SC Fortuna Köln
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| Full name | Sport Club Fortuna Köln e.V. | ||
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| Founded | 1948 | ||
| Ground | Bezirkssportanlage Köln-Süd | ||
| Capacity | 12,000 | ||
| Chairman | Klaus Ulonska | ||
| Manager | Matthias Mink | ||
| League | Verbandsliga Mittelrhein (V) | ||
| 2005-06 | 7th | ||
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SC Fortuna Köln is a German football club playing in the city of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club was formed as SV 1927 Köln on February 21, 1948 through the merger of three local sides: Victoria 1911 (one of two clubs to bear the name), Bayenthaler SV (1920), and Sparkasse (1927). Of these clubs, the Bayenthaler side had the best results and spent a single season in the first division Gauliga Köln-Aachen in 1943-44. In 1976, SV Köln was joined by FC Alter Markt Köln and the combined club took on its current name.
Through most of the last four decades Fortuna has played as a second division side. Highlights of the club's history include promotion to the Bundesliga for the 1974 season and an impressive run through the 1983 German Cup. The team took out Freiburg in the first round and eked out a win on penalties over SSV Ulm 1846 in their next match. They then eliminated three first division sides in a row: first Eintracht Braunschweig and Borussia Mönchengladbach, before crushing Borussia Dortmund 5:0 in their semi-final match. This put them into the final against hometown rivals 1.FC Köln, the first time the Cup final had come down to a local derby. Although they outplayed their opposition, Fortuna's magic had run out and they lost 0:1 on a late goal.
In 1986, the side came close to a return to the Bundesliga, but was beaten by Dortmund in the promotion round. Each team had won their home match in a two game series, which forced a third contest under the rules in effect at the time. Instead of advancing on the strength of away goals, Fortuna was crushed 0:8 by Borussia. A handful of seasons later the club avoided relegation to third tier football at the end of the 1991-92 schedule only when division rival Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin was denied a licence.
One of the key features of Fortuna's history was the presidency of deep-pocketed Jean Löring. Beginning in 1967, the millionaire's support of the club helped them to continue to field competitive sides for much longer than they might otherwise have. In 1982, he even helped out in another way: trained as an electrician, he personally fixed the floodlights when they failed during a match against SV Darmstadt 98 so the game could go on. He was ousted as president in 2000 and the club soon deteriorated. In 2005 the club failed financially and was forced withdraw from league play. Today SCF play in the fifth division Verbandsliga Mittelrhein where they finished 9th in 2006-07.
Despite insolvency, the club was able to salvage its youth department, one of the largest in Germany with over 500 players on 25 teams, through a fundraising campaign that included a benefit game against 1.FC Köln.
Team trivia
SC Fortuna Köln is distinguished as the team having spent the most years in the second division (26) and sits atop Germany's all-time second division rankings table.
Former Players
External links
- Official team site
- Abseits Guide to German Soccer
- eufo.de European football club profiles