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Alemannia Aachen
Alemannia Aachen 2010.svg
Full name Aachener Turn- und Sportverein Alemannia 1900 e. V.
Nickname(s) Kartoffelkäfer (potato beetles)
Die Alemannen (the Alemanni)
Founded 16 December 1900;
124 years ago
 (1900-12-16)
Ground Tivoli
Ground Capacity 32,960
President Björn Jansen
Manager Benedetto Muzzicato

Alemannia Aachen is a German football club from the city of Aachen. This team is known for its yellow and black striped jerseys, which earned them the nickname "the potato beetles" (Kartoffelkäfer). Their home stadium is called the Tivoli.

Alemannia Aachen has played in Germany's top football league, the Bundesliga, several times. They were in the Bundesliga in the late 1960s and again for one season in 2006–07. After facing some tough times and even bankruptcy in 2012, the club worked hard to climb back up. In the 2023–24 season, they won their league, the Regionalliga West, and were promoted to the 3. Liga.

Alemannia Aachen's Story

How the Club Started

Alemannia Aachen was founded on December 16, 1900, by eighteen high school students. They chose the name "Alemannia" because it's a Latin word for Germany.

The First World War was very hard on the club. Many members were lost, and the club's size shrank a lot. After the war, in 1919, Alemannia joined with another local sports club, Aachener Turnverein 1847. However, this partnership didn't last long because the other club was more interested in gymnastics than football. They split up in 1924.

Aachen is close to the borders of Belgium and the Netherlands. Because of this, Alemannia often played against teams from these countries. They even have a friendly relationship with the Dutch club Roda JC Kerkrade, and both teams share the same club colors.

Early Success and Challenges

Alemannia won its first championship in 1907. As football became more popular, the club grew. They built their own stadium in 1928.

In the 1930s, German football was reorganized. Alemannia played in the top league, the Gauliga Mittelrhein, and even reached the national final rounds in 1938. The club was also one of the few sports teams at that time to stand up against the Nazi government by asking for a Jewish member to be released from jail.

After World War II

After World War II, Alemannia Aachen started playing football again in 1946. They returned to the top league the next year.

The club had some good moments in cup competitions. In 1953, they reached the final of the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) but lost. They made it to the DFB-Pokal final again in 1965, but lost to Borussia Dortmund.

Reaching the Bundesliga

In 1967, Alemannia Aachen won their division and were promoted to the Bundesliga, Germany's top professional league. The very next year, in 1968–69, they had their best season ever, finishing second in the league behind Bayern Munich. However, the following season was tough, and they were relegated back to the second division. By 1990, they had fallen to the third division.

The Road Back Up

Alemannia Aachen
Former logo of Alemannia Aachen

In the late 1990s, the team started to improve. Their coach, Werner Fuchs, helped them play exciting football. In 1999, they were doing very well and were close to promotion when tragedy struck: Coach Fuchs passed away suddenly. The team pushed through, dedicating their promotion to him, and won the Regionalliga West/Südwest (third division).

The first few years back in the 2. Bundesliga were difficult, both on the field and financially. The club even faced bankruptcy. However, new leaders helped turn things around. They managed their money better and signed good players.

In the 2003–04 season, Alemannia Aachen became strong again. They reached the DFB-Pokal final for the third time, beating big teams like Bayern Munich. Even though they lost the final to Werder Bremen, Bremen had already qualified for the UEFA Champions League. This meant Alemannia Aachen got to play in the UEFA Cup (a European competition). They did well, reaching the Round of 32. Playing in these cups greatly improved the club's financial situation.

Return to the Top League and Recent Years

On April 16, 2006, Alemannia Aachen earned promotion back to the Bundesliga after 36 years! However, they only stayed for one season, getting relegated in 2007.

After that, the club faced a quick decline. They were relegated from the 2. Bundesliga in 2012 and from the 3. Liga in 2013. But Alemannia Aachen has been working hard to climb back. In the 2023–24 season, they finished first in the Regionalliga West and were promoted back to the 3. Liga. They are currently playing in the 3. Liga for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.

Alemannia Aachen's Seasons

Alemannia Performance Chart
Historical chart of Alemannia Aachen league performance

This table shows how Alemannia Aachen has performed in different leagues and cups over the years:

Year Division Position Cup Europe
1967-68 Bundesliga (I) 11th ? ?
1968-69 Bundesliga (I) 2nd ? ?
1969-70 Bundesliga (I) 18th (relagated) ? ?
1999–2000 2. Bundesliga (II) 8th First round Not Qualified
2000–2001 10th Second round
2001–2002 14th Second round
2002–2003 6th First round
2003–2004 6th Final
2004–2005 6th Second round UEFA Cup Round of 32
2005–2006 2nd (promoted) Second round Not Qualified
2006–2007 Bundesliga (I) 17th (relegated) Quarter-finals
2007–2008 2. Bundesliga (II) 7th Third round
2008–2009 4th Second round
2009–2010 13th Second round
2010–2011 10th Quarter-finals
2011–2012 17th (relegated) First round

3. Liga and Regionalliga West Seasons

Year Division Position Cup FVM Cup
2012–13 3. Liga (III) 20th (relegated) First round Final
2013–14 Regionalliga West (IV) 13th Not Qualified First round
2014–15 2nd Semi-final
2015–16 7th First round
2016–17 7th Second round
2017–18 6th Final
2018–19 6th Winner
2019–20 6th First round Final
2020–21 14th Not Qualified Final
2021–22 12th Semi-final
2022–23 8th Quarter-final
2023–24 1st (promoted) Winner
2024–25 3. Liga (III) 12th First round Final

Team Players

Current Squad

Here are the players currently on the Alemannia Aachen team:

No. Position Player
3 Germany DF Matti Wagner (on loan from Greuther Fürth)
4 Germany DF Felix Meyer
5 Bosnia and Herzegovina DF Saša Strujić
6 Germany DF Jeremias Lorch
8 Germany FW Lukas Scepanik
9 Kosovo FW Valmir Sulejmani
9 Germany MF Bentley Baxter Bahn
11 Germany FW Kevin Goden
15 Germany DF Mika Hanraths (captain)
17 Germany FW Fabio Torsiello (on loan from Darmstadt 98)
18 Ghana FW Kwasi Okyere Wriedt
19 Germany DF Florian Heister
20 Germany FW Marc Richter
No. Position Player
22 Netherlands GK Tom Hendriks
23 Germany GK Elias Bördner
25 Germany DF Lamar Yarbrough
28 Germany MF Danilo Wiebe
30 Germany DF Nils Winter
36 Kosovo MF Faton Ademi
37 Angola DF Joel da Silva Kiala
37 Kosovo FW Leon Rashica
41 Germany GK Jan Olschowsky (on loan from Borussia Mönchengladbach)
46 Germany MF Gianluca Gaudino
49 Germany MF Mika Pobric
Morocco FW Ismail Harnafi

Club Achievements

Alemannia Aachen has won several titles and reached many finals:

  • Bundesliga
    • Runners-up (second place): 1968–69
  • 2. Bundesliga
    • Runners-up: 2005–06
  • Regionalliga West (a lower division)
    • Champions: 1964, 1966–67, 2023–24
  • DFB-Pokal (German Cup)
    • Runners-up: 1952–53, 1964–65, 2003–04
  • Middle Rhine Cup
    • Winners: 1992–93, 1993–94, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2002, 2006, 2019, 2024
  • Western German Cup Winner:
    • 1966–67

Famous Players

Many talented players have played for Alemannia Aachen. Some of them include:

Home Stadium: The Tivoli

Alemannia Aachen used to play at the Old Tivoli stadium. It was built in 1928 and could hold over 21,000 fans. For some big European matches, like the UEFA Cup games in 2004, the club had to play in Cologne's RheinEnergieStadion because the Old Tivoli wasn't big enough.

In August 2009, Alemannia Aachen opened a brand new stadium, also called the New Tivoli. This modern stadium can hold 32,960 spectators, including many standing areas for fans.

Pitch invasion at Aachen's Tivoli after Alemannia Aachen's confirmed promotion to the 3rd football league on April 27th, 2024

Basketball Team

Did you know Alemannia Aachen also had a very successful basketball team? They reached the German Championship final twice, in 1959 and 1962. Then, they won the championship two years in a row, in 1963 and 1964!

Basketball Achievements

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Alemannia Aachen para niños

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