FC Stahl Eisenhüttenstadt
Encyclopedia
Eisenhüttenstädter FC Stahl is a German association football club
based in Eisenhüttenstadt
, Brandenburg, near the Polish border.
Stahl played as a second division side in East Germany's DDR-Liga just two forays into the first tier DDR-Oberliga. In 1970–71, the team was relegated from the Oberliga to Bezirksliga Frankfurt (III) for "damaging the principles of socialist society" when it became too obvious that they were paying their players.
After German reunification
in 1990, the side took on its current name and appeared in the last FDGB-Pokal final in 1991, losing to league champions Hansa Rostock by a score of 1–0. This qualified for them for the following year's Cup Winner's Cup
. They were eliminated in the first round, by Galatasaray
.
That was the high point for the club which slipped into the third tier Amateur Oberliga Nordost the next year and to NOFV-Oberliga Nord
(IV) in 2001. Late in 2004, the club went bankrupt, withdrew from competition and had their results annulled. They recovered themselves sufficiently to be able to field a side in Verbandsliga Brandenburg (V) for the 2005–06 season.
Football in Germany
Association football is the most popular sport in Germany. The German Football Association is the sport's national governing body, with 6.6 million members organized in over 26,000 football clubs. There is a league system, with the 1. and 2. Bundesliga on top, and the winner of the first...
based in Eisenhüttenstadt
Eisenhüttenstadt
Eisenhüttenstadt is a town in the Oder-Spree district of Brandenburg, Germany at the border with Poland. The town was founded in 1950 alongside a new steel mill as a socialist model city and has a population of 32,214...
, Brandenburg, near the Polish border.
History
The club's predecessors were founded as BSG Stahl Fürstenberg Ost in 1950. The community of Stalinstadt was built nearby for the workers of the local ironworks, and so the team was known as BSG Stahl Stalinstadt from 1953 to 1961. Fuerstenberg, Stalinstadt and the village of Schönfließ were merged late in 1961 to form Eisenhüttenstadt, and the club, in turn, became BSG Stahl Eisenhüttenstadt.Stahl played as a second division side in East Germany's DDR-Liga just two forays into the first tier DDR-Oberliga. In 1970–71, the team was relegated from the Oberliga to Bezirksliga Frankfurt (III) for "damaging the principles of socialist society" when it became too obvious that they were paying their players.
After German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
in 1990, the side took on its current name and appeared in the last FDGB-Pokal final in 1991, losing to league champions Hansa Rostock by a score of 1–0. This qualified for them for the following year's Cup Winner's Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
. They were eliminated in the first round, by Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
.
That was the high point for the club which slipped into the third tier Amateur Oberliga Nordost the next year and to NOFV-Oberliga Nord
NOFV-Oberliga Nord
The NOFV-Oberliga Nord is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the northern states of former East Germany and West-Berlin. Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Berlin, Brandenburg and...
(IV) in 2001. Late in 2004, the club went bankrupt, withdrew from competition and had their results annulled. They recovered themselves sufficiently to be able to field a side in Verbandsliga Brandenburg (V) for the 2005–06 season.