Alemannia Aachen facts for kids
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| Full name | Aachener Turn- und Sportverein Alemannia 1900 e.V. |
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| Nickname(s) | Kartoffelkäfer (Potato beetles) Die Alemannen (The Alemanni) |
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| Founded | 16 December 1900 | ||
| Ground | New Tivoli | ||
| Capacity | 32,960 | ||
| Chairman | Martin Fröhlich | ||
| Manager | Heiner Backhaus | ||
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Alemannia Aachen is a German football club from the city of Aachen. This team has often played in Germany's second division. They even spent three years in the top league, the Bundesliga, in the late 1960s. After a great season in 2005–06, they returned to the Bundesliga for one year.
Later, the club faced tough times and went down to the third division. In 2012, they even had to declare bankruptcy. They finished their 2012–13 season in the 3. Liga before moving to the fourth-tier Regionalliga West in 2013–14.
In the 2023–24 Regionalliga, Alemannia finished first in their group. This win meant they were promoted straight back to the 2024–25 3. Liga.
Alemannia is sometimes called "the potato beetles" (Kartoffelkäfer). This is because their yellow and black striped jerseys look a bit like these insects!
Contents
History
How the Club Started
Football became popular in western Rhineland thanks to English workers and businessmen in the late 1800s. Alemannia Aachen was founded on December 16, 1900, by eighteen high school students. Another team had already chosen the name "1. FC Aachen." So, the new club picked "FC Alemannia," using the Latin word for Germany.
World War I greatly affected the club. Before the war, they had 200 members, but afterward, only 37 remained. In 1919, Alemannia joined with a local sports club called Aachener Turnverein 1847. They became TSV Alemannia Aachen 1900. However, the other club was more interested in gymnastics, so the two clubs split again in 1924.
Aachen is very close to the borders of Belgium and the Netherlands. Because of this, Alemannia has often played against teams from these countries. Their first game was against R. Dolhain F.C. from Belgium, one of that country's oldest clubs. Alemannia also has strong friendships with the Dutch professional club Roda JC Kerkrade. Both clubs even share the same team colors!
The team played in the Rhineland-Westphalia FA and won their first championship there in 1907. Then, in 1909, they joined the new Westdeutsche Fussball Verband. As more people became interested in football, the club grew steadily. They qualified for the Rheingauliga in 1921. They built their own stadium in 1928 and joined the Oberliga the next year.
In the early 1930s, the club did well, reaching the final four of the Westdeutsche championship playoffs. In 1933, German football was reorganized under the Third Reich. Sixteen top-tier leagues called Gauligen were created. Alemannia played several seasons in the Gauliga Mittelrhein in the late 1930s and early 1940s. They finished first in their division in 1938 and moved on to the national final rounds.
Alemannia was one of the few sports clubs at that time to challenge the Nazi government. They demanded the release of a Jewish member who had been jailed.
After the War and Joining the Bundesliga
After World War II, in 1946, Alemannia started playing again. They joined the second-tier Rheinbezirk league. The next year, they returned to the first division, the Oberliga West. However, they faced financial problems. They remained a steady but not outstanding second-division team, usually finishing in the middle of the table.
Aachen first found success by reaching the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) final in 1953. They lost 1–2 to Rot-Weiss Essen.
In 1963, Germany created a new professional football league called the Bundesliga. Alemannia found themselves in the Regionalliga West (which was the second division). In 1965, they had another great run in the German Cup. They reached the final again but lost 0–2 to Borussia Dortmund.
The club won their division in 1967 and were promoted to the Bundesliga (the top league) for the 1967–68 season. The next year, they had their best-ever result, finishing second behind champion Bayern Munich. But the season after that was very bad. The team only earned one point in away games and dropped to 18th place. They went back to play in the Regionalliga West (second division). By 1990, they had fallen even further to the third division.
Getting Back on Track
After some average seasons in the late 1990s, coach Werner Fuchs helped Alemannia improve a lot. He used a new playing style that made the team's offense exciting. In 1999, the team played very well, especially in the second half of the season. They were at the top of the league, just weeks from the end of the season. Then, something sad happened: Fuchs suddenly passed away. The whole city was shocked. But the club managed to keep going, dedicating their promotion to their late coach. They won the Regionalliga West/Südwest (third division).
The first few years in the 2. Bundesliga were tough for Aachen, both on the field and with money. The club struggled for several seasons. The situation got worse when financial problems were discovered, showing the club was almost bankrupt.
Things started to get better with a new team in charge, including president Horst Heinrichs, coach Dieter Hecking, and manager Jörg Schmadtke. They managed money better, signed smart players, and used clever game plans. Because of this, Aachen became strong again in the 2003–04 season. They reached their third DFB-Pokal final. They beat strong teams like TSV 1860 Munich, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Mönchengladbach. They lost the final 2–3 to Bundesliga champions Werder Bremen. Since Bremen had already qualified for the UEFA Champions League, Aachen got to play in the UEFA Cup competition. They played well, reaching the Round of 32 before losing to AZ Alkmaar. Playing in the German Cup and UEFA Cup helped the club's finances a lot.
Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga Years
On April 16, 2006, Alemannia was the first team to get promoted to the Bundesliga for the 2005–06 season. This ended Aachen's 36-year wait to be in Germany's top football league. However, they only stayed for one season. They earned just one point from their last eight matches and were relegated. In mid-2007, the club hired Guido Buchwald, a former German international player and 1990 FIFA World Champion, as manager. But he was fired after only 14 matches. After a short time with Jörg Schmadtke as interim coach, Jürgen Seeberger took over during the winter break.
The club quickly declined after their single Bundesliga season. They were relegated from the 2. Bundesliga in 2012. They dropped from the 3. Liga in the 2015 season. Alemannia now plays in the 3. Liga again since 2024.
Seasons Summary
Alemannia Aachen has played in different leagues over the years. Here's a quick look at their journey since 1963:
| Tier | Liga | Partic. | (details) | |
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| 1st | Bundesliga | 4 | ||
| 2nd | 2.Bundesliga | 14 | ||
| 3rd | 3.Liga | 2 | (conclude 2024-25) | |
| region | RegionalLiga | 11 |
Players
Current squad
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Out on loan
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Honours
Alemannia Aachen has won several titles and reached many finals:
- Bundesliga
- Runners-up: 1968–69 (Finished second in Germany's top league)
- 2. Bundesliga
- Runners-up: 2005–06 (Finished second in Germany's second league)
- Regionalliga West (II–IV)
- Champions: 1964, 1966–67, 2023–24 (Won their regional league)
- DFB-Pokal (German Cup)
- Runners-up: 1952–53, 1964–65, 2003–04 (Reached the final three times)
- Middle Rhine Cup (Tiers III–V)
- Winners: 1992–93, 1993–94, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2002, 2006, 2019, 2024 (Won this regional cup many times)
- Western German Cup Winner:
- 1966–67
Notable players
You can find a list of famous players who have played for Alemannia Aachen here.
Some well-known players include:
- Belgium
Roger Claessen
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ivica Grlić- Denis Pozder
- Germany
Reinhold Münzenberg
Jupp Derwall- Reinhold Yabo
- Lewis Holtby
- Marco Stiepermann
- Kai Havertz
- Torsten Frings
- David Odonkor
- Jan Schlaudraff
- Netherlands
Angelo Nijskens
- Romania
Ion Ionescu
Coaching history
Here are some of the coaches who have led Alemannia Aachen since 1987:
| Alemannia Aachen coaching history from 1987 to present | |
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Stadium
Alemannia Aachen used to play at a stadium called the Old Tivoli. It could hold 21,632 fans. This stadium was built in 1928 and was updated many times. For their 2004 UEFA Cup matches, the club played in Cologne's RheinEnergieStadion. This was because the Old Tivoli wasn't big enough for the competition's rules.
In August 2009, Aachen opened a brand new stadium, the New Tivoli. This modern stadium can hold 32,960 spectators, including standing areas for fans.
Basketball
Alemannia Aachen also had a very good basketball team! They reached the German Championship final twice, in 1959 and 1962. The team then won the championship two years in a row, in 1963 and 1964.
Here are their final game results:
- 1959: USC Heidelberg beat Alemannia Aachen 56–42
- 1962: USC Heidelberg beat Alemannia Aachen 69–65
- 1963: Alemannia Aachen beat Neuköllner SF (Berlin) 59–49
- 1964: Alemannia Aachen beat SSV Hagen 72–59
Honours
- Champions: 1963, 1964
- Runners-up: 1959, 1962
Logo history
You can see the different logos Alemannia Aachen has used over the years at Alemannia Aachen logo history.
See also
In Spanish: Alemannia Aachen para niños
