1. FC Kaiserslautern facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
1. FC Kaiserslautern

Full name	1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern e. V.
Nickname(s)	Die roten Teufel (The Red Devils)
Founded	2 June 1900; 125 years ago (1900-06-02)
Ground	Fritz-Walter-Stadion
Ground Capacity	49,327
Owner	Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern e.V. (45%) Saar-Pfalz-Invest GmbH (45%) U.S. consortium (10%) Chien Lee Pacific Media Michael Kalt Krishen Sud Randy Frankel
Board Member	Rainer Keßler (Chairman) Johannes Benjamin Remy (Deputy)
Head coach	Markus Anfang
League	3. Liga
2020–21	3. Liga, 14th of 20
Home colours Away colours Third colours

1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern e. V. is a famous German sports club. It is often called 1. FCK, FCK, or just Lautern. The club is based in Kaiserslautern, a city in Germany. While best known for football, the club also has teams in other sports.

The club started on June 2, 1900. Two older clubs, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern, joined together to form FC 1900. Later, in 1909, this club merged with two others, FC Palatia and FC Bavaria, to become FV 1900 Kaiserslautern. In 1929, they merged again with SV Phönix. Finally, in 1933, they got their current name.

FCK was one of the first teams in the Bundesliga, Germany's top football league. They played in this league without stopping from 1963 to 1996. The club has won four German championships, two German Cups (DFB-Pokal), and one German Supercup (DFL-Supercup). This makes them one of Germany's most successful football clubs. They are currently 11th in the all-time Bundesliga table.

In European competitions, FCK reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in 1999. They also made it to the UEFA Cup semi-finals twice. They won their first Bundesliga title in 1991. Then, in the 1997–98 season, Kaiserslautern did something amazing. They won the German championship right after being promoted from a lower league. No other team has done this!

After six years in the second division, they were moved down to the 3. Liga in 2018. This was the first time they played in the third tier. But in 2022, Kaiserslautern was promoted back to the 2. Bundesliga.

Since 1920, Kaiserslautern has played at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion. The stadium was named in 1985 after Fritz Walter. He was the captain of the West Germany team that won the World Cup in 1954. Fritz Walter played his whole career for Kaiserslautern.

Club History: How FCK Grew

Early Years and World War II

Two of the clubs that came together to form FCK, Bavaria and FC 1900 Kaiserslautern, played in the top league called the Westkreis-Liga in 1908. FC 1900 Kaiserslautern won the first league title. The new FV Kaiserslautern finished second in 1910 and 1912.

In the 1930s, the club played in different leagues. Their performance got better after 1939. They won the Gauliga Südwest/Staffel Saarpfalz title. In the 1941–42 season, Kaiserslautern won the Westmark title. This meant they played in the national final rounds for the first time. They lost to the strong team of Schalke 04.

League games stopped in 1945 because of World War II.

After the War: A New Start

A chart showing Kaiserslautern's league performance over the years.

After the war, 1. FC Kaiserslautern started playing again in the Oberliga Südwest in 1945. They finished very close to the top. The next season, in 1947, they won their group. FCK's players, Fritz and Ottmar Walter, scored many goals together.

FCK's logo from 2010 to 2012.

Success in the 1950s and Joining the Bundesliga

This was the start of FCK being a very strong team in the Oberliga Südwest. They won the league title eleven times in the next twelve seasons! FCK reached Germany's first national final after the war in 1948, but lost.

Kaiserslautern became a big name in German football in the early 1950s. They won their first German championship in 1951. They won a second title in 1953. They also reached two more finals in 1954 and 1955, but lost both. The club also sent five players to the national team for the 1954 FIFA World Cup. West Germany won this World Cup in a famous match known as "The Miracle of Bern".

Kaiserslautern lost in the 1961 DFB-Pokal final. But they played well enough to win their division again in 1963. This meant they earned one of the 16 spots in the new Bundesliga, Germany's new professional football league.

They were German Cup runners-up in 1972, 1976, and 1981. They also reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 1982. The club finally won the German Cup in 1990. The next season, in 1991, they won their first Bundesliga championship. Both times, the coach was Karl-Heinz Feldkamp.

From 1996 to 2004: Ups and Downs

1. FCK won a second German Cup in 1996. But just one week before the Cup final, they were moved down to the 2. Bundesliga. At that time, Kaiserslautern was one of only four original teams that had played in every Bundesliga season.

FCK quickly won promotion back from the 2. Bundesliga in 1997. Then, they did something amazing: they won the national championship right away under coach Otto Rehhagel. They also played in the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League. They won their group but were knocked out in the quarter-finals by fellow German team Bayern Munich.

Even though they almost reached a UEFA Cup final in 2001, Kaiserslautern faced serious money problems. The club's leaders had to leave. A new president, Rene C. Jäggi, sold the Fritz-Walter-Stadion to help the club. A new coach, Erik Gerets, helped the team avoid being moved down to a lower league.

In 2003–04, the club had points taken away by the German Football Association due to financial issues. Coach Gerets moved on and was replaced by Kurt Jara. Jara's defensive style of play was not popular with the fans. He left before the season ended.

From 2005 to Today

In 2005, Michael Henke became coach. FCK started well but then went back to the bottom of the league. Henke left, and former FCK player Wolfgang Wolf became coach. Wolf brought in many young players. But at the end of the 2005–06 season, FCK was moved down to the 2. Bundesliga again. They finished sixth in the 2. Bundesliga in 2006–07.

On May 20, 2007, the club announced Kjetil Rekdal as their new head coach. After only three wins in 19 games, Rekdal was replaced by Milan Šašić in February 2008. In April 2008, Stefan Kuntz became chairman. With new leadership, they avoided being moved down to the new 3. Liga on the last day of the season.

Fans celebrating the club's promotion before a home game against Bayern Munich.

Šašić coached for most of the 2008–09 season but was dismissed after some poor results. Alois Schwartz became interim coach. The club then hired Marco Kurz as head coach.

Under Kurz, the club earned promotion back to the 1. Bundesliga on April 25, 2010. This was after four years in the second league. At the start of the 2010–11 season, FCK had two straight wins, including a 2–0 victory over Bayern Munich, who were the champions from the year before. However, after a big loss to Borussia Dortmund, the club started to struggle. They ended up in the relegation zone for a few weeks. But they managed to win seven of their last ten matches. They finished the season in seventh place.

The next season, 2011–12, the club finished last and was moved down to the 2. Bundesliga. They stayed there until 2018. Then, for the first time in the club's history, they were moved down to the third tier.

In March 2022, a group of investors from the U.S. bought 10% of the club.

On May 24, 2022, four years after being moved to Germany's third division, Kaiserslautern was promoted back to the 2. Bundesliga. In the 2023-24 season, Kaiserslautern had a surprising run in the DFB-Pokal. They won against several teams to reach the final, their first in 21 years. They lost narrowly 1-0 to the Bundesliga champion Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Reserve Team: Future Stars

The club's reserve team, 1. FC Kaiserslautern II, used to be called 1. FC Kaiserslautern Amateure. This team helps young players develop. It has played in various leagues over the years, often moving between the third and fourth tiers of German football.

The reserve team has also won the Southwestern Cup three times. This allowed them to play in the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) three times. In 1997–98, they even played against their own first team and lost 5–0.

Team Kits: What They Wear

Recent Seasons: How FCK Has Played

Key

P = Played; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points; Cup = DFB-Pokal; CWC = European Cup Winners' Cup; EL = UEFA Europa League; CL = UEFA Champions League.
 – = Not attended; 1R = 1st round; 2R = 2nd round; 3R = 3rd round; 1/8 = Round of sixteen; QF = Quarter-finals; SF = Semi-finals.

Club Achievements: Trophies and Titles

Home Ground: Fritz-Walter-Stadion

The Fritz-Walter-Stadion, home of FCK.

FCK plays its home games at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion. It was first built in 1920. In 1985, the stadium was named after Fritz Walter, a famous player who helped the club become well-known after World War II. The stadium is built on a steep hill called the Betzenberg.

The stadium can hold 49,327 people. It was one of the venues for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. It hosted four group matches and one Round of 16 match. The stadium was greatly improved for the tournament with new stands and a roof.

Club Culture: Fans and Rivals

The "Westkurve" (West Curve) section of the stadium in April 2011.

Kaiserslautern's Fritz-Walter-Stadion has always been a tough place for visiting teams to play. This is because of the passionate FCK fans. The most loyal supporters stand in the stadium's "Westkurve" (West Curve). A famous example of their support is when Bayern Munich once lost a match here 7–4, even after leading 4–1!

The club has friendly relationships with teams like FC Metz, 1860 Munich, VfB Stuttgart, Werder Bremen, and Kilmarnock F.C. in Scotland. They have strong rivalries with Waldhof Mannheim and Bayern Munich. They also have local rivalries with Eintracht Frankfurt and, more recently, with Mainz 05 and Karlsruher SC.

Players: The Current Team

Current Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Julian Krahl 2 DF Boris Tomiak 3 DF Florian Kleinhansl 6 DF Almamy Touré 7 MF Marlon Ritter (captain) 8 MF Jean Zimmer 9 FW Ragnar Ache 10 MF Philipp Klement 11 MF Kenny Prince Redondo 13 DF Erik Wekesser 17 FW Aaron Opoku 18 FW Jannik Mause 19 FW Daniel Hanslik 20 MF Tobias Raschl 21 MF Hendrick Zuck 22 DF Mika Haas

No. Position Player 23 MF Afeez Aremu 24 DF Jannis Heuer 26 MF Filip Kaloč 27 DF Frank Ronstadt 28 GK Fabian Heck 29 FW Richmond Tachie Fs player|no=30|nat=BIH|pos=GK|name=Avdo Spahić}} 31 DF Luca Sirch 32 DF Jan Gyamerah 33 DF Jan Elvedi 34 MF Shawn Blum 37 DF Leon Robinson 40 FW Dickson Abiama 41 FW Daisuke Yokota (on loan from Gent) DF Neal Gibs FW Angelos Stavridis

Famous Former Players

Coaching Staff

Position	Staff
Head Coach	Markus Anfang
Assistant Coach	Florian Junge
Goalkeeper Coach	Andreas Clauß
Rehab Coach	Fabian Kobel
Athletic Coach	Oliver Schäfer
Team Doctor	Harald Dinges
Team Doctor	Pablo Gauna
Team Doctor	Claudia Thaler
Physiotherapist	Frank Sänger
Physiotherapist	Norman Schild
Physiotherapist	Ricardo Bernardy
Kit Man	Peter Miethe
Team Manager	Florian Dick

Other Sports at FCK

1. FC Kaiserslautern is not just about football! It also has departments for other sports like athletics, basketball, boxing, handball, headis, hockey, running, and triathlon.

Basketball Team

The basketball part of the club started in 1952. The adult teams played in the second German Basketball league from 2002 to 2007. In the 2014–15 season, both the men's and women's teams played in the fourth division.

Boxing Team

The boxing department has been around since the early days of the club. Some famous boxers from FCK include Emil Schulz, who won a silver medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics, and Reiner Gies, who won a bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Karl Mildenberger, who later became a European heavyweight champion, also boxed here.

Images for kids

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  The Fritz-Walter-Stadion, home of FCK.

See also

In Spanish: 1. FC Kaiserslautern para niños