On 4 February 1899,FV Werder Bremen was founded by a group of 16-year-old students who had won a football in atug of war tournament.[4] The name "Werder" is the German word for "riverpeninsula", alluding to the riverside field on which the team played their first football matches. On 10 September 1899, Werder won their first match 1–0, againstASC 1898 Bremen. In 1900, the club was one of thefounder members of theGerman Football Association (DFB). Werder then had some early success, winning several local championships. In 1903, all three of their teams won their local leagues. Due to the club's popularity, Werder became the first side in the city to charge entry fees for home matches.[4]
Werder won theGauliga Niedersachsen in 1933–34, and again in 1935–36, 1936–37, and 1941–42.[5] By winning the Gauliga, the team qualified for the national championship play-offs; Bremen's best result was a quarter-final place in1942. Asprofessionalism was not permitted in German football, several Werder players worked at the nearby Brinkmann tobacco factory; the side were subsequently nicknamed "Texas 11" after one of the company's cigarette brands.[6]
Between the end of theSecond World War and the formation of theBundesliga in 1963, the club was recognised as one of the top two teams in northern Germany, along withHamburger SV. In1960–61, Werder won their firstDFB-Pokal, defeating1. FC Kaiserslautern 2–0 in the final. The team consisted of future internationalSepp Piontek, former internationalWilli Schröder, andArnold Schütz, among others.[5] A second place in the1962–63 Oberliga Nord, behind Hamburger SV, ensured Werder's place in the1963–64 Bundesliga, the competition's inaugural season.[7] Werder won their first German championship in1964–65, finishing three points ahead of1. FC Köln.[8] One of the team's key players was German international and defenderHorst-Dieter Höttges.[9] Werder finished runners-up in1967–68; in the following years, they languished in the bottom half of the table.
In April 1971, during anaway match atBorussia Mönchengladbach, the hosts' strikerHerbert Laumen fell in Werder'sgoal net after a collision with BremengoalkeeperGünter Bernard. The right goalpost snapped as a result of the impact, bringing the goal down, which could not be repaired nor replaced. Thereferee abandoned the game with a scoreline of 1–1; the DFB later awarded the win to Werder.[10] As a result of signing several expensive players, Bremen were nicknamed "Millionenelf". The team's form did not improve, and in1979–80, Werder wererelegated from the Bundesliga for the first time.[11]
The team won the1980–81 2. Bundesliga Nord title and werepromoted back to the Bundesliga. ManagerOtto Rehhagel was appointed in April 1981; under his guidance, Werder were Bundesliga runners-up in1982–83,1984–85 and1985–86. In 1983 and 1986, the side lost the title ongoal difference. During the latter season, Werder hostedBayern Munich in the penultimate match; Bremen needed to win to secure the title. In the last minutes of the game, Werder were awarded apenalty kick, whichMichael Kutzop missed; the match ended goalless. Bayern won their last match, but Werder lost 2–1 toVfB Stuttgart, meaning that Bayern won the title.[12] Werder won their second Bundesliga title two years later, in1987–88, only conceding a then-record 22 goals.[13] They also reached the semi-final ofthat year's UEFA Cup.[14] In the third round of the1989–90 UEFA Cup, Bremen defeated defending championsNapoli 8–3 on aggregate, after winning 5–1 at home (Diego Maradona was one of the Napoli players).[15]
Bremen finished runners-up in the1994–95 Bundesliga; at the end of the season, after a then-national record 14-year stint at Werder, Rehhagel left the club for Bayern Munich.[20] Rehhagel, Bremen's most successful manager, had employed a "controlled offensive" style of play, and worked on a tight budget during his reign.[21] His successors (Aad de Mos,Dixie Dörner,Wolfgang Sidka, andFelix Magath) did not win any major honours. In May 1999, former Werder defender, and youth coachThomas Schaaf took over. He kept the team in the Bundesliga, andwon the DFB-Pokal only weeks later, defeating Bayern on penalties.[22]
Werder's league performance stabilized during the following seasons, regularly finishing in the upper half of the table. In2003–04, Bremen won both the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal, claiming thedouble for the first time, becoming the third club in Bundesliga history to achieve this feat.[23] The team also regularly qualified for the Champions League during the 2000s. In the last match of the2005–06 Bundesliga season, Werder won 2–1 at arch-rivals Hamburger SV to qualify for the Champions League, instead of Hamburg.[24] Bremen reached the semi-finals of the2006–07 UEFA Cup, in which they were eliminated by Spanish clubRCD Espanyol.[25] In2008–09, the team reached theUEFA Cup final—losing 2–1 against Ukrainian sideShakhtar Donetsk afterextra time—and theDFB-Pokal final, defeatingBayer Leverkusen by a scoreline of 1–0. In April and May 2009, Werder had played Hamburg four times in 19 days; once in the Bundesliga, twice in the semi-final of the UEFA Cup, and in the semi-final of the DFB-Pokal. Bremen defeated Hamburg 2–0 in the Bundesliga, and eliminated them from the DFB-Pokal and the UEFA Cup.[25]
During this period, Werder had several players who were sold for large transfer fees, includingDiego,Torsten Frings,Miroslav Klose,Mesut Özil, andClaudio Pizarro. In October 2010, Pizarro became the then-record foreign goalscorer in Bundesliga history.[26] In 2013, Schaaf left the club by mutual consent after a 14th-place finish in the Bundesliga.[27] In2019–20, Bremen beat Köln 6–1 on the last matchday to finish in 16th place, overtakingFortuna Düsseldorf; however, Bremen had to play the promotion-relegation play-offs against1. FC Heidenheim to avoid relegation.[28][29] The tie ended 2–2 on aggregate, with Werder winning on theaway goals rule, and avoiding relegation.[30] Bremen finished 17th thefollowing season, and were relegated to the2. Bundesliga for the first time since 1979–80.[31] The team finished runners-up in the2021–22 2. Bundesliga and won promotion back to the Bundesliga after one season.[32]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
A list of notable Werder Bremen players can be foundhere. For a list of all past and present players who are the subjects of Wikipedia articles, seeCategory:SV Werder Bremen players.
Otto Rehhagel (2009 photograph) is the club's longest-serving manager.
Werder have had 24 different managers since the beginning of theBundesliga era in 1963.Otto Rehhagel served the longest term, holding the post for fourteen years.Hans Tilkowski,Willi Multhaup,Rudi Assauer, and Otto Rehhagel served two terms each, while Fritz Langner served three.[36]
Werder Bremen's club colours are green and white, as referenced by the club song, "Lebenslang Grün-Weiß".[39] The club'shome shirts have often varied between green and white, though a predominantly white home shirt has not been used since 2008–09. There have been some exceptions to their traditionalkit colours, such as from 1971 to 1973, when they adopted the city's colours of red and white, and in 1976, when they wore blue due to shirt sponsors Norda.[39]
Werder Bremen have used several crests during their history. Their first badge was created in 1899; amonogram, which spelled "FVW", as the club was then known as "FV Werder Bremen".[40] The logo was replaced in 1902 by a green-coloured crest, which spelled the founding year 1899 in the top left corner, "F.V.W." diagonally in the middle, and "Bremen" in the bottom right corner. In 1911, the inscriptions were placed diagonally, and the badge's colours were changed to black with a green diagonal stripe, along with a change in the crest's outline. In 1924, a green-coloured (with a white outline), oval-shaped crest with a large white-coloured "W" was created. The oval shape was replaced with a diamond one in 1929, to form the club's current crest, save for a spell in the 1970s when thecoat of arms of Bremen was used.[40][41] In addition, astar is displayed above the crest on the team's shirts to represent their four Bundesliga titles.[42]
Werder have played their home games at the same location since 1909.[43] That year saw the construction of asports venue with a woodengrandstand, built by theAllgemeinen Bremer Turn- und Sportverein. In 1926, a new grandstand with dressing rooms and a restaurant were constructed, costing 1,250,000RM. The venue was known as the "ATSB-Kampfbahn", and was also used for political mass gatherings. In 1930, it was called the "Weserstadion" for the first time. Five years later, the stadium was known as the "Bremer Kampfbahn", and in the following years, it was mostly used by theNazi Party, as sporting activities were rarely practiced. Shortly after the Second World War, only American sports such as baseball andAmerican football were played at the venue (now known as the "IKE-Stadium"). In 1947, the stadium was reopened as a shared sports venue, and was renamed "Weserstadion".[43]
Following Werder's first Bundesliga title in 1965, the corner stands were expanded with a second tier. In 1992, Bremen became the first German club to installskyboxes. In 2002, thecinder track was partially removed, thereby expanding the capacity. The Weserstadion was renovated from 2008 until 2011; thefaçade was coated withphotovoltaic panels, and a new roof was built on top of the old roof supporting structure. Both ends (east and west) were torn down and rebuilt parallel to the endline of the pitch, removing what was left of the old athletics track.[43] The current capacity is 42,100.[44]
Bremen have a long-standing rivalry with fellow northern German clubHamburger SV, known as theNordderby (English: "North derby").[45][46] It goes beyond football, as there also is a historic rivalry between the cities ofHamburg andBremen, dating back to the Middle Ages.[46] The cities are separated by one hundred kilometers, and are the two biggestmetropolises in northern Germany.Bayern Munich are another rival, dating back to the 1980s, when both sides were competing for domestic honours.[47] Since the mid-2000s, Bremen fans have developed a dislike ofSchalke 04, after they poached several Werder players over the years, includingAílton,Fabian Ernst,Mladen Krstajić,Oliver Reck,Frank Rost, andFranco Di Santo.[48]
The anthem of Werder Bremen is "Lebenslang Grün-Weiß" by Bremen-based band Original Deutschmacher, which is also sung before every home game.[60] After each Bremen goal, the song "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" byThe Proclaimers is played, preceded by the sound of aship's horn.[61]
^Jägerskiöld Nilsson, Leonard (2019).Dein Verein – Dein Wappen: Geschichten zu den Emblemen von Fußballvereinen weltweit (in German). Stiebner Verlag GmbH. p. 12.ISBN9783767912397.
^Heuser, Gerd (4 November 2011)."Germany – Oberliga Nord 1947–63" (in German). Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived fromthe original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved15 May 2020.
^Naskrent, Gwidon (1 April 2001)."Germany 1964/65" (in German). Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived fromthe original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved15 May 2020.
^"1964–1971" (in German). SV Werder Bremen. Archived fromthe original on 30 April 2020. Retrieved15 May 2020.
^Naskrent, Gwidon (1 April 2001)."Germany 1979/80". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived fromthe original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved15 May 2020.
^Naskrent, Gwidon (1 April 2001)."Germany 1987/88". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived fromthe original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved15 May 2020.
^abJägerskiöld Nilsson, Leonard (2019).Dein Verein – Dein Wappen: Geschichten zu den Emblemen von Fußballvereinen weltweit (in German). Stiebner Verlag GmbH. pp. 12–13.ISBN9783767912397.
^"1972–1980" (in German). SV Werder Bremen. Archived fromthe original on 30 April 2020. Retrieved16 May 2020.
^abArnhold, Matthias; Di Maggio, Roberto; Stokkermans, Karel; Werner, Andreas; Winkler, Pierre (3 October 2019)."(West) Germany – List of Super/League Cup Finals". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived fromthe original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved16 May 2020.
^"Alle Sieger" (in German). German Football Association. 14 April 2014. Archived fromthe original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved16 May 2020.
^Cruz, Santiago (12 June 2009)."Kirin Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived fromthe original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved16 May 2020.
^Frankhuizen, Erik (27 April 2004)."German Clubs in European Cups". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived fromthe original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved9 February 2023.
^Stokkermans, Karel (15 January 2010)."UEFA Intertoto Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived fromthe original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved9 February 2023.
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