- Kickers Offenbach
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Kickers Offenbach 
Full name Offenbacher Fußball-Club Kickers 1901 e. V. Nickname(s) OFC Founded 27 May 1901 Ground Stadion am Bieberer Berg
(Capacity: 26,500)Chairman Dieter Müller Manager Arie van Lent League 3rd Liga 2010–11 3rd Liga, 7th 
Home colours
Away coloursKickers Offenbach is a German association football club in Offenbach am Main, Hesse. The club was founded on 27 May 1901 in the Rheinischer Hof restaurant by footballers who had left established local clubs including Melitia, Teutonia, Viktoria, Germania and Neptun. From 1921 to 1925 they were united with VfB 1900 Offenbach as VfR Kickers Offenbach until resuming their status the separate side Offenbacher FC Kickers.[1]
Contents
History
The club became one of the founding members of the Nordkreis-Liga in 1909, where it played until the outbreak of the war. In post-First World War Germany, Kickers played in the Kreisliga Südmain (I), winning this league in 1920, 1922 and 1923.
The club played as a mid-table side in the Bezirksliga Main-Hessen through the late 1920s and early 1930s. German football was re-organized in 1933 under the Third Reich into sixteen first division Gauligen. Kickers joined the Gauliga Südwest, where the team immediately captured the title and entered the national playoffs for the first time. They fared poorly there, but did manage to raise their overall level of play in the following seasons, going on to win five consecutive divisional championships from 1940 to 1944.[2]
In the early 1940s the Gauliga Südwest had been split into the Gauliga Westmark and the Gauliga Hessen-Nassau, where Kickers played. Their best post-season result came in 1942 when the team was able to advance as far as the semi-finals in the national championship rounds before they were decisively put out 0:6 by Schalke 04, who were on their way to their sixth championship as the era's most dominant side. By 1944, Allied armies were rolling through Germany and the Gauliga Hessen-Nassau did not play the 1944–45 season.
Entry to the Bundesliga and scandal
The club found itself in the new Regionalliga Süd (II) and play in the Bundesliga would have to wait until 1968. The team was immediately relegated, but returned to the upper league for play in 1970–71. In addition to their return to the Bundesliga, the club would win its one of its few honours in 1970 with a 2:1 German Cup victory over 1. FC Köln.
However, the end of the 1971 season would find Kickers Offenbach at the centre of the Bundesliga scandal. The club president, Horst Canellas, went to the German Football Association (Deutsche Fussball Bund or German Football Association) after being approached by a player from another team looking for a cash bonus for that club's effort in beating one of Offenbach's rivals in the fight against relegation. Receiving no help from league officials, Canellas began gathering evidence of how widespread the payoffs were. In the end more than fifty players from seven clubs, two coaches, and six game officials were found guilty of trying to influence the outcome of games through bribes, but Canellas was unable to save his club from relegation. The club central to the scandal – Arminia Bielefeld – would not be punished until the following season, too late to save Offenbach.[3]
The scandal had a strongly negative effect on the young league and contributed to plummeting attendance figures. One outcome of the whole affair was the further evolution of German football; salary restrictions were removed and the 2. Bundesliga also became a professional league. For the players it meant that having one's club sent down no longer also meant losing one's status as a paid professional.
Decline and recovery
Kickers would spend the next seven years in the second division before making a return to the Bundesliga for just a single season in 1983–84. In 1985, financial problems led to the club being penalized points and driven into the third division Amateur Oberliga Hessen. They recovered themselves only to be denied a license in 1989 and be sent back down again. By the mid-1990s they slipped as far as Oberliga Hessen (IV), but remained competitive. They appeared in the final of the national amateur championship in 1994 where they lost 0:1 to Preußen Münster. After a failed attempt to advance in 1998, Offenbach returned to play in the 2. Bundesliga in 1999 and were immediately sent down after a 17th place result there. In each of these seasons the team took part in the nation amateur championship winning the title in 1999.
The club next appeared in second division play in 2005. After two lower table finishes, Kickers were relegated to 3. Liga on the final day of the 2007–08 season following a 0:3 defeat to fellow strugglers VfL Osnabrück. Despite their mixed fortunes the team remain a fan favorite and are well supported.
Recent seasons
Year Division Position 1994–95 Regionalliga Süd (III) 15th (relegated) 1995–96 Hessenliga (IV) 3rd 1996–97 Hessenliga (IV) 2nd (promoted) 1997–98 Regionalliga Süd (III) 2nd 1998–99 Regionalliga Süd 2nd (promoted) 1999–2000 2. Bundesliga (II) 17th (relegated) 2000–01 Regionalliga Süd (III) 10th 2001–02 Regionalliga Süd 8th 2002–03 Regionalliga Süd 8th 2003–04 Regionalliga Süd 13th 2004–05 Regionalliga Süd 1st (promoted) 2005–06 2. Bundesliga (II) 11th 2006–07 2. Bundesliga 14th 2007–08 2. Bundesliga 15th (relegated) 2008–09 3. Liga (III) 7th 2009–10 3. Liga 7th 2010–11 3. Liga 7th Current squad
As of 11 November 2011[update]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
No. Position Player 3 
DF Marc Stein 4 DF Markus Husterer 5 DF Stefan Kleineheismann 6 DF Stefan Hickl 7 FW Pascal Testroet 8 
MF Sead Mehić 9 FW Thomas Rathgeber 10 
FW Elton da Costa 11 MF Markus Heyer 13 DF Christopher Lamprecht 14 MF Lars Bender 15 FW André Hahn 16 GK Daniel Endres No. Position Player 17 DF Stefano Cincotta 18 MF Daniel Henrich 19 MF Nicolas Feldhahn 20 MF Jannik Sommer 21 DF Christian Telch 22 MF Baris Odabas 23 DF Marcel Stadel 25 GK Maurice Paul 26 FW Kai Hesse 27 MF Daniel Gunkel 28 GK Robert Wulnikowski 30 FW Stefan Vogler (on loan from Greuther Fürth ) 31 MF Matthias Schwarz 32 DF Stefano Maier Coaches
Name Period Franz Nagy 1922 Rudolf Keller 1926 Mac Pherson 1927 Rudolf Keller 1928 Paul Oßwald 1946–1958 Bodgan Cuvaj 1958–1962 Hans Merkle 1962–1964 Radoslav Momirski 1964–1965 Kurt Baluses 1965 – Feb. 1968 Kurt Schreiner Mar. – Jun. 1968 Paul Oßwald Jul. 1968 – Nov. 1969 Kurt Schreiner Dec. 1969 Willi Keim Dec. 1969 Zlatko Čajkovski Jan – Jul. 1970 Kurt Schreiner Aug. 1970 Aki Schmidt Sep. 1970 Rudi Gutendorf Sep. 1970 – Feb. 1971 Kuno Klötzer Feb. 1971 – Jun. 1972 Guyla Lorant Jul. 1972 – Mar. 1974 Otto Rehhagel Apr. 1974 – Dec. 1975 Zlatko Čajkovski Jan. – Oct. 1976 Udo Klug Nov. 1976 – Jun. 1978 Horst Heese Jul. 1978 – Jun. 1980 Franz Brungs Jul. 1980 – May 1982 Lothar Buchmann Jun. 1982 – Mar. 1984 Hermann Nuber Mar. 1984 – Jun. 1984 Fritz Fuchs Jul – Dec 1984 Horst Heese Dec 1984 – Jun 1985 Wilfried Kohls Jul 1985 – Jun 1986 Franz Brungs Jul 1986 – May 1987 Robert Jung May 1987 – Jun 1987 Dieter Renner Jul 1987 – Mar 1989 Nikolaus Semlitsch Mar 1989 – Dec 1989 Hans-Günter Neues Dec 1989 – Apr 1990 Kurt Geinzer Apr 1990 – Jun 1992 Lothar Buchmann Jul 1992 – Oct 1994 Valentin Herr Oct 1994 – Apr 1995 Wilfried Kohls Maz 1995 – Jun 1995 Wolfgang Uschek Jul 1995 – Dec 1995 Ronald Borchers Jan 1996 – Apr 1997 Wilfried Kohls/Jörg Hambückers Apr 1997 – Jun 1997 Hans-Jürgen Boysen Jul 1997 – Oct 1999 Peter Neururer Oct 1999 – Aug 2000 Dragoslav Stepanovic Aug 2000 – Sep 2000 Knut Hahn Sep 2000 – Oct 2000 Wilfried Kohls Oct 2000 – Oct 2000 Knut Hahn Nov 2000 – Nov 2000 Dieter Müller/Oliver Roth Nov 2000 – Dec 2000 Ramon Berndroth Dec 2000 – Aug 2003 Lars Schmidt Aug 2003 – Mar 2004 Hans-Jürgen Boysen Mar 2004 – Jan 2006 Wolfgang Frank Jan 2006 – Oct 2007 Jørn Andersen Nov 2007 – May 2008 Hans-Jürgen Boysen May 2008 – Oct 2009 Steffen Menze Oct 2009 – Feb 2010 Wolfgang Wolf Feb 2010 – Feb 2011 Thomas Gerstner Feb 2011 – May 2011 Arie van Lent May 2011 – Source: Book "Kickers Offenbach – die ersten hundert jahre" ("Kickers Offenbach – the first hundred years")
Notable players
- Past (and present) players who are the subjects of Wikipedia articles can be found here.
Honours
League
- German football championship
- Runners-up: 1950, 1959
- Kreisliga Südmain
- Winners: 1920, 1922, 1923
- Gauliga Südwest/Mainhessen
- Winners: 1934, 1940, 1941
- Gauliga Hessen-Nassau
- Winners: 1942, 1943, 1944
- Oberliga Süd
- Winners: 1949, 1955
- Runners-up: 1957, 1959, 1960
- Regionalliga Süd (II)
- Winners: 1967, 1970, 1972
- Runners-up: 1966, 1968
- 2nd Bundesliga Süd (II)
- Runners-up: 1981
- Regionalliga Süd (III)
- Winners: 2005
- Runners-up: 1998, 1999
- Oberliga Hessen (III-IV)
- Winners: 1986, 1987, 1993
- Runners-up: 1994, 1997
- All competitions are tier-one unless otherwise stated
Cup
Reserve team
- Verbandsliga Hessen-Süd (IV-V)
- Winners: 1984, 1999, 2008
Youth
- German Under 19 championship
- Runners-up: 1973
- German Under 17 championship
- Runners-up: 1985
Kickers Offenbach Amateure
Kickers second team played in the Amateurliga Hessen (III) from 1971–74 until being disbanded after the 1973–74 season. The reconstituted side reappeared in the Amateuroberliga Hessen (III) in 1984, but were sent down after the relegation of the senior side from the 2. Bundesliga Süd. The amateur's last appearance of note was in the Oberliga Hessen (IV) in 1999 in a campaign that ended in relegation after a 15th place finish. In 2008–09, it returned to the Hessenliga and finished in fourth place.
External links
- Official website (German)
- The Abseits Guide to German Soccer
- eufo.de European football club profiles and current team rosters
- Photos from a recent match
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
- ^ Ulrich Hesse-Lichtenberger (2002). Tor! The Story of German Football. WSC Books ISBN 0-9540134-5-X
3rd Liga 2011–12 clubs VfR Aalen · SV Babelsberg · Arminia Bielefeld · SV Werder Bremen II · SV Wacker Burghausen · Chemnitzer FC · SV Darmstadt 98 · FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt · 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 · FC Carl Zeiss Jena · Preußen Münster · Rot-Weiß Oberhausen · Kickers Offenbach · VfL Osnabrück · SSV Jahn Regensburg · 1. FC Saarbrücken · SV Sandhausen · VfB Stuttgart II · SpVgg Unterhaching · SV Wehen WiesbadenHessenliga (V) 2011–12 clubs Viktoria Aschaffenburg · KSV Baunatal · 1. FCA Darmstadt · Rot-Weiß Darmstadt · 1. FC Eschborn · FSV 1926 Fernwald · SV Buchonia Flieden · Rot-Weiss Frankfurt · SpVgg Hadamar · TGM SV Jügesheim · FSC Lohfelden · Kickers Offenbach II · TSV Eintracht Stadtallendorf · FC Viktoria 09 Urberach · OSC Vellmar · SC Waldgirmes · SV Wehen Wiesbaden II · Eintracht Wetzlar
Fußball-Bundesliga clubs 2011–12 clubs FC Augsburg · Bayer Leverkusen · Bayern Munich · Borussia Dortmund · Borussia Mönchengladbach · SC Freiburg · Hamburger SV · Hannover 96 · Hertha BSC · 1899 Hoffenheim · 1. FC Kaiserslautern · 1. FC Köln · Mainz 05 · 1. FC Nuremberg · Schalke 04 · VfB Stuttgart · Werder Bremen · VfL WolfsburgFormer clubs 1860 Munich · Alemannia Aachen · Arminia Bielefeld · Bayer 05 Uerdingen/KFC Uerdingen 05 · Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin · VfL Bochum · Borussia Neunkirchen · Darmstadt 98 · Dynamo Dresden · Eintracht Braunschweig · Eintracht Frankfurt · Energie Cottbus · Fortuna Düsseldorf · Fortuna Köln · Hansa Rostock · FC 08 Homburg · Karlsruher SC · Kickers Offenbach · VfB Leipzig · Meidericher SV/MSV Duisburg · Preußen Münster · Rot-Weiss Essen · Rot-Weiß Oberhausen · 1. FC Saarbrücken · FC St. Pauli · Stuttgarter Kickers · Tasmania Berlin · Tennis Borussia Berlin · SSV Ulm · SpVgg Unterhaching · Waldhof Mannheim · Wattenscheid 09 · Wuppertaler SVCategories:- Association football clubs established in 1901
- German football clubs
- Hessian football clubs
- Offenbach am Main
- Sport in Offenbach am Main
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