Stahl Brandenburg

__NOTOC__Football club infobox
clubname = Stahl Brandenburg


fullname = Fussball-Club Stahl 1998 Brandenburg e.V.
nickname = | founded = 1950
ground = Stadion Am Quenz
capacity = 15,500
chairman =
manager =
league = Landesliga Brandenburg-Nord (VII)
season = 2007-08
position = 3rd
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pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
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Stahl Brandenburg is a German football club based in Brandenburg an der Havel, Brandenburg.

History

The club was formed in 1950 as "BSG Einheit Brandenburg" and played its earliest seasons in the II division of East German football. They took on the name "BSG Stahl Brandenberg" in 1955 to reflect the backing of the local steel company. With that support, the club able to assemble competitive sides by offering attractive salaries to the castoffs of other teams. The strategy drew some capable players to their ranks and helped them develop a solid fan base. The side earned promotion to the DDR-Oberliga for the 1984-85 season and played there until German reunification in 1990. After a name change to "BSV Stahl Brandenburg" they spent the 1991-92 season in the 2.Bundesliga Nord. In 1993, with the closing of the local steel mill and the loss of their financial support, 'stahl' was dropped from the team name.

By the end of the 90's they found themselves mired in financial difficulty. The club declared bankruptcy in 1998 and quickly re-formed as "FC Stahl Brandenburg", but continued to stumble. In 2002, in a desperate move to save something of the club, a merger with crosstown rival "Brandenburg Süd 05" to form "FC Brandenburg" was put into the works, but only went as far as the union of the clubs' youth sides. Fan protests from both sides – and more money problems – caused the merger to unravel the next year. Today "FC Stahl Brandenburg" toils in the lower reaches of Verbandsliga Brandenburg (V).

External links

* [http://www.fc-stahl-brandenburg.de Official team site]
* [http://www.abseits-soccer.com/clubs/bsvbrand.html The Abseits Guide to German Soccer]