KFC Uerdingen 05

Football club infobox
clubname = KFC Uerdingen 05


fullname = Krefelder Fussball-Club Uerdingen
von 1905 e.V.
nickname =
founded = 1905
ground = Grotenburg Stadion,
Krefeld
capacity = 34,500
chairman =
manager =
league = Verbandsliga Niederrhein (VI)
season = 2007-08
position = Oberliga Nordrhein (IV), 13th (relegated)
pattern_la1=
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pattern_ra1=
pattern_sh1=
leftarm1=FF0000
body1=0000FF
rightarm1=0000FF
shorts1=0000FF
socks1=FF0000
pattern_la2=
pattern_b2=
pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=000000
body2=FBE311
rightarm2=FBE311
shorts2=000000
socks2=FBE311

KFC Uerdingen 05 is a German football club in the Uerdingen district of the city of Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia.

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History

The club was founded on November 17, 1905 as "FC Uerdingen 05". In 1953, nearly half a century after their founding the club merged with "Werkssportgruppe Bayer AG Uerdingen" the local worker's sports club of the chemical giant Bayer AG becoming "FC Bayer 05 Uerdingen". Bayer withdrew their sponsorship of the football team in 1995 at which time the club took on its current name. Bayer continues to support the non-footballing departments of the club as "SC Bayer 05 Uerdingen".

Uerdingen played in the amateur local leagues throughout its early history. By early 60's they had advanced as far as the Amateurliga Niederrhein (III) where they would play until 1971 when they stepped up into the Regionalliga West (II). The club then enjoyed a succession of strong finishes: a second place result in 1974-75 earned them promotion to the top flight Bundesliga, where they finished dead last. After three seasons in the second tier 2.Bundesliga Nord, another second place finish returned Uerdingen to the Bundesliga in 1979, this time for a two year stay. The club would go on to enjoy its most successful years through the 80's. They returned to the Bundesliga in 1983 and earned a best-ever third place result there in 1986. Uerdingen also captured the German Cup in 1985 with a 2:1 victory over Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in Berlin's Olympiastadion.

Legendary in the club's history from this time period is their victory over Dynamo Dresden in the quarter-finals of the 1986 European Cup Winners Cup. Down 0:2 after the first leg away and behind 1:3 by half-time at home in the return leg, Uerdingen came storming back with six unanswered goals to win 7:3.

The team spent the first half of the 90's as an "elevator crew" bouncing up and down between the Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga. After the 1995 season Bayer withdrew its sponsorship of the football team which has suffered chronic financial difficulties ever since. Uerdingen took up their final year of play in the Bundesliga in the 1995-96 season as "KFC Uerdingen 05". By the turn of the millennium they had slipped through the second division and into third division play. Last season the club's persistent financial problems led the DFB (German Football Association) to deny them a license for play in the Regionalliga Nord (III) in spite of a mid-table finish. They were relegated to the Oberliga-Nordrhein (IV) where they play today. The squad is currently aiming for the 4th place in the Oberliga that would qualify them for the new Regionalliga, which replaces the Oberliga as Germany's fourth tier after the introduction of the 3. Fußball-Bundesliga. The club put veteran manager and Fortuna Düsseldorf legend Aleksandar Ristić in charge of this task.

Recent league finishes

:1974/75 - Promoted to the 1. Bundesliga:1975/76 - 18th place (relegated):1976/77 - 2. Bundesliga:1977/78 - 2. Bundesliga:1978/79 - Promoted to the 1. Bundesliga:1979/80 - 15th place:1980/81 - 18th place (relegated):1981/82 - 2. Bundesliga:1982/83 - Promoted to the 1. Bundesliga:1983/84 - 10th place:1984/85 - 7th place:1985/86 - 3rd place:1986/87 - 8th place:1987/88 - 11th place:1988/89 - 13th place:1989/90 - 14th place:1990/91 - 17th place (relegated):1991/92 - Promoted to the 1. Bundesliga:1992/93 - 17th place (relegated):1993/94 - 2. Bundesliga:1994/95 - 15th place:1995/96 - 18th place (relegated):1996/97 - 2. Bundesliga:1997/98 - 2. Bundesliga:1998/99 - 2. Bundesliga (relegated)

Famous players

*flagicon|Germany Oliver Bierhoff
*flagicon|Germany Manfred Burgsmüller
*flagicon|Switzerland Stéphane Chapuisat
*flagicon|Germany Bernd Dreher
*flagicon|Germany Holger Fach
*flagicon|Germany Friedhelm Funkel
*flagicon|Germany Matthias Herget
*flagicon|Germany Stefan Kuntz
*flagicon|Denmark Brian Laudrup
*flagicon|Netherlands Erik Meijer
*flagicon|Germany Stephan Paßlack
*flagicon|Sweden Robert Prytz
* Franz Raschid
*flagicon|Germany Wolfgang Rolff
*flagicon|El Salvador Jaime Rodríguez
* Ludgar van de Loo
* Werner Vollack
*flagicon|Germany Marcel Witeczek
*flagicon|Australia Chris Tadrosse
*flagicon|Romania Michael Klein

External links

* [http://www.kfc-online.de/ Official website]
* [http://www.abseits-soccer.com/clubs/uerdingen.html The Abseits Guide to German Soccer]