Nickname(s) Rothosen (Red Shorts) Ground Capacity 14,500 Manager Bernd Hollerbach Location Würzburg, Germany | Ground Flyeralarm Arena Arena/Stadium flyeralarm Arena League 2. Bundesliga Founded 4 November 1907 | |
Full name Fußball-Club Würzburger Kickers e.V. Chairman Dr. Michael Schlagbauer 2015–16 3. Liga, 3rd (promoted) Profiles | ||
Würzburger Kickers is a German association football club playing in Würzburg, Bavaria. In pre-Second World War football, the club has competed briefly at highest level, in the Bezirksliga Bayern and, during the war, in the Gauliga Bayern. Post-war, it made a single appearance in professional football when it played in the southern division of the 2. Bundesliga in 1977–78. After a long stint in amateur football, dropping as low as the seventh tier it made a recovery, reaching professional football again when winning promotion to the 3. Liga in 2014–15 and the following season, promoted to the 2. Bundesliga.
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History
Founded in 1907, the team has played for most of its history as an unknown local side, although they did manage three seasons in the Bezirksliga Bayern, from 1930 to 1933, and two single season appearances in the Gauliga Bayern (1940–41, 1942–43) one of sixteen top-flight division established in the re-organization of German football under the Third Reich.
The club became part of the Landesliga Bayern (II) after the Second World War. Kickers put on some strong performances through the 1950s in the Amateurliga Bayern (II-III) but never quite managed a breakthrough. Through the 1960s and on into the early 1980s, the club played as a third division side with the exception of a single season (1977–78) played in the 2. Bundesliga after their divisional title win in the Bayernliga (III) in '77. By 1983, financial difficulties contributed to a slide to fourth division play in the Landesliga Bayern-Nord which became a fifth tier circuit in 1994. Two difficult seasons over 2002–2004 saw the club descend through the Bezirksoberliga Unterfranken (VI) to the Bezirksliga Unterfranken (VII). Kickers recovered and returned to the Oberliga Bayern on the strength of a 2nd place in the 2007–08 Landesliga season. The club met local rival Würzburger FV there for the first Würzburg league derby since 1998–99.
The 2008–09 season proved no success, with Kickers immediately relegated again to the Landesliga and taking until 2012 to win this league again. The team was one of two clubs in the league to apply for a licence in the new tier four Regionalliga Bayern. Taking part in the promotion play-off, Kickers earned a by in the first round and defeated BC Aichach in the second to play in the Regionalliga from 2012. The club was thereby also able to win promotion from the sixth tier to the fourth without playing in the fifth.
Kickers took out the 2013–14 Bavarian Cup on penalties in the final against SV Schalding-Heining and thereby qualified for the first round of the 2014–15 DFB-Pokal. In the league, the club finished tenth in 2013 and eleventh in 2014. In the 2014–15 DFB Pokal, Kickers knocked-out Fortuna Düsseldorf in the first round but was defeated by Eintracht Braunschweig in the second. In the 2014–15 season, Kickers won the Regionalliga Bayern and earned the right to take part in the promotion round to the 3. Liga. They faced 1. FC Saarbrücken, runners-up of the Regionalliga Südwest, and won 1–0 away but also lost 1–0 at home. In the necessary penalty shoot-out, Kickers won 6–5 and were promoted to the 3. Liga.
In March 2016, the club's fans protested against a potential merger with local rival Würzburger FV. Kickers had been asked by the Mayor of Würzburg to hold talks about mergers and cooperation with a number of local clubs in order to receive the city's support in a stadium expansion. Kickers finished the inaugural 3. Liga season in third place, thereby qualifying for the promotion play-off and the 2016–17 DFB-Pokal. The club ensured promotion to the 2. Bundesliga for the first time in almost 40 years by winning 4–1 (2–0/2–1) on aggregate against MSV Duisburg.
Stadium
Prior to 1967, the club used the Randersacker Straße stadium and since then have played in the Kickers-Stadion am Dallenberg which has a capacity of 14,500 (~4,000 seats). The facility was renovated in 2005.
Supporters and rivalries
The Würzburg derby is a fierce local rivalry with Würzburger FV and the fans have a friendship with fans of 1.FC Schweinfurt.
Reserve team
The club's reserve team won promotion to the tier five Bayernliga for the first time after defeating VfL Frohnlach in the play-off for the 2016–17 Bayernliga.
Current squad
As of 28 January 2017Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Recent managers
Recent managers of the club:
Recent seasons
The recent season-by-season performance of the club:
The Würzburg league derby since 1963
The 2009–10 season was the 19th time, the two most prominent clubs from Würzburg, Würzburger FV and Kickers, played in the same league since 1963. In this time, the derby was played on professional level only once, in the 1977–78 2. Bundesliga Süd season.
DFB Cup appearances
The club has qualified for the first round of the German Cup six times:
Source:"DFB-Pokal" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 14 June 2009.