FV Gera Süd

Football club infobox
clubname = FV Gera Süd

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fullname = Fußball Verein Gera Süd e.V.
nickname =
founded = 1904
ground = Stadion am Steg
capacity =
chairman =
manager =
league = Landesliga Thüringen (VI)
season = 2007-08
position = Landesklasse Thüringen-Ost (VI), 1st (promoted)
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=
leftarm1=FFFFFF|body1=FFFF00|rightarm1=FFFFFF|shorts1=FFFF00|socks1=FFFF00
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=_collaronwhite|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=FFFF00|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=FFFFFF|socks2=FFFFFF

FV Gera Süd is a German football club playing in Gera, Thuringia. The club is the successor to "1. SV Gera" whose football department joined "Blau-Weiß Gera" and "Geraer KFC Dynamos" in 2007 to form the new association. They play in Landesklasse Ost (VI) in the place previously held by "Blau-Weiß".

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History

"SpVgg Gera" was created in 1922 out of the merger of the predecessor associations "Allgemeinen Turngemeinde Gera" and "1. VfR Gera".In 1936, "SpVgg" was joined by "Sport Club Concordia Gera-Reuß" to form "SV Gera 04". [Grüne, Hardy (2001). Vereinslexikon. Kassel: AGON Sportverlag ISBN 3-89784-147-9] The new association included as part of its heritage the side "Sport Club Reuß" which was established in 1904. [ [http://www.zcontent.de/eznews.php?news=1185365470&nummer=1186598031 Offizielle Homepage FV Gera Süd e.V. - Fußballverein in Gera Thüringen - Fußball ] ] "SV" made its first appearance in top flight football in 1939 in the Gauliga Mitte, one of sixteen upper divisions created in the 1933 re-organization of German football under the Third Reich. However, their stay in first division competition was short-lived. After narrowly escaping relegation in the two seasons following their debut, they were sent down in 1943. [http://www.f-archiv.de/ Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv historical German domestic league tables (in German)]

Postwar play in East Germany

Like other most organizations in Germany, including sports and football clubs, "Gera" was dissolved at the end of World War II by occupying Allied authorities. The club was re-established in 1945 as "SG Gera-Pforten" and was re-named "BSG Gera-Süd" in 1949. In October 1950 that club was joined by "BSG RFT Gera" to form "BSG Mechanik Gera" which underwent names changes to become "SG Motor Gera" in May 1951, and then "BSG Wismut Gera" in March 1953.

It was as "Gera-Süd" that the club returned to first division play in inaugural season of East Germany's DDR-Oberliga in 1949. They managed only a weak 11th place finish just two points clear of relegation, but enjoyed a successful run in the FDGB-Pokal (East German Cup) advancing to the first ever Cup final against "Waggonbau Dessau" where they dropped a 0:1 decision. The club had a long list of Cup appearances over the next four decades, but never did better than an advance to the 1969 quarter finals.

"Gera"'s poor league play continued and the side was relegated in 1953 to the DDR-Liga. They made two single season cameo appearances in the top flight in 1966 and 1977 and struggled to distant last place finishes on both occasions.

Post re-unification

After German re-unification in 1990 the club took on the name "FSV Wismut Gera" and was seeded into the NOFV-Oberliga Süd for the 1992 season. By 1996 they had slipped for the first time to fifth tier play in the Landesliga Thüringen. A division championship returned them to what was now the fourth division Oberliga Nordost/Süd for one season in 1999.

A three-year-long turn in the Landesliga Thüringen (V) ended in bankruptcy and demotion to the Bezirksliga Thüringen-4 (VII) in 2003 where the club played until 2007 and the merger that created the current day club.

Honours

*East German Cup finalist: 1949

tadium

"FV Gera Süd" plays in the Stadion am Steg. "1. SV Gera" left the Stadion der Freundschaft in 2006, which is now used by their local rival, "1. FC Gera 03".

External links

* [http://www.svgera.de Official Site]
* [http://www.wismut-offensive.de Wismut fan site]
* [http://www.abseits-soccer.com/clubs/svgera.html Abseits Guide to German Soccer]
* [http://www.f-archiv.de/ Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv] historical German football league tables (in German)

References