SV Waldhof Mannheim
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| SV Waldhof Mannheim | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Sportverein Waldhof Mannheim e.V. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1907 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Ground | Carl-Benz-Stadion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 27,000 (~15,000 seats) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Oberliga Baden-Württemburg (IV) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | 8th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SV Waldhof Mannheim is a German football club, located in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg. The club today has a membership of over 2,400.
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[edit] History
The club was founded 1907 and enjoyed its best performances in the Gauliga Baden, one of sixteen top-flight divisions established through the 1933 re-organization of German football under the Third Reich. Waldhof dominated the division through the 30s and into the early 40s by capturing the title five times and consistently finishing well up the table. They were unable, however, to translate that into success at the national level. Their best result came in 1940 when they went out in a semi-final match against FC Schalke 04, the dominant side of the era, before settling for fourth place after losing a consolation round match to Rapid Vienna.
After World War II, Waldhof picked up play in the Oberliga Süd where they earned mid-table results until being relegated to the 2.Oberliga Süd in 1954. They bounced up and down between first and second division play until the formation of the Bundesliga, Germany's new professional football league, in 1963. The next season saw them in the tier II Regionalliga Süd alongside local rivals VfR Mannheim. A string of unimpressive results finally saw the club relegated to the Amateurliga Nordbaden (III) in 1970.
Support from a new sponsor, snack chip maker Chio, helped revive the team and saw their return to the second division where they played as SV Chio Waldhof Mannheim from 1972 to 1978. They continued to play as a middling side there until an unexpected breakthrough to the Bundesliga in 1983. Waldhof spent seven seasons competing at the top flight until a 17th place finish saw the club relegated at the end of the 1989-90 season. They delivered another seven seasons as a decent 2.Bundeliga club until slipping to the Regionalliga Süd for two seasons in 1997-99. A merger with VfR Mannheim was considered in 1998 but the team walked away from a deal at the last minute. Their return to the 2.Bundesliga in 1999 after a season long struggle with Kickers Offenbach was cut short in 2003 when financial irregularities saw the DFB deny the team a license, dropping them to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg (IV). Another attempt at a merger with VfR failed that same year. The club still plays today in the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg.
