FC Stahl Brandenburg


Founded in 1950 as BSG Stahl Brandenburg. After many seasons in the 2nd division of the GDR, they established themselves as a solid club. The best years were from 1984-91, when they played in the DDR Oberliga. This included an appearance in the UEFA Cup in 1986. (Stahl was knocked out by Sweden's IFK Göeborg (1-1, 0-2)).

The team was built on castoffs from other clubs, but good pay (backed by the local steel company) and decent fan support made Stahl an attractive club for many players.

After the collapse of the GDR, the club was simply renamed BSV Brandenburg, but at the end of the century, the club was saddled with debts and basically insolvent. The soccer section managed to rebuild itself and was able to continue, becoming FC Stahl Brandenburg

In recent years, BSV/Stahl has produced many decent players, who leave to go on to greater things. Among them are Steffan Freund, Roy Präger, Rene Schneider, Timo Lange, Angelo Vier etc.

The end almost came again in 2002. Saddled with huge deficits, the club was on the verge of being wound up. Members voted to merge with hated cross town rivals Brandenburg Süd 05 and form a new club FC Brandenburg. (An unfortunate choice, since apparently there is a Berlin based club named FC Brandenburg 03). This merger seemed to be the death knell for the town's footballing traditions. However, as it turns out, there were some problems: 100,000 euros were missing, and the merger seemed in doubt. Nevertheless, youth teams were integrated for the 2002-03 season. This experiment only lasted one season. Club members decided to give it another go and continue as FC Stahl. In 2007, local politicians and other worthless scum attempted again to force a merger with BSC Süd 05, but members voted in a new board who promised to keep FC Stahl running.

Fullname Fussball-Club Stahl 1998 Brandenburg e.V.
City Brandenburg (Brandeburg). Pop: 77,000 (2002)
Address Thüringer Straße 151, 14770 Brandenburg
Phone: (03381) 368730 Fax: (03381) 368740
Colors All blue or all white.
Stadium Stadion Am Quenz. Capacity: 15,500 (3,000 seats)
Built after 1945, this was known as Stahl-Stadion until 1993. Floodlights were planned in 1988, but with the collapse of the GDR, weren't installed until 1996. A overflow crowd estimated at 22,000 filled the stands in the UEFA 1986 match against Göteborg.
Tickets Very reasonable, 4 euros for adults, free for women, youth and seniors! (2005). A free match day program is included in the ticket price.
Supporters Usually around 250 fans, with about 30-40 die hard supporters making noise. They are usually present at away games as well. Up to 2,000 show up for the derby against BSC Süd. Averaged 204 in 2004 (Verbandsliga). Here are a couple of photos of supporters: 1, and 2 (courtesy of Marcel Pochert)
Friends Over the last 2-3 years, the small village club FC Deetz has developed close links. In the past there was some non-official links, mostly individual fans, with RW Erfurt.
Foes BSC Brandenburg Süd 05 is the hated cross town rival. 1.FC Union Berlin and 1.FC Magdeburg are also unpopular, along with Hertha BSC.
Heroes One GDR international, Eberhard Janotta ( 1 cap in 1986). Frank Jeske was probably the most popular and the leading scorer (43), along with Detlev Zimmer and Uwe Schulz from the 1980s.
Zeroes Whoever stole the 100,000 euros. Maybe he was a closet BSC Süd fan. But for many Stahl fans, he is a perverse hero, as that effectively scuttled the merger!
Beer Potsdamer Rex-Pils. Also mentioned are Berliner Kindl and Hasseröder. Karlsquell had been mentioned in the past but "nobody - really nobody - drinks it anymore."
Pub Grub The snack bar under the main stands serves up Bockwurst and beer, at only 1.50 euros each. Nearby is the club owned Gastätte Blau-Weiß that serves up affordable and decent meals.
The Net Official site: www.fc-stahl-brandenburg.de , A good fan site, www.fc-stahl.de is also worth checking out.

Recent History:
--------------
		BSG Stahl Brandenburg

1970-71	(**)	DDR-Liga, Staffel Nord		8th
1971-72	(**)	DDR-Liga, Staffel C		7th
1972-73	(**)	DDR-Liga, Staffel C		2nd
1973-74	(**)	DDR-Liga, Staffel C		6th
1974-75	(**)	DDR-Liga, Staffel C		8th
1975-76	(**)	DDR-Liga, Staffel C		8th
1976-77	(**)	DDR-Liga, Staffel C		8th
1977-78	(**)	DDR-Liga, Staffel C		9th
1978-79	(**)	DDR-Liga, Staffel C		8th
1979-80	(**)	DDR-Liga, Staffel B		4th
1980-81	(**)	DDR-Liga, Staffel B		5th
1981-82	(**)	DDR-Liga, Staffel B		5th
1982-83	(**)	DDR-Liga, Staffel B		1st
1983-84	(**)	DDR-Liga, Staffel B		1st
1984-85	(*)	DDR-Oberliga			11th
1985-86	(*)	DDR-Oberliga			5th
1986-87	(*)	DDR-Oberliga			9th
1987-88	(*)	DDR-Oberliga			4th
1988-89	(*)	DDR-Oberliga			11th
1989-90	(*)	DDR-Oberliga			10th
1990-91	(*)	NOFV-Oberliga			8th
1991-92	(II)	2.Bundesliga Nord		12th
---->
		BSV Brandenburg

1992-93	(III)	Am.Oberliga Nordost Nord	2nd
1993-94	(III)	Am.Oberliga Nordost Nord	1st
1994-95	(III)	Regionalliga Nordost		17th
1995-96	(IV)	Oberliga Nordost-Nord		16th
1996-97	(V)	Verbandsliga Brandenburg	11th
1997-98	(V)	Verbandsliga Brandenburg	10th
1998-99	(V)	Verbandsliga Brandenburg	6th
----->
		FC Stahl Brandenburg

1999-00	(V)	Verbandsliga Brandenburg	3rd
2000-01	(V)	Verbandsliga Brandenburg	2nd
2001-02	(V)	Verbandsliga Brandenburg	7th
2002-03	(V)	Verbandsliga Brandenburg	14th
2003-04	(V)	Verbandsliga Brandenburg	13th
2004-05	(V)	Verbandsliga Brandenburg	12th
2005-06	(V)	Verbandsliga Brandenburg
2006-07	(VI)	Landesliga Brandenburg-Nord
2007-08	(VI)	Landesliga Brandenburg-Nord

(c) Abseits Guide to Germany : www.abseits-soccer.com