Sportfreunde Siegen

Football club infobox
clubname = Sportfreunde Siegen


fullname = Sportfreunde Siegen
nickname = -
founded = 1899
ground = Leimbachstadion, Siegen
capacity = 18,500
chairman = |Manfred Utsch manager = Ralf Loose
league = Oberliga Nordrhein-Westfalen (V)
season = 2007-08
position = Regionalliga Süd (III), 11th
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pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=bca964|body2=232732|rightarm2=bca964|shorts2=232732|socks2=232732

Sportfreunde Siegen is a German football club based in Siegen, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club was founded in 1899 as the football department of the gymnastics club "Turn Verein Jahn von 1879 Siegen". They merged with "Sportverein 07 Siegen" in 1923 to become an independent football club called "Sportfreunde Siegen von 1899 e.V."

History

The club won local titles in the 1900s and went on to their greatest successes in the 1920s when they won several South German league titles. In spite of their good results the side did not qualify for first division play after the re-organization of German football into sixteen Gauligen under the Third Reich in 1933.

The club's next appearance in the upper levels of German football was in the 2.Oberliga West (II) in 1961. After the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963 "Siegen" played in the second division Regionalliga West for a single season before slipping to the third tier Amateurliga Westfalen. In the mid-80's the club fell even further to the Verbandsliga Westfalen-SW (IV) and spent nine of the next eleven seasons at that level.

"Siegen" recovered and returned to third division football in 1997. After two consecutive 16th place finishes - including a brush with relegation in 2003 which they avoided only because "SV Waldhof Mannheim" and "SSV Reutlingen" were denied licenses due to their financial weakness - the club managed to claw its way to the Second Bundesliga on the strength of a surprising second place result in 2006. However finishing 18th they faced relegation right away. Despite an 11th place in the Regionalliga Süd they finished relegation again due to financial issues. In the 2008-09 season they will in the fifth division.

Club culture

The club's fanbase includes a large hooligan element and a fierce rivalry with "Holstein Kiel" due to a controversial German Cup tie in 1992. A Cottbus fan, Hans Karlszer, was nearly killed when "Siegen" thugs knocked down a fence.Fact|date=February 2007

Honours

*German amateur champions: 1955

Women's football

In 1996 the women's department of "TSV Siegen" moved to the Sportfreunde. At that time the team had been the most successful team in the Bundesliga. Since the team was denied a license for the 2001-02 Bundesliga season they have not returned to the Bundesliga, moving between second and third league. In the 2008-09 season they will play in the Regionalliga (III).

Current Squad

Notable Past Players

*flagicon|Germany Doris Fitschen
*flagicon|Denmark Louise Hansen
*flagicon|Germany Marion Isbert
*flagicon|Germany Silvia Neid
*flagicon|Germany Sissy Raith
*flagicon|Germany Silke Rottenberg
*flagicon|Germany Martina Voss

Honours

All the honours were gained when the women's department was still a part of "TSV Siegen".
*German women's champions: 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996
*Women's German Cup champions: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993

External links

* [http://www.sportfreunde-online.de/ Official team website]
* [http://www.abseits-soccer.com/clubs/siegen.html Abseits Guide to German Soccer]