Viktoria Köln

Football club infobox
clubname = SCB Viktoria Köln


fullname = Sport-Club-Brück Viktoria Köln von 1994 e.V.
nickname =
founded = 1994
ground = Sportpark Höhenberg
capacity = 12,000
chairman =
manager =
coach =
league = Verbandsliga Mittelrhein (VI)
season = 2007-08
position = 4th
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=
leftarm1=ffffff|body1=ffffff|rightarm1=ffffff|shorts1=ffffff|socks1=ffffff
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=FFFFFF|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=ffffFF|socks2=FFffff

SCB Viktoria Köln is a German football club playing in the city of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia.

History

Founded in 1904 as "FC Germania Kalk" it is one of the oldest football clubs in the city. In 1909 "Germania" merged with "FC Kalk" to form "SV Kalk 04" and in 1911 this club was, in turn, united with "Mülheimer FC" to create "VfR Mülheim-Kalk 04". The club was renamed "VfR Köln 04" in 1918 and that same season won its first West German championship and entry to national championship play.

After the re-organization of German football in 1933 under the Third Reich into sixteen top flight divisions, "VfR" played in the Gauliga Mittelrhein taking titles there in 1935 and 1937 but then performed poorly at the national level. In 1941 The Gauliga Mittelrhein was split into the Gauliga Moselland and Gauliga Köln-Aachen, with "VfR" playing in the latter division. Two years later the club joined "Mülheimer SV" to play as the combined wartime side (Kriegsspielgemeinschaft) "KSG VfR 04 Köln/Mülheimer SV 06". "Mülheim" had also played in the Gauliga Mittelrhein since 1933 claiming titles of its own in 1934 and 1940, and had similarly poor results at the national level. Play in the Gauliga Köln-Aachen was suspended in the 1944-45 season as Allied armies advanced into Germany at the end of World War II.

After the war "VfR Köln" resumed playing first division football in the Oberliga West, but lasted only a single season before bing relegated. In 1949 the team merged with its wartime partner "Mülheimer SV" to become "SC Rapid Köln 04" and played in the 2.Oberliga West (II) until falling to third tier football after 1952. "Rapid" joined local rivals "SC Preußen Dellbrück" forming "SC Viktoria 04 Köln" in 1957. Of these sides, "Preußen Dellbrück" was most successful, advancing to the semi-finals of the national championships in 1950 before going out against "Kickers Offenbach" in a replay of their scoreless first match.

In 1963, the city selected "Viktoria" as its representative in the Fairs Cup, the forerunner of today's UEFA Cup, but the club was unable to capitalize on the opportunity. The team played as a second and third division side with generally unremarkable results until the 1994 merger with "SC Brück" that created "SCB Preußen Köln", the new team being named after predecessor "Preußen Dellbrück". The new club earned a second place finish in their division in 2000, but quickly tumbled to the Oberliga Nordrhein (IV), even spending one season in fifth division Verbandsliga Mittelrhein. The pattern continued after the team was re-christened "SCB Viktoria Köln" in 2002 which toils today in the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein.

Team trivia

*Kalk is today an eastern district of the city of Köln (Cologne), while Mülheim was incorporated into the city in 1914.

External links

* [http://www.viktoriakoeln.de/ Official team site]
* [http://www.abseits-soccer.com/clubs/vikkoeln.html Abseits Guide to German Soccer]
* [http://www.viktoria-koeln-fancenter.de Fansite]