FC Hanau 93

Football club infobox
clubname = FC Hanau 93


fullname = 1. Hanauer Fußball-Club 1893
nickname = die Schwarz-Weißen
founded = 1893
ground = Herbert Droese Stadion
capacity = 16,000
chairman =
manager =
league = Gruppenliga Frankfurt Ost (VII)
season = 2007-08
position = Bezirksliga Hanau, 2nd (promoted)
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pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=ffffff|body2=ffffff|rightarm2=ffffff|shorts2=ffffff|socks2=ffffff

FC Hanau is a German football club based in Hanau, Hesse.

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History

Early history

Founded in 1893, the club is Hesse's oldest. In its first year, the club was winless in a half dozen matches, but the next season emerged as south German champion and earned an appearance in a national championship match. "Hanau" was one of the founding clubs of the DFB (Deutscher Fussball Bund or German Football Association) formed in 1900 at Leipzig.

In those early days of German football "Hanau" laid a 23:1 drubbing on a hopelessly green "Kickers Offenbach" side. The club managed a series of unsuccessful appearances in the local league final between 1902 and 1905 and were "robbed" of a title through bureaucratic machinations in 1907, before finally taking the local title in 1909. In 1926, "Hanau" found itself in a legal squabble with "FSV Frankfurt" and the league that led to its exclusion from play for a short time. Through the late 1920s and into the 30s the team played in the "Bezirksliga Main-Hessen" of the Süddeutschland Verband.

Play under the Third Reich

German football was reorganized into sixteen top-flight divisions, or Gauligen, under the Third Reich in 1933. Playing in the "Gauliga Hessen" "Hanau" captured three more regional titles in the late 30s (1935, 1936, 1938) and advanced to the quarter finals of the inauguaral Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's German Cup, in 1935. The Gauliga Hessen was broken up into two divisions in 1941 with the club going to the "Gauliga Hessen-Nassau" where they played consistently good football until the collapse of football leagues in Germany at the end of World War II. In spite of their play they were not granted entry to the local upper tier leagues once re-established after the war, being bypassed for clubs from larger towns, and losing their ground to the American military.

Post war football

However, the club pressed on, playing in improvised uniforms on temporary grounds. Through the next two decades they bounced up and down between what was then second and third division play in Hesse. Their play improved enough to earn the side regular appearances in the Oberliga Hessen (III) through the late 60s and into the 70s, and in 1978-79 they enjoyed the adventure of a break through into the 2nd Bundesliga Süd. After a 17th place finish, they returned to the Oberliga Hesse (III) where they played until 1987. The club had a brush with financial failure in the mid 90s that included the loss of their grounds, and considered a merger with "Progres Frankfurt". They were able to recover themselves and today "Hanau" plays in Gruppenliga Frankfurt Ost (VII) with a renewed focus on its youth teams.

Honours

In 1894, the Deutsche Fußball- und Cricketbund (German Football and Cricket League), a predecessor of the DFB (Deutsche Fussball Bund or German Football Association), organized a national final. "Viktoria Berlin" and "Hanau" were slated to contest the country's championship in Berlin, but "Hanau" could not afford to make the trip and so forfeited the match, leaving "Viktoria" national football champions. In 2007 (113 years later) the final was finally played after enthusiastic support from the President of the German Football Federation (DFB), Theo Zwanziger. The first leg was won by Viktoria 3-0 and the second leg on July 28th ended as a draw at 1-1. The final was played with the heavy leather balls used in the late 19th century.cite web|author=Reuters|year=2007|title=Viktoria Berlin win 1894 final, 113 years late|accessdate=2007-07-28|url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=448508&cc=5901]

Honours

* Gauliga Hessen (I) champions: 1935, 1936, 1938
* Oberliga Hessen champions: 1953, 1961, 1978
* Landesliga Hessen-Süd champions: 1973, 1976

Notable players

* Heinrich Sonnrein, German national team 1935, 1936.

References

External links

* [http://www.fc-hanau93.de Official team site]