1. FC Nürnberg


1. Fußball-Club Nürnberg Verein für Leibesübungen e. V., often called 1. FC Nürnberg or simply Nürnberg, is a German association football club in Nuremberg, Bavaria, who currently compete in the 2. Bundesliga. Founded in 1900, the club initially competed in the Southern German championship, winning their first title in 1916. Their first German championship was won in 1920. Before the inauguration of the Bundesliga in 1963, 1.FCN won a further 11 regional championships, including the Oberliga Süd formed in 1945, and were German champions another seven times. The club has won the Bundesliga once and the DFB-Pokal four times.
Since 1963, the club has played their home games at the Max-Morlock-Stadion in Nuremberg. Today's club has sections for boxing, handball, hockey, rollerblading and ice skating, swimming, skiing, and tennis.
1. FCN have been relegated from the German football league system top tier Bundesliga on nine occasions – beating the record earlier set by Arminia Bielefeld.

History

Rise of "Der Club"

1. FC Nürnberg was founded on 4 May 1900 by a group of 18 young men who had gathered at local pub Burenhütte to assemble a side committed to playing football rather than rugby, one of the other new "English" games becoming popular at the time. By 1909, the team was playing well enough to lay claim to the South German championship. After World War I, Nürnberg would gradually turn their success into the dominance of the country's football. In the period from July 1918 to February 1922, the team would go unbeaten in 104 official matches. As early as 1919, they came to be referred to simply as "Der Club" in recognition of their skill and of their style on and off the field and would go on to become one of the nation's most widely recognized and popular teams.
Nürnberg faced SpVgg Fürth in the first national championship held after the end of World War I, beating the defending champions 2–0. That would be the first of five titles Der Club would capture over the course of eight years. In each of those wins, they would shutout their opponents.
The 1922 final was contested by Nürnberg and Hamburger SV but never reached a conclusion on the pitch. The match was called on account of darkness after three hours and ten minutes of play, drawn at 2–2. The re-match also went into extra time, and in an era that did not allow for substitutions, that game was called at 1–1 when Nürnberg was reduced to just seven players and the referee ruled incorrectly the club could not continue. Considerable wrangling ensued over the decision. The German Football Association awarded the win to Hamburger SV under the condition that they renounce the title in the name of "good sportsmanship" – which the side grudgingly did. Ultimately, the Viktoria trophy was not officially presented that year.

After the Glory years

1. FCN's dominance was already beginning to fade when they captured their final trophy of the era in 1927 as the game began to evolve into a more quickly paced contest which did not suit their slower, more deliberate approach. While they continued to field strong sides, other clubs rose to the forefront of German football. In 1934, they lost in the final to Schalke 04, a club that would go on to become the strongest side in the era of football under the Third Reich. Nürnberg would capture national titles just before and after World War II in 1936 and 1948 in the first post-war national final, and would also take the Tschammerpokal, the forerunner of today's DFB-Pokal, in 1935 and 1939.

Into the modern era

The post-war period began with the club being integrated into the Oberliga Süd, one of the five top divisions in West-Germany at the time. Nürnberg managed to win this league six times until 1963, winning the national championship in 1948. In 1961, 1. FCN captured their eighth national title and appeared in a losing effort in the following year's final. Some consolation was to be had in the team capturing its second DFB-Pokal in 1962. The club's strong play made it an obvious choice to be amongst the 16 teams selected to participate in the Bundesliga, Germany's new professional football league, formed in 1963. Der Club played as a mid-table side through the league's early years until putting on a dominating performance in 1968 in which it sat atop the league table from the fifth week of play on to the end of the season, en route to its first Bundesliga title. It went on to become the first club to be relegated from the Bundesliga as the reigning champions. This was a result of Max Merkel's decision to remove his championship-winning team of veterans – believing that they were too old – in favour of a dozen newcomers.
It would take the club nine years to recover and return from an exile in the second tier, first the Regionalliga Süd, then the 2. Bundesliga Süd, that included several failed efforts in the promotion rounds. 1. FCN returned to the Bundesliga for a year in 1978, but played to a 17th-place finish and were relegated again. The club immediately played its way back to the top flight, but since then its Bundesliga performances have been stumbling ones, characterized by finishes well down the league table and occasional relegation for a season or two. The side's best recent result was a fifth-place finish in 1988.
The early 1980s also saw the rise of a longstanding and intense friendship between the fans of Nürnberg and those of former archrival Schalke 04. Fans accompany each other's on their respective away games, and the two-season matches between the teams are generally a very laid-back and hospitable affair for all fans involved.
In the mid-1990s, Nürnberg had financial problems that led to their being penalized six points in the 1995–96 season while playing in the 2. Bundesliga. The club was relegated to the third division as a consequence. Improved management saw the club clawing back and return to the top flight eventually.
In 1999, however, 1. FCN suffered what was arguably the worst meltdown in Bundesliga history. Going into the last game of the season, the club sat in 12th place, three points and five goals ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt, which was sitting in 16th place and seemingly headed to relegation. Nürnberg was closing out the season with what looked to be an easy home game against SC Freiburg, which was also facing relegation. Frankfurt was up against 1. FC Kaiserslautern, last season's champions which were in a fight for a UEFA Champions League spot. Therefore, FCN had already begun soliciting season tickets for next Bundesliga season in a letter to current season ticket holders within celebrating successfully avoiding relegation.
The stage was set for an improbable outcome. Nürnberg lost 1–2 with Frank Baumann missing a chance to score in the last minute. Every other 1. FCN rival won, including Frankfurt, which routed Kaiserslautern 5–1 with three late tallies – this put the side ahead on goals scored and sent 1. FCN crashing to 16th place and into a shock relegation. 1. FCN was not relegated because they had fewer points than Frankfurt, nor because of a lower goal differential, but on the third tie-breaker – fewer goals scored.
1. FCN rebounded and played in the Bundesliga but still found itself flirting with relegation from season to season. However, it had comfortably avoided relegation in the 2005–06 season, finishing eighth in the Bundesliga. After several years of consolidation, Nürnberg seemed back as a force to reckon with in Bundesliga football. Manager Martin Bader's professional and sometimes even spectacular work till spring 2007, as well head coach Hans Meyer's tactically modern understanding of football, helped Nürnberg to its most successful play in almost 40 years. In May 2007, the cut for the UEFA Cup was sure and after the triumph over Eintracht Frankfurt in the DFB-Pokal, the Club was in the final of that tournament for the first time since 1982. On 26 May, the Club won this final against VfB Stuttgart in extra time 3–2, winning the DFB-Pokal again 45 years after the last victory.
In the first round of 2007–08, however, the team could convince no more in Bundesliga. As the team had ended up second in their UEFA Cup group in front of later champion Zenit Saint Petersburg after defeating Rapid București in the first round, head coach Hans Meyer was allowed to restructure the team, for example by buying Czech international striker Jan Koller from Monaco. In the consequence of no improvement, Meyer was replaced by Thomas von Heesen after two legs in the second round. The latter one did not do much better, and so 1. FCN was relegated after finishing 16th after losing a 2–0 home match against Schalke 04 on the final matchday. After not meeting the expectations of dominating the 2. Bundesliga, Von Heesen resigned in August and was replaced by his assistant coach, Michael Oenning. After a slow start, Oenning was able to guide Nürnberg to a third-place finish and a playoff with 16th placed Energie Cottbus. Nürnberg won the playoff 5–0 on aggregate, rejoining the Bundesliga. The club was demoted again, however, after the 2013–14 season, finishing 17th with a final matchday loss to Schalke 04. The club finished third in the 2015–16 season and qualified for the promotion play-off to the Bundesliga, but lost on aggregate to Eintracht Frankfurt to remain in the 2. Bundesliga for 2016–17. The club went on to finish 2nd in 2017–2018 season, securing a promotion spot into the Bundesliga with an away win against SV Sandhausen. However, they finished dead last the next season and were relegated back to 2. Bundesliga.
In the 2019–20 2. Bundesliga season, they finished in 16th place, and faced a relegation playoff against 3. Liga side Ingolstadt, for which Nürnberg prevailed and retained its second tier status after winning 3-3 on aggregate score thanks to the away goals rule.

Rivals

is 1. FCN's longest standing local rival. The rivalry dates back to the early days of German football when, at times, those two clubs dominated the national championship. The clubs have played 258 matches against one another, the most in German professional football. In 1921, the Germany national team consisted only of players from Nürnberg and Fürth for a match against the Netherlands in Amsterdam. The players traveled in the same train, but with the Nürnberg players in a carriage at the front of the train and those from Fürth in a carriage at the rear, while team manager Georg B. Blaschke sat in the middle. A Fürth player scored the first goal of the match but was only congratulated by Fürth players. Allegedly, Hans Sutor, a former Fürth player, was forced to leave the team when he married a woman from Nuremberg. He was later signed by 1. FC Nürnberg and was in the team that eventually won three national championships. Both clubs played together in the Bundesliga in 2012–13.
Games against Bayern Munich are usually the biggest events of the season, as the two clubs are the most successful in Bavaria and Germany overall.

Reserve team

The 1. FC Nürnberg II qualified for the Regionalliga Süd on the strength of a third place in the Bayernliga in 2007–08. The team had been playing in the Bayernlig since 1998, finishing runners-up three times in those years. When not playing in the Bayernlig, the team used to belong to the Landesliga Bayern-Mitte. Nowadays, it plays in tier four Regionalliga Bayern.

League results

Recent seasons

The recent season-by-season performance of the club:
SeasonDivisionTierPosition
1995–962. BundesligaII17th ↓
1996–97Regionalliga SüdIII1st ↑
1997–982. BundesligaII3rd ↑
1998–99BundesligaI16th ↓
1999–002. BundesligaII4th
2000–012. BundesligaII1st ↑
2001–02BundesligaI15th
2002–03BundesligaI17th ↓
2003–042. BundesligaII1st ↑
2004–05BundesligaI14th
2005–06BundesligaI8th
2006–07BundesligaI6th
2007–08BundesligaI16th ↓
2008–092. BundesligaII3rd ↑
2009–10BundesligaI16th
2010–11BundesligaI6th
2011–12BundesligaI10th
2012–13BundesligaI10th
2013–14BundesligaI17th ↓
2014–152. BundesligaII9th
2015–162. BundesligaII3rd
2016–172. BundesligaII12th
2017–182. BundesligaII2nd ↑
2018–19BundesligaI18th ↓
2019–202. BundesligaII16th
2020–212. BundesligaII

;Key
↑ Promoted↓ Relegated

All time


ImageSize = width:650 height:50
PlotArea = left:10 right:50 bottom:20 top:10
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1900 till:2021
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1900
Colors =
id:1d value:rgb
id:2d value:rgb
id:3d value:rgb
PlotData=
bar:Position width:15 color:white align:center
from:01/07/1905 till:30/06/1969 color:1d shift:
from:01/07/1969 till:30/06/1978 color:2d shift:
from:01/07/1978 till:30/06/1979 color:1d shift:
from:01/07/1979 till:30/06/1980 color:2d shift:
from:01/07/1980 till:30/06/1984 color:1d shift:
from:01/07/1984 till:30/06/1985 color:2d shift:
from:01/07/1985 till:30/06/1994 color:1d shift:
from:01/07/1994 till:30/06/1996 color:2d shift:
from:01/07/1996 till:30/06/1997 color:3d shift:
from:01/07/1997 till:30/06/1998 color:2d shift:
from:01/07/1998 till:30/06/1999 color:1d shift:
from:01/07/1999 till:30/06/2001 color:2d shift:
from:01/07/2001 till:30/06/2003 color:1d shift:
from:01/07/2003 till:30/06/2004 color:2d shift:
from:01/07/2004 till:30/06/2008 color:1d shift:
from:01/07/2008 till:30/06/2009 color:2d shift:
from:01/07/2009 till:30/06/2014 color:1d shift:
from:01/07/2014 till:30/06/2018 color:2d shift:
from:01/07/2018 till:30/06/2019 color:1d shift:
from:01/07/2019 till:30/06/2021 color:2d shift:

; ;.

Honours

Der Club boasted the title of Deutscher Rekordmeister as holder of the most championships for over 60 years before being overtaken by Bayern Munich in 1987.
Germany honours its Bundesliga champions by allowing them to display the gold stars of the "Verdiente Meistervereine" – one star for three titles, two stars for five and three stars for ten. However, currently, only titles earned since 1963 in the Bundesliga are officially recognized. Despite winning the national title nine times, Nürnberg – the country's second-most successful side – is not entitled to sport any championship stars.

League

"Der Club" plays in the communally-owned Max-Morlock-Stadion. It has been the club's home since 1963, and currently has a capacity of 50,000 spectators following the stadium's most recent expansion during the winter break of the 2009–10 season. The club previously played its matches at the Zabo.
The stadium was built in 1928 and was known as Stadion der Hitler-Jugend from 1933 to 1945. Originally having a capacity of 40,000 spectators, it was expanded in 1965 to hold 65,000 and subsequently hosted the 1967 Cup Winners' Cup final between Bayern Munich and Rangers, won 1–0 by the German side. The facility was refurbished for the 1974 FIFA World Cup and another recently completed renovation allowed it to seat 45,000 for four preliminary round matches and one Round of 16 contest of the 2006 World Cup.
The Frankenstadion since 2012 bears the commercial name "Grundig Stadion" under an arrangement with a local company. The majority of the fans was in favour of renaming it after club legend Max Morlock. Morlock's name was finally used in 2017.
The club is currently discussing the possibility of building a new stadium, which is to be completed by 2020. A feasibility study has been commissioned and contact has already been made with potential partners. A new stadium is to be made a pure football stadium. It will be built on the site of Frankenstadion and hold a capacity of 50,000 spectators. However, the club has not yet announced any official plans for a new stadium.

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

1. FC Nürnberg II squad

Notable former players

Greatest ever team

In the summer of 2010, as part of the club's celebration of its 110th anniversary, Nürnberg fans voted for the best players in the club's history. The players who received the most votes in each position were named in the club's greatest ever team.
as the club's greatest ever goalkeeper.
Reserves: Hans Kalb, Stefan Kießling, Horst Leupold, Dieter Nüssing, Marc Oechler, Luitpold Popp, Raphael Schäfer, Heinz Strehl, Heinrich Stuhlfauth, Horst Weyerich, Sergio Zárate

Records

#NameYearsBundesliga2.LigaTotal
1 Thomas Brunner1980–199632874402
2 Raphael Schäfer2001–2007, 2008–2017250108358
3 Andreas Köpke1986–1994, 1999–200128058338
4 Norbert Eder1975–1984154146300
5 Dieter Lieberwirth1975–1988139131270
6 Javier Pinola2005–201520258260
7 Peter Stocker1975–1983118131249
8 Marc Oechler1989–199916377240
9 Horst Weyerich1976–198513298230
10 Marek Nikl1998–200714187228

#NameYearsBundesliga2.LigaTotalRatio
1 Dieter Eckstein1984–1988, 1991–199366 '13 '79 '0.35
2 Heinz Strehl1963–197076 '0 '76 '0.44
3 Hans Walitza1974–19790 '71 '71 '0.56
4 Marek Mintál2003–201132 '34 '66 '0.37
5 Franz Brungs1965–1968, 1971–197250 '0 '50 '0.52
6 Horst Weyerich1976–198521 '27 '48 '0.21
7 Dieter Nüssing1968–19775 '39 '44 '0.33
8 Saša Ćirić1998–1999, 2002–200425 '18 '43 '0.47
9 Dieter Lieberwirth1975–198818 '21 '39 '0.14
10 Georg Volkert1965–1969, 1980–198137 '0 '37 '0.27

Numbers in brackets indicate appearances made.

Staff

Coaches and chairmen

Coaches

Outstanding coaches of the earlier years include Izidor "Dori" Kürschner, Fred Spiksley, former player Alfred Schaffer, Dr. Karl Michalke, Alwin "Alv" Riemke and former player Hans "Bumbes" Schmidt, who notably did not win a single of his four German Championship titles as coach with Nürnberg, but three of them with the long-standing main rivals Schalke 04. He was also four times champion as player, thereof three times with the Club, and once with the earlier archrival SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
Managerial history
No.CoachFromTo
1 Herbert Widmayer1 July 196030 October 1963
2 Jeno Csaknady1 November 196330 June 1964
3 Gunter Baumann1 July 196430 June 1965
4 Jeno Csaknady1 July 19657 November 1966
5 Jenő Vincze8 November 196631 December 1966
6 Max Merkel3 January 196724 March 1969
7 Robert Körner25 March 196912 April 1969
8 Kuno Klötzer13 April 196930 June 1970
9Thomas Barthel1 July 197030 June 1971
10Slobodan Mihajlovic1 July 19711 August 1971
11 Fritz Langner2 August 19715 December 1971
12 Zlatko Čajkovski6 December 197130 June 1973
13 Hans Tilkowski1 July 197330 June 1976
14 Horst Buhtz1 July 197619 May 1978
15 Werner Kern20 May 197820 December 1978
16 Robert Gebhardt21 December 197830 June 1979
17 Jeff Vliers1 July 197918 August 1979
18 Robert Gebhardt19 August 197930 June 1980
19 Horst Heese1 July 19803 March 1981
20 Fritz Popp4 March 198126 May 1981
21 Fred Hoffmann27 May 198130 June 1981
22 Heinz Elzner1 July 19818 September 1981
23 Udo Klug9 September 198125 October 1983
24 Rudi Kröner26 October 19836 December 1983
25 Fritz Popp '7 December 198331 December 1983
26 Heinz Höher1 January 198430 June 1988
27 Hermann Gerland1 July 19889 April 1990
28 Dieter Lieberwirth '10 April 199030 June 1990
29 Arie Haan1 July 199030 June 1991
30 Willi Entenmann1 July 19919 November 1993
31 Dieter Renner10 November 19932 January 1994

No.CoachFromTo
32 Rainer Zobel3 January 199431 December 1994
33 Günter Sebert1 January 199530 June 1995
34 Hermann Gerland1 July 199530 April 1996
35 Willi Entenmann1 May 199630 August 1997
36 Felix Magath1 September 199730 June 1998
37 Willi Reimann1 July 199830 November 1998
38 Thomas Brunner1 December 199831 December 1998
39 Friedel Rausch1 January 199918 February 2000
40 Thomas Brunner '19 February 20002 March 2000
41 Klaus Augenthaler3 March 200029 April 2003
42 Wolfgang Wolf30 April 200331 October 2005
43 Dieter Lieberwirth '1 November 20058 November 2005
44 Hans Meyer9 November 200511 February 2008
45 Thomas von Heesen12 February 200828 August 2008
46 Michael Oenning2 September 200821 December 2009
47 Dieter Hecking22 December 200923 December 2012
48 Michael Wiesinger &
Armin Reutershahn		23 December 20127 October 2013
49 Roger Prinzen '7 October 201322 October 2013
50 Gertjan Verbeek22 October 201323 April 2014
51 Roger Prinzen '23 April 20145 June 2014
52 Valérien Ismaël5 June 201410 November 2014
53 René Weiler12 November 201429 June 2016
54 Alois Schwartz29 June 20167 March 2017
55 Michael Köllner7 March 201712 February 2019
56 Boris Schommers '12 February 201919 May 2019
57 Damir Canadi19 May 20194 November 2019
57 Marek Mintál '4 November 201912 November 2019
58 Jens Keller12 November 201929 June 2020
59 Michael Wiesinger29 June 202011 July 2020
60 Robert Klauß30 July 2020present

Chairmen