ASV Köln Rugby
Encyclopedia
The ASV Köln Rugby is a German
rugby union
club from Cologne
, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga
. It is part of the multi-sports club ASV Köln, which also offers other sports like athletics, triathlon
and karate
.
. In 1936, it severed its connection to the university and renamed itself to Athletik Sportverein Köln, its current name.
The team initially played friendlies against British Army
sides and clubs from Belgium
before taking part in the German championship from 1953 onwards.
ASV, in recent history, was part of the Rugby-Bundesliga South/West, being relegated in 2001 to the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West when the Bundesliga was reduced to single-division format.
The club then finished second in its league three times, in 2002, 2007 and 2009. It managed to win its division in 2008 but lost the 2nd Bundesliga final 6–22 to RK 03 Berlin
and missed out on promotion. It was however promoted the following season, when the league was won by the reserve team of SC 1880 Frankfurt
. Reserve teams being ineligible for Bundesliga promotion, ASV took its spot instead. Suffering from a string of injuries and heavy defeats during the season, the club made the decision in mid-April 2010, to withdraw from the Rugby-Bundesliga and not to play its five remaining matches as they were no longer able to field a full front row. Köln thereby were automatically relegated from the league.
The clubs women's team has played on the highest level in Germany in the past, the Women's Rugby Bundesliga
, but plays one level below, the Women's 2nd Rugby Bundesliga, in 2009-10.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club from Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga
Rugby-Bundesliga
The Rugby-Bundesliga is the highest level of Germany's rugby union league system, organised by the German Rugby Federation.The league is predominantly amateur, with only two of the ten clubs in the league being professional outfits,the SC 1880 Frankfurt and Heidelberger RK.-History:The German rugby...
. It is part of the multi-sports club ASV Köln, which also offers other sports like athletics, triathlon
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
and karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
.
Sports club
The club was formed on 27 February 1929, under the name of Akademischen Sportverein Köln, by students of the University of CologneUniversity of Cologne
The University of Cologne is one of the oldest universities in Europe and, with over 44,000 students, one of the largest universities in Germany. The university is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, an association of Germany's leading research universities...
. In 1936, it severed its connection to the university and renamed itself to Athletik Sportverein Köln, its current name.
Rugby department
The rugby department of the ASV was formed on 1 March 1951, being the second-oldest sports department of the club.The team initially played friendlies against British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
sides and clubs from Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
before taking part in the German championship from 1953 onwards.
ASV, in recent history, was part of the Rugby-Bundesliga South/West, being relegated in 2001 to the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West when the Bundesliga was reduced to single-division format.
The club then finished second in its league three times, in 2002, 2007 and 2009. It managed to win its division in 2008 but lost the 2nd Bundesliga final 6–22 to RK 03 Berlin
RK 03 Berlin
The RK 03 Berlin is a German rugby union club from Berlin, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga.The club was formed in 2003, when the rugby department of the Post SV Berlin left the club...
and missed out on promotion. It was however promoted the following season, when the league was won by the reserve team of SC 1880 Frankfurt
SC 1880 Frankfurt
The SC 1880 Frankfurt is a German rugby union club from Frankfurt am Main, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga. Apart from rugby, the club also offers other sports like lacrosse, tennis and field hockey....
. Reserve teams being ineligible for Bundesliga promotion, ASV took its spot instead. Suffering from a string of injuries and heavy defeats during the season, the club made the decision in mid-April 2010, to withdraw from the Rugby-Bundesliga and not to play its five remaining matches as they were no longer able to field a full front row. Köln thereby were automatically relegated from the league.
The clubs women's team has played on the highest level in Germany in the past, the Women's Rugby Bundesliga
Women's Rugby Bundesliga
The Women's Rugby Bundesliga is the top national competition for women's rugby union football clubs in Germany. The competition started in 1988 and the most successful teams are the SC Neuenheim and the FC St. Pauli....
, but plays one level below, the Women's 2nd Rugby Bundesliga, in 2009-10.
Club honours
- 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga2nd Rugby-BundesligaThe 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga is the second-highest level of Germany's Rugby union league system, organised by the German Rugby Federation. Its set below the Rugby-Bundesliga, the top-tier of German rugby, and above the Rugby-Regionalliga, the third tier.-History:...
- Runners up: 2008
- 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West
- Champions: 2008
- Runners up: 2002, 2007, 2009
Men
| Year | Division | Position |
| 1998-99 | Rugby-Bundesliga South/West (I) | |
| Bundesliga championship round | 6th | |
| 1999-2000 | Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 4th |
| Bundesliga qualification round | 8th | |
| 2000-01 | Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 6th |
| Bundesliga qualification round | 9th — relegated | |
| 2001-02 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West (II) | 2nd |
| 2002-03 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 4th |
| 2003-04 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 7th |
| 2004-05 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 4th |
| 2005-06 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 4th |
| 2006-07 Rugby-Bundesliga 2006-07 The Rugby-Bundesliga 2006-07 was the 36th edition of this competition and the 87th edition of the German rugby union championship. The season went from 26 August 2006 to 12 May 2007, ending with the championship final.-Overview:... |
2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 2nd |
| 2007-08 Rugby-Bundesliga 2007-08 The Rugby-Bundesliga 2007-08 was the 37th edition of this competition and the 88th edition of the German rugby union championship. The season went from 25 August 2007 to 31 May 2008, ending with the relegation final.-Overview:... |
2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 1st |
| 2008-09 Rugby-Bundesliga 2008-09 -Overview:The 2008-09 modus was somewhat different from the previous season. The competition had been expanded from eight to nine teams. The final, which used to be determined by the top-two teams of the regular season was now played by the two winners of the semi-finals which pair the first placed... |
2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 2nd — Promoted |
| 2009–10 Rugby-Bundesliga 2009–10 -Overview:The 2009-10 modus was somewhat different from the previous season. The competition had been expanded from nine to ten teams. It marks the first time since introduction of the single-division Bundesliga in 2001, that ten teams competed in the league. This change of modus was decided upon... |
Rugby-Bundesliga Rugby-Bundesliga The Rugby-Bundesliga is the highest level of Germany's rugby union league system, organised by the German Rugby Federation.The league is predominantly amateur, with only two of the ten clubs in the league being professional outfits,the SC 1880 Frankfurt and Heidelberger RK.-History:The German rugby... (I) |
10th — Relegated |
| 2010–11 Rugby-Bundesliga 2010–11 -Overview:The 2009-10 modus is identical to the previous season. However, the competition had been reduced from ten to nine teams, after the withdrawal of the ASV Köln Rugby during last season and no team from the 2nd Bundesliga accepting promotion. Like in 2008-09, the top four teams qualify for... |
2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 6th |
| 2011–12 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West |
- Until 2001, when the single-division Bundesliga was established, the season was divided in autumn and spring, a Vorrunde and Endrunde, whereby the top teams of the Rugby-Bundesliga would play out the championship while the bottom teams together with the autumn 2nd Bundesliga champion would play for Bundesliga qualification. The remainder of the 2nd Bundesliga teams would play a spring round to determine the relegated clubs. Where two placing's are shown, the first is autumn, the second spring.
Women
| Year | Division | Position |
| 2004-05 | Women's Rugby Bundesliga Women's Rugby Bundesliga The Women's Rugby Bundesliga is the top national competition for women's rugby union football clubs in Germany. The competition started in 1988 and the most successful teams are the SC Neuenheim and the FC St. Pauli.... (I) |
3rd |
| 2005-06 | Women's Rugby Bundesliga | 5th — Relegated |
| 2006–07 | Women's 2nd Rugby Bundesliga (II) | 2nd |
| 2007–08 | Women's 2nd Rugby Bundesliga | 1st |
| 2008–09 | Women's 2nd Rugby Bundesliga | 1st |
| 2009–10 | Women's 2nd Rugby Bundesliga | 1st |