Fortuna Düsseldorf

Football club infobox
clubname = Fortuna Düsseldorf


fullname = Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein
Fortuna 1895 e.V.
nickname = F95, Tuna
founded = 5 May 1895
ground = LTU-Arena
capacity = 51,500
chairman = Paul Jäger
manager = Norbert Meier
league = 3rd Liga
season = 2007-08
position = Regionalliga Nord (III), 3rd
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=
leftarm1=FFFFFF|body1=FF0000|rightarm1=FFFFFF|shorts1=FF0000|socks1=FF0000
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=_collaronwhite|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=FF0000|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=FFFFFF|socks2=FFFFFF

Fortuna Düsseldorf is a German football club based in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia.

History

Foundation to World War II

The earliest roots of the association go back to the establishment of the gymnastics club "Turnverein Flingern" on 5 May 1895 in the village of Flingern, today the northeastern quarter of Düsseldorf. Two other sides figure in the club's early history: "Düsseldorfer Fußballklub Spielverein" founded in 1908 and "FK Alemania 1911", which was founded in 1911 and became "Fortuna 1911" the following year. In mid-1913, these two clubs merged to form "Düsseldorfer Fußball-Club Fortuna 1911", which played its debut season in the Westdeutschen Spielverband in 1913–14. "Fortuna" won its first honours as city champions in wartime A-Klasse competition in 1917–18. "TV Flingern" joined "Fortuna" to create "Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna" on 15 November 1919. [Grüne, Hardy (2001). Vereinslexikon. Kassel: AGON Sportverlag ISBN 3-89784-147-9]

In the late 20s, "Fortuna" won its first honours; they captured a district level Bezirksliga title in 1927, sent their first representative to the nation side in 1928, and took a second Bezirksliga title in 1929. The "Düsseldorfer Rugby-Club" became part of "Fortuna" in 1931. The team continued to perform well into the 30s winning their third district title on their way to a West German regional championship in 1931 and their greatest success, a German championship in 1933 against "Schalke 04", who were on the verge of becoming the era's dominant side. That win made "Fortuna" the first team from the industrial Rhine-Ruhr area to win a national title.

The following season the club began play in Gauliga Niederrhein, one of sixteen top-flight divisions formed in the re-organization of German football under the Third Reich. "Düsseldorf" dominated the division through the 30s and made losing appearances in the national final in 1936 (1:2 to "1. FC Nuremberg") and the final of the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's DFB-Pokal (German Cup), in 1937. The club was relegated in 1942 but made a prompt return to the top flight the following season. In 1944-45 they began play as the combined wartime side "Kriegsspielgemeinschaft TSV Fortuna/SC 99 Düsseldorf" with partner "Düsseldorfer Sport Club 1899", but took part in only two matches as Nazi Germany fell before the advance of Allied armies. [Grüne, Hardy (1996). Vom Kronprinzen bis zur Bundesliga. Kassel: AGON Sportverlag ISBN 3-928562-85-1]

Post War era

After World War II, Allied occupation authorities ordered the dissolution of all sports organizations in Germany. "Fortuna" was re-formed in 1945 and then played most of their football in the Oberliga West (I) in the years between 1947 and the creation of the Bundesliga, Germany's professional football league, in 1963. They played as a lower-to-mid table side but did earn three appearances in the German Cup final in – 1957, 1958 and 1962 – but were not able to take the prize, losing each of those matches.

1960s and 1970s

The club's performance was not good enough to earn them a place among the original sixteen teams chosen for the new league, but they did manage to play their way into the premier division three years later for a cameo appearance in the 1966-67 season. They were immediately relegated, but returned in 1971–72 for a stay that lasted sixteen seasons and that included two third place league finishes. "Fortuna" enjoyed better luck in German Cup play, making another three appearances: after losing in their fifth appearance in the final in 1978 they finally broke through and came away as cupholders in 1979 and then repeated in 1980. In this period they established a record for consecutive German Cup match victories (18 straight victories between 1978 and 1981).

"Fortuna" is among a group of four teams which have made frequent appearances in the German Cup final only to come away empty handed. Like "1. FC Kaiserslautern" they have just two wins against fives losses. "1. FC Köln" has four wins and six losses in the Cup final, while "FC Schalke" has been frustrated most often with four wins and seven losses. Four of the Düsseldorfer's losses were by a single goal and two of those were in extra time.

The club's best turn in European competition was in the Cupwinners Cup Final in 1979 where they finished as runners up to "FC Barcelona", dropping a 3:4 decision in extra time.

1980s to present

Since relegation in 1987, "Fortuna" has bounced back forth between leagues, spending five more seasons in the Bundesliga in 1989-92 and 1995-97 and slipping as low as Oberliga Nordrhein (IV) in 2002-04. In 2001 they escaped relegation to tier IV only because two other clubs were denied licenses to play in tier III for financial reasons. "Fortuna" had their own money problems at the time, but have since managed to put their house more or less back into order. The side will be the inaugural participants in the new 3rd Liga having finished 3rd the 2007-08 Regionalliga Nord.

Between 2001 and 2003 the club was sponsored by the German Punk Rock band "Die Toten Hosen"

Recent seasons

Current squad

Fs player|no=14|nat=GER|name=Oliver Hampel|pos=MF´

"For recent transfers, see List of German football transfers summer 2008."

Honours

* Westdeutscher (West German) champions: 1931
* German champions: 1933
* German vice-champions: 1936
* Gauliga Niederrhein champions: 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940
* Berzirksliga Niederrhein (II) champions: 1943
* Berzirksliga Berg-Mark (II) champions: 1947
* Regionalliga West (II) champions: 1966
* 2. Bundesliga champions: 1989
* DFB-Pokal (German Cup) winners: 1979, 1980
* DFB-Pokal (German Cup) finalists: 1937, 1957, 1958, 1962, 1978
* European Cup Winners' Cup finalists: 1979
* Intertoto Cup group winners: 1967, 1984, 1986
* Ciutat de Palma winners: 1989
* Amateuroberliga Nordrhein (III) champions: 1994
* Wintercup winners: 2008
* Westdeutscher Pokal (West German Cup) champions: 1956, 1957, 1958

Reserve team

* German amateur champions: 1977

Noteable players

25 "Fortuna" players have made appearances with the national side earning 240 caps between them.

* Otto Rehhagel, famous coach, with Düsseldorf 1978-1980
* Jan Tauer, popular defender who currently plays for Swedish side Djurgården.
* Jörg Albertz, 150 Bundesliga games
* Klaus Allofs, European and World Cup vice-championship side
* Thomas Allofs, younger brother of Klaus Allofs
* Rudolf "Rudi" Bommer, national team
* Jupp Derwall, famous coach
* Holger Fach, national team
* Paul Janes, Germany's most capped player of the 1930s (71 caps), member of the "Breslau Eleven"
* Erich "Hammer" Juskowiak, national team
* Stanislaus Kobierski, earned 26 caps and scored Germany's first ever World Cup goal
* Georg Koch, 102 games, currently with Dinamo Zagreb
* Gerd Zewe, 440 games
* Matthias "Mathes" Mauritz, 323 games (49 goals)
* Michael Preetz, national team
* Anton "Toni" Turek, goal keeper for Germany's Miracle of Bern side at the 1954 World Cup

Stadiums

* Lichtplatz (1908–19)
* Vennhauser Straße (1919-30)
* Paul-Janes-Stadion (1930-72, 2002-05)
* Rheinstadion (1972-2002)
* LTU Arena (2005-present) [Grüne, Hardy (2001). Vereinslexikon. Kassel: AGON Sportverlag ISBN 3-89784-147-9]

External links

* [http://www.fortuna95.de Official team website]
* [http://www.abseits-soccer.com/clubs/duesseldorf.html The Abseits Guide to German Soccer]

References

* [http://www.f-archiv.de/ Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv] historical German domestic league tables (in German)
* [http://www.eufo.de/ eufo.de] European football club profiles and current team rosters