1. FSV Mainz 05

Mainz 05

Full name	1. Fußball- und Sport-Verein Mainz 05 e.V.
Nickname(s)	Die Nullfünfer (the O-Fives)
Founded	1905
Ground	Stadion am Bruchweg (Capacity: 20,300)
Chairman	Harald Strutz
Manager	Christian Heidel
Coach	Jørn Andersen
League	2. Bundesliga
2007-08	2. Bundesliga, 4th
Home colours Away colours Third colours

1. FSV Mainz 05, is a German football club based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate.

History

Early years

A failed attempt to start a football team in the city in 1903 was followed up two years later by the successful creation of 1. Mainzer Fussballclub Hassia 1905. After a number of years of play in the Süddeutschen Fußballverband (South German Football League), the club merged with FC Hermannia 07 – the former football side of Mainzer TV 1817 – to form 1. Mainzer Fussballverein Hassia 05, which dropped "Hassia" from its name in August 1912. Another merger after World War I, in 1919, with Sportverein 1908 Mainz, resulted in the formation of 1. Mainzer Fußball- und Sportverein 05. Die Nullfünfer were a solid club that earned several regional league championships in the period between the wars and qualified for the opening round of the national championships in 1921.

Play under the Third Reich

In the late 20s and early 30s the club earned decent results in the Bezirksliga Main-Hessen - Gruppe Hessen, including first place finishes in 1932 and 1933. This merited the team a place in the Gauliga Südwest, one of sixteen new first division leagues formed in the re-organization of German football under the Third Reich . Unfortunately, they only managed a single season at that level before being relegated. In 1938, they were forced into a merger with Reichsbahn SV Mainz and played as Reichsbahn SV Mainz 05 until the end of World War II.

Long march to the Bundesliga

After the war the team again joined the upper ranks of league play in Germany's Oberliga Südwest, but were never better than a mid-table side. They played in the top flight until the founding of the new professional league, the Bundesliga, in 1963 and would go on to play as a second division side for most of the next four decades. They withdrew for a time – from the late 70's into the late 80's – to the Amateur Oberliga Südwest (III), as the result of a series of financial problems. Mainz earned honours as the German amateur champions in 1982.

The club returned to professional play with promotion to the 2.Bundesliga for a single season in 1988 before finally returning for an extended run in 1990. Initially, they were perennial relegation candidates, struggling hard each season to avoid being sent down. However, under unorthodox trainer Wolfgang Frank, Mainz became one of the first clubs in German soccer to adopt a flat four zone defense, as opposed to the then-popular man-to-man defense using a libero.

Mainz failed in three attempts to make it to the top flight in 1997, 2002, and 2003 with close fourth place finishes just out of the promotion zone. The last failed attempt stung as they were denied promotion in the 93rd minute of the last game. A year earlier, they became the best non-promoted team of all time in the Second Bundesliga with 64 points. But their persistence paid dividends with an ascent into the Bundesliga in 2004 under the leadership of manager Jürgen Klopp. The team played three seasons in the top flight.

Mainz also earned a spot in the UEFA Cup in their debut Bundesliga season as Germany's nominee in the "Fair Play" draw which acknowledges positive play, respect for one's opponent, respect for the referee, the behaviour of the crowd and of team officials, as well as cautions and dismissals. Three "Fair Play" sides earned admission into the first round of UEFA Cup play. Due to the Bruchweg stadium's limited capacity, the home games in UEFA cup were played in Frankfurt's Commerzbank-Arena.

Recent seasons

Stadium

Die Nullfünfer play in Stadion am Bruchweg, built in 1928 and modified several times over the years to hold a crowd of over 20,300 spectators. Averaging crowds of about 15,000 while in the 2.Bundesliga, the team's recent and hard won success has them regularly filling their venue.

Despite relegation, the club has announced that they will build a new stadium in 2009.^[1]

Club culture

Mainz is known for being one of the three foremost carnival cities in Germany, the others being Düsseldorf and Cologne. After every Mainzer goal scored at a home game, the Narhallamarsch, a famous German carnival tune, is played.

Honors

• German amateur champions: 1982
• UEFA Fair Play selection: 2005
• Bezirksliga Rheinhessen-Saar (I) champions: 1927
• Bezirksliga Main-Hessen (Hessen group) (I) champions: 1932, 1933
• Regionalliga Südwest (II) champions: 1973
• Oberliga Südwest (III) champions: 1981, 1988, 1990, 2003(reserves team), 2008 (reserves team)
• Amateurliga Südwest (III) champions: 1978

Famous players

• Sirous Dinmohammadi
• Manuel Friedrich
• Emil Kostadinov
• Mohamed Zidan
• Andriy Voronin
• Elkin Soto
• Marius Niculae
• Félix Borja
• Conor Casey
• Tony Sekulic

Current squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Dimo Wache 2 DF Bo Svensson 3 FW Peter Van Der Heyden 4 DF Nikolce Noveski 5 DF Christian Demirtas 6 DF Tim Hoogland 7 MF Markus Feulner 8 FW Srdjan Baljak 9 FW Félix Borja 10 FW Dragan Bogavac 11 FW Petr Ruman 12 DF Wellington 13 MF Milorad Peković 14 DF Robert Fleßers 15 MF Roman Neustädter

No. Position Player 16 DF Florian Heller 17 DF Marco Rose 18 MF Jahmir Hyka 19 MF Elkin Soto 21 MF Miroslav Karhan 22 FW Chadli Amri 23 FW Aristide Bance 25 MF Mario Vrančić 27 MF Daniel Gunkel 29 GK Christian Wetklo 30 GK Daniel Ischdonat

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

External links

• Official team site
• Online Archive of Mainz 05
• Abseits Guide to German Soccer
• Mainz 05 statistics
• Mainz Online Fanzine (in German)

References