VfL Herzlake
Encyclopedia
VfL Herzlake is a German association football club
from the village of Herzlake
, Lower Saxony
. In addition to a football department the club has sections for handball
, gymnastics, and volleyball.
The end of World War II and the collapse of the Third Reich saw many previously banned clubs re-established, including Herzlake, which was reformed as Verein für Leibesübungen Herzlake in 1946. The team enjoyed its first successes in local level play in the early 70s, advancing to the Landesliga Niedersachsen (V) in 1975, and from there in 1982 into the Verbandsliga Niedersachsen (IV), where they won titles in 1985, 1987, and 1988. A successful promotion round playoff in 1988 advanced VfL to the Oberliga Nord
(III) where they were an unremarkable lower tier side through their first four seasons of play. In 1993, they claimed the division title and took part in the promotion round for the 2. Bundesliga but fared poorly.
The team remained competitive through the mid-90s in what was now the Regionalliga Nord
(III), before being renamed VfL Hasetal Herzlake in 1997. They spent two more seasons in the Regionalliga before finishing in the relegation zone at the end of the 1998–99 season. The poor financial condition of the club drove them all the way down to the Kreisliga Emsland (VIII) and they resumed the name VfL Herzlake. They slipped further still, to the Kreisklasse Weser/Ems (IX) in 2000, and recovered briefly to play in the Kreisliga for several seasons before again being demoted to the Kreisklasse where they play today.
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...
from the village of Herzlake
Herzlake
Samtgemeinde Herzlake is a Samtgemeinde in the district Emsland in Lower Saxony, Germany at the Hase river.Following villages are situated in Herzlake:...
, Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
. In addition to a football department the club has sections for handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
, gymnastics, and volleyball.
History
The club was established in 1921 as Fußball-Club Herzlake and in 1927 was re-named Deutsche Jugendkraft Grün-Weiß Hertzlake as part of the DJK-Sportverband, a nationwide sports organization sponsored by the Catholic Church. With the rise to power of the Nazis, faith-based and left-leaning worker's sports organizations were disbanded as politically unpalatable to the regime and the Herzlake club disappeared in 1934.The end of World War II and the collapse of the Third Reich saw many previously banned clubs re-established, including Herzlake, which was reformed as Verein für Leibesübungen Herzlake in 1946. The team enjoyed its first successes in local level play in the early 70s, advancing to the Landesliga Niedersachsen (V) in 1975, and from there in 1982 into the Verbandsliga Niedersachsen (IV), where they won titles in 1985, 1987, and 1988. A successful promotion round playoff in 1988 advanced VfL to the Oberliga Nord
Oberliga Nord
The Oberliga Nord was the fourth tier of the German football league system in the north of Germany. It covered the states of Niedersachsen, Bremen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein...
(III) where they were an unremarkable lower tier side through their first four seasons of play. In 1993, they claimed the division title and took part in the promotion round for the 2. Bundesliga but fared poorly.
The team remained competitive through the mid-90s in what was now the Regionalliga Nord
Regionalliga Nord
The Regionalliga Nord is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the northern and eastern part of Germany. It covers ten of the sixteen states of Germany...
(III), before being renamed VfL Hasetal Herzlake in 1997. They spent two more seasons in the Regionalliga before finishing in the relegation zone at the end of the 1998–99 season. The poor financial condition of the club drove them all the way down to the Kreisliga Emsland (VIII) and they resumed the name VfL Herzlake. They slipped further still, to the Kreisklasse Weser/Ems (IX) in 2000, and recovered briefly to play in the Kreisliga for several seasons before again being demoted to the Kreisklasse where they play today.
Honours
- Verbandsliga Niedersachsen (IV) champions: 1985, 1987, 1988
- Amateuroberliga Nord (III) champions: 1993