Rot-Weiss Essen facts for kids
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| Full name | Rot-Weiss Essen e. V. | ||
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| Nickname(s) | RWE | ||
| Founded | 1 February 1907 | ||
| Ground | Stadion an der Hafenstraße | ||
| Capacity | 20,650 | ||
| President | Marc-Nicolai Pfeifer | ||
| Head coach | Uwe Koschinat | ||
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Rot-Weiss Essen is a German football club from Essen, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays its home games at the Stadion an der Hafenstraße.
This club has a proud history. They won the German Cup (called the DFB-Pokal) in 1953. Two years later, in 1955, they became the champions of Germany. This big win allowed them to play in the very first European Cup, which is now known as the UEFA Champions League.
Contents
Club History
How the Club Started
Rot-Weiss Essen began on February 1, 1907. It was formed when two smaller clubs, SC Preussen and Deutsche Eiche, joined together. They were first known as SV Vogelheim.
Over the years, the club changed its name a few times. In 1923, they finally became Rot-Weiss Essen.
Reaching the Top League
In 1938, Rot-Weiss Essen reached the top level of German football, which was called the Gauliga Niederrhein at that time. They almost won the league title in 1941.
During World War II, the club sometimes played with other teams. This was common for sports clubs during wartime.
Golden Years of Success
After the war, Rot-Weiss Essen returned to the top league in 1948. They had many strong seasons. They won their division in 1952 and 1955.
The club's biggest achievements happened in the mid-1950s.
- In 1953, they won the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) by beating Alemannia Aachen 2-1.
- In 1955, they became German champions! They won against 1. FC Kaiserslautern with a score of 4-3.
Because they were German champions, Rot-Weiss Essen became the first German team to play in the European Cup. This was a very exciting time for the club. They played against a Scottish team called Hibernian in the first round.
The club stayed strong for a few more years. However, in 1961, they were moved down to a lower league. They spent most of the 1960s in the second division. They did play in the top German league, the Bundesliga, for one season in 1966–67. They returned to the Bundesliga for two seasons starting in 1969, and again for four seasons starting in 1973.
Challenges and Comebacks
From 1978 until the end of the 1990s, Rot-Weiss Essen mostly played in the second or third divisions. The club faced money problems during this time. Because of these financial issues, they sometimes lost their license to play in higher leagues. This meant they were moved down to lower divisions in 1984, 1991, and 1994.
Despite these challenges, there were some good moments:
- In 1992, they won the German amateur championship.
- In 1994, they reached the DFB-Pokal final again, but lost to SV Werder Bremen.
In 2004, Rot-Weiss Essen was promoted back to the 2. Bundesliga. But they were moved down again after just one season. In November 2005, the famous football legend Pelé became an honorary member of the club!
The team was promoted to the 2. Bundesliga again in 2006. However, they were moved down once more in 2007. In 2008, a new third league, the 3. Liga, was created, and Rot-Weiss Essen became a fourth-division team.
In 2010, the club had more financial difficulties. They had to play in the fifth-tier league for a season while they sorted out their money. They won that league in 2011 and returned to the fourth division.
In 2022, Rot-Weiss Essen won the Regionalliga West championship. This big win meant they were promoted to the 3. Liga for the 2022–23 season. It was their first time back in the third tier of German football in 14 years!
Home Stadium
Until 2012, Rot-Weiss Essen played at the Georg-Melches-Stadion. This stadium was named after a former club president. In 1956, it was the first stadium in West Germany to have floodlights for night games.
Since August 2012, the team has played in the new Stadion Essen. This modern stadium can hold 20,000 fans.
Club Supporters
Rival Teams
Rot-Weiss Essen has rivalries with other local teams like Fortuna Düsseldorf, Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, and Wuppertaler SV. These rivalries are strongest when the teams play in the same league.
Their biggest rivalry is with MSV Duisburg. Another important rivalry is with FC Schalke 04 from nearby Gelsenkirchen. This match is known as the Ruhrderby. Even though the clubs used to have a good relationship, a past event in the 1970s created a strong rivalry between their fans.
In the past, games against Schwarz-Weiß Essen were also very important. These local matches sometimes attracted over 30,000 fans! This rivalry was mainly about different parts of the city: Rot-Weiss Essen represented the working-class north, and Schwarz-Weiß Essen represented the wealthier south.
Fan Friendships
Rot-Weiss Essen fans also have strong friendships with supporters of other clubs. They have a close friendship with fans of SV Werder Bremen. There is also a friendship with Borussia Dortmund, though there have been some small disagreements since 2018.
Club Achievements
Here are some of the main titles Rot-Weiss Essen has won:
League Titles
- German Championship
- Champions: 1955
- German amateur championship
- Champions: 1992
- Oberliga West (a top regional league)
- Champions: 1952, 1955
- Regionalliga West (second division)
- Champions: 1973
- Regionalliga Nord (third division)
- Champions: 2004, 2006
- Oberliga Nordrhein (fourth division)
- Champions: 1985, 1986, 1993, 1999
- Regionalliga West (fourth division)
- Champions: 2022
- NRW-Liga (fifth division)
- Champions: 2011
Cup Titles
- DFB-Pokal (German Cup)
- Winners: 1952–53
- Lower Rhine Cup (a regional cup)
- Winners: (12 times!) 1995, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2023, 2024, 2025
Current Team Players
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Famous Players
You can find a list of many players who have played for Rot-Weiss Essen here:
Past Coaches
Many coaches have led the Rot-Weiss Essen team over the years. Here are some of them:
- Elek Schwartz (1955–1957)
- Fritz Pliska (1965–1967)
- Erich Ribbeck (1967–1968)
- Herbert Burdenski (1969–1971)
- Janos Bedl (1971–1972, 1983–1984)
- Horst Witzler (1973)
- Ivica Horvath (1975–1976)
- Diethelm Ferner (1978–1979)
- Rolf Schafstall (1979–1981)
- Rolf Bock (1982–1983)
- Siegfried Melzig (1984, 1988)
- Horst Hrubesch (1986–1987)
- Peter Neururer (1987)
- Horst Franz (1987–1988)
- Hans-Werner Moors (1989–1991)
- Jürgen Röber (1991–1993)
- Wolfgang Frank (1994–1995)
- Rudi Gores (1995–1997)
- Klaus Berge (1998–1999, 1999–2001)
- Harry Pleß (2001–2003)
- Holger Fach (2003)
- Jürgen Gelsdorf (2003–2005)
- Uwe Neuhaus (2005–2006)
- Lorenz-Günther Köstner (2006–2007)
- Heiko Bonan (2007–2008)
- Michael Kulm (2008–2009)
- Ralf Aussem (2009, 2009–2010)
- Ernst Middendorp (2009)
- Uwe Erkenbrecher (2009–2010)
- Waldemar Wrobel (2010–2014)
- Marc Fascher (2014–2015)
- Jürgen Lucas (2015)
- Markus Reiter (2015)
- Jan Siewert (2015–2016)
- Sven Demandt (2016–2017)
- Argirios Giannikis (2017–2018)
See also
In Spanish: Rot-Weiss Essen para niños
