VfL Stettin
Encyclopedia
VfL Stettin was a German
football
club from the city of Stettin, Pomerania (today Szczecin
, Poland
). The club dissolved at the end of the Second World War.
The origins of the club are in the establishment in 1912 of a football department within the gymnastics club Turnverein Stettin. The team went its own way as the independent side Verein für Leibesübungen Stettin in 1925. In 1930 the membership of Titania Stettin, which failed through bankruptcy, became part of VfL.
VfL twice took part unsuccessfully in the end round of the Pommern group of the Baltenverband in the early 30s. Following the re-organization of German football into 16 top-flight division under the Third Reich the club joined the Pommern-West group of the Gauliga Pommern
. In three seasons there they were a lower table side and were finally relegated after a 7th place finish at the end of the 1935–36 season. VfL returned to first division play in 1939, capturing the Gauliga Pommern-West group and then defeating Germania Stolp (2:1, 0:1, 5:2) to claim the overall Gauliga Pommern championship. They were quickly eliminated in their only national level post-season appearance. Their title also earned them a place in the 1940 Tschammerspokal tournament, predecessor to today's DFB-Pokal
(German Cup), where they advanced two rounds before being eliminated by BuEV Danzig
. Stettin was relegated after another three-year turn ending in a last place finish in 1943. They played 3 matches in a truncated Gauliga Stettin season in 1944–45 before the country was overrun by advancing Allied forces at the end of World War II
. The club disappeared at war's end as the city and surrounding region became part of Poland.
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...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club from the city of Stettin, Pomerania (today Szczecin
Szczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
). The club dissolved at the end of the Second World War.
The origins of the club are in the establishment in 1912 of a football department within the gymnastics club Turnverein Stettin. The team went its own way as the independent side Verein für Leibesübungen Stettin in 1925. In 1930 the membership of Titania Stettin, which failed through bankruptcy, became part of VfL.
VfL twice took part unsuccessfully in the end round of the Pommern group of the Baltenverband in the early 30s. Following the re-organization of German football into 16 top-flight division under the Third Reich the club joined the Pommern-West group of the Gauliga Pommern
Gauliga Pommern
The Gauliga Pommern was the highest football league in the Prussian province of Pomerania from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the Gau Pomerania replaced the province of Pomerania.-Overview:The league was...
. In three seasons there they were a lower table side and were finally relegated after a 7th place finish at the end of the 1935–36 season. VfL returned to first division play in 1939, capturing the Gauliga Pommern-West group and then defeating Germania Stolp (2:1, 0:1, 5:2) to claim the overall Gauliga Pommern championship. They were quickly eliminated in their only national level post-season appearance. Their title also earned them a place in the 1940 Tschammerspokal tournament, predecessor to today's DFB-Pokal
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
(German Cup), where they advanced two rounds before being eliminated by BuEV Danzig
BuEV Danzig
BuEV Danzig was a German association football club formed in 1903, from the city of Danzig, West Prussia .-History:The city's first football side, Fußball Club Danzig was established 18 April 1903, and by 1905 was playing as Ballspiel- und Eislauf-Verein Danzig to reflect the club's interest in...
. Stettin was relegated after another three-year turn ending in a last place finish in 1943. They played 3 matches in a truncated Gauliga Stettin season in 1944–45 before the country was overrun by advancing Allied forces at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The club disappeared at war's end as the city and surrounding region became part of Poland.