Dynamo Dresden


Dynamo is one of the more successful former GDR clubs, winning the GDR title 8 times, most of which happened in the 1970s before the Stasi decided to cheat and make Dynamo Berlin the winner in virtually all future campaigns. There are over 1600 members, of which some 250 are active soccer players.

In 1948, the police formed the BSG DeutscheVolkspolizei Dresden, which eventually became the Dresden entry into the GDR soccer leagues. In 1953, it was renamed to SG Dynamo Dresden, it's membership largely consisting of secret police and state security folks. In these early days, the colors were basically red and white. It wasn't until 1968 that the current colors were chosen. Favored by the GDR regime as the center for soccer development, Dynamo began a climb that would take them to the top of GDR soccer. After winning the first GDR title in 1953, things were a bit dry until the 1970s, which were Dresden's glory years, winning 5 titles. Dynamo also went out with a bang, grabbing the last two DDR-Oberliga championships in 1989 and 1990. This goes along with about 7 GDR Cup victories.

Not surprisingly, many of eastern Germany's best players came from Dynamo ranks. Hans-Jürgen "Dixie" Dörner, was capped by the GDR 100 times up until 1985. Ulf Kirsten (49 caps) and Matthias Sammer were well established GDR internationals until moving to western clubs and joining the German squad.

After reunification, Dynamo managed to hang on in the Bundesliga 3 years, but in 1995, they were denied a professional license, and the drop bypassed the 2.Liga straight into the Regionalliga, where they have been mired ever since. The main cause of the fall was financial mismanagement, which eventually led to the removal and arrest of the former president. Dynamo has set a goal of a return to the Bundesliga, which looks a bit remote at the moment. However, it seemed reasonable to assume that they would return the 2.Liga before long. Then the 1998-99 campaign turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. The next season also turned out poorly, as Dynamo dug themselves into a hole from which they could not recover. Despite a strong finish, they ended up just missing out on the combined Regionalliga, and for the first time in history, they dropped to the 4th division. The club remains dogged by precarious finances. They soon bounced back, getting rid of the embarassment of falling behind tiny local rival DSC. Whether they can make a comeback into the top levels is not clear.

Fullname 1.FC Fussball-Club Dynamo Dresden
City Dresden (Sachsen). Pop: 479,000 (2002).
Address Lennestraße 1, 12, 01069 Dresden
Phone: (0351) 439430 Fax: (0351) 4393413
e-mail: verein@dynamo-dresden.de
Colors Yellow shirt, black trim, black shorts.
Nickname
Stadium Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion. Capacity: 32,400 (all seats)
Originally set up for 500,000 Reichsmarks in 1923, it was renamed post-WWII. Harbig was a track and field athlete from the Dresden area who medalled in the 1936 Olympics. He held the 800m World record for many years even though he was dead, killed on the Russian front in 1944. From roughly 1970-1990, the name was changed to "Dynamo Stadion". Capacity was roughly 30,000 for most of the period, with about 10,500 seats. Expansion during the brief Bundesliga years saw an increase up to 38,500, but subsequent "improvements" saw a limit of around 24,000. In 2009, a 43 million euro makeover converted the stadium to an all seater.
Tickets Very reasonable. 7 euros for standing room, 12 euros for seats (2004). Usually not too hard to get, although the Sachsen derby will pack them in.
Supporters Averaged 8,700 in 2004 (Regionalliga). One of the more popular clubs in eastern Germany. The official web site lists some 130 fan clubs. Despite the forced relegation, Dynamo continues to draw relatively well, the highest in the Regionalliga Nordost. The die-hard "Ultras" are usually found in the K-Block, opposite the opposing fans.
Friends Hansa Rostock, 1860 Muenchen, Hannover 96 and Rapid Wien (Vienna, Austria). Also with ESC Dresden, an ice hockey team.
Foes As one of the leading teams of Saxony, certainly lots of rivalries with other Sachsen based clubs. One bitter enemy is actually FC Berlin, mainly because of it's roots as Dynamo Ost-Berlin and the Stasi-induced championships. The old rivalry with fellow city club Dresdner SC has popped up again, now that both struggle in the Regionalliga.
Heroes 37 GDR internationals. Among the most famous are GDR record holder Hans-Jürgen "Dixie" Dörner (106 caps, 1969-85) and two who later also played for united Germany Ulf Kirsten (49 caps, 1985-90) and Matthias Sammer (23 caps, 1986-90).
Zeroes
Beer The favorite is probably Radeberger, but since it's relatively more expensive, Feldschlösschen, a sponsor, is also very popular.
Pub Grub The stadium snackbars serve up the usual sausages and drinks. Worth mentioning are the fish sandwiches from the snackbar at the entrance of the Lennestrasse.
The Net www.dynamo-dresden.de is the official site, very complete and well done, one of the best on the internet. Aside from the obvious German, there are English and Spanish versions as well. There are many fan pages; a good place to start is on the links page of the official site.

Recent History:
--------------

1965-66	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		5th
1966-67	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		4th
1967-68	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		13th
1968-69	(**)	DDR-Liga, St. Sud	1st
1969-70	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		3rd
1970-71	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		1st
1971-72	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		3rd
1972-73	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		1st
1973-74	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		3rd
1974-75	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		3rd
1975-76	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		1st
1976-77	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		1st
1977-78	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		1st
1978-79	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		2nd
1979-80	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		2nd
1980-81	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		4th
1981-82	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		2nd
1982-83	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		7th
1983-84	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		2nd
1984-85	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		2nd
1985-86	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		6th
1986-87	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		2nd
1987-88	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		3rd
1988-89	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		1st
1989-90	(*)	DDR-Oberliga		1st
1990-91	(*)	NOFV-Oberliga Nordost	2nd
1991-92	(I)	Bundesliga		14th
1992-93	(I)	Bundesliga		15th
1993-94	(I)	Bundesliga		13th
1994-95	(I)	Bundesliga		18th	license denied. Drop to RNO.
1995-96	(III)	Regionalliga Nordost	4th
1996-97	(III)	Regionalliga Nordost	7th
1997-98	(III)	Regionalliga Nordost	2nd
1998-99	(III)	Regionalliga Nordost	11th
1999-00	(III)	Regionalliga Nordost	8th
2000-01	(IV)	Oberliga Nordost, Sud	5th
2001-02	(IV)	Oberliga Nordost, Sud	1st
2002-03	(III)	Regionalliga Nord	7th
2003-04	(III)	Regionalliga Nord	2nd
2004-05	(II)	2.Bundesliga		8th
2005-06	(II)	2.Bundesliga		15th
2006-07	(III)	Regionalliga Nord	7th
2007-08 (III)   Regionalliga Nord	8th
2008-09 (III)   3.Liga			9th
2009-10	(III)	3.Liga			12th
2010-11 (III)   3.Liga			3rd	won promotion playoff
2011-12 (II)    2.Liga

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