- SC Opel Rüsselsheim
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SC Opel Rüsselsheim 
Full name Sportclub Opel 06 Rüsselsheim e.V. Founded 12 August 1906 Ground Stadion am Sommerdamm
(Capacity: 8,000)Chairman Ralf Spielmann Manager Dietmar Glasl League Kreisoberliga Darmstadt-West (VIII) 2008–09 14th 
Home coloursAway coloursThe SC Opel Rüsselsheim is a German association football club from the city of Rüsselsheim, Hesse.
Apart from its association with the company Opel, the club achieved notability by playing in Germany's second division from 1965 to 1972.
Contents
History
The club was formed on 12 August 1906 as SC Borussia 06 Rüsselsheim.[1] In the 1920's, the club merged with a local gymnastics club, the Turngesellschaft and took its current name in reference to the fact that many of its members were employed at the local Opel factory. However, the club was never directly connected with or dependent on the company.
In 1932, the club took out its first local second-division championship, beating FSV Mainz 05 but it took until 1935 to earn promotion to the first division in the region, the Gauliga Südwest/Mainhessen. SC Opel spent five seasons in this league until the collapse of Nazi Germany in 1945, mostly as an elevator team.
After the end of the Second World War, the club became part of the tier-two Landesliga Hessen, which was then staged in two regional groups. Upon the merger of the two leagues into one in 1947, the club had to step down one level.[2] SC OPEL managed to return to Hesses highest league, which was now the tier-three Amateurliga Hessen, in 1950.[3] The club stayed at this level until 1954, when it was relegated once more.[4]
After a decade in the lower levels of amateur football, the club experienced a revival in 1964, earning promotion back to the Amateurliga. In this league, it won the championship convincingly, beating second placed Westend Frankfurt by eleven points.[5] The champions of Hesse, alongside the Bavarian champions, were directly promoted to the Regionalliga Süd, one of Germany's regional second division below the Fußball-Bundesliga at this stage. The club also qualified for the DFB-Pokal 1965–66 where it lost to Borussia Mönchengladbach 1–5 in a qualification round. The club was then mostly listed as SC Rüsselsheim as it was seen as illegal advertising to carry a sponsors name in its title.[6]
Despite support from Opel, the club was always financially struggling at this level, never drawing sufficient attendances for this level of play. A tenth place in the first of seven second-division seasons remained the best result archived in this era. In 1972, relegation ended the clubs time in the Regionalliga and almost also its existence; in debt with DM 500,000, the club was only saved from folding by an administrative error when applying for insolvency.[7] The club played a good Amateurliga season in 1972–73 nevertheless, finishing third, but was relegated the year after.
SC Opel spent its next couple of season's stabilising its finances but declined rapidly on the field, dropping to the lower amateur levels. In the late 1980's, another attempt was made to rise through the ranks and in 1989, the Bezirksoberliga, the fifth tier, was reached but another financial collapse was only narrowly avoided.
In the new millennium, the club has stabilised itself financially as well as on the field, spending its time in the tier-seven Bezirksliga Darmstadt-West.
Current
In 2008–09, the club played in the Kreisoberliga, the former Bezirksliga, Darmstadt-West (VIII). In this season, SC Opel was struggling against relegation, finishing just above the relegation ranks.[8]
Honours
- League
- Amateurliga Hessen (III) champions: 1965
Recent seasons
Year Division Position 1999–2000 Bezirksliga Darmstadt-West (VII) 2000–01 Bezirksliga Darmstadt-West 2001–02 Bezirksliga Darmstadt-West 2002–03 Bezirksliga Darmstadt-West 2003–04 Bezirksliga Darmstadt-West 2004–05 Bezirksliga Darmstadt-West 6th 2005–06 Bezirksliga Darmstadt-West 9th 2006–07 Bezirksliga Darmstadt-West 14th 2007–08 Bezirksliga Darmstadt-West 10th 2008–09 Kreisoberliga Darmstadt-West (VIII) 14th 2009–10 Kreisoberliga Darmstadt-West External links
Sources
- Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv historical German domestic league tables (German)
- Süddeutschlands Fussballgeschichte in Tabellenform 1897–1988 (German) History of Southern German football in tables, author: Ludolf Hyll
- 50 Jahre Fussball in Nord-Baden 1945–99 (German) 50 Years of football in North Baden, author: Ludolf Hyll & Dieter Zimmermann
References
- ^ SC Opel website – Chronik (German) accessed: 5 April 2009
- ^ Süddeutschlands Fussballgeschichte in Tabellenform (German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 146, accessed: 5 April 2009
- ^ Süddeutschlands Fussballgeschichte in Tabellenform (German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 163, accessed: 5 April 2009
- ^ Süddeutschlands Fussballgeschichte in Tabellenform (German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 176, accessed: 5 April 2009
- ^ Süddeutschlands Fussballgeschichte in Tabellenform (German) author: Ludolf Hyll, page: 227, accessed: 5 April 2009
- ^ DFB-Pokal 1965/1966 .:. Spielplan (German) Weltfussball.de, accessed: 5 April 2009
- ^ SC Opel website – Chronik (German) accessed: 5 April 2009
- ^ Kreisoberliga Darmstadt-West table 2008-09 Fussball.de, accessed: 5 April 2009
Categories:- German football clubs
- Hessian football clubs
- Association football clubs established in 1906
- Opel
- League
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