SC Paderborn 07 Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
SC Paderborn

Full name

Sport-Club Paderborn 07 e.V.

Founded

1907; 118 years ago

Ground

Benteler-Arena

Capacity

15,000

President

Elmar Volkmann

Head coach

Ralf Kettemann

League

2. Bundesliga

2020–21

2. Bundesliga, 9th of 18

Home colours

Away colours

SC Paderborn 07 is a German football club based in Paderborn, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. The club is officially known as Sport-Club Paderborn 07 e.V. Over the past 25 years, SC Paderborn has become a well-known team in German football. They have often played in the 2. Bundesliga, which is the second-highest league in Germany.

The club even reached the top league, the Bundesliga, in the 2013–14 season. After a short time in the Bundesliga, they were relegated. They faced a tough period, even dropping to the third and almost fourth divisions. However, they made an amazing comeback. In the 2018–19 season, they finished second and were promoted back to the Bundesliga. They returned to the 2. Bundesliga after the 2019–20 season.

Club History
Club Coaches
See also

Club History

How SC Paderborn Was Formed

For many years, Paderborn had two main football clubs: TuS Schloss Neuhaus and FC Paderborn. These two teams were rivals for a long time. In 1983, TuS Schloss Neuhaus played in the 2. Bundesliga but finished last. This showed that the clubs needed to make a change.

So, in 1985, the two clubs decided to join together. They formed a new club called TuS Paderborn/Neuhaus. Later, in 1997, the club changed its name again to SC Paderborn 07. The "07" in the name comes from the year 1907, which was when TuS Neuhaus was first founded.

Early Years in Amateur Football (1985–2005)

After the clubs merged, SC Paderborn played in the third-tier league called the Oberliga Westfalen. They were one of the top teams there but couldn't get promoted for a while. In 1994, Paderborn won their league. This allowed them to play in a new third-tier league, the Regionalliga West/Südwest.

The club had some good moments during this time. They often played in the DFB Pokal, which is a big German cup competition. In the 2004–05 season, they had a great run. They reached the round of 16, beating bigger teams like MSV Duisburg and even Hamburger SV from the Bundesliga.

However, it was later discovered that the match against Hamburger SV was affected by a match-fixing scandal. The referee, Robert Hoyzer, had taken money to help Paderborn win the game. This was a very serious incident in German football history.

Coach André Breitenreiter during the 2013–14 promotion season

Becoming a Professional Team (2005–2015)

At the end of the 2004–05 season, Paderborn was promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. This was their first time in this league in almost 30 years. To become a more professional club, they started building a new stadium in 2005. This new stadium, called Benteler-Arena, can hold 15,000 fans.

These changes helped the club become a regular team in Germany's professional football leagues. The biggest achievement during this period was their first promotion to the Bundesliga. This happened after the 2013–14 season. The team was led by coach André Breitenreiter, who had only joined the club that season.

Bundesliga and Rollercoaster Years (2015–Present)

When Paderborn reached the Bundesliga for the first time, many people called them "the biggest outsider." They had never been in the top league before. The team started the season well. In one famous game against Hannover 96, their player Moritz Stoppelkamp scored an amazing goal from 83 meters away! This was a new Bundesliga record for the longest goal ever. At that moment, Paderborn was even at the top of the Bundesliga table.

However, the second half of the season was tough. Paderborn lost many games and ended up in last place. They were relegated back to the 2. Bundesliga. After this, many important players left the club, and coach Breitenreiter moved to another team.

The next few years were very difficult for SC Paderborn. They were relegated again in the 2015–16 season, dropping to the 3. Liga. In the 2016–17 season, they were at the bottom of the table again. It looked like they would be relegated for a third time in a row, which would have sent them to a non-professional league.

But something unexpected happened! Another club, TSV 1860 Munich, was not given a license to play in the 3. Liga. This meant that Paderborn, even though they finished in a relegation spot, was saved and got to stay in the third division.

After this lucky escape, the team, now coached by Steffen Baumgart, had an incredible turnaround. They finished second in the 2017–18 season and were promoted back to the 2. Bundesliga. Then, in 2019, they did it again! They finished second in the 2. Bundesliga and were promoted to the Bundesliga once more.

The 2019–20 season ended similarly to their first time in the Bundesliga. Paderborn finished last and was relegated back to the second tier. In the 2020–21 season, they finished 9th, which was the first time in a while they weren't fighting for promotion or trying to avoid relegation.