VfR Mannheim facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
VfR Mannheim

Full name	Verein für Rasenspiele e.V. Mannheim
Nickname(s)	Blau-Weiss-Rot
Founded	1896
Ground	Rhein-Neckar-Stadion
Ground Capacity	8,000
Chairman	Boris Scheuermann
Manager	Serkan Zubari (Sportvorstand)
League	Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
2023–24	9th
Home colours Away colours

VfR Mannheim is a German football club from the city of Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg. It was created in 1911. Three older football clubs joined together to form VfR Mannheim.

The club's biggest moment was in 1949. They won the national championship by beating Borussia Dortmund. For most of its recent history, VfR Mannheim has been a local amateur team. Currently, they play in the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg, which is a regional league.

Club History: How VfR Mannheim Started

Before VfR Mannheim was formed, three clubs existed: FG Mannheim, Mannheimer FG Union, and Viktoria Mannheim. These clubs were important because they helped start the German Football Association in 1900.

After these clubs merged in 1911, VfR Mannheim played in different leagues. They became champions of the Kreisliga Odenwald in 1922. They also won the Bezirksliga Rhein in 1925. After winning the Bezirksliga, they played in the national playoffs. However, they were knocked out early by TuRu Düsseldorf.

Success in the 1930s and 1940s

In 1933, German football was reorganized. VfR Mannheim then played in a top league called the Gauliga Baden. The team did very well before and during World War II. They won their division titles in 1935, 1938, 1939, 1943, and 1944.

Even with these wins, they couldn't win the national playoffs. Their best result was reaching the quarterfinals in 1943. They lost 2–3 to FV Saarbrücken. In 1944, they won their division again. Playing football became very hard during the war. The national playoffs were almost canceled. VfR Mannheim was even declared champions at first. But this decision was changed, and the playoffs happened. Mannheim was eliminated in the eighth-final by 1. FC Nürnberg.

Winning the National Championship After the War

Historical chart of VfR Mannheim league performance

After World War II, VfR Mannheim played in the Oberliga Süd. They didn't have great results until 1949. That year, they had an amazing season. They finished second in their division. Then, they went on to win the national championship!

First, they beat Hamburger SV 5–0. Next, they upset Kickers Offenbach 2–1. Offenbach had finished much higher than them in their league. In the final match, they played Borussia Dortmund. VfR Mannheim won 3–2 in overtime. About 90,000 fans watched this exciting game.

From 1903 to 1944, German champions received the Viktoria trophy. This trophy disappeared after the war. In 1949, a new trophy called the Meisterschale was created. VfR Mannheim was the first team to receive it, even though 1. FC Nürnberg won the first postwar championship in 1948. Today, the Meisterschale is given to the champions of the Bundesliga. It has the names of all national championship teams since 1903. The Viktoria trophy was found later and is now held by the German Football Association.

The next year, VfR Mannheim played Dortmund again in the playoffs. They won that match too. But then they lost to Preußen Dellbrück in the next round. After this, the club slowly became less well-known.

Moving Down from the Top Leagues

In 1963, a new professional league called the Bundesliga started. VfR Mannheim then played in the second-tier Regionalliga Süd. For ten years, they were often at the bottom of the league. Eventually, they moved down to a third-tier league called the Amateurliga Nordbaden.

The club faced money problems. They were offered a chance to merge with SV Waldhof Mannheim in 1998 and again in 2003. But they said no. In 2003, they couldn't get a license to play. This meant they had to move down to the Verbandsliga Nordbaden, which was a fifth-tier league.

However, the team played very well the next season. They won their division and were promoted back to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg. They played there for a while. In the 2007–08 season, they barely avoided moving down again. They finished 16th, tied with the team below them.

In 2009, they were relegated again. It took them two seasons to get back to the Oberliga in 2011. In their first season back, they finished second in the league. In the 2014–15 season, the club finished second-to-last. This meant they were relegated to the Verbandsliga once more.

Club Achievements

Here are some of the awards and championships VfR Mannheim has won:

League Titles

• German football championship
  • Champions: 1949
• Southern German championship
  • Champions: 1925

Regional Titles

• Westkreis-Liga (Top League)
  • Champions: 1910, 1911, 1913, 1914
• Kreisliga Odenwald (Top League)
  • Champions: 1922
  • Runners-up: 1920, 1921
• Bezirksliga Rhein (Top League)
  • Champions: 1925, 1926
  • Runners-up: 1924, 1927
• Gauliga Baden (Top League)
  • Champions: 1935, 1938, 1939, 1943, 1944
  • Runners-up: 1934, 1937, 1940
• Amateurliga Nordbaden (Third League)
  • Champions: 1973, 1976
• Verbandsliga Nordbaden (Fifth League)
  • Champions: 2004
  • Runners-up: 2011

Cup Wins

• Southern German Cup
  • Winners: 1959
• North Baden Cup (Regional Cup)
  • Winners: 1972, 1997, 2001
  • Runners-up: 2004

Other Sports

• The club also has a baseball team. They won the German championship in baseball in 1965, 1966, and 1970.

Recent Managers

Here are the recent managers who have led the club:

Recent Seasons: How the Club Has Performed

This table shows how VfR Mannheim has performed in different leagues over recent seasons. The "Tier" column shows how high the league is in the German football system. A lower number means a higher league.

• When new leagues like the Regionalliga (in 1994) and the 3. Liga (in 2008) were added as higher tiers, all the leagues below them moved down one tier.

See also

In Spanish: VfR Mannheim para niños