History of FC Basel (1893–1918) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Fussball Club Basel 1893, often called FCB, has a long and exciting history! This famous Swiss football club was started on November 15, 1893. For most of its history, FCB has played at the top level of football in Switzerland. Today, they play in the Swiss Super League.

This article tells you about FC Basel's beginnings, its first games, how the Swiss Football Association was formed, and the club's early championships, including the years around the First World War.

Chart of FC Basel's league positions over the years.

The Basel Coat of Arms, which was FC Basel's first logo.

How FC Basel Began

The Very First Season

FC Basel started with a newspaper ad! On November 12, 1893, Roland Geldner placed an ad in the Basler newspaper. He asked anyone who wanted to form a football team to meet up. Eleven men, mostly from universities, came to the meeting. That's how Fussball Club Basel was officially founded on November 15, 1893.

The club's colors were red and blue right from the start.

Just eleven days after the club was founded, the first game happened! On November 26, 1893, FCB members played a game among themselves at a place called Landhof. This was their first, but unofficial, match. Team 1 beat Team 2 by seven goals to two.

Two weeks later, the club played its first real match. Ferdinand Isler was chosen as the team's first captain. On December 10, FCB played against a team from the RTV/Realschüler-Turnverein (a secondary school gymnastics club). FCB won 2–0, with goals from Glaser and Siegrist.

Six months later, FCB played its first game against a team from another country. Charles Volderauer, who was a businessman, helped arrange a trip to Strasbourg, France, in June 1894. The team traveled by train to play against Strassburger FV. They lost that game 0–8.

Playing More Games

In their second season, FC Basel played ten friendly matches. They played against local teams like FC Gymnasia and Buckjumpers Club Basel. They also played against teams from other cities, like Grasshopper Club and FC Excelsior Zürich. One game against FC Excelsior Zürich attracted over 2,000 fans! That was a lot of people, considering the city only had about 70,000 residents back then.

FCB also hosted French team FC Mulhouse, who became a regular opponent in friendly matches. They even played against a German team, Karlsruher FC Kickers, and managed a 1–1 draw.

Starting the Swiss Football Association

In September 1895, Emanuel Schiess became the new club chairman. The club had 17 active football players at this time.

The Swiss Football Association (ASF-SFV) was created on April 7, 1895. FC Basel was one of the founding members, even though they weren't at the first meeting. Basel's goalkeeper, John Tollmann, became the first secretary-treasurer of the new association. The main idea was to start a Swiss national championship, just like in England.

FC Basel played ten friendly matches this season. They won six, drew two, and lost two. They beat Grasshopper Club twice and won a revenge match against Buckjumpers Club Basel. The Buckjumpers club later closed, and some of their players joined FC Basel.

More Friendly Matches

Charlie Volderauer became the club's chairman and also the team captain this season. The idea of a Swiss national championship was still being discussed by the Swiss Football Association.

FC Basel played seven friendly matches. They won two, drew two, and lost three. They scored 16 goals and let in nine.

National Championships Begin

The First Unofficial Championship

The first national championship in Switzerland happened in 1897–98, but it wasn't officially organized by the Swiss Football Association. FC Basel didn't play in this first championship.

FC Basel played ten friendly matches this season. They won seven, drew one, and lost two. They won all five home games at the Landhof.

Joining the Swiss Serie A

In 1898, FC Basel joined the second Serie A championship, which was officially organized by the Swiss Football Association. The championship was a knockout competition, divided into three regional groups.

Basel played in the central group against Old Boys. Their first game on November 13, 1898, ended in a 1–1 draw. A replay was needed, and that also ended in a 2–2 draw, even after extra time. However, Old Boys complained that one of FCB's goals was scored by hand. The Swiss Football Association agreed, and the goal was removed. This meant Old Boys went to the finals instead of Basel.

A Season Without League Play

FC Basel did not play in the 1899–1900 Serie A championship. Georges Fürstenberger was named team captain. Basel played 16 friendly games this season. They won six, drew two, and lost eight. They even beat the reigning Swiss champions, Anglo-American Club Zürich, twice!

Back in the League

Ernst-Alfred Thalmann became the club's new chairman. The team played eight friendly matches and ten league games in the Serie A 1900–01. The league was split into two groups. Basel was in the east group with teams from Zürich and other Basel clubs.

Basel started well with a draw and a win against local rivals Old Boys. However, they only managed one more draw and one win in their remaining eight games. In an away game against Grasshopper Club, captain Schorpp scored two goals, but FCB still lost 3–13. This is still the team's biggest defeat in club history!

Finding a Home Field

Finding a good football field was a big challenge for all clubs in the early days. FC Basel was lucky to use the Landhof for free for the first few years. But in 1901, new tenants built a concrete bowling lane right across the football pitch!

So, FCB had to find a new field. They found a spot in Thiersteinerallee, near where their rivals BSC Old Boys played. The club members had to carry the heavy goal posts and crossbars across town by hand in the dark because they didn't have money for removals! This new pitch was used for a year and a half until the bowling alley at Landhof was finally removed.

Alphonse Schorpp was the team captain for the third year in a row. Basel played 11 friendly games, winning seven and losing four. They also played in the Serie A 1901–02 and finished second in their group.

Celebrating Ten Years

The 1902–03 season marked FC Basel's tenth year! Ernst-Alfred Thalmann was chairman again, and later Josy Ebinger took over. The club was able to return to their original home, the Landhof, after paying 150 Swiss Francs to remove the bowling alley.

By this season, 15 clubs with over 1,000 members had joined the Swiss Football Association. A third level of Swiss football, called Serie C, was introduced. FCB played in the Serie A and finished third in their group.

Growing Stronger

Ernst-Alfred Thalmann became chairman for the third time. With over 40 active players and 70 supporting members, FC Basel was the second-largest club in Switzerland, only smaller than Grasshopper Club Zürich.

The team played in the Swiss Serie A season 1903–04 and finished third in their group. They won five games, drew two, and lost three.

A Tough Season

Ernst-Alfred Thalmann continued as chairman, and Eugen Strauss was the team captain. This was a tough season for Basel. They only won two out of eight league games, both against Weissenbühl Bern. They finished second-to-last in their group. St. Gallen won their first-ever championship title this season.

The Anglo-Cup

Winning the First Anglo-Cup

Ernst-Alfred Thalmann was chairman for his eighth time! Emil Hasler was team captain. In the 1909–10 season, Basel played 37 matches, including 25 friendly games, 10 league games, and two in the new Anglo-Cup.

The Swiss Serie A 1909–10 was divided into three regional groups. Basel finished fifth in their central group.

The first Anglo-Cup was played this season. On April 10, 1910, Basel won against Young Fellows Zürich but lost to St. Gallen in the quarterfinals.

More Anglo-Cup Action

By January 1, 1911, there were 63 clubs with over 7,000 members in the Swiss Football Association.

Ernst-Alfred Thalmann was chairman for his ninth term, and Emil Hasler was team captain for the third year. Basel played 38 matches this season, including 23 friendly games, 12 league games, and three Anglo-Cup games. They even hosted two famous British teams, Newcastle United and Celtic, but lost both games.

In the Swiss Serie A 1910–11, Basel was in the Central group. They reached the quarterfinals of the Anglo-Cup but lost to Young Boys Bern, who went on to win the cup.

A New Trainer

Ernst-Alfred Thalmann was chairman for his eleventh term, and Emil Hasler was team captain for the fourth year. The club had grown to over 300 members, with more than half being active players!

Basel played 37 matches this season, including 19 friendly games, 14 league games, and 5 Anglo-Cup games. They traveled to Germany, France, and even Italy for friendly matches.

The Swiss Serie A 1912–13 was divided into three regional groups. Basel finished fourth in their central group.

A big change happened this season: Percy Humphreys from England became FC Basel's first professional trainer! Before him, the team captain always handled the training. Humphreys signed his contract on April 1, 1913.

The Anglo-Cup was like an early version of the Swiss Cup. It was held for the fourth time this season. Basel won all their Anglo-Cup games at home against teams like Solothurn, St. Gallen, Zürich, and Winterthur. In the final, played in Zürich on June 29, 1913, Basel beat Weissenbühl Bern 5–0! Humphreys led Basel to win their first national title. However, the Anglo-Cup was stopped the next year because of the First World War.

Before the War

Karl Ibach was chairman, but then Carl Albert Hintermann took over. Percy Humphreys continued as the professional trainer. Basel played 32 matches this season, with 14 league games and 18 friendly games. They played against German, English, and Swiss teams.

In the Swiss Serie A 1913–14, Basel started very well, winning seven of their first eight games. But after the new year, they lost three times and finished joint second in their group.

The First World War Years

Impact of the War

The First World War began, and professional trainer Percy Humphreys had to return home to England.

The war also affected football. There were no pre-season matches, and the championship started late. In the 1914–15 season, Basel played only 11 matches: 6 league games and 5 friendly matches.

The Swiss Serie A 1914–15 was an "interim Championship" because of the war, meaning no teams were moved up or down leagues. Basel was in a central group and finished third.

Starting a Youth Department

Philipp Leichner was chairman, and then Franz Rinderer took over. A big step for FCB this season was starting their youth department! Over 50 young players joined the teams right away. Some of them, like Walter Dietrich, who was 13, later became important first-team players.

Football championships could be played more regularly again. Ernst Kaltenbach was team captain. Basel played 28 matches, including 14 league games and 14 friendly matches. In the Swiss Serie A 1915–16, Basel finished second-to-last in their group.

Training in Barcelona

Franz Rinderer continued as chairman, and Peter Riesterer was team captain. Basel played 28 matches, including 12 league games and 16 friendly matches.

Over Christmas and New Year, the team went to a training camp in Barcelona, Spain! They played two friendly games against Barcelona, winning one and losing one. They also played two games against Terrassa, drawing one and winning one.

In the Swiss Serie A 1916–17, Basel played a good season, losing only two games. They finished second in their group.

Keeping the Football Fields

Franz Rinderer was still chairman and was also elected president of the Swiss Football Association. During the war, a lot of football fields in Switzerland were turned into potato fields to grow food. FCB worked hard to keep their home ground, the Landhof.

In 1917, FC Basel even organized the Swiss athletics championships at their grounds. It was the first time these championships were held in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, and it was a big success with about 4,000 spectators!

Basel's first team played 23 matches this season, 12 league games and 10 friendly matches. In the Swiss Serie A 1917–18, Basel played another good season, losing only two games. They finished second in their group again.