Tennis Borussia Berlin

Tennis Borussia Berlin is a German football club based in Berlin-Westend.

History

The team was founded in 1902 and takes its name from its origins as a tennis and ping-pong club. "Borussia" is a Latinised version of Prussia. In 1903 the club took up football and quickly developed a rivalry with Berlin's leading side Hertha BSC. They won their first city league championship in 1932 in the Oberliga Berlin-Brandenburg and repeated the feat in 1941, this time by defeating Hertha (8–2) in the Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg.

After World War II and into the early 1950s, TeBe emerged as Berlin's top side but were unable to keep up their form and earn selection to the Germany's new professional league, the Bundesliga, formed in 1963. The team played in tier II leagues throughout the 60s and 70s with the exception of two short-lived forays into the Bundesliga in 1974–75 and 1976–77. Most of the 1980s were spent playing in the third tier Oberliga Berlin.

Through most of its history TeBe has been afflicted by financial problems but has always managed to hang on while many other of Berlin's clubs folded or disappeared in mergers. In 1997–98, a deep-pocketed sponsor brought expensive new talent to the team as they made a run at a return to 2. Bundesliga, which they achieved, winning the Regionalliga Nordost. While initially successful, the bid collapsed in 2000 as the team's finances failed. They were refused a license and were forcibly relegated^[1] to the Regionalliga Nord (III) where they finished last in 2000–01 and so slipped further still to the NOFV-Oberliga Nord (IV) the following season. Tennis Borussia continued playing in the fourth tier – fifth after the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008 – until 2009, when they won the Oberliga championship and gained promotion again to the Regionalliga Nord. After running into financial difficulties once again, the club went into administration and dropped back down to the NOFV-Oberliga Nord (V) for the 2010–11 season.^[2] Seen as one of the pre-season favourites for a second successive relegation, they managed to reach the relegation playoffs at the end of the campaign, but finally lost out 3–1 to SC Borea Dresden over two legs to be relegated to the sixth tier of the German football league system, the Berlin-Liga, for the first time in their history.^[3][4][5]

Naming of Tennis Borussia

Originally, the club was called "Berliner Tennis- und Ping-Pong-Gesellschaft Borussia". In 1913 the club changed its name to "Berliner Tennis Club Borussia". Finally, in 2000, the club adopted its current name "Tennis Borussia Berlin", as the club had always been known under this moniker and to avoid being mistaken as a tennis club.

Current squad

As of 7 December 2011 (2011 -12-07)^[update]

League positions since 1964

Notable players

Past (and present) players who are the subjects of Wikipedia articles can be found here.

Managers

Honours

• Regionalliga Berlin: (2)
  • Champions 1965, 1974
• 2. Bundesliga Nord: (1)
  • Champions 1976
• Amateur-Oberliga Berlin: (3)
  • Champions 1982, 1985, 1991
• Regionalliga Nordost: (2)
  • Champions 1996, 1998
• NOFV-Oberliga Nord: (2)
  • Champions 1993, 2009
• Brandenburg football championship: (1)
  • Winners 1932
• German amateur football championship: (1)
  • Winners 1998
• Berliner Landespokal: (16) (Record)
  • Winners 1931, 1949, 1951, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1985, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000^{[nb 1]}, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008
  • Runners-up 1943, 1944, 1950, 1960, 1966, (1969)^{[nb 2]}, 1970, 1983, 1987, 2003, 2009

1. ^ Reserve team
2. ^ No title awarded, as no date for the final replay could be fixed.

Women's football

References

External links

• Official website
• The Abseits Guide to German Soccer