FC Augsburg facts for kids
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| Full name | Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Fuggerstädter (named after the famous Fugger family of Augsburg, founders of the Fuggerei) | |||
| Founded | 8 August 1907 | |||
| Ground | Augsburg Arena | |||
| Capacity | 30,660 | |||
| Owner |
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| Chairman | Markus Krapf | |||
| Head coach | Jess Thorup | |||
| League | Bundesliga | |||
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga, 13th of 18 | |||
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FC Augsburg (full name: Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V.) is a professional football club from Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany. They play in the Bundesliga, which is the top football league in Germany.
The club started as Fußball-Klub Alemannia Augsburg in 1907. Later, it was known as BC Augsburg from 1921 to 1969. With over 25,000 members, FC Augsburg is the biggest football club in the Swabian Bavaria region.
For most of its history, the club played in the second and third divisions of German football. In the early 2000s, they even dropped to the fourth division for two seasons. But after this, the club got much stronger. In 2011, they were promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time. They have stayed in the top league ever since.
In the 2014–15 season, FC Augsburg finished in fifth place, which was their best result ever. This allowed them to play in a European competition for the first time, the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League. They made it to the Round of 32, where they lost to Liverpool.
Since 2009, FC Augsburg has played at the WWK ARENA. This stadium can hold 30,660 fans. It is located south of Augsburg city centre and is easy to reach by tram. The club's fans are very supportive, with almost all seats filled at home games. The stadium has a standing area for fans behind one goal.
FC Augsburg has strong local rivalries with Ingolstadt and TSV 1860 Munich. Games against these teams usually attract many fans. A match in 1973 against 1860 Munich set a record for the most spectators at the Olympic Stadium. FC Augsburg also often sells out their home games against Bayern Munich.
The club's colors are red, green, and white. These colors are used on their team kits and their club badge, which looks like the Augsburg city emblem. The team trains next to the stadium. There is also a club shop near the main train station in the city center.
Contents
Club History
How the Club Started
For a long time, people talked about combining Augsburg's two most successful football clubs: TSV Schwaben and BC Augsburg. This was discussed as early as the late 1940s. Both clubs were having money problems, but they didn't trust each other. Each club worried the other would take over if they merged.
In 1968, both clubs were struggling in lower divisions. Another attempt to merge was made. In April 1969, the leaders of both clubs met and decided to combine. The new club would be called FC Augsburg and would focus only on football. The mayor of Augsburg, Hans Breuer, strongly supported this idea.
Most members from both clubs voted to merge. However, TSV Schwaben decided to keep its other sports departments. Only its football team joined the new club. Because of this, FC Augsburg is usually seen as continuing the history of BC Augsburg, not TSV Schwaben.
The new FC Augsburg played its first game on July 30, 1969. They played against 1. FC Nürnberg in Augsburg. About 13,000 fans watched the game, which FC Augsburg lost 0–3.
Early Years: 1969 to 1974
After the club was formed in 1969, FC Augsburg mostly played in the second and third divisions. The new club was not an instant success. In the first few seasons, fan numbers were low. It was hard for the club to keep its best players.
Things started to get better in the 1972–73 season. The team won their league, the Bayernliga, and brought professional football back to Augsburg. By the end of that season, 15,000 fans came to celebrate the championship.
In the 1973–74 season, a famous player named Helmut Haller returned to Augsburg. He had played for 11 years in Italy for big clubs like Bologna and Juventus. FC Augsburg paid for his transfer.
With Haller, FC Augsburg became very popular. They had over 22,000 fans at home games. When they played against TSV 1860 Munich in the new Olympic Stadium, 80,000 people watched. This started a strong rivalry between the two clubs. FC Augsburg won their league that season.
They then played in a special promotion round to try and reach the Bundesliga, the top league. They finished second, just one point behind the team that got promoted. However, their strong performance meant they qualified for the new second division, the 2. Bundesliga South.
Ups and Downs: 1974 to 2000
After their successful 1973–74 season, FC Augsburg struggled in the new 2. Bundesliga. They finished in the lower half of the table for five seasons. In 1978–79, they were relegated back to the Bayernliga (third division).
But FC Augsburg quickly bounced back. They won the Bayernliga title in 1979–80 and were promoted back to the 2. Bundesliga. They also reached the final of the German amateur football championship that year. However, the 2. Bundesliga was changing to a single, smaller division. FC Augsburg finished 18th in 1980–81, which was not enough to stay in the league.
They won the Bayernliga again in 1981–82. They then had to play in a promotion round. FC Augsburg finished second and returned to the 2. Bundesliga. But again, they were not strong enough and were relegated after just one season. This was their last time in the second division for nearly 25 years.
For the next 11 seasons, FC Augsburg played in the Bayernliga, which was then the third tier. Many strong Bavarian clubs were in this league. FC Augsburg was one of the top teams, but they couldn't win the title again. Their best finish was second place in 1985.
In 1993, the club's youth team won a national championship. They defeated 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the German Under-19 championship final.
In 1994, FC Augsburg tried for promotion again. They didn't make it to the 2. Bundesliga, but they did qualify for the new Regionalliga Süd, which became the new third division.
FC Augsburg spent four years in the Regionalliga as a mid-table team. In 1999, they finished 14th, close to relegation. The next year, the number of Regionalligas was reduced. FC Augsburg finished eighth, which was their best result in that league. However, the club was in serious financial trouble. They were denied a license to play in the Regionalliga and were sent down to the Bayernliga, which was now the fourth tier.
Road to the Bundesliga: 2000 to Present
A local businessman named Walther Seinsch helped save the club financially. He became chairman and brought good money management to the club. FC Augsburg built a strong team again in the Bayernliga. In 2002, they were promoted back to the Regionalliga.
The club became a strong team in the third division, finishing in the top four for the next four seasons. In 2005, they almost reached the 2. Bundesliga but missed out in the last game. The next year, in 2006, FC Augsburg won the Regionalliga Süd. This earned them a spot in the 2. Bundesliga for the 2006–07 season. This was their first time back in the second division in 23 years.
They finished seventh in their first season back in the 2. Bundesliga. In 2009, FC Augsburg moved into their new stadium, the WWK ARENA.
Under Dutch manager Jos Luhukay, Augsburg had a great season in 2009–10. They reached the semi-finals of the German Cup (DFB-Pokal). They also finished third in the 2. Bundesliga, which meant they played a promotion playoff against 1. FC Nürnberg for a spot in the Bundesliga. They lost this playoff.
However, at the end of the 2010–11 season, FC Augsburg finished second in the 2. Bundesliga. This meant they were directly promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time in the club's history!
On October 15, 2011, FC Augsburg won their first-ever game in the Bundesliga, beating Mainz 05 1–0. They managed to stay in the Bundesliga for a second year. Markus Weinzierl became the new manager in May 2012.
In their second Bundesliga season, FC Augsburg struggled at first. But they managed to stay in the top league on the very last day of the season. In the 2013–14 season, they finished eighth. They were no longer fighting against relegation but were trying to qualify for the UEFA Europa League.
FC Augsburg qualified for the 2015–16 Europa League after finishing fifth in the 2014–15 Bundesliga. This was their best league finish ever. They made it to the knockout stage of the competition. They played against Liverpool in the Round of 32. After a 0–0 draw at home, they lost 1–0 away at Anfield.
Since then, FC Augsburg has continued to play in the Bundesliga. In 2021, an American investor named David Blitzer bought a 45% share in the club. Markus Krapf became the new president in September 2022.
Team Kit
Augsburg's main kit colors are white. They also use red and green for their other kits.
European Record
Matches Played in Europe
| Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | UEFA Europa League | Group L |  Athletic Bilbao |
2–3 | 1–3 | 2nd |
 AZ |
4–1 | 1–0 | ||||
 Partizan |
1–3 | 3–1 | ||||
| R32 |  Liverpool |
0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 |
Players
Current Squad
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Players on Loan
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Coaching Staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head Coach |  Jess Thorup |
| Assistant Head Coach | Jacob Friis |
| Assistant Coach |  Sebastian Block |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Kristian Barbuscak |
| Fitness Coach | Andreas Bäumler Frank Roßner |
| Video Analyst | Benedikt Brust |
| Match Analyst | Remigius Elert |
| Head of Academy Coaching | Claus Schromm |
| Chief Scout |  Timon Pauls |
| Scout | Nils Drube |
| Head of Medical | Daniel Müller |
| Doctor | Dr. Andreas Weigel Dr. Jens-Ulrich Otto Dr. Karsten Bogner |
| Physiotherapist | Martin Miller Herman Kandemir Nikolaus Guschl Niklas Albers |
| Sport Psychologist | Tanja Wörle |
| Kit Manager |  Salvatore Belardo Jan-Vincent Reckord Christoph Schade |
Managers
Here are some of the managers who have led FC Augsburg:
| Period | Manager |
|---|---|
| 1 July 1980 – 31 March 1981 | Heinz Elzner |
| 31 March 1981 – 31 May 1981 | Heiner Schuhmann (interim) |
| 1 July 1982 – 30 June 1984 | Hannes Baldauf |
| 1 July 1984 – 30 June 1986 | Paul Sauter |
| Oct 1986 – March 88 | Heiner Schuhmann |
| 25 February 1989 – 4 October 1989 | Helmut Haller |
| 5 October 1989 – 6 December 1989 | Jimmy Hartwig |
| 22 January 1990 – 30 April 1990 | Dieter Schatzschneider |
| 1 May 1990 – 31 May 1990 | Gernot Fuchs |
| 1 June 1990 – 30 June 1995 | Armin Veh |
| 7 May 1995 – 30 June 1995 | Helmut Riedl |
| 1 July 1995 – 24 September 1996 | Karsten Wettberg |
| 25 September 1996 – 31 December 1996 | Helmut Riedl |
| 1 January 1997 – 18 April 1998 | Hubert Müller |
| 19 April 1998 – 30 June 1998 | Helmut Riedl |
| 1 July 1998 – 30 June 1999 | Gerd Schwickert |
| 1 July 1999 – 1 December 1999 | Alfons Higl |
| 2 December 1999 – 31 December 1999 | Heiner Schuhmann (interim) |
| 1 January 2000 – 30 June 2000 | Hans-Jürgen Boysen |
| 1 July 2000 – 30 June 2002 | Gino Lettieri |
| 1 July 2002 – 28 September 2003 | Ernst Middendorp |
| 13 October 2003 – 26 September 2004 | Armin Veh |
| 27 September 2004 – 25 September 2007 | Rainer Hörgl |
| 1 October 2007 – 16 April 2008 | Ralf Loose |
| 18 April 2008 – 13 April 2009 | Holger Fach |
| 14 April 2009 – 30 June 2012 | Jos Luhukay |
| 1 July 2012 – 2 June 2016 | Markus Weinzierl |
| 2 June 2016 – 14 December 2016 | Dirk Schuster |
| 14 December 2016 – 9 April 2019 | Manuel Baum |
| 9 April 2019 – 9 March 2020 |  Martin Schmidt |
| 10 March 2020 – 26 April 2021 | Heiko Herrlich |
| 26 April 2021 – 14 May 2022 | Markus Weinzierl |
| 1 July 2022 – 9 October 2023 | Enrico Maaßen |
| 15 October 2023 – | Jess Thorup |
Stadium Information
FC Augsburg Season Performance
Here's how the club has performed in the last five seasons:
| Season | League | Tier | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Cup | Coach(es) | Top scorer(s) | Goals | Ref. |
| 2019–20 | BL | I | 15th | 34 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 45 | 63 | 36 | R1 | Martin Schmidt
Heiko Herrlich |
Florian Niederlechner | 13 | |
| 2020–21 | BL | I | 13th | 34 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 36 | 54 | 36 | R2 | Heiko Herrlich
Markus Weinzierl |
André Hahn | 8 | |
| 2021–22 | BL | I | 14th | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 39 | 56 | 38 | R2 | Markus Weinzierl | Michael Gregoritsch | 9 | |
| 2022–23 | BL | I | 15th | 34 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 42 | 63 | 34 | R2 | Enrico Maaßen | Mërgim Berisha | 9 | |
| 2023–24 | BL | I | 11th | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 50 | 60 | 39 | R1 | Enrico Maaßen
Jess Thorup |
Ermedin Demirović | 15 |
Club Achievements
League Titles
Cup Competitions
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Youth Team Achievements
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Youth and Reserve Teams
Youth Teams
FC Augsburg's youth teams have had some great successes. In 1993, their Under-18 team won a national championship. This was special because they were the last non-Bundesliga club to do so. They also won four German Youth Cup titles in the early 1990s. These teams were coached by Heiner Schuhmann.
After Schuhmann left, the youth teams still did well. Today, FC Augsburg's youth teams play in the top youth leagues in Germany, like the Under 19 Bundesliga and Under 17 Bundesliga.
Reserve Team
The club's reserve team, called FC Augsburg II, also has its own history. Before the merger, as BC Augsburg Amateure, they played in the top amateur league in Bavaria in 1962–63.
After the merger, the reserve team played in lower amateur leagues. In 1977, they won the Schwaben Cup. They also reached the third round of the German Cup that year. They beat a second-division team before losing to Hertha BSC.
The team was stopped for a while but was reformed later. Since 2004, the reserve team has played in higher amateur leagues. In 2011–12, they were promoted to the Regionalliga Bayern.
Images for kids
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Logo of BC Augsburg 1921–69
See also
In Spanish: F. C. Augsburgo para niños
