SpVgg Unterhaching


This sounds like some obscure village club, but it's actually a feisty little squad tucked away in the Munich suburbs. Often called the farm team of Bayern (although Karlsruhe is a better candidate for that) or 1860, this club has managed to survive in the 2.Liga, suprising almost everybody, including themselves. In fact in 1995/96, they were only a couple of points away from promotion into the Bundesliga itself. perhaps they do it with mirrors!

The club was founded in 1925, and has a little over 900 members. In 1933, the Nazis disbanded the club because they weren't politically reliable, which suggests that they had some morals. After the war, the club was refounded and started play in the city leagues. This remained true until the mid 70s, when they started a rise into the upper levels of the amateur divisions. By the 1980s, they were a powerhouse in the Bayernliga, and knocking on the door of the 2nd division.

1998-99 is the year that the sensation was achieved! The mini-Muenchenkins played excellent all year long, staying in and around the top. Down the stretch they kept it up and finished 2nd. Muenchen now had it's 3rd Bundesliga club! Whether they can stay up or not is another question, but that doesn't lessen the achievement. And Unterhaching's performance was stunning: they finished 10th and decided the Championship! On the final game of the season, Bayer Leverkusen needed only a draw to secure their upset of Bayern and first title. Instead, the Hachingers kicked their ass 2-0, leaving the Bayers to wallow in their Alka-Seltzer. The little club from the suburbs, until recently financially supported by Bayern Muenchen, had just handed the title over.

Despite the scrappy play, Unterhaching could clearly not maintain Bundesliga status, and were relegated in 2001, and when they dropped again next season, most predicted they would disappear. But the club stopped the slide and won the Regionalliga Sud in 2003, returning to the 2.Liga in style. A couple of seasons there, and then back down.

Fullname Spielvereinigung Unterhaching e.V.
City Unterhaching (Bayern). Pop: 20,632 (2002). Essentially a suburb to München.
Address Am Sportpark 1, 82008 Unterhaching.
Phone: (089) 611-5057
Colors Red shirt, blue pants.
Nickname
Stadium Stadion am Sportpark. Capacity: 15,053 (6,784 seats)
Built in 1992 with some 11,000 capacity. It was expanded when Bundesliga promotion was achieved. From 1929-70s, the club played on the field at Jahnstraße, and until 1992 at Grünauer Allee (Capacity: 6,000) until moving to the Sportplatz. Take the S2 streetcar to Fasanenpark, and from there it's a 10 minute hike.
Tickets 7.50-20 euros (2004). No problema. Not much interest. Well, that was the story except when they jumped to the Bundesliga.
Supporters Probably the players and their wives. Seriously, when Haching made the jump to the B-liga, they became an instant "Kult" favorite, with over 70 fan clubs, even in foreign countries. Still, only managed 9,000 in the best Bundesliga year (2001). Averaged about 4,600 in 2004 (2.Liga).
Friends Bayern used to provide some financial assistance.
Foes Bayern. With friends like Bayern, who needs enemies? Bayern used to be friendly to the "suburbs." But since Unterhaching started making waves in the 2.Liga, Bayern began to treat them as a potential rival.
Heroes
Zeroes
Beer Löwenbräu is one of the sponsors. However, the stadium also has Guinness on tap!
Pub Grub
The Net Official site: www.spvggunterhaching.de It took a while, as nothing was available until they actually gained promotion into the Bundesliga!


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

1979-80	(IV)	Landesliga Bayern-Süd	4th
1980-81	(IV)	Landesliga Bayern-Süd	1st
1981-82	(III)	Am.Oberliga Bayern	5th
1982-83	(III)	Am.Oberliga Bayern	1st
1983-84	(III)	Am.Oberliga Bayern	3rd
1984-85	(III)	Am.Oberliga Bayern	5th
1985-86	(III)	Am.Oberliga Bayern	8th
1986-87	(III)	Am.Oberliga Bayern	4th
1987-88	(III)	Am.Oberliga Bayern	1st
1988-89	(III)	Am.Oberliga Bayern	1st
1989-90	(II)	2.Bundesliga		20th
1990-91	(III)	Am.Oberliga Bayern	2nd
1991-92	(III)	Am.Oberliga Bayern	1st
1992-93	(II)	2.Bundesliga	  	18th
1993-94	(III)	Am.Oberliga Bayern	3rd
1994-95	(III)	Regionalliga Süd	1st
1995-96	(II)	2.Bundesliga		4th
1996-97	(II)	2.Bundesliga		6th
1997-98	(II)	2.Bundesliga		11th
1998-99	(II)	2.Bundesliga		2nd
1999-00	(I)	Bundesliga		10th
2000-01	(I)	Bundesliga		16th
2001-02	(II)	2.Bundesliga		15th
2002-03 (III)	Regionalliga Süd	1st
2003-04	(II)	2.Bundesliga		13th
2004-05	(II)	2.Bundesliga		10th
2005-06	(II)	2.Bundesliga		14th
2006-07	(II)	2.Bundesliga		16th
2007-08	(III)	Regionalliga Süd	6th
2008-09 (III)   3.Liga			4th
2009-10	(III)	3.Liga			11th
2010-11 (III)   3.Liga			14th
2011-12 (III)   3.Liga

Abseits Guide to Germany : www.abseits-soccer.com