1. FSV Mainz 05 facts for kids
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| Full name | 1. Fußball- und Sport-Verein Mainz 05 e.V. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Die Nullfünfer (the 05ers), Karnevalsverein (Carnival club) |
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| Founded | 16 March 1905 | |||
| Ground | MEWA Arena | |||
| Capacity | 34,034 | |||
| President | Stefan Hofmann | |||
| Manager | Bo Henriksen | |||
| League | Bundesliga | |||
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga, 12th of 18 | |||
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1. FSV Mainz 05, or just Mainz 05, is a German professional sports club from Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It was started in 1905. The club's main football team plays in the Bundesliga, which is the top football league in Germany. They were last promoted to this league before the 2009–10 season. Mainz 05 has big rivalries with Eintracht Frankfurt and Kaiserslautern. Besides football, the club also has handball and table tennis teams.
Contents
Club History
How Mainz 05 Started
In 1903, people tried to start a football club in Mainz, but it didn't work out. Two years later, in 1905, they successfully created 1. Mainzer Fussballclub Hassia 1905. Over the years, the club changed its name a few times through mergers with other local teams. After World War I in 1919, they became 1. Mainzer Fußball- und Sportverein 05. This is where the "05" in their name comes from! The club, often called Die Nullfünfer (the 05ers), became a strong team. They won several regional championships between the wars. In 1921, they even played in the first round of the national championships after winning the Kreisliga Hessen.
Playing During Tough Times
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Mainz 05 played in the Bezirksliga Main-Hessen. They finished first in their group in 1932 and 1933. This earned them a spot in the Gauliga Südwest, one of the new top leagues in Germany. However, they only played one season there before being moved down. In 1938, the club had to join with another team, Reichsbahn SV Mainz. They played as Reichsbahn SV Mainz 05 until the end of World War II.
The Journey to the Bundesliga
After World War II, Mainz 05 returned to the top level of German football in the Oberliga Südwest. They usually finished in the middle of the league table. When the new professional league, the Bundesliga, started in 1963, Mainz 05 did not join it. Instead, they played in the second division for almost 40 years.
For a while, from the late 1970s to the late 1980s, they even played in the amateur Oberliga Südwest (third division). This was because of money problems. But in 1982, Mainz won the German amateur championship!
The club returned to professional football in 1988–89, and then for a longer period starting in 1990–91. At first, they often struggled to avoid being moved down to a lower league. But under their coach Wolfgang Frank, Mainz became one of the first German clubs to use a "flat four zone defence." This was a new way of playing defence, different from what most teams used back then.
Mainz tried three times to get into the top league but just missed out. In 2003–04, under coach Jürgen Klopp, their hard work paid off! They were finally promoted to the Bundesliga. They played there for three seasons but were moved down again after the 2006–07 season. However, they got promoted back to the top league just two years later, after the 2008–09 season.
Mainz 05 even got to play in the 2005–06 UEFA Cup in their first Bundesliga season. This was because they won a "Fair Play" award. This award is given to teams that play fairly, respect their opponents and referees, and whose fans and officials behave well. Because their home stadium was too small, they played their UEFA Cup matches in Frankfurt. They won against teams from Armenia and Iceland, but then lost to Sevilla, who went on to win the competition.
In the 2010–11 season, Mainz 05 had an amazing start, winning their first seven matches! They finished the season in fifth place, which was their best finish ever. This earned them another spot in the UEFA Europa League. They were knocked out in the qualifying rounds by a Romanian team.
On the last day of the 2022–23 season, Mainz 05 played against Borussia Dortmund, who were leading the league. Mainz drew 2–2, which meant Dortmund lost the title to Bayern Munich!
The 2023–24 season was tough for Mainz 05. For most of the season, they were near the bottom of the league. But under their new coach Bo Henriksen, they played much better. They didn't lose any of their last nine matches and won five of them. This great performance moved them up to 13th place, keeping them in the Bundesliga!
Recent Seasons: How Mainz 05 Performed
Here's a look at how the club has done in recent seasons:
| Season | Division | Tier | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–00 | 2. Bundesliga | II | 9th |
| 2000–01 | 2. Bundesliga | 14th | |
| 2001–02 | 2. Bundesliga | 4th | |
| 2002–03 | 2. Bundesliga | 4th | |
| 2003–04 | 2. Bundesliga | 3rd ↑ | |
| 2004–05 | Bundesliga | I | 11th |
| 2005–06 | Bundesliga | 11th | |
| 2006–07 | Bundesliga | 16th ↓ | |
| 2007–08 | 2. Bundesliga | II | 4th |
| 2008–09 | 2. Bundesliga | 2nd ↑ | |
| 2009–10 | Bundesliga | I | 9th |
| 2010–11 | Bundesliga | 5th | |
| 2011–12 | Bundesliga | 13th | |
| 2012–13 | Bundesliga | 13th | |
| 2013–14 | Bundesliga | 7th | |
| 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 11th | |
| 2015–16 | Bundesliga | 6th | |
| 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 15th | |
| 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 14th | |
| 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 12th | |
| 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 13th | |
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 12th | |
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 8th | |
| 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 9th | |
| 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 13th |
- Key
| ↑ Promoted | ↓ Relegated |
Mainz 05 Stadium
Mainz 05 plays its home games at the MEWA Arena. This stadium opened in 2011 and can hold 34,034 fans. The very first event there was a football cup in July 2011, with famous teams like Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund playing.
Before the MEWA Arena, Die Nullfünfer played at the Bruchwegstadion. This stadium was built in 1928 and was changed over the years to hold more than 20,300 people. When the team started doing well, their home games were often sold out. For example, in the 2015–16 season, about 30,324 fans came to watch each home league game.
Club Culture and Traditions
Mainz is famous for its lively carnival celebrations, just like Düsseldorf and Cologne. This carnival spirit is part of the club's culture! After every goal Mainz 05 scores at a home match, you'll hear the "Narrhallamarsch" played. This is a very well-known German carnival song.
Mainz 05 Reserve Team
The club also has a reserve team, called Mainz 05 II. As the main team got better, the reserve team also moved up through the leagues. They first reached the Oberliga level in 1999 and then the Regionalliga in 2003. They played in the 3. Liga in 2014–15.
Mainz 05 in European Competitions
Mainz 05 has played in European football competitions a few times. Here's how they've done:
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | UEFA Cup | 1Q |  Mika |
4–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 |
| 2Q |  Keflavík |
2–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | ||
| 1R |  Sevilla |
0–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | ||
| 2011–12 | UEFA Europa League | 3Q |  Gaz Metan Mediaș |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| 2014–15 | UEFA Europa League | 3Q |  Asteras Tripoli |
1–0 | 1–3 | 2–3 |
| 2016–17 | UEFA Europa League | Group C |  Anderlecht |
1–1 | 1–6 | 3rd |
 Saint-Étienne |
1–1 | 0–0 | ||||
 Gabala |
2–0 | 3–2 |
- Notes
- 1Q: First qualifying round
- 2Q: Second qualifying round
- 3Q: Third qualifying round
- 1R: First round
Club Achievements and Awards
Mainz 05 has won several titles and awards over the years:
- League Titles
- German amateur champions: 1982
- Regionalliga Südwest (Second Division) champions: 1973
- Oberliga Südwest (Third Division) champions: 1981, 1988, 1990
- Amateurliga Südwest (Third Division) champions: 1978
- Regional Titles
- Kreisliga Hessen (Top Division) champions: 1921
- Bezirksliga Rheinhessen-Saar (Top Division) champions: 1927
- Bezirksliga Main-Hessen (Hessen group) (Top Division) champions: 1932, 1933
- South West Cup winners: 1980, 1982, 1986
- Youth Team Success
- German under 19 champions: 2009, 2023
- Under 17 Bundesliga South/Southwest champions: 2014
- Other Club Awards
- DFB-Pokal semi-finalists: 2009
- UEFA Fair Play selection: 2005 (This means they were chosen for playing fairly in European competitions.)
- Reserve Team Titles
- Oberliga Südwest (Fourth Division) champions: 2003, 2008
- South West Cup winners: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
Mainz 05 Players
Current Squad
Here are the players currently on the Mainz 05 team:
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Players on Loan to Other Teams
These players are still part of Mainz 05 but are currently playing for other clubs:
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Coaching Staff
Here are the people who coach the Mainz 05 team:
| Manager |  Bo Henriksen |
| Assistant manager | Mikkel Jespersen |
| First-team coach | Michael Silberbauer Sören Hartung |
| Fitness coach | Sven Herzog |
| Fitness coach | Axel Busenkell |
| Goalkeeping coach | Stephan Kuhnert |
| Analyst | Jannes Ehresmann |
Images for kids
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A chart showing Mainz 05's league performance over the years.
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A wide view of the inside of the MEWA Arena, Mainz 05's home stadium.
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- The Football Club Social Alliance
