SC Preußen Münster

SC Preußen Münster (English: Prussia Münster) are a German association football club based in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia.

History

The club was founded as FC Preussen in 1906 and has its roots in a group formed at the Johann-Conrad-Schlaun Grammar School. In 1921 the team took on their current name, and progressed to second division competition in 1928.

In 1933, Preußen advanced to the Gauliga Westfalen, one of sixteen top-flight leagues established through the re-organization of German football under the Third Reich. They earned only mediocre results there and were relegated twice. Their second demotion in 1941 left them out of first division football until after World War II.

The team played three seasons in the Landesliga Westfalen Gr. 2 (II) before returning to the top-flight in the Oberliga West in the 1948–49 season. That arrival was accompanied by some notoriety as Preußen Münster became the first German football club to build a team by buying players, something previously unheard of in a country committed to the ideal of amateurism. Siegfried Rachuba, Adolf Preissler, Rudolf Schulz, Felix Gerritzen, and Josef Lammers formed a front five dubbed by the press as the "Hundred-Thousand-Mark Line", even though that much money never did change hands.

The investment paid dividends as the club merited an appearance in the 1951 national final in front of 107,000 spectators at Berlin's Olympic Stadium against 1. FC Kaiserslautern where they were defeated with a score of 1:2.

Founding member of the Bundesliga

Their results as a mid-table side in the tough Oberliga West in the ten years prior to the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963 were good enough to earn them admission as one of the five teams from that league to earn a place in Germany's new sixteen-team professional circuit. The club made only a cameo appearance in the Bundesliga, being relegated after a next-to-last 15th place finish.

Post Bundesliga play

Preußen Münster played out the 1960s and 1970s as a second division side in the Regionalliga West and 2. Bundesliga Nord. They slipped to the Amateur Oberliga Westfalen (III) in the 1981–82 season, and except for a short adventure in the 2. Bundesliga in the 1990 and 1991 seasons, have since played third tier football in the Regionalliga West/Sudwest (1993–2000) and Regionalliga Nord (2000–2006). During this period, they captured the German Amateur Championship in 1994 with a 1:0 win over Kickers Offenbach.

In 2006, the club once slipped to the Oberliga Westfalen, now a fourth tier circuit. Management subsequently invested significant financial resources into a high-profile team of experienced second- and third-tier players in pursuit of immediate re-promotion. The attempt ended in failure and the club re-built itself with young players in place of expensive veterans and also put in place a young and relatively unknown coach, Roger Schmidt. The re-worked side finished first place in the 2007 / 2008 season, and so qualified for the new Regionalliga West (IV). They finished Regionalliga as 4th in 2008–2009 and as 6th in 2009–10 seasons. They finally promoted to 3rd Liga after finishing champion of West Group of Regionalliga in 2010-11 season.

Honours

• German vice-champions: 1951
• German amateur champions: 1994
• Amateur Oberliga Westfalen (III) champions: 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993
• Regionalliga West (IV) champions: 2011

Stadium

The club play in the Preußenstadion, built in 1923, which has a capacity of 15,050 spectators (~1,560 seats). The construction of a new facility was considered in the 80's, but the idea was abandoned in December 2000. In spring 2008 it was decided to run reconstructions to make the stadium more attractive and fitting to modern standards. The seats area will be replaced by a new one including 2931 seats and VIP lounges. The terraces which still are uncovered will get a roof. The demolition of the seats area has begun in November 2008. The works are planned to be finished end of February 2009.

Team trivia

• Football made its debut on German radio in November 1925 with the broadcast of part of the game between Münster and Arminia Bielefeld.

• On the first ever day of Bundesliga play on 24 August 1963, Preussen Münster's game against Hamburg was the only complete sell out. The team earned another broadcasting first as this was also the first recorded Bundesliga match. The contest ended in a 1:1 draw.

• Preußen Münster are the only founding member of Bundesliga who only played for one season in Bundesliga.

Current squad

As of 24 August, 2011

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Staff

Manager
Marc Fascher

Assistant Manager
Tobias Stock

Goalkeeper coach
Jörg Jüttner

Director of Sport
Carsten Gockel

Scout
Harald Menzel

Advisor
André Feichtiger

Kit Manager
Jürgen Keseberg

External links

• Official team page
• The Abseits Guide to German Soccer