1. FC Köln facts for kids
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Full name | 1. Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V. | |||
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Nickname(s) | Die Geißböcke (The Billy Goats) Effzeh |
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Founded | 13 February 1948 | |||
Ground | RheinEnergieStadion | |||
Capacity | 49,698 | |||
President | Werner Wolf | |||
Head coach | Gerhard Struber | |||
League | Bundesliga | |||
2020–21 | Bundesliga, 16th of 18 | |||
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1. FC Köln, also known as FC Cologne in English, is a professional football club from Cologne, Germany. It was created in 1948 when two older clubs, Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07, joined together.
The team plays its home games at the RheinEnergieStadion. FC Köln has won the German national championship three times. They won the 1962 German football championship and the Bundesliga twice, in 1963–64 and 1977–78. For the 2024–25 season, FC Köln will play in the 2. Bundesliga, after being moved down from the top league.
The club's nickname is Die Geißböcke, which means "The Billy Goats." This name comes from their real-life mascot, a male goat named Hennes. The first Hennes was a gift from a circus owner as a joke during the Cologne carnival. The current mascot is Hennes IX, who took over in 2019. Another local nickname for the club is Effzeh, which is how people in Cologne say "FC."
Like many German football clubs, 1. FC Köln is part of a bigger sports club. It also has teams for sports like handball, table tennis, and gymnastics. With over 100,000 members, 1. FC Köln is one of the largest sports clubs in Germany.
Contents
Club History
How the Club Started
Before 1. FC Köln was formed, there were two main clubs. Kölner BC started on June 6, 1901. Its members were young men who loved football more than gymnastics. Kölner BC won the Westdeutsche championship in 1912. They even played in the national finals that year.
The other club was Spielvereinigung 1907 Köln-Sülz, started in 1907. In 1919, it merged with another club to become SpVgg. They won the Westdeutscher title in 1928. Both clubs played in the top leagues of their time. In 1948, these two clubs decided to join forces. This created the new club we know today as 1. FC Köln.
Early Successes
After the two clubs merged in 1948, 1. FC Köln started playing in the Oberliga West in 1949. By 1954, they won their first league championship. In the same year, they played in the DFB-Pokal final but lost.
In 1960, they won their second championship and reached the national final. They won the 1962 national final by beating 1. FC Nürnberg 4–0. This win allowed them to play in the 1962–63 European Cup. They lost in the first round. In 1963, they reached the national final again but lost to Borussia Dortmund.
Bundesliga Champions
In 1963, 1. FC Köln was chosen as one of the first 16 teams for the new professional German league, the Bundesliga. They became the very first Bundesliga champions in the 1963–64 season.
As champions, Köln played in the 1964–65 European Cup. They met Liverpool in the quarter-finals. After two draws, a third game was played, which also ended in a draw. Since there were no penalty shootouts back then, the winner was decided by a coin toss. Köln lost the coin toss and was out of the competition.
The club also made history by signing Zézé, their first Brazilian player. In 1965, they finished second in the Bundesliga. In 1968, they won their first DFB-Pokal (German Cup).
In the 1970s, Köln reached the DFB-Pokal final three times but lost each one. However, they won the DFB-Pokal again in 1977. The 1977–78 season was their most successful. They won both the Bundesliga title and the DFB-Pokal. This means they achieved "the double," a rare feat in German football.
Köln won the DFB-Pokal for a fourth time in 1983. In 1986, they reached their first European final, the UEFA Cup Final, but lost to Real Madrid. They also finished second in the Bundesliga in 1989 and 1990. This marked the end of a very successful thirty-year period for the club.
Recent Years: Ups and Downs
Since the 1990s, the club's performance has been mixed. They have often moved between the first and second divisions of German football. This is why they are sometimes called a "yo-yo team."
In 1998, the club was moved down from the Bundesliga for the first time. They returned to the Bundesliga in 2005 after winning the 2. Bundesliga. However, they were moved down again in 2006.
In 2006, former coach Christoph Daum returned and helped the club get back to the Bundesliga in 2008. Star player Lukas Podolski also returned to the team in 2009.
The club faced financial challenges and more ups and downs in the 2010s. They were moved down again in 2012. However, a new board of directors and coaching team helped turn things around. Under coach Peter Stöger, Köln won the 2. Bundesliga in 2014 and returned to the top division. They had several good seasons, finishing fifth in 2017. This allowed them to qualify for the Europa League, a European competition, after 25 years.
After returning to Europe, the team had a tough time. They finished last in the 2017–18 Bundesliga season and were moved down again. They quickly returned to the Bundesliga in 2019.
In March 2023, the club faced a transfer ban from FIFA. This meant they could not sign new players for two transfer windows. The ban was because of a dispute over signing a young player, Jaka Čuber Potočnik. The club appealed the decision, but the ban was upheld. In the 2023–24 Bundesliga season, Köln finished near the bottom of the table and was moved down to the 2. Bundesliga once more.
Stadium
1. FC Köln plays its home matches at the Müngersdorfer Stadion. It is also called the RheinEnergieStadion because of a sponsorship deal. The stadium can hold almost 50,000 fans. Most fans still call it "Müngersdorfer Stadion," after the area where it is located.
The club also owns its training center, called Geißbockheim. It is now known as RheinEnergieSportpark due to sponsorship. This center is home to the Franz-Kremer-Stadion, where the club's second team, 1. FC Köln II, plays.
Honours (Trophies)
National Titles
- Bundesliga
- Champions: 1963–64, 1977–78
- Runners-up (finished second): 1964–65, 1972–73, 1981–82, 1988–89, 1989–90
- German football championship (older national championship)
- Winners: 1961–62
- Runners-up: 1959–60, 1962–63
- DFB-Pokal (German Cup)
- Winners: 1967–68, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1982–83
- Runners-up: 1953–54, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1979–80, 1990–91
- 2. Bundesliga (Second Division)
- Winners: 1999–2000, 2004–05, 2013–14, 2018–19
- Runners-up: 2002–03
International and Regional Titles
- Easter Cup
- Winners: 1956
- UEFA Cup
- Runners-up: 1985–86
- Uhrencup
- Winners: 1991
- Oberliga West (Regional League)
- Winners: 1953–54, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63
- Runners-up: 1952–53, 1957–58, 1958–59
Double Wins
- 1977–78: Won both the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal in the same season.
Youth Team Successes
- German Under 19 championship
- Champions: 1970–71
- German Under 17 championship
- Champions: 1989–90, 2010–11, 2018–19
Team Kits
Köln's football kits are made by Hummel International. They pay the club €20 million over five years for this.
Years | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
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1979–82 | Adidas | Pioneer |
1982–85 | Doppel Dusch | |
1985–88 | Puma | Daimon |
1988–91 | Samsung | |
1991–93 | Citibank | |
1993–94 | Pepsi | |
1994–99 | Ford | |
1999–01 | VPV Versicherungen | |
2001–03 | Saller | |
2003–05 | Funny-Frisch | |
2005–07 | Adidas | Gerling |
2007–08 | REWE | |
2008–12 | Reebok | |
2012–18 | Erima | |
2018–22 | Uhlsport | |
2022– | Hummel |
Club Rivals

1. FC Köln has strong rivalries with other clubs from the same Rhine-Ruhr region. These include Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayer Leverkusen, and Fortuna Düsseldorf. All these clubs are located near the Rhine river.
Current Players
First Team Squad
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Players on Loan
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Second Team Squad
Coaching Staff
Head Coaches Since 1963
Head coach | From | To | League Record | ||||
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M | W | D | L | Win % | |||
Georg Knöpfle | 1 July 1963 | 30 June 1966 | 115 | 59 | 34 | 22 | 51.30 |
Willi Multhaup | 1 July 1966 | 30 June 1968 | 79 | 37 | 17 | 25 | 46.84 |
Hans Merkle | 1 July 1968 | 30 June 1970 | 78 | 38 | 11 | 29 | 48.72 |
Ernst Ocwirk | 1 July 1970 | 30 June 1971 | 44 | 19 | 11 | 14 | 43.18 |
Gyula Lóránt | 1 July 1971 | 4 April 1972 | 31 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 45.16 |
Rolf Herings | 5 April 1972 | 30 June 1972 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 54.55 |
Rudi Schlott | 1 July 1972 | 16 September 1973 | 55 | 24 | 17 | 14 | 43.64 |
Zlatko Čajkovski | 17 September 1973 | 12 December 1975 | 92 | 47 | 18 | 27 | 51.09 |
Georg Stollenwerk | 1 January 1976 | 30 June 1976 | 20 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 45.00 |
Hennes Weisweiler | 1 July 1976 | 15 April 1980 | 165 | 90 | 36 | 39 | 54.55 |
Karl-Heinz Heddergott | 16 April 1980 | 13 October 1980 | 19 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 36.84 |
Rolf Herings | 13 October 1980 | 18 October 1980 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
Rinus Michels | 18 October 1980 | 21 August 1983 | 108 | 53 | 26 | 29 | 49.07 |
Hannes Löhr | 22 August 1983 | 6 February 1986 | 97 | 45 | 18 | 34 | 46.39 |
Georg Kessler | 7 February 1986 | 22 September 1986 | 24 | 7 | 4 | 13 | 29.17 |
Christoph Daum | 23 September 1986 | 28 June 1990 | 154 | 78 | 43 | 33 | 50.65 |
Erich Rutemöller | 1 July 1990 | 30 August 1991 | 54 | 21 | 20 | 13 | 38.89 |
Udo Lattek | 30 August 1991 | 4 September 1991 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
Johannes Linßen | 4 September 1991 | 11 September 1991 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
Jörg Berger | 11 September 1991 | 28 February 1993 | 53 | 21 | 14 | 18 | 39.62 |
Wolfgang Jerat | 28 February 1993 | 29 April 1993 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 33.33 |
Morten Olsen | 29 April 1993 | 27 August 1995 | 89 | 35 | 23 | 31 | 39.33 |
Stephan Engels | 27 August 1995 | 31 March 1996 | 23 | 4 | 11 | 8 | 17.39 |
Peter Neururer | 1 April 1996 | 30 September 1997 | 60 | 25 | 8 | 27 | 41.67 |
Lorenz-Günther Köstner | 1 October 1997 | 30 June 1998 | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 30.77 |
Bernd Schuster | 1 July 1998 | 30 June 1999 | 35 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 34.29 |
Ewald Lienen | 1 July 1999 | 28 January 2002 | 94 | 38 | 24 | 32 | 40.43 |
Christoph John | 28 January 2002 | 13 February 2002 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25.00 |
Friedhelm Funkel | 14 February 2002 | 30 October 2003 | 63 | 29 | 15 | 19 | 46.03 |
Marcel Koller | 2 November 2003 | 14 June 2004 | 24 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 16.67 |
Huub Stevens | 14 June 2004 | 27 May 2005 | 36 | 21 | 8 | 7 | 58.33 |
Uwe Rapolder | 1 July 2005 | 18 December 2005 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 16.67 |
Hanspeter Latour | 3 January 2006 | 10 November 2006 | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 33.33 |
Holger Gehrke | 10 November 2006 | 26 November 2006 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 33.33 |
Christoph Daum | 26 November 2006 | 2 June 2009 | 90 | 36 | 19 | 35 | 40.00 |
Zvonimir Soldo | 1 July 2009 | 24 October 2010 | 48 | 14 | 13 | 21 | 29.17 |
Frank Schaefer | 24 October 2010 | 27 April 2011 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 11 | 41.67 |
Volker Finke | 27 April 2011 | 30 June 2011 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
Ståle Solbakken | 1 July 2011 | 12 April 2012 | 32 | 9 | 5 | 18 | 28.13 |
Frank Schaefer | 12 April 2012 | 30 June 2012 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.00 |
Holger Stanislawski | 1 July 2012 | 19 May 2013 | 37 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 43.24 |
Peter Stöger | 11 June 2013 | 3 December 2017 | 147 | 56 | 51 | 40 | 38.10 |
Stefan Ruthenbeck | 3 December 2017 | 30 June 2018 | 22 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 22.73 |
Markus Anfang | 1 July 2018 | 27 April 2019 | 31 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 58.06 |
Achim Beierlorzer | 1 July 2019 | 9 November 2019 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 18.18 |
Markus Gisdol | 18 November 2019 | 11 April 2021 | 51 | 13 | 13 | 25 | 25.49 |
Friedhelm Funkel | 12 April 2021 | 30 June 2021 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 50.00 |
Steffen Baumgart | 1 July 2021 | 21 December 2023 | 92 | 30 | 29 | 33 | 32.61 |
Women's Team
1. FC Köln also has a women's football team. They were promoted to the top German women's league, the Bundesliga, in 2015. They were moved down in 2017 but quickly earned promotion back to the Bundesliga in May 2017.
See also
In Spanish: F. C. Colonia para niños