Fortuna Düsseldorf
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| Full name | Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V. | ||
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| Nickname(s) | F95 | ||
| Founded | 5 May 1895 | ||
| Ground | Esprit Arena Paul-Janes-Stadion (Fortuna Düsseldorf II) | ||
| Capacity | Esprit Arena: 51,500 | ||
| Chairman |  Peter Frymuth | ||
| Manager | Norbert Meier | ||
| League | 2. Bundesliga | ||
| 2008-09 | 3rd Liga, 2nd (promoted) | ||
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Fortuna Düsseldorf is a German football club based in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, currently playing in the second tier of German league football, the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga.
History
Foundation to World War II
The earliest roots of the association go back to the establishment of the gymnastics club Turnverein Flingern on 5 May 1895 in the village of Flingern, today one of the eastern quarters of Düsseldorf. Two other sides figure in the club's early history: Düsseldorfer Fußballklub Spielverein founded in 1908 and FK Alemania 1911, which was founded in 1911 and became Fortuna 1911 the following year. In mid-1913, these two clubs merged to form Düsseldorfer Fußball-Club Fortuna 1911, which played its debut season in the Westdeutschen Spielverband in 1913–14. Fortuna won its first honours as city champions in wartime A-Klasse competition in 1917–18. TV Flingern joined Fortuna to create Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna on 15 November 1919.[1]
In the late 20s, Fortuna won its first honours; they captured a district level Bezirksliga title in 1927, sent their first representative to the nation side in 1928 (Ernst Albrecht), and took a second Bezirksliga title in 1929. The Düsseldorfer Rugby-Club became part of Fortuna in 1931. The team continued to perform well into the 30s winning their third district title on their way to a West German regional championship in 1931 and their greatest success, a German championship in 1933 against Schalke 04, who were on the verge of becoming the era's dominant side. That win made Fortuna the first team from the industrial Rhine-Ruhr area to win a national title. The following season the club began play in Gauliga Niederrhein, one of sixteen top-flight divisions formed in the re-organization of German football under the Third Reich. Düsseldorf dominated the division through the 30s and made losing appearances in the national final in 1936 (1:2 to 1. FC Nuremberg) and the final of the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's DFB-Pokal (German Cup), in 1937. The club was relegated in 1942 but made a prompt return to the top flight the following season. In 1944-45 they began play as the combined wartime side Kriegsspielgemeinschaft TSV Fortuna/SC 99 Düsseldorf with partner Düsseldorfer Sport Club 1899, but took part in only two matches as Nazi Germany fell before the advance of Allied armies.[2]
The most notable players of that Era were Paul Janes, Germany's most capped player of the 1930s (71 caps), member of the Breslau Eleven and Stanislaus Kobierski, who earned 26 caps and scored Germany's first ever World Cup goal, Ernst Albrecht and Jakob Bender.
Post War era
After World War II, Allied occupation authorities ordered the dissolution of all sports organizations in Germany. Fortuna was re-formed in 1945 and then played most of their football in the Oberliga West (I) in the years between 1947 and the creation of the Bundesliga, Germany's professional football league, in 1963. They played as a lower-to-mid table side but did earn three appearances in the German Cup final in – 1957, 1958 and 1962 – but were not able to take the prize, losing each of those matches. It was also the time of famous Toni Turek, goal keeper for Germany's Miracle of Bern side at the 1954 World Cup, Erich Juskowiak (30 caps and World Cup player in 1958) and later national team Coach Jupp Derwall who played in the Fortuna midfield.
1960s and 1970s
The club's performance was not good enough to earn them a place among the original sixteen teams chosen for the new league, but they did manage to play their way into the premier division three years later for a cameo appearance in the 1966-67 season. They were immediately relegated, but returned in 1971–72 for a stay that lasted sixteen seasons and that included two third place league finishes. Fortuna enjoyed better luck in German Cup play, making another three appearances: after losing in their fifth appearance in the final in 1978 they finally broke through and came away as cupholders in 1979 and then repeated in 1980. In this period they established a record for consecutive German Cup match victories (18 straight victories between 1978 and 1981).
Fortuna is among a group of four teams which have made frequent appearances in the German Cup final only to come away empty handed. Like 1. FC Kaiserslautern they have just two wins against fives losses. 1. FC Köln has four wins and six losses in the Cup final, while FC Schalke has been frustrated most often with four wins and seven losses. Four of the Düsseldorfer's losses were by a single goal and two of those were in extra time.
The club's best turn in European competition was in the Cup Winners Cup final in 1979 where they finished as runners up to FC Barcelona, losing 4:3 in extra time.
Fortuna achieved their success mostly with hometown players like the famous Allofs-Brothers (Klaus Allofs and Thomas Allofs) or players, like Gerd Zewe (440 games in the Bundesliga), Dieter Herzog, Reiner Geye, Wolfgang Seel and Rudi Bommer wich joined the team as nearly unknown players and ended as Internationals. Between 1960 and 1967 Peter Meyer, Fortunas best striker ever, scored 119 goals in 174 caps.
1980s to present
Since relegation in 1987, Fortuna has bounced back forth between leagues, spending five more seasons in the Bundesliga in 1989-92 and 1995-97 and slipping as low as Oberliga Nordrhein (IV) in 2002-04. In 2001 they escaped relegation to tier IV only because two other clubs were denied licenses to play in tier III for financial reasons. Fortuna had their own money problems at the time, but have since managed to put their house more or less back into order.
In 2008-09 Fortuna competed in the new 3rd Liga, and finished 2nd, gaining automatic promotion to 2. Bundesliga.
Between 2001 and 2003 the club was sponsored by the German punk rock band Die Toten Hosen.
Recent seasons
| Year | Division | Position |
| 1999-00 | Regionalliga West/Südwest (III) | 6th |
| 2000-01 | Regionalliga Nord (III) | 16th |
| 2001-02 | Regionalliga Nord | 17th (relegated) |
| 2002-03 | Oberliga Nordrhein (IV) | 8th |
| 2003-04 | Oberliga Nordrhein | 2nd (promoted) |
| 2004-05 | Regionalliga Nord (III) | 8th |
| 2005-06 | Regionalliga Nord | 5th |
| 2006-07 | Regionalliga Nord | 10th |
| 2007-08 | Regionalliga Nord | 3rd |
| 2008-09 | 3. Liga (III) | 2nd (promoted) |
| 2009-10 | 2. Bundesliga (II) | ? |
Current squad
As of 19 November 2009[update][3] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Honours
- European Cup Winners' Cup finalists: 1979
- German Cup winners: 1979, 1980
- German Cup finalists: 1937, 1957, 1958, 1962, 1978
- German championship winners: 1933
- German championship finalists: 1936
- Western German championship winners: 1931
- Western German Cup winners: 1956, 1957, 1958
- Regional champions (I): 1927, 1929, 1931, 1933, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1947
- Regionalliga West (II): champions 1966
- 2. Bundesliga (II) champions: 1989
- Intertoto Cup group winners: 1967, 1984, 1986
- Troféo Ciudad de Palma: winners: 1989
- Wintercup: winners: 2008
Reserve team
- German amateur champions: 1977
Notable players
25 Fortuna players have made appearances with the national side earning 240 caps between them.
- Otto Rehhagel, famous coach, with Düsseldorf 1979-1981
- Jan Tauer, defender who currently plays for Swedish side Djurgården.
- Jörg Albertz, 150 Bundesliga games
- Klaus Allofs, European and World Cup vice-championship side
- Thomas Allofs, younger brother of Klaus Allofs
- Rudolf "Rudi" Bommer, national team
- Jupp Derwall, famous coach
- Peter Meyer, 174 games, 119 goals
- Holger Fach, national team
- Paul Janes, Germany's most capped player of the 1930s (71 caps), member of the Breslau Eleven
- Erich "Hammer" Juskowiak, national team
- Stanislaus Kobierski, earned 26 caps and scored Germany's first ever World Cup goal
- Georg Koch, 102 games
- Gerd Zewe, 440 games
- Matthias "Mathes" Mauritz, 323 games (49 goals)
- Michael Preetz, national team
- Anton "Toni" Turek, goal keeper for Germany's Miracle of Bern side at the 1954 World Cup
Stadiums
- Lichtplatz (1908–19)
- Vennhauser Straße (1919-30)
- Paul-Janes-Stadion (1930-72, 1975, 2002-2005 and 2005-2007 (Evasive))
- Rheinstadion (1972-2002)
- Esprit Arena (2005-present)
External links
References
- ^ Grüne, Hardy (2001). Vereinslexikon. Kassel: AGON Sportverlag ISBN 3-89784-147-9
- ^ Grüne, Hardy (1996). Vom Kronprinzen bis zur Bundesliga. Kassel: AGON Sportverlag ISBN 3-928562-85-1
- ^ Kader Saison 09/10
- ^ Grüne, Hardy (2001). Vereinslexikon. Kassel: AGON Sportverlag ISBN 3-89784-147-9
- Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv historical German domestic league tables (in German)
- eufo.de European football club profiles and current team rosters
