- Altonaer FC von 1893
Football club infobox
clubname = Altona 93
fullname = Altonaer Fußball-Club von 1893 e. V.
nickname = AFC
founded = 1893
ground = Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn| capacity = 8.000
chairman =
manager =
league = Regionalliga Nord (IV)
season = 2007-08| position = Oberliga Nord (V), 2th
pattern_la1=_altona93|pattern_b1=_altona93|pattern_ra1=_altona93
leftarm1=ffffff|body1=ffffff|rightarm1=ffffff|shorts1=ffffff|socks1=ffffff
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=ff0000|body2=ff0000|rightarm2=ff0000|shorts2=ffffff|socks2=ff0000Altonaer FC von 1893 (AFC) is a German football club based in the Altona district of the city of
Hamburg . The football team is a department of a larger sports club which also offershandball ,karate ,table tennis andvolleyball .__TOC__
History
Late in the 19th century a number of sports with their origins in
England – includingcricket , rugby, and football – were introduced to continental Europe where they enjoyed considerable popularity. The club was founded onJuly 29 ,1893 as "Altonaer Cricketclub" by a group of students who also demonstrated an early interest in football. In1894 , the club was re-named "Altonaer Fussball und Cricket Club" and then "Altonaer Fussball Club" in quick succession."Altona" is one of Germany's oldest football clubs: they were part of the Altona-Hamburg football league formed in 1894, as well as one of the founding clubs of the
DFB (Deutscher Fussball Bund or German Football Association) atLeipzig in1900 . In1903 they hosted at their home ground the first ever German national championship final played between "VfB Leipzig " and "DFC Prague ". The match was refereed by "AFC" player Franz Behr, who also served as the vice-chairman of the newly formed DFB until1904 . The club rescued the match by providing a new ball when the original one proved to be unsuitable for play. Ironically, the hosts of the country's first title match would never capture or even play in a national final, being able only to advance as far as the semi-finals in1903 and1909 , and the quarter-finals in1914 .In
1919 , the club merged with "Altonaer TS 1880" in a union that lasted until1922 , during which time they were known as "VfL Altona". After the break-up the team played as "Altonaer FC 1893 VfL". Another merger in1938 with "Borussia 03 Bahrenfeld" created "Altonaer FC 93 Borussia". Between the end ofWorld War I and the end ofWorld War II the team played continuously in the country's top-flight leagues. Under theThird Reich German football was re-organized into sixteenGauliga and "AFC" played first in theGauliga Nordmark , and later in theGauliga Hamburg .After the war the club picked up play in the Stadtliga Hamburg before earning promotion to the first tier Oberliga Nord. Their best results were a pair of third place finishes in
1954 and1958 , and semi-final appearances in theGerman Cup in1955 and1964 . After the formation of the Bundesliga – Germany's new professional league – in1963 , "Altona" found itself in the second-tier Regionalliga Nord where they played until1968 . Between1969 and1981 "Altona" played third and fourth division ball before slipping to Landesliga Hamburg-Hammonia (V). They returned to using their old name, "Altona FC", in1979 . The club has moved up and down between the third and fifth tiers since the mid-80s and presently plays in the Oberliga Nord (IV). They were unable to sustain themselves financially in the Regionalliga Nord after a single season at the professional level in1997 and voluntarily withdrew to lower league play.Recent seasons
Current squad
Honours
*
Oberliga Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein (IV) champions: 1996
*Verbandsliga Hamburg (II) champions: 1948, 1950
*Landesliga Hamburg-Hansa (IV) champions: 1972
*Landesliga Hamburg-Hammonia (V) champions: 1983Notable players
*Adolf Jäger, capped 18 times (1908-1924)
*Dieter Seeler, upper league player (1952-1955)
*Heinz Spundflasche, upper league player (1952-1958) and coach (1957-1960)tadium
Since 1909 the team has played in the AFC-Kampfbahn, re-named the Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn (AJK) in
1944 . Jäger was killed in an air-raid within weeks of the stadium-naming ceremony honouring him. The facility has a capacity of 8,000 spectators (1,500 seats). Germany's first national championship was played at the club's original grounds, Exerzierweide, in Altona'sBahrenfeld quarter (known today as Schnackenburgallee) on May 31, 1903.External links
* [http://www.altona93.de/ Official team site]
* [http://www.abseits-soccer.com/clubs/altona.html The Abseits Guide to German Soccer]
* [http://www.altona93.com/ Fan site]
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