice that we needed to travel south and across the river to Rüdesheim. This needed a costly taxi ride, but we took what he said as gospel. After a couple of liveners at the bar next to the station we got on board our train, only to find out it went via Koblenz, where Derek was taking the rest of the party on a shopping trip!

We arrived a train that got busier with fans as we approached Düsseldorf after our ride that lasted over three hours. We got a few looks as we spoke in English, but the locals were fine once they realised that we weren't Bayern fans. We followed the crowds downstairs to the trams and we were quickly on a packed service to the Rheinstadion.

We managed to work out that we needed tickets in advance, but that was no obstacle. Despite the high attendance, the stadium held 76,000 at the time. We went inside and found ourselves on the terracing behind the goal for 12DM, which was around £4 at the time.

The Rheinstadion was a beautiful venue, although not perfect for football as the pitch was surrounded by an athletics track that had hosted the 1977 World Championships. There was a continuous lower tier with terracing at each end. Above of this tier was a horseshoe shaped upper level, with the far end open. Seating occupied upstairs apart from a couple of blocks at the far end, where the Fortuna fans stood.

Bayern began the game well on top and went ahead after just five minutes through Manfred Schwabl. Much though we were urging on the home side, they doubled their lead on thirty two minutes when Roland Wohlfarth netted.

Me and my new friend

At half time we were chatting away, when a bloke came across with a familiar accent. He turned out to be in the army based nearby, but came from Sheffield and was supporting Bayern. We had a good chat and he gave us some useful tips about the football out there.

Fortuna battled back after the break, but couldn't get a goal back immediately. We wanted to hear the noise if they did. On the hour they did get back into the game via a Klaus Augenthaler own goal. Despite the efforts of Uwe Fuchs leading the home forward line, Bayern held out reasonably comfortably to pick up an away victory.

We let the crowd drift away as we bought a bratwurst and a alcohol free beer and sat in the upper tier seats to get a better view. This allowed us to get on a tram hassle free and even get a seat. We were advised that it was best for us to change trains at Cologne on the way back by the man at the Hauptbanhof. While we were waiting for it to come along a special train full of Bayern fans went past us. I was wearing a Fortuna hat, and received dogs abuse, much to the hilarity of my pals.

We did change at Cologne, and lo and behold we caught a direct train to St Goar, where we were based. A couple of hours later we were sat in the pub having a meal and watching the highlights while drinking away. It was as well Derek didn't feel thirsty, as we ready to offer him major feedback!


The pictures at the top of this page of The Espirit Arena, Rheinstadion and Paul Janes Stadion have been taken from the internet. They will be replaced, hopefully soon, when I return for a game.

KFC Uerdingen 05 (Germany)

KFC Uerdingen 05 (Krefelder Fußballclub Uerdingen 05 e.V., to give them their full title) are a football club in the district of Uerdingen in the 'velvet and silk' city of Krefeld in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia. The club was formed on the 17th November 1905 as Fußball-Club Uerdingen 05, until August 1919 when they were joined by Sportvereinigung des Realgymnasiums Urdingen. In 1927 the club moved into the newly constructed Grotenburg-Stadion.

During World War II the club joined forces with VfB 1910 Uerdingen, playing as Kriegspielgemeinschaft Uerdingen. In peacetime they continued their alliance as Spielvereinigung Uerdingen 05, until February 1948 when VfB became an independant club once more. In 1950 SpVgg returned to their original name of FC Uerdingen 05.

1953 saw another merger with Werkssportgruppe Bayer AG Uerdingen, the works team of the chemical giants Bayer AG, taking the name FC Bayer 05 Uerdingen. Having played their football at local amateur level, the club progressed to Amateurliga Niederrhein in the early 60's. Further progression came in 1971 as Uerdingen reached Regionalliga West. After a few seasons of strong finishes, they ended the 1974-75 season as runners-up, which led to promotion to the Bundesliga as their home stadium was renovated to hold the bigger crowds.

The historical logos of the club

Their spell in the top flight lasted just one season, before they were relegated to 2.Bundesliga Nord. A second place finish in 1979 saw Uerdingen promoted once again; this time for a period of two years. They were obviously not satisfied with second tier football as the club were promoted once more in 1983, to start the clubs most successful period.

In 1986 Bayer Uerdingen finished in third place in the Bundesliga and also winning the DFB Pokal (German Cup) in 1985 after beating Bayern Munich 2-1 in the final at Berlin's Olympiastadion.

To see action of the great day, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iMgSVL90Ng

The following season saw the club in European Cup Winners Cup action, with the quarter final seeing one of the most dramatic games in UEFA history. By half time in the second leg at the Grotenburg-Stadion Uerdingen were 5-1 down on aggregate to Dynamo Dresden. The final fourty five minutes saw the home side hammer in six unanswered goal to win the tie 7-5 over the two games, before losing to Atletico Madrid in the semi-final.

To see the dramatic Dynamo second leg, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ9aVIkUPLg

Following these successes the Grotenburg was given further refurbishments, and all seemed well despite a few promotions and relegations between the top flight and 2.Bundesliga and winning the Intertoto Cup on four occasions, until 1995 when Bayer withdrew their funding. The club started their 1995-96 Bundesliga campaign as Krefelder Fußball-Club Uerdingen 05 in the Bundesliga, before two relegations saw the club plying their trade in the third tier Regionalliga Nord by the turn of the millennium.

Worse was to follow in 2003 as the DFB refused the club a license to compete at that level owing to financial problems. Instead KFC were placed in Oberliga Nordrhein. The German leagues were restructured for the 2008-09 season with the introduction of 3.Bundesliga. Uerdingen hoped for a place in the fourth tier Regionalliga under the stewardship of veteran coach and Fortuna Düsseldorf legend Aleksandar Ristić for a short spell.











Instead, the club were placed in the Verbandsliga. In 2010-11 Uerdingen won their first promotion in seventeen years as they lifted the Verbandsliga title and a place in the NRW-Liga. When this league was disbanded, KFC were placed in Oberliga Niederrhein as the club tried to raise finances with some inavative ideas to assist in their push back up the leagues, including a friendly with Bayern Munich which drew a crowd of 30,000 for a friendly.

KFC Uerdingen 05 played in the Oberliga Niederrhein in the 2012-13 season and went on to win the title, gaining promotion back to the Regionalliga.

KFC Uerdingen 05 will play in the Regionalliga West in the 2013-14 season.


My visit

Saturday 27th October 2012

I awoke in my Dusseldorf hotel on a beautiful bright late autumn morning after a really good first day in Germany in my search of new stadiums and football. The previous nights 3-3 draw in Cologne, followed by a really good drink in Dusseldorf's Aldstadt had put me in a really good mood, as well as helping me to a much needed deep sleep.

My afternoon destination was Gelsenkirchen for the clash between Schalke and Nuremburg, but I was determined not to waste my morning. I remember Bayer Uerdingen from my youth and had since done some research as to their demise. Their website showed a good old fashioned stadium, and I wanted to see it in the flesh.

After a quick train from my adjacent station to Dusseldorf's Hauptbanhof, I was soon on a train via Neuss which would stop at the Krefeld-Oppum station. After a twenty minute ride I was out in the cool air and taking a ten minutes brisk walk up Buddestrasse past the tram stop and pretty Schonwasserpark and into the busy main Berliner Strasse. This took me past the zoo and to the stadium.

The road up to the stands took me past the wonderful sight of hundreds of kids practising on artificial pitches in the hope of becoming the next local hero, as their doting parents looked on. I was even happier on finding the gates in the corner to the stadium open. What I found was a ground I grew up going to games in. It was a real beauty.

The North Stand was a large covered single tiered block of seats. Opposite was the South Strand, which backed onto the training ground, with a seating tier behind a large terraced paddock. The West Terrace was a huge open end up to the pitch with a scoreboard at the rear. These three constructions had all been built after the successes of the Cup Winners Cup. The final East Terrace was the original which was curved away from the pitch, where the athletics track once ran.

I wandered along the back of the South Stand, where a drinks kiosk was open for spectators watching the youngsters going through their drills. Everyone seemed friendly, with a few allo's and smiles being exchanged. I gained access into the West Terrace, which was showing signs of not being used for some time. The stadium car park was being used for a car boot stall come flea market, so I had a look at the stalls to see if anything took my interest before heading back to the station.

Having a few minutes to kill, I took the opportunity to pop into a local bakery, where the friendly staff spoke perfect English on seeing me struggle with my pidgin German. The large Danish pastry and strong coffee were most welcoming. At this point I made a decision after a bit of quandering and took a train into Krefeld, where I hoped to get a fast train towards Duisburg in the hope that time would be a kind enough to allow me the opportunity of visiting the Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena. The trains were fine as I'd planned, but the stadium was too far from the station. I couldn't really complain.

I'd visited a lovely city, albeit briefly and seen a tremendous traditional stadium with youths playing the game. I knew for certain that one day in the future that I wanted to attend a KFC Uerdingen 05, preferably with the club doing well.

SC Victoria Hamburg (Germany)

SC Victoria Hamburg, or Sport- Club Victoria Hamburg von 1895 e. V. to give them their full title are a sports club, with a football department who were formed in 1895 in the northern German city of Hamburg. 

On the 5th May 1895 two youth sides Cito and Excelsior joined forces to form Victoria. After a brief affiliation with Hamburg SV, they became independent as a football club a couple of years later. The sports club also catered for those wishing to partake in badminton, handball, hockey, athletics, tennis, table tennis, gymnastics, baseball and softball.

In 1901 the club became founder members of the Deutscher Fussball Bund (German FA) and going on to be crowned north German champions in 1907 and 1908, going on to reach the national quarter finals on both occasions, and moving into Stadion Hoheluft. During the period of the Third Reich being in power the club were placed in one of sixteen top tiers; Gauliga Nordmark and then Gauliga Hamburg, where two titles were won.

In 1947 Victoria were one of four Hamburg clubs to join the newly formed Oberliga Nord. They didn't last long, and despite another couple of brief appearances at that top flight level they spent most of the 50's and 60's in the Amateurliga Hamburg. In 1963 the Bundesliga was formed with Victoria having three seasons in Regionaliga Nord before returning to their previous level.

They suffered a relegation, before an immediate return to the Amateurliga for the following eight seasons. In 1977 the club found themselves in the fourth tier Verbandsliga Hamburg for the following eighteen years. In 1994 league re-organising meant that the Verbandsliga became the fifth tier. The team won a couple of promotions to the Oberliga, but were subsequently relegated. 

2007 saw Victoria win the Hamburg City Cup which enabled them to enter the DFB Pokal (German Cup) the following season after a long absence. Sadly they were soon knocked out in the first round by 1.FC Nurnberg .  In 2010-11 Victoria once again played in the DFB Pokal  and provided a big shock as they defeated 2.Bundesliga club Rot-Weiß Oberhausen before they went down to VfL Wolfsburg. However, the good form continued as Victoria regained their Oberliga place and then a place in the fourth tier Regionalliga Nord.

SC Victoria Hamburg will play in Regionalliga Nord in the 2013-14 season.


My visit

Monday 29th October 2012

I was ready to get back to visiting some new stadiums after the previous days football and drinking in Hamburg. It was my final day of four in Germany and I was determined to make the most of it, despite the biting winds and overcast conditions. 

After heading the wrong way on the train and a brief look down on the waterfront, I soon found my correct way to alight at Hoheluftbrucke station. I was getting the hang of the transport network and new that my one day ticket was also valid, so I got on a long bendy bus heading up the road of the same name, which dropped me just past the ground.

To my joy the gates were open with the groundsman getting on with his work after the previous days match against FC St Pauli II. I walked in to find a wonderful old fashioned three sided football ground, the sort of which are slowly being swallowed up by developers in the UK in exchange for soulless out of town arenas.

The near end had an open terrace with a grass bank behind. Another larger open terrace ran down one side of the pitch with segregation barriers in place. There was nothing behind the far goal as it bordered some trees but the final side had a sizeable open terrace and then a majestic raised Main Stand painted in the club colours of yellow and blue, set back from the pitch with seating inside. It really was a beauty, especially that stand.

I took plenty of photos before heading back to the main road and a return bus ride, in search of my next venue at Altona 93.

Teutonia 05 (Germany)

FC Teutonia Ottensen of 1905 eV, to give the club their full title were formed in 1905 in the Ottensen district of Altona in Hamburg in northern Germany. Ten original members formed the club in a beer hall.

Interest grew as the club entered the North German Football Association, moving to their first home; Hogen in 1910. After a couple of spells in the areas top level, they joined the Alster District League in 1928. Teutonia merged with Ottensen 07 during World War Two playing in local football.

The club dropped right down to the Unterklassigkeit, before re-emerging once again and working their way back to the sixth tier Landesliga. The club were making an appeal to have an artificial surface installed at their Holy Cross Church ground (officially called the Gottfried Tönsfeld Sports Field), so that their excellent work in developing youth sides would be rewarded and compliment the new changing rooms and clubhouse.

Teutonia 05 will play in the Landesliga Hammonia in the 2013-14 season.

My visit

Monday 28th October 2012

I had no intention of visiting Teutonia during my stay in Hamburg. To tell the truth I'd never even heard of them, until research in the excellent Mikrofon newspaper showed a picture of them in action in their previous days clash. I was on the final day of my adventures in Germany. I had enjoyed a superb time, but it appeared that I may need a return to cross off the many clubs I'd obviously overlooked.

The only reason I found the ground was because I'd mistakenly waited for a train to go to Altona 93 and then had to go by foot. I was going at quite a pace and looking all the time for a bus service that went near their home. Next to one stop was a poster for Teutonia match twenty four hours earlier. I was looking at my basic map of the area to see if it showed where the ground was. There was another poster at the end of the road, so I surely couldn't have been far away?

Unbelievably I turned the corner and there was the ground in front of me. The wire netting surrounding the basic venue allowed me to take my photos. The pitch was red cinder pitch, which explained the clubs desire to upgrade. There was a few steps of open terracing down either side of the pitch, with nothing behind the goal bordering Bleickenallee. The other end was the domain of the clubhouse and changing rooms. The entrance to the ground was on the corner of Holstentwiete and Hohenzollemring.

I continued along in search of Altona's fine Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn, but happy I'd found another venue on my way.