SpVgg Ansbach is a German football club from the city of Ansbach, Bavaria.

SpVgg Ansbach
logo
Full nameSpielvereinigung Ansbach 1909 e.V.
Founded1909
GroundSportpark Ansbach
Capacity5,000
ChairmanTheodoros Mutsios
ManagerChristoph Hasselmeier
LeagueRegionalliga Bayern (IV)
2022-23Regionalliga Bayern, 15th

The club's greatest league success came in 2001, when it earned promotion to the tier-three Regionalliga Süd, where it lasted for only one season. They returned to the Regionalliga in 2022. SpVgg Ansbach qualified for the German Cup on three occasions, reaching the second round once, in 1980–81.

History edit

The club roots go back to the 1909 formation of a football department within the gymnastics club Turnverein 1860 Ansbach. The team disappeared for a period of three years during World War I but was re-formed in 1917 as the independent club Sportverein 1909 Ansbach by the footballers of TV and 1. FC 1912 Ansbach. A highlight of the club's early years came in 1928 with the capture of the A-Klasse Mittelfranken title and subsequent promotion playoff win over 1. FC Zirndorf that advanced the club to the second tier Kreisliga where they would compete until 1937.

Following World War II most organizations in the country, including sports and football clubs, were dissolved by occupying Allied authorities. The club was re-established in 1945 as Sportverein Ansbach out of the membership of a number of local sports clubs. On 30 November 1948, the association was renamed Turn- und Sportverein Ansbach and, in 1951, the footballers went their own way again as Spielvereinigung 1909 Ansbach.

The team advanced to the fourth tier 2nd Amateurliga Bayern in 1953 for a single season, and after being sent down, promptly returned in 1955. They played at that level until sent down through league restructuring in the early 60s. The club qualified for DFB Pokal (German Cup) play for the first time in 1981 and advanced out of the first round by defeating FSV Pfaffenhofen 1–0. In the next round they were soundly thrashed by second-division side Stuttgarter Kickers (0:13). Ansbach returned briefly to fourth-tier play in the Landesliga Bayern-Mitte in 1985 and again qualified to participate in the opening round of the DFB Pokal the same year where they were put out 0–3 by SV Waldhof Mannheim.

SpVgg spent eleven seasons in the Landesliga with a fifth place in 1993 as its best result, but was then relegated to the Bezirksoberliga Mittelfranken in 1996. This lasted for only one season, earning promotion straight back and returning to the Landesliga as a much more competitive side.

Ansbach enjoyed their best successes to date in the late 90s as they won promotion first to the Fußball-Bayernliga (IV) in 1999, and two seasons later, to the Regionalliga Süd (III). However, they had a difficult time in the third tier, and after a 12-game winless streak and a next to last place finish, the team was sent down.

The club continued to struggle after being sent down and narrowly missed relegation in each of the next two campaigns. They were finally relegated to the Landesliga Bayern (V) after a 15th-place finish in 2004–05. Ansbach promptly rebounded and on the strength of a division title in 2006–07 and won promotion back to the Fußball-Bayernliga (IV) for three seasons, before it was relegated again in 2010.

After only being saved from relegation from the Landesliga in 2012 by a league expansion Ansbach won the Landesliga Bayern-Nordwest in 2014 and earned promotion back to the Bayernliga. After a fifteenth place in 2014–15 the club had to enter the relegation round where it lost to 1. FC Bad Kötzting and was relegated. Ansbach won its Landesliga division in the following season and was promoted back to the Bayernliga.

Honours edit

The club's honours:

Players edit

As of 30 August 2023[1]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   GER Sebastian Heid
2 DF   GER Michael Belzner
3 DF   GER Lukas Karakas
4 DF   GER Jonas Bayerlein
6 MF   GER Tobias Dietrich
7 MF   GER Daniel Schelhorn
8 MF   GER Niklas Seefried
9 FW   GER Michael Sperr
10 FW   GER Patrick Kroiß
11 FW   GER Florian Seefried
13 MF   GER Michael Kleinschrodt
14 DF   GER Luca Ruiu
15 DF   GER Lukas Oberseider
16 MF   GER Christian Kestel
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 MF   GER Lukas Schmidt
18 DF   GER Pepe Brekner
19 MF   TUR Tanyel Deliboyraz
20 DF   GER Tom Abadjiew
21 FW   GER Maximilian Hirschmann
22 FW   GER Sven Landshuter
23 FW   GER Bastian Herzner
24 GK   GER Heiko Schiefer
25 DF   GER Eric Weeger
27 DF   GER Robin Hartnagel
29 DF   GER Riko Manz
30 MF   GER Jonas Sauerstein
99 GK   GER Christian Lieben

Recent managers edit

Recent managers of the club:[2]

Manager Start Finish
Hans-Jürgen Brunner 1 July 2003 12 December 2004
Reiner Eisenberger 1 July 2007 30 June 2009
Hans-Jürgen Brunner 1 July 2009 30 June 2010
Norbert Weidlein 1 July 2016 30 June 2017
Duane Carl Collins 1 July 2017 30 June 2019
Christoph Hasselmeier 28 August 2019 Present

Recent seasons edit

The recent season-by-season performance of the club:[3][4]

Season Division Tier Position
1999–2000 Bayernliga IV 10th
2000–01 Bayernliga 1st ↑
2001–02 Regionalliga Süd III 17th ↓
2002–03 Bayernliga IV 13th
2003–04 Bayernliga 14th
2004–05 Bayernliga 15th ↓
2005–06 Landesliga Bayern-Mitte V 8th
2006–07 Landesliga Bayern-Mitte 1st ↑
2007–08 Bayernliga IV 13th
2008–09 Bayernliga V 12th
2009–10 Bayernliga 15th ↓
2010–11 Landesliga Bayern-Mitte VI 9th
2011–12 Landesliga Bayern-Mitte 17th
2012–13 Landesliga Bayern-Mitte 4th
2013–14 Landesliga Bayern-Nordwest 1st ↑
2014–15 Bayernliga Nord V 15th ↓
2015–16 Landesliga Bayern-Nordwest VI 1st ↑
2016–17 Bayernliga Nord V 13th
2017–18 Bayernliga Nord 7th
2018–19 Bayernliga Nord 11th
2019–21 Bayernliga Nord 6th
2021–22 Bayernliga Nord 2nd ↑
2022–23 Regionalliga Bayern IV 15th
  • With the introduction of the Bezirksoberligas in 1988 as the new fifth tier, below the Landesligas, all leagues below dropped one tier. With the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994 and the 3. Liga in 2008 as the new third tier, below the 2. Bundesliga, all leagues below dropped one tier. With the establishment of the Regionalliga Bayern as the new fourth tier in Bavaria in 2012 the Bayernliga was split into a northern and a southern division, the number of Landesligas expanded from three to five and the Bezirksoberligas abolished. All leagues from the Bezirksligas onwards were elevated one tier.
Promoted Relegated

Stadium edit

Since 1976 the club has played its home matches at the Sportpark Ansbach which has a capacity of 5,000 (1,000 seats).

DFB Cup appearances edit

The club has qualified for the first round of the German Cup three times:

Season Round Date Home Away Result Attendance
DFB Cup 1980-81 First round[5] 28 August 1980 SpVgg Ansbach FSV Pfaffenhofen 1–0
Second round[6] 4 October 1980 Stuttgarter Kickers SpVgg Ansbach 13–0
DFB Cup 1985-86 First round[7] 24 August 1985 SpVgg Ansbach Waldhof Mannheim 0–2
DFB Cup 2008-09 First round[8] 10 August 2008 SpVgg Ansbach Karlsruher SC 0–5 4,000

American football department edit

From 1979 to 1981, the club was home to an American football department, the Ansbach Grizzlies. The Grizzlies were a successful team during the early days of the game in Germany, reaching every German Bowl from 1979 to 1986 and winning it in 1981, 1982 and 1985. In 1981, this department however went its own way, separating from the SpVgg.[9]

References edit

  1. ^ "Nullneuner". SpVgg Ansbach 09. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  2. ^ SpVgg Ansbach .:. Trainer von A-Z (in German) weltfussball.de, retrieved 8 March 2011
  3. ^ Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv (in German) Historical German domestic league tables
  4. ^ Fussball.de – Ergebnisse (in German) Tables and results of all German football leagues
  5. ^ DFB-Pokal 1980/1981 » 1. Runde Weltfussball.de, retrieved 6 November 2008
  6. ^ DFB-Pokal 1980/1981 » 2. Runde Weltfussball.de, retrieved 6 November 2008
  7. ^ DFB-Pokal 1985/1986 » 1. Runde Weltfussball.de, retrieved 6 November 2008
  8. ^ DFB-Pokal 2008/2009 .:. 1. Runde: SpVgg Ansbach – Karlsruher SC Weltfussball.de, retrieved 3 November 2008
  9. ^ Vereinsgeschichte Archived 7 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in German) Ansbach Grizzlies website, retrieved 26 December 2010

Sources edit

External links edit