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| Full name | Fußballclub Rot-Weiß Erfurt e.V. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 26 January 1966; 59 years ago (1966-01-26) | ||
| Ground | Steigerwaldstadion | ||
| Capacity | 18,611 | ||
| President | Lars Fuchs[1] | ||
| Coach | Fabian Gerber | ||
| League | Regionalliga Nordost (IV) | ||
| 2024–25 | Regionalliga Nordost, 3rd of 18 | ||
| Website | www | ||
FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt is aGerman association football club based inErfurt,Thuringia.
The club has roots that go back to a cricket club founded in 1895. As they broadened their interests they came to be calledSport Club Erfurt. The club was afounding member of theGerman Football Association in 1900 and in 1904 they joined theVerband Mitteldeutscher Ballspielvereine (Central German Football League). The side won the league championship in 1908–09 and advanced as far as the semi-final of the national round where they lost to the eventual champion. While Erfurt did manage to play for a number of seasons in the premier levelGauliga Mitte, formed after 1933, they failed to earn any honours.
In the aftermath of World War II, the Allies banned all organizations, including sport and football clubs. In 1946, the Soviet occupation authorities permitted the organization of five district sports clubs in Erfurt.SG Erfurt West encompassed the area of the city once served bySC Erfurt 1895 andVfB Erfurt and drew footballers who had played for these clubs. Success came quickly with an appearance in the 1948 Thüringer final, followed by a title in 1949. A quick series of name changes went hand-in-hand with a series of failed cup and final appearances: asSG Fortuna Erfurt in 1949,KWU Erfurt in 1950, andBSG Turbine Erfurt in 1951. In 1954 and 1955,Turbine captured consecutiveEast German national titles, but then slipped back into the pack and out of tier I for the first time in 1959. The team moved up and down between the first and second divisions through the 1960s, being relegated three times, but always winning immediate promotion. Like other East German clubs at the time, they suffered as the best players were routinely chosen to play for clubs with politically powerful sponsors.
East German football underwent major changes in 1965 with the creation of dedicatedfootball clubs in the place of broadly generalised sports clubs. The number one football sides ofSC Turbine Erfurt andBSG Optima Erfurt were merged in 1966 and revived the nameFC Rot-Weiß Erfurt, while the more junior sides stayed with their original clubs. The name (Rot-Weiß meaning the two colours red and white) was unusual for its time in that the club did not have a name that honoured a socialist virtue. In 1980, Rot-Weiß Erfurt appeared in the East German Cup final, losing 3–1 toCarl Zeiss Jena.
German reunification and the merger of the leagues of East andWest Germany in the early 1990s brought exciting times toRot-Weiß. A third-place finish in theNOFV-Oberliga in 1990–91 earned them a spot in the2. Bundesliga, as well as qualification for theUEFA Cup. They eliminatedGroningen in the first round, and went out against the eventual winnersAjax in the second round. This fixture made them the last side to appear internationally for East Germany.
Through the 1990s and into the new millennium,Rot-Weiß remained a tier three side. They had a close call in 2001 when they avoided relegation only becauseSSV Ulm 1846 was denied a licence due to financial difficulties. During this period of time, the club went through to the regional cup final seven times. They came away as Thuringian cup winner each time which qualifies for the nationwide German cup (DFB-Pokal), although they never advanced beyond the first round. In 2004, the club was promoted to the 2. Bundesliga, but finished last and was relegated back to Regionalliga Nord (III). In 2008, Erfurt finished in seventh place in Regionalliga Nord (III) and therefore qualified for the new nationwide3. Liga. They played at this level until they were relegated to theRegionalliga Nordost (IV) in 2018.
On 4 February 2020, the club ceased operations due to financial difficulties, and as a result, withdrew from the Regionalliga Nordost,[2] with all their results being annulled and all further matches cancelled.[3] The club formed a new team and organisation, playing in theOberliga in the 2020/21 season; their first home game againstFC Grimma was sold out.[4]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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The recent season-by-season performance of the club:[6][7]
| Year | Division | Tier | Position |
| 1999–2000 | Regionalliga Nordost | III | 7th |
| 2000–01 | Regionalliga Süd | 15th | |
| 2001–02 | Regionalliga Süd | 5th | |
| 2002–03 | Regionalliga Süd | 9th | |
| 2003–04 | Regionalliga Süd | 2nd ↑ | |
| 2004–05 | 2. Bundesliga | II | 18th ↓ |
| 2005–06 | Regionalliga Nord | III | 14th |
| 2006–07 | Regionalliga Nord | 11th | |
| 2007–08 | Regionalliga Nord | 7th | |
| 2008–09 | 3. Liga | 10th | |
| 2009–10 | 3. Liga | 9th | |
| 2010–11 | 3. Liga | 5th | |
| 2011–12 | 3. Liga | 5th | |
| 2012–13 | 3. Liga | 13th | |
| 2013–14 | 3. Liga | 10th | |
| 2014–15 | 3. Liga | 12th | |
| 2015–16 | 3. Liga | 8th | |
| 2016–17 | 3. Liga | 14th | |
| 2017–18 | 3. Liga | 20th ↓ | |
| 2018–19 | Regionalliga Nordost | IV | 5th |
| 2019–20 | Regionalliga Nordost | 18th ↓ | |
| 2020–21 | NOFV-Oberliga Süd | V | Abd-3rd |
| ↑Promoted | ↓Relegated |
Theclub's reserve team,FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt II, most recently in the tier fiveNOFV-Oberliga Süd. It first played at this level from 2005 to 2007, and again since 2008 with a third place in 2012 as its best result.[6][8] At the end of the2015–16 season the team was withdrawn from competition.[9]
The team also made a losing appearance in the 2004Thuringia Cup final but won the competition in the following year. This win allowed the team qualification for the2005–06 DFB-Pokal where it lost 0–8 toBayer 04 Leverkusen.
