FC Viktoria Köln is a German association football club from the city of Cologne in North Rhine-Westphalia, that competes in the 3. Liga, the third tier of German football.

Viktoria Köln
Full nameFußballclub Viktoria Köln 1904 e.V.
Founded1904; 120 years ago (1904)
(as FC Germania Kalk)
22 June 2010; 14 years ago (2010-06-22)
(as New club)
GroundSportpark Höhenberg
Capacity8,343
PresidentHolger Kirsch
Head coachOlaf Janßen
League3. Liga
2023–243. Liga, 13th of 20
Websitehttp://www.viktoria1904.de/
Current season

History

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Founded in 1904 as FC Germania Kalk it is one of the oldest football clubs in the city. In 1909 Germania merged with FC Kalk to form SV Kalk 04 and in 1911 this club was, in turn, united with Mülheimer FC to create VfR Mülheim-Kalk 04. The club was renamed VfR Köln 04 in 1918 and, in 1926, won its first Western German football championship and entry to national championship play.

After the re-organization of German football in 1933 under the Third Reich into sixteen top flight divisions, VfR played in the Gauliga Mittelrhein taking titles there in 1935 and 1937 but then performed poorly at the national level. In 1941 The Gauliga Mittelrhein was split into the Gauliga Moselland and Gauliga Köln-Aachen, with VfR playing in the latter division. Two years later the club joined Mülheimer SV to play as the combined wartime side (Kriegsspielgemeinschaft) KSG VfR 04 Köln/Mülheimer SV 06. Mülheim had also played in the Gauliga Mittelrhein since 1933 claiming titles of its own in 1934 and 1940, and had similarly poor results at the national level. Play in the Gauliga Köln-Aachen was suspended in the 1944–45 season as Allied armies advanced into Germany at the end of World War II.

 
Historical chart of Viktoria Köln and its predecessors' league performance

After the war VfR Köln resumed playing first division football in the Oberliga West, but lasted only a single season before being relegated. In 1949 the team merged with its wartime partner Mülheimer SV to become SC Rapid Köln 04 and played in the 2. Oberliga West (II) until falling to third-tier football after 1952. Rapid joined local rivals SC Preußen Dellbrück forming SC Viktoria 04 Köln in 1957. Of these sides, Preußen Dellbrück was most successful, advancing to the semi-finals of the national championships in 1950 before going out against Kickers Offenbach in a replay of their scoreless first match.

In 1963, the city selected Viktoria as its representative in the Fairs Cup, the forerunner of today's UEFA Cup, but the club was unable to capitalize on the opportunity. The team played as a second and third division side with generally unremarkable results until the 1994 merger with SC Brück that created SCB Preußen Köln, the new team being named after predecessor Preußen Dellbrück. The new club earned a second-place finish in their division in 2000, but quickly tumbled to the Oberliga Nordrhein (IV), even spending one season in fifth division Verbandsliga Mittelrhein. The pattern continued after the team was re-christened SCB Viktoria Köln in 2002.

On 22 June 2010, a new club called FC Viktoria Köln was founded which took over the youth teams of now insolvent SCB Viktoria Köln. Although it was expected that the new club can begin in the Landesliga, where SCB Viktoria had played at last, they were forced by the association to start in the lowest league, Kreisliga D. Nonetheless, on 24 February 2011 they took over FC Junkersdorf which became champion of the 2010–11 Mittelrheinliga and so FC Viktoria Köln could start in 2011–12 in the NRW-Liga.

A 2012 title in this league earned the club promotion to the Regionalliga West where it played until 2019 after being promoted to 3. Liga.

Merging history

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[1]

1949–1957

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1957–1994

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1994–2002

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2002–2010

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22 June 2010

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Honours

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Players

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Current squad

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As of 16 August 2024[2]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   GER Dudu
2 DF   GER Lars Dietz
3 DF   GER Kwabe Schulz
4 DF   POL Kevin Pytlik
5 DF   CPV Sidny Lopes Cabral
6 MF   GER Bryan Henning
7 MF   GER Simon Handle
8 MF   GER Donny Bogićević
9 FW   GER Lex-Tyger Lobinger
10 FW   KOS Albion Vrenezi
11 FW   GER Robin Velasco
13 FW   GER Luca de Meester
14 MF   GER Enrique Lofolomo
15 DF   GER Christoph Greger (captain)
16 MF   GER Florian Engelhardt
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 MF   GER Benjamin Hemcke
22 MF   GER Saïd El Mala (on loan from 1. FC Köln)
23 MF   GER Moritz Fritz
24 GK   GER Kevin Rauhut
28 DF   GER Patrick Koronkiewicz
29 MF   GER Thomas Idel
30 FW   GER Serhat-Semih Güler
33 DF   GER Jonah Sticker
35 DF   GER Zoumana Keita
36 GK   GER Oskar Hill
37 MF   GER Niklas May
41 MF   GER Lasse Soldanski
42 FW   GER Malek El Mala (on loan from 1. FC Köln)

Other players under contract

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
MF   GER Suheyel Najar

European participations

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Inter-Cities Fairs Cup/UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League:

Season Round Country Club Home Away Aggregate
1962–63 1R   Ferencváros 4–3 1–4 5–7

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

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Jersey
Period Kit manufacturer
20112018 Jako
20182021 Puma[3]
20212026 Capelli Sport
Shirt sponsor (chest)
Period Sponsor
20112015 Cologne Bonn Airport[4]
2015/16 Otto Conrad
FIDUM Bau AG (second half of the season)
20162019 felix1.de
20192023 ETL
2023 Peynooş
Shirt sponsor (sleeve)
Period Sponsor
20112016 ETL
20162019 None
2019–2020 Miscanthus Green Power[5]
2020 Wintec Autoglas
Shirt sponsor (back)
Period Sponsor
20212023 Vereint!
(PSD Bank West Foundation)
2023 ETL

References

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  1. ^ "FC Viktoria Köln Jahresheft 2014/2015" (PDF) (in German). Viktoria Köln 1904 e.V. / LAMBERTZ + SCHEER MEDIENPRODUKTION. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Spieler-Kader 24-25" (in German). FC Viktoria Köln. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  3. ^ "PUMA WIRD NEUER AUSSTATTER!" (in German). FC Viktoria Köln. 4 April 2018. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Hauptsponsor für Viktoria" (in German). Köln.Sport. 25 July 2011. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  5. ^ "MISCANTHUS NEUER ÄRMELSPONSOR DER VIKTORIA" (in German). FC Viktoria Köln. 28 November 2019. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
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50°56′46″N 7°01′50″E / 50.946169°N 7.030471°E / 50.946169; 7.030471