List of football clubs in East Germany

The history of East German football is complex, and that of its clubs particularly so. After World War II, the occupying allies disbanded most German organisations, including football clubs. While some were re-formed, others were not, and many that were emerged having been renamed, merged with their neighbours, or even split. The instability continued throughout the DDR era, with many clubs being moved to new towns, and with very frequent name-changes, Soviet-sounding names like Dynamo and Lokomotive replacing more traditional names. After re-unification, many clubs reverted to their pre-East German names, but some stuck with them, and others have changed back again. This page lists all prominent East German clubs, along with their original name, their present day name, and a list of name changes and mergers that they underwent.

DDR name Pre-DDR name Current name Other names DDR Titles DDR Cups
BSG Wismut Aue Pneumatik Aue FC Erzgebirge Aue BSG Pneumatik Aue (1946–49)
BSG Zentra Wismut Aue (1949–51)
SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt (1954–63)[1]
FC Wismut Aue (1990–93)		 3 1
BSG Rotation Babelsberg SG Babelsberg Fortuna Babelsberg SG Babelsberg (1946–49)
BSG Märkische Volksstimme Potsdam-Babelsberg (1949–50)
BSG DEFA Babelsberg (1969–90)		 - -
Berliner FC Dynamo° None (formed 1951) Berliner FC Dynamo SG Volkspolizei Berlin (1951–53)
SG Dynamo Berlin (1953–54)
SC Dynamo Berlin (1954–66)[2]
FC Berlin (1990–99)		 10 3
1. FC Union Berlin° SC Oberschöneweide 1. FC Union Berlin SC Olympia 06 Oberschöneweide (1906–1920)
SG Oberschöneweide (1945–49)
SG Union Oberschöneweide (1949–51)
BSG Motor Oberschöneweide (1951–55)
SC Motor Berlin (1955–57)
TSC Oberschöneweide (1957–63)
TSC Berlin (1963–66)		 - 1
BSG Chemie Böhlen None (founded 1969) SV Chemie Böhlen[3] BSG Brennstoff Böhlen (1949–52)[4]
BSG Benzinwerk Böhlen (1949–52)[5]
BSG Aktivist Böhlen (1952–68)[6]
SV Chemie Böhlen (1990)[3]		 - -
FC Vorwärts Berlin°
FC Vorwärts Frankfurt/Oder°[7]		 None (founded 1951) Frankfurter FC Viktoria Vorwärts Leipzig (1951–53)
ZSK Vorwärts Berlin (1953–56)
ZASK Vorwärts Berlin (1956)
ASK Vorwärts Berlin (1956–66)
FC Victoria Frankfurt/Oder (1991–92)		 6 2
BSG Stahl Brandenburg None (founded 1950) FC Stahl Brandenburg BSV Stahl Brandenburg (1990–93)
BSV Brandenburg (1993–98)		 - -
BSG Energie Cottbus None (founded 1963) FC Energie Cottbus BSG Aktivist Brieske-Ost (1950–54)
SC Aktivist Brieske-Senftenberg (1954–63)[8]
SC Cottbus (1963–66)		 - -
BSG Motor Dessau SV Dessau 05 SV Dessau 05 FC Adler (1905)
Dessauer FC (1905–1919)
SV BAMAG Dessau (?-1919)
VfR Dessau (1919–21)[9]
SpVgg Dessau (?-1921)[10]
Blau-Weiss Dessau (1945–47)
Sport-Union Dessau (1947–48)
SG Dessau-Nord (1948–49)
BSG Waggonbau Dessau (1949)
BSG Waggonfabrik Dessau (1949–50)
SG Waggonbau 05 Dessau (1990–95)		 - 1
SG Dynamo Dresden°° None (founded 1953) SG Dynamo Dresden SG Volkspolizei Dresden (1950–52)
1. FC Dynamo Dresden (1990–2007)
 8 7
SG Dresden-Friedrichstadt Dresdner SC Dresdner SC None (disbanded 1950-91)[11] - -
BSG Stahl Eisenhüttenstadt None (founded 1950) Eisenhüttenstädter FC Stahl BSG Stahl Fuerstenberg Ost (1950–53)
BSG Stahl Stalinstadt (1953–59)		 - -
FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt° SG Erfurt West Rot-Weiss Erfurt SG Erfurt West (1946–48)[12]
SG Fortuna Erfurt (1948–49)
KWU Erfurt (1949–50)
Turbine Erfurt (1950–54)
SC Turbine Erfurt (1954–65)[13]		 2 -
BSG Wismut Gera SG Gera-Pforden 1.SV Gera 1.VfR Gera (?-1922)
Allgemeinen Turngemeinde Gera (?-1922)
SpVgg Gera 04[14]
Concordia Gera-Reuß (?-1936)[15]
SG Gera-Pforden (1945–49)
RFT Gera (?-1950)
BSG Mechanik Gera (1950–51)[16]
BSG Motor Gera (1951–52)		 - -
Hallescher FC Chemie° SG Freiimfelde Halle Hallescher FC SG Freiimfelde Halle (1945–49)
ZSG Union Halle (1949–50)
BSG Turbine Halle (1950–54)
SC Chemie Halle-Leune (1954–58)
SC Chemie Halle (1958–66)		 2 2
FC Carl Zeiss Jena° 1.SV Jena FC Carl Zeiss Jena FC der Firma Carl Zeiss (1903–11)
FC Carl Zeiss Jena (1911–17, 1966-)
Ernst-Abbe Jena (1946–48)
Stadion Jena (1948–49)
BSG Carl Zeiss Jena (1949–51)
Mechanik Jena (1951)
BSG Motor Jena (1951–54)
SC Motor Jena (1954–66)		 3 4
FC Karl-Marx-Stadt° None (founded 1945) Chemnitzer FC SG Chemnitz Nord (1945–48)
BSG Fewa Chemnitz (1948–51)
BSG Chemie Chemnitz (1951–53)
SC Chemie Karl-Marx-Stadt (1953–56)
SC Motor Karl-Marx-Stadt (1956–63)
SC Karl-Marx-Stadt (1963–66)		 1 -
BSG Chemie Leipzig TuRa Leipzig FC Sachsen Leipzig[17] Britannia Leipzig (1899–1919)
Hertha Leipzig (1905–19)
Leipziger SV (1919–1938)[18]
SG Leipzig-Leutzsch (1945–49)
Industrie Leipzig (1949–50)[19]
Dissolved (1954–63)[20]
Grün-Weiß Leipzig (1990)
Chemie Böhlen (?-1990)[17]		 2 1
1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig° VfB Leipzig 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig SG Probstheida (1946–54)
SC Rotation Leipzig (1946–63)[21]
SC Leipzig (1963–65)[22]
VfB Leipzig (1896–1946, 1991–2004)[23]		 - 4
1. FC Magdeburg° None (founded 1945) 1.FC Magdeburg SG Sudenburg (1945)
SG Lemsdorf (1945)
SAG Krupp Grusson (1945–50)
Eintracht Sudenburg (1945–51)[24]
Stahl Magdeburg (1951–52)
Motor Mitte Magdeburg (1952–57)
Aufbau Magdeburg (1957–65)
SC Magdeburg (1965)		 3 8[25]
BSG Einheit Pankow SG Pankow-Nord VfB-Einheit zu Pankow[26] VfB Pankow (1893–1945)
SG Pankow Nord (1945–51)
VfB Pankow (1949–50)
PSV Einheit Pankow (1990–91)		 - -
BSG Motor WEMA Plauen VFC Plauen VFC Plauen SG Plauen-West (1946–49)
Sachsenverlag Plauen (1949–51)[27]
Rotation Plauen (1951–55)
Wismit Plauen (1955–63)		 - -
BSG Stahl Riesa Riesaer SV TSV Stahl Riesa SC Riesa (1903–05)
FC Wettin (?-1917)[28]
SG Riesa (1945–48)
Riesaer SV (1905–45)
Stahlwerk Riesa (1945–48)
FC Stahl Riesa (1990–91)
Riesaer SV Blau-Weiß (1991–98)[29]
FC Stahl Riesa (1998–2003)[30]		 - -
FC Hansa Rostock° SG Lauter F.C. Hansa Rostock SG Lauter (1946–49)
BSG Freihet Wismut Lauter (1950–51)
BSG Empor Lauter (1951–54)[31]
Empor Rostock (1954–65)		 1 1
BSG Lokomotive Stendal Viktoria Stendal 1. FC Lok Stendal SG Stendal-Nord (1945–48)
Blau-Weiss Stendal (1948–49)
SG Eintracht Stendal (1949)
SG Blau-Weiß Stendal (1949)
BSG "Hans Wendler" Stendal (1949–50)[32]
FSV Lok Altmark Stendal (1990–2002)[33]		 - -
BSG Sachsenring Zwickau SG Planitz FSV Zwickau SC Planitz (-1945)
SG Planitz (1945–49)
ZSG Horch Zwickau (1949–50)
BSG Motor Zwickau (1950–68)[34]		 1 3

° Football club (FC), which were foundet 1965-66 as centers of high-level football in the GDR.
°° SG Dynamo Dresden was a sport-community with FC-status.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Despite being named Karl-Marx-Stadt for much of their time in the DDR-Oberliga, Wismut continued to play in Aue.
  2. ^ The Football-section of SC Dynamo Berlin were formed in 1954, when the authorities decided to move the successful Dynamo Dresden team to Berlin. The reserve team continued as Dynamo Dresden.
  3. ^ a b In 1990 the first team of SV Chemie Böhlen merged with GW Leipzig, forming FC Sachsen Leipzig. The reserve team continued as SV Chemie Böhlen.
  4. ^ BSG Brennstoff Böhlen were renamed Aktivist Mitte Böhlen in 1951.
  5. ^ BSG Benzinwerk Böhlen were renamed Aktivist West Böhlen in 1951.
  6. ^ Aktivist Mitte Böhlen and Aktivist West Böhlen were merged in BSG Chemie Böhlen on January 1, 1969.
  7. ^ Vorwärts Berlin were moved to Frankfurt (Oder) in 1971, with a change of name to match.
  8. ^ SC Aktivist Brieske-Senftenberg was being moved from Senftenberg to Cottbus in 1963
  9. ^ Dessauer FC and SV BAMAG Dessau merged in 1919, forming VfR Dessau 1905.
  10. ^ SpVgg Dessau and VfR Dessau merged in 1921, forming SV Dessau 05
  11. ^ SG Friedrichstadt (aka Dresdner SC) were disbanded by the authorities in 1950, considered too bourgeoisie. A new Dresdner SC was formed in 1991, after reunification.
  12. ^ SG Erfurt West encompassed the area of the city once served by SC Erfurt 1895 and VfB Erfurt and drew footballers who had played for these clubs.
  13. ^ SC Turbine Erfurt absorbed Optima Erfurt in 1965, one year before becoming Rot-Weiss Erfurt.
  14. ^ AGTG Gera and VfR Gera merged in 1922, forming SpVgg Gera 04
  15. ^ In 1936, Concordia Gera-Reuss merged with SpVgg Gera to form SV Gera 04.
  16. ^ RFT Gera, and Gera-Pforden merged in 1950, forming BSG Mechanik Gera.
  17. ^ a b In 1990 GW Leipzig merged with SV Chemie (formerly BSG Chemie) Böhlen, forming FC Sachsen Leipzig.
  18. ^ Britannia and Hertha Leipzig merged in 1919, becoming Leipziger SV 1899. In 1938, LSV merged with SV Tura Leipzig, forming Tura 1899 Leipzig.
  19. ^ Industrie Leipzig was in fact, the result of a merger of five teams, SG Lindenau-Aue, SG Lindenau-Hafen, SG Leipzig-Mitte, SG Böhlitz-Ehrenberg and Leipzig-Leutzsch. Leutzsch are considered the closest descendant to TuRa Leipzig.
  20. ^ Chemie Leipzig were dissolved in 1954, with its players assigned to SC Lokomotive Leipzig. The BSG-team was re-formed in 1963.
  21. ^ SG Probstheida merged into SC Rotation Leipzig in 1954.
  22. ^ In 1963, Leipzig's two sportclubs, SC Lokomotive and SC Rotation, were merged in SC Leipzig. The best footballer of the two clubs trained in the Football-section of SC Leipzig, the were renamed 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig beginning of the year 1966. The remainder formed the team of BSG Chemie Leipzig.
  23. ^ Lokomotive Leipzig reverted to their old name of VfB after re-unification, but in 2004 were declared bankrupt. The same year, they were re-established by fans, again as Lokomotive Leipzig.
  24. ^ BSG Eintracht Sudenburg were formed from a merger of SG Sudenburg and SG Lemsdorf in 1945. They absorbed SAG Krupp Grusson in 1950.
  25. ^ 1. FC Magdeburg also won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1974, the only European trophy to go to East Germany.
  26. ^ In 1991 PSV Einheit Pankow and VfB Pankow were merged in VfB-Einheit zu Pankow.
  27. ^ BSG Sachsenring Plauen absorbed SG-Plauen West in 1949 and Zellwolle Plauen in 1950.
  28. ^ FC Wettin were swallowed up by Riesaer SV in 1917.
  29. ^ Riesaer SV absorbed SC Riesa-Röderau (formerly Chemie Riesa) in 1998.
  30. ^ FC Stahl Riesa were declared bankrupt in 2003. The same year, they were re-established by fans as TSV Stahl Riesa.
  31. ^ The Footballteam of Lauter were moved to Sportclub Empor Rostock (SC Empor) in 1954, and renamed Empor Rostock in 1965.
  32. ^ SG "Hans Wendler" Stendal were formed in 1949 after a merger of Eintracht Stendal with two railway sides, Reichsbahn Stendal and RAW Stendal.
  33. ^ FSV Lokomotive Altmark Stendal went bankrupt in 2002, but merged with neighbours 1.FC Stendal, forming 1.FC Lokomotive Stendal.
  34. ^ BSG Sachsenring Zwickau were formed in 1968, from a merger between BSG Motor Zwickau and Aktivist Karl Marx Zwickau.

References

National teams
Men
National team · Olympic · U-21 · U-19 · U-17
Women
National team
League system
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DDR-Oberliga · NOFV-Oberliga · DDR-Liga · Bezirksliga
Women
Domestic cups
Men
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Awards
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Lists
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