FC Erzgebirge Aue facts for kids
 |
||||
| Full name | Fußball Club Erzgebirge Aue e.V. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Veilchen (Violets) | |||
| Founded | 4 March 1946 | |||
| Ground | Erzgebirgsstadion | |||
| Capacity | 16,485 | |||
| President | Helge Leonhardt | |||
| Head coach | Jens Härtel | |||
| League | 2. Bundesliga | |||
| 2020–21 | 2. Bundesliga, 12th of 18 | |||
|
||||
FC Erzgebirge Aue is a German football club. It is based in the town of Aue-Bad Schlema, in Saxony. The club is often called Erzgebirge Aue. Its nickname is Veilchen, which means "Violets". This team was one of the first members of the 3. Liga in 2008–09.
Aue-Bad Schlema is a small town. It has about 20,800 people. This makes it one of the smallest towns to have a team play at the second-highest level of German football. However, many fans from bigger cities like Chemnitz and Zwickau support the team. Their local teams, CFC and FSV, are big rivals of Aue.
Contents
Club History: From 1945 to Today
How the Club Started: 1945–1963
The club began as SG Aue in 1945. On November 1, 1948, it became BSG Pneumatik Aue. This was because a local tool company sponsored them. The name changed again in 1949 to BSG Zentra Wismut Aue. Then, in 1951, it became BSG Wismut Aue.
The team played very well. They moved up through the lower leagues. In 1951, they reached the DDR-Oberliga, which was the top league in East Germany. In 1953, BSG Wismut Aue finished second in the country. They lost the final match 2–3 to SG Dynamo Dresden.
In 1954, a new sports club, SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt, was formed in nearby Chemnitz. The East German government wanted a strong football team in Karl-Marx-Stadt. So, they planned to move the Aue team there. But local miners and players protested. They even threatened to strike! Because of this, the team stayed in Aue. They continued to play their games at the Otto-Grotewohl-Stadion in Aue.
During this time, the club became very strong in East German football. They won the East German Cup in 1955. They also won four DDR-Oberliga titles. These were in 1955, 1956, 1957, and 1959. They played in the 1959 East German Cup final too. But they lost to SC Dynamo Berlin. These wins allowed Aue to play in the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1958, 1959, and 1961.
Staying Strong: 1963–1991
In 1963, SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt joined with another club. This meant the Aue football team became independent again. They rejoined BSG Wismut Aue.
The team kept doing well. They stayed in the top DDR-Oberliga league. They didn't win another championship. But they played the most games of any team in that league. Aue played 1,019 matches over 38 years. This is more than any other East German team.
BSG Wismut Aue also played in the UEFA Cup in 1985–86 and 1987–88. After German reunification in 1990, the club changed its name. It became FC Wismut Aue. In 1993, it changed again to FC Erzgebirge Aue. "Erzgebirge" means "Ore Mountains" in English. This name shows that the club is located in these mountains.
Playing in United Germany: 1991–2003
After Germany became one country, Aue started playing in the NOFV-Oberliga Süd (which was the fourth division). In 1992, they played in the DFB-Pokal for the first time. This is Germany's main cup competition. In 1994, the Regionalliga Nordost (third division) was created. Aue joined this new league. In 2000, the club moved to the Regionalliga Nord. They won this league in 2003. This win meant they were promoted to the 2. Bundesliga, a higher league.
Life in the 2. Bundesliga: 2003–Present
After winning the Regionalliga Nord, Erzgebirge Aue moved up to the 2. Bundesliga. They played well for their first three seasons. But in 2008, they were relegated back to the third division.
In 2008, Aue became part of the new 3. Liga. In their second season there, they finished second. This earned them promotion back to the 2. Bundesliga. They finished fifth in their first season back. After that, the club often struggled to stay in the league. They usually finished in the lower part of the table.
In the 2014–15 season, they were relegated back to the 3. Liga. But they were promoted back to the 2. Bundesliga the very next season! In the 2016–17 season, Aue finished 14th. They finished 16th in the 2017–18 season and 14th in the 2018–19 season. The team was relegated again in the 2021–22 season. They have been playing in the 3. Liga since then.
Reserve Team: FC Erzgebirge Aue II
The second team of Wismut Aue used to play in the DDR-Liga (second division) in the 1970s. They also played in the East German Cup many times.
Since 2008, the club's reserve team, now called FC Erzgebirge Aue II, played in the NOFV-Oberliga Süd (fifth division). Their best result was finishing fifth in 2014. At the end of the 2014–15 season, the team stopped playing in competitive football. This happened even though they finished eighth in the league.
The reserve team also reached the Saxony Cup final in 1991 and 2007, but they lost both times.
Club Achievements and Trophies
League Titles
- DDR-Oberliga: (as SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt)
- Winners: 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959
- 3. Liga:
- Runners-up: 2010, 2016
- Regionalliga Nord (III):
- Winners: 2003
- Regionalliga Nordost (III):
- Runners-up: 1997
Cup Wins
- FDGB-Pokal: (as SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt)
- Winners: 1954–55
- Finalists: 1959
- Saxony Cup (Tiers III–VII):
- Winners: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2016
- Runners-up: 1991‡, 1998, 1999, 2007‡, 2010, 2024, 2025
- ‡ This means the reserve team achieved this.
Famous Players Who Played for Aue
International Players
Many players from Aue have also played for their national teams.
- Players for
East Germany - Bernhard Konik (1984)
- Bringfried Müller (1955–60)
- Dieter Erler (1959–68)
- Erhard Bauer (1954)
- Harald Mothes (1984)
- Horst Freitag (1957)
- Jörg Weißflog (1984–89)
- Karl Wolf (1954–57)
- Klaus Thiele (1958–59)
- Konrad Wagner (1959–63)
- Manfred Kaiser (1955–64)
- Siegfried Wolf (1955–59)
- Steffen Krauß (1985)
- Willi Marquardt (1956)
- Willy Tröger (1954–59)
- Players for Other Countries
Ervin Skela (2000–11)- Skerdilaid Curri (2007)
Dimitrij Nazarov (2014–)
Moudachirou Amadou (1996–03)
Dimitar Rangelov (2004–16)
Adam Petrouš (2002–03)- Richard Dostálek (1996–03)
David Siradze (2004–11)
Albert Bunjaku (2014–16)
Vīts Rimkus (1995–08)
Arvydas Novikovas (2010–)
Borislav Tomovski (1994)- Nikolče Noveski (2004–13)
Danny Sonner (1997–04)
Andrzej Juskowiak (1992–01)- Marcin Adamski (2003–05)
- Tomasz Kos (2000–02)
Adam Nemec (2006–19)
Mišo Brečko (2004–15)
Bobby Wood (2013–18)
Current Team Staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Jens Härtel |
| Assistant coach & Athletic coach | Werner Schoupa |
| Goalkeeper coach |  Georgios Berneanou |
| Doctor | Dr. Heiko Dietel |
| Physiotherapists | Christian Puschmann Lisa Wiedner |
| Press officer | Lars Töffling |
| Supporter Liaison Officer | Heiko Hambeck |
| Kitman & Team Manager | Thomas Romeyke |
| Head of Marketing | Enrico Barth |
European Competitions History
As SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt
| Season | Competition | Round | Nation | Club | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957–58 | European Clubs' Champions Cup | PR | |
Gwardia Warsaw | 1–3, 3–1, 1–1 |
| R16 |  |
Ajax | 1–3, 0–1 | ||
| 1958–59 | European Clubs' Champions Cup | PR |  |
Petrolul Ploiești | 4–2, 0–2, 4–0 |
| R16 |  |
IFK Göteborg | 2–2, 4–0 | ||
| QF |  |
Young Boys | 2–2, 0–0, 1–2 | ||
| 1960–61 | European Clubs' Champions Cup | R16 | |
Glenavon | walkover |
| QF |  |
Rapid Wien | 1–3, 2–0, 0–1 |
As BSG Wismut Aue
| Season | Competition | Round | Nation | Club | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–86 | UEFA Cup | 1/32 |  |
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 1–3, 1–2 |
| 1987–88 | UEFA Cup | 1/32 |  |
Valur | 0–0, 1–1 |
| 1/16 | |
Flamurtari Vlorë | 1–0, 0–2 |
See also
In Spanish: F. C. Erzgebirge Aue para niños
