The club currently participates in the 3. Liga, the third tier of German Football. Arminia has earned a reputation as a Yo-yo club, or Fahrstuhlmannschaft in German, for its regular promotions and relegations. The club tied the record for most promotions to the Bundesliga in 2020 with their eighth promotion, a record they hold jointly with 1. FC Nürnberg.[6] In the 2010s, the club primarily participated in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier, with two relegations into the third tier. Notable successful periods for the club include the 1980s and 2000s; two separate eras when the club played for five consecutive years in the Bundesliga. In addition, the 1920s were successful for the club, during which two West German Championships were won in 1922 and 1923. Unsuccessful eras for the club include the 1950s and early 1990s, wherein the club participated in the regional third tier of German football for eight and seven consecutive seasons, respectively.[7][8]
Arminia has played their home games at the Bielefelder Alm Stadium since 1926. The stadium has been entirely rebuilt since the club first played there, with the last major renovations being completed in 2008.[9] The stadiums current capacity of 27,332 consists of space for 7,940 in terracing and 19,392 seats. Since 2004, the stadium has been named SchücoArena through a sponsorship deal.[10]
Arminia's fans primarily originate from the Eastern Westphalia and Lippe regions, or Ostwestfalen-Lippe region in German. As of 2020, the club had 241 active Supporters' groups. The first organized supporters group formed in 1974, influenced by similar groups in English Football. Organized support from such groups at home matches is provided by fans in the south stand of the stadium.[11]
Arminia Bielefeld was founded on 3 May 1905 as 1. Bielefelder FC Arminia.[12] The fourteen men who founded the club were from the local bourgeoisie. Two weeks later, the club played its first match against a team from Osnabrück. Neither the name of the opponent nor the result are known. The club was admitted to the German Football Association in the same year and started to play in a league (in one consisting only of Arminia and three teams from Osnabrück, at first) in 1906.[13] In 1907, local rivals FC Siegfried joined Arminia, a move which strengthened Arminia's squad.[14] Soon other clubs from Bielefeld joined League football.
After playing on various grounds, Arminia moved to a new home at the Pottenau in 1910. Their first league championship came during the 1912–13 season, when they won the Westphalian championship beating BV 04 Dortmund 5–1 in the final.[15] The outbreak of World War I interrupted Arminia's rise, and between 1914 and 1918 the club played at the district level.
West German Champions and "The Alm" (1918–1933)
In 1919, Arminia merged with Bielefelder Turngemeinde 1848 to form TG Arminia Bielefeld. However, the two merged teams dissolved the merger in 1922 and both parent clubs were formed again. Arminia won the West German championship in 1922. Originally, they were level on points with Kölner BC 01, but Köln fielded an ineligible player in one match.[citation needed] Arminia played for the first time in the German Championships, but were eliminated in the quarter-finals after losing 0–5 to FC Wacker München. In 1923, Arminia won their second West German championship in a dramatic way.[according to whom?] They trailed TuRU Düsseldorf 1–3 at half time of the final, but came from behind to win 4–3 after extra time. Arminia faced Union Oberschöneweide in the quarter-finals of the German championships. The match ended goalless, so a replay was held. Arminia led 1–0 and conceded the equalizer in injury time. The Berlin side won the match after extra time.[16]Walter Claus-Oehler became Arminia's first player to win a cap in the German national team. Arminia won further Westphalian titles from 1924 to 1927, but were unable to repeat their success in the West German Championships. A match between SC Preußen Münster and Arminia in November 1925 was the first football match to be broadcast on German Radio.[17] On 30 January 1926, the club took its current name Deutscher Sportclub Arminia Bielefeld. Their next piece of silverware was won in 1932 by winning the Westphalian cup.
Arminia during the Nazi regime (1933–1945)
In 1933, Arminia qualified for the Gauliga Westfalen,[18] from which they were relegated after the inaugural season. Three attempts of gaining promotion failed before their return to the top flight was won in 1938. Their best performance in the Gauliga was the 1939–40 campaign, where Arminia finished second. Two years later, Arminia was one of only two teams to win a match at Schalke 04. On 25 July 1943 Arminia merged with local rivals VfB 03 Bielefeld. The merger finished the 1943–44 season in last place.
Post World War II years (1945–1962)
Historical chart of Arminia Bielefeld league performance
After World War II, a new league with all teams who competed in the Gauliga Westfalen was formed. Arminia were relegated and were unable to win re-promotion. In 1947–48, Arminia were a third division side for the first time in their history. After a dominating season in the Bezirksklasse,[according to whom?] Arminia was docked 14 points because they fielded an ineligible player.[19] The next season was already under way when the Landesliga (II) was expanded by two teams. Arminia took their chance,[tone] won the league and gained promotion to the Oberliga West.[20]
Arminia's time in the Oberliga lasted only one season. Arminia beat Schalke 04 4–2 at home but finished only second from the bottom.[21] In 1954, Arminia were even relegated to the third tier, the "Landesliga Westfalen, Gruppe Ostwestfalen", a league only covering the north-eastern part of Westphalia. In 1956, Arminia qualified for a new third tier, the "Verbandsliga Westfalen, Gruppe Ostwestfalen", which encompassed a slightly larger area.
Promotion to the Bundesliga (1962–1970)
In 1962 Arminia become a second division side again (then: 2. Liga West, covering the whole of North Rhine-Westphalia). In 1962–63 they finished in seventh place to secure a spot in the newly formed Regionalliga West, which was situated directly below the new Bundesliga.[22]
Arminia finished their first season in mid-table, but recorded a top-half finish in 4 of the following 5 seasons. In 1966, Arminia beat Alemannia Aachen to win the West German Cup for the first time. A year later, forward Ernst Kuster joined the team; he would become the club's all-time leading goal scorer (more than half a century later, Fabian Klos would beat his record). A 0–1 loss to Wuppertaler SV on the last day of the 1966–67 season stopped Arminia entering the Bundesliga promotion play-offs.[23] Arminia were runners-up in the 1969–70 season, and won their first promotion to the Bundesliga after a 2–0 win at Tennis Borussia Berlin in the play-offs.
Halfway through their first Bundesliga season, Arminia was in 17th place, a relegation position, but went on to finish the season in 14th.[24] However, near the end of the season, Horst-Gregorio Canellas revealed that Arminia had engaged in match-fixing; three of the ten Bundesliga games proven by the DFB to have been manipulated through bribery directly involved Arminia.[citation needed] Two players at the club were banned from football for life (Waldemar Slomiany and Jürgen Neumann).[citation needed] Arminia participated in the 1971–72 Bundesliga season while the investigation was ongoing, but were ultimately found guilty of match fixing by the DFB and were denied a license and forcibly relegated at the conclusion.[25] Arminia finished mid-table in the following seasons, but did qualify for the newly formed 2. Bundesliga in 1974.
After two seasons in mid-table, Arminia became Herbstmeister, during the 1976–77 2. Bundesliga season, but ultimately finished as runner-up behind FC St. Pauli. They faced TSV 1860 München in a two-legged play-off whose winner would win promotion to the top flight. Arminia won the first match at home 4–0, but lost the second leg in Munich 0–4. A third match had to be played in Frankfurt, which Munich won 2–0.[26]
The team returned to win promotion to the Bundesliga during the following 1977-78 season. Arminia started mid-table and on 10 March 1979, they won 4–0 at Bayern Munich.[27] However, Arminia finished the season in 16th place, unable to avoid relegation. The club kept the team together and were promoted back to the Bundesliga after a record-breaking 1979–80 season. They won 30 of 38 matches, scored 120 goals, had a 28 match unbeaten streak and set a league record by beating Arminia Hannover 11–0.[28]
Establishment in the Bundesliga (1980–1985)
Arminia had difficulty avoiding relegation, but stayed in the Bundesliga for five years, a period which included two eighth-place finishes at the end of the 1982–83 and 1983–84 seasons. Furthermore, Arminia took part in the UEFA Intertoto Cup three times.
Arminia Bielefeld midfielder Ewald Lienen was victim to what the press[29][30] referred to as "the most brutal foul in Bundesliga history" on August 14, 1981. Werder Bremen defender Norbert Siegmann slashed Lienen's right thigh in a tackle, exposing his muscles and femur.[31] Despite the clubs' record high Bundesliga eighth-place finish in 1983 and 1984, attendances declined in the mid-1980s enlarging the club's financial problems.[32] In 1984–85, Arminia finished third from the bottom, and lost the relegation play-offs against 1. FC Saarbrücken.
Decline to the Oberliga (1985–1994)
The team did not gain promotion and in the fall of 1987, Arminia had debts of 4.5 million Marks. In 1987–88 the club finished in last place in the 2. Bundesliga as a result of these debts and was relegated into the Oberliga Westfalen. Ernst Middendorp became the new manager and assembled a young team for the new season. Arminia led the way in the Oberliga, but finished in second position in 1988–89. They won the Oberliga a year later, but the promotion play-offs against VfB Oldenburg and TSV Havelse did not got their way. Four seasons of not qualifying for the 2. Bundesliga promotion playoffs followed, in which the team started well, but were unable to compete for the championship. In 1991, Arminia won the Westphalian Cup, the regional qualification cup for the DFB-Pokal, and beat FSV Mainz 05 in the first round of the 1991-92 DFB-Pokal.
The club signed the first two Iranian Bundesliga players in 1997 with the addition of Ali Daei and Karim Bagheri.[33] In addition, former SK Brann player Geirmund Brendesæter was signed and played 13 matches for the club in 1997.[34] However, after a poor run after the winter break, Arminia were relegated shortly after Brendesæter had left the club. Bruno Labbadia became the league's top scorer with 28 goals during the 1998–99 season and the club immediately regained promotion to the Bundesliga by winning the 2. Bundesliga. The club entered the 1999–2000 season with a smaller budget due to financial problems and was subsequently relegated after becoming the third team in history to lose ten matches in a row.
Arminia struggled against relegation again the next season and avoided to drop into the Regionalliga with a 13th-place finish.[35] In the following year, Arminia won their sixth promotion to the Bundesliga in 2001–02, with Artur Wichniarek scoring 18 goals. Arminia were unable to avoid relegation the following season, earning only two points from the last six matches.
Bundesliga reestablishment (2004–2009)
The team earned promotion to the Bundesliga again in 2003–04, with Ghanaian striker Isaac Boakye scoring 14 goals in his debut season.[36] They stayed in the top flight until 2009. In 2004–05, Patrick Owomoyela became Arminia's most capped German player with his third appearance for the national team.[37] Owomoyela went on to appear in 6 national team matches at Bielefeld, a club record that still stands as of 2024. Both Owomoyela and Delron Buckley, scorer of 15 Bundesliga goals during the 2004–05 season, departed the club. In the DFB-Pokal, Arminia reached the semi-finals in 2005 and 2006. In both seasons, Arminia also kept away from the relegation zone virtually the whole time (except the season's beginnings). The campaign "Aktion 5000 +" began to in an effort to increase club membership beyond their 5,000th member, after reaching the 5,000th member milestone at the end of 2005.[38] The 2007 demolition of the East Stand drew the attention of fans and the local media, with the club establishing a webcam to follow the project, as well as a daily attendance of roughly 300 fans to witness the works.[39] The East Stand was notable at the time as being the last terraced stand along the touch line.[40]
Players from the 2004–05 and the 2005–06 season departed the club, including Fatmir Vata and Heiko Westermann in 2007, Mathias Hain, Sibusiso Zuma and Petr Gabriel in 2008. Arminia avoided relegation during the 2006–07 season in part by winning four matches from the 30th to the 33rd matchday, led by manager Ernst Middendorp. The 2007–08 season began with the club winning 3 of its first 5 matches, resulting in the club being in second place by the fifth matchday.[41] Despite this second place start, Arminia recorded its second largest Bundesliga defeat three matchdays later with an 8:1 away loss to Werder Bremen.[42] Relegation was avoided only on the final matchday with 34 points due to 1. FC Nürnberg losing at home while Arminia drew against VfB Stuttgart.[41]
Ewald Lienen coached the team for most parts of the 2010–11 season.
The following season, Arminia finished in last place and were relegated to the 2. Bundesliga.
Financial trouble and 3. Liga (2009–2015)
Players Rüdiger Kauf, Dennis Eilhoff, Jonas Kamper and Radim Kučera remained a part of the squad for the 2009–10 2. Bundesliga season. On 16 March 2010, Arminia were deducted four points for breaching the DFL's licensing regulations.[43] Arminia were in 5th place prior to the point deduction, and finished the season in 7th place.[44] their chances of promotion. The financial situation worsened, especially as costs for constructing the East Stand had proven to be much higher than originally planned for in 2007.[45] The coach, the managing director and the club's president were replaced in the summer break. The 2010–11 season started with Arminia in last place after 11 matchdays, having earned only 4 points.[46] In November manager Christian Ziege was let go and replaced by Ewald Lienen, former Bielefeld player and member of the fan-voted "Best XI" of all time. However, Arminia picked up 16 points and won only four games all season resulting in a last place finish and relegation to the 3. Liga.
That season began quite hopeful:[according to whom?] Arminia qualified for the second round of the DFB-Pokal again and at the 8th matchday they had even climbed up to the 3rd rank in the league table. But after a disastrous[vague] autumn and a mediocre[vague] winter Arminia fell down onto the 17th rank and the popular[according to whom?] coach Stefan Krämer – the first manager having held office for more than two years since 2004 – had to leave. His successor Norbert Meier at first had only little more success:[vague] Arminia finished 16th in the 2. Bundesliga, and lost a playoff against SV Darmstadt 98 on away goals after a 122nd minute (extra time) goal gave Darmstadt the victory. Arminia had to go[vague] back into the 3. Liga.
But the next season could wipe out[tone] the bitterness[tone] of that disaster:[tone] In the 2014–15 DFB-Pokal, as a 3. Liga club, Arminia reached the semi-finals by defeating three Bundesliga teams (Hertha BSC, SV Werder Bremen and VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach). They also were the top team in the 3. Liga (after a bad beginning[according to whom?] with only four points from the first four matches) for most part of the season. After the loss against VfL Wolfsburg in the semi-final of the DFB-Pokal, Arminia seemed to have lost their ability[according to whom?] to win their matches in the 3. Liga as well. Even the qualification for the 2. Bundesliga seemed to become doubtful,[according to whom?] but was secured after a 2–2 draw against SSV Jahn Regensburg, the last team in the league table, at the 37th matchday. Liberated from the pressure of a possible non-qualification,[tone] they also won the 3. Liga with a final 1–0 victory at the last matchday.
Sporting and financial recovery (2015–2020)
A stable season[according to whom?] with a defeat in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, a lot of[quantify] draws in the league (especially in the beginning: eight out of ten matches; in the end Arminia reached a record of 18) and only very few[vague] goals scored at home (only eight until the 30th matchday) followed so that the 4–2 over Greuther Fürth at the 31st matchday which secured Arminia's staying up was only Arminia's third win at home. That season's highlights probably[according to whom?] were the draws against all three top teams away. In the league table Arminia never went deeper than rank 14 and finished 12th.
After the season, the coach Norbert Meier was bought by SV Darmstadt 98. A difficult[according to whom?]2016–17 season with two manager sackings followed.[citation needed] Arminia found themselves[vague] among the lowest four teams in the league table from the fourth matchday onwards, mostly on the 16th or 17th rank. On the other hand, Arminia reached the quarter-final in the DFB-Pokal. They avoided relegation as they finished in 15th after a 6–0 win over promotion candidate Eintracht Braunschweig and a 1–1 against Dynamo Dresden at the last two matchdays.
The 2017–18 season turned out easier. Having gathered 10 points out of the first four matches, Arminia hardly ever left the upper half of the league table (only at the 19th matchday: rank 10) and finished on the 4th rank – though in that season's very close league table this never meant much.[according to whom?] In that season, Arminia also made a big step[tone] in lowering its debts through an alliance of sponsors[47] and Fabian Klos replaced Ernst Kuster as the club's all-time top scorer.[48]
In November 2018, Arminia were practically[vague] free of debt but had to sell its stadium.[49] The team faced a more difficult situation when December started: Having gained less than one point per match on average, only the weakness of the competing relegation candidates kept them up and they were already out of the DFB-Pokal after a 0–3 defeat at home against MSV Duisburg – another relegation candidate – in the second round. Thus, the popular[according to whom?] coach Jeff Saibene was replaced by Uwe Neuhaus, who managed Arminia back into mid table within four matchdays and into 7th place by the last matchday.
Uwe Neuhaus brought Arminia back into the Bundesliga.
The 2019–20 season would turn out even better.[according to whom?] When Arminia had climbed on the 3rd rank of the league table after a 2–0 victory away against Hannover 96 – who were originally regarded[by whom?] as a promotion candidate – at the 6th matchday, hardly anyone guessed[according to whom?] they would stay in the promotion area of the league table for the rest of the season. They had just reached the second rank of the league table when they met FC Schalke 04 in the 2nd round of the DFB-Pokal on 29 October. In spite of Schalke clearly dominating[according to whom?] the match in the first 70 minutes, Arminia thrilled[tone] the supporters in the last 20 minutes by scoring two goals and only closely missing extra time.[50] They finished the 15th matchday on 1 December on the first rank of the league table where they would stay for the rest of the season in spite of competing with Hamburger SV and VfB Stuttgart who were originally estimated[by whom?] as main promotion candidates. After Arminia's 1–1 draw in Stuttgart on 9 March 2020 (25th matchday) the season was interrupted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even this interruption did not affect them: they finished the season with 68 points – 10 points more than VfB Stuttgart who finished 2nd.[51]
Bundesliga return and double relegation (2020–present)
In the 2020–21 season, they were the team with the lowest budget in the Bundesliga. After a defeat in the first round of the DFB-Pokal they had a quite promising[vague] start in the Bundesliga season, but from the 4th matchday onwards they could be found among the last five teams in the league table, from the 6th matchday onwards amongst the last four teams. In March, the popular[according to whom?] manager Uwe Neuhaus was replaced by Frank Kramer.[52][53][54] A 2–0 win over VfB Stuttgart on the final matchday secured their spot in the 2021–22 Bundesliga.
That season turned out even more difficult. At the end of October, they were in danger of losing touch with the 16th rank. They started November with a 1–0 win away over VfB Stuttgart, their first win in the whole Bundesliga season. That match appeared to have stabilized Arminia's performance. In February they climbed up to 14th after a 1–0 win over 1. FC Union Berlin. However, this would be their last win of the season. They ended in 17th place and were relegated to the 2. Bundesliga. The following season, Arminia finished in 16th place, and lost the relegation playoff to Wehen Wiesbaden, thus suffering the indignity of suffering back-to-back relegations. In their fourth season in the 3. Liga, team captain Fabian Klos announced his retirement from professional football, thus also ending his 13-year history with the club.[55]
Arminia took the club colours blue, white and black upon their foundation in 1905. The colours have not changed, though the current club colours are black, white and blue. Despite this, Arminia played their first match in an orange kit. Arminia's home kit was blue for most of the time, while their shorts and socks were white. The team that won promotion to the Bundesliga in 1970 wore a blue shirt with thick white stripes.[citation needed] The away kit was mostly all white, while green shirts were worn in the 1990s.[vague]
The crest consists of a flag with the club's colours black, white and blue from left to right. The white part of the flag includes the letter A for Arminia. The flag is surrounded by a laurel wreath.[56]
Arminia played their first home matches at the Kesselbrink in downtown Bielefeld. They moved to a new ground at the Kaiserstraße (today: August-Bebel-Straße) in 1907, and to the Pottenau in 1910. In 1926, Arminia leased a ground from a farmer named Lohmann.[citation needed] The ground did not look like a football pitch. The club member Heinrich Pahl said that the area looks like an Alm (German for alpinegrassland). The stadium was known as the Alm. Arminia played its first match against Victoria Hamburg on 1 May 1926. The first grandstands were constructed in 1954. When Arminia won promotion to the Bundesliga in 1970, the Alm underwent a general development. A main stand with seats was built and the northern and eastern stands were enlarged. The Alm had a capacity of 30,000 and floodlights were installed. In 1978, a roof was added to the main stands and the other stands were enlarged again. The stadium had a capacity of 35,000 then.
When Arminia was relegated to the Oberliga in 1988, the northern and the southern stand were torn down because both stands did not match the new safety regulations.[vague] The eastern stand was also made smaller and a roof was added. The capacity was reduced to about 15,000. After Arminia won promotion to the Bundesliga in 1996, the main and northern stands were demolished and completely rebuilt. The same happened to the south stand in 1999. In 2004, Arminia signed a sponsorship deal with Schüco and the stadium was named SchücoArena. The latest redevelopment saw the Eastern Stand being rebuilt in 2008.
The Bielefelder Alm has a capacity of 27,300, including 20,381 seats.[60] Bielefelder Alm was a candidate to host matches of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Supporters
Pitch invasion after securing promotion at Bielefelder Alm in 2013
Arminia have a large number of loyal supporters.[according to whom?] Even in 2011–12,[vague] Arminia had an average attendance of 8,930, which was the highest in the 3. Liga. In 2014–15, Arminia had an average attendance of 14,540, which was the second highest in that 3. Liga season. The numbers also show the risen popularity of the 3. Liga.[vague] Arminia's matches during the 2013–14 2. Bundesliga were attended by 16,890 on average.[61] These numbers only count league matches. Arminia's matches in the 2014–15 DFB-Pokal were attended by 21,763 on average. The core[according to whom?] of the fans can be found on the terraces of the Southern Stand.
Arminia's fans come primarily from the Ostwestfalen-Lippe region with a catchment area of about 100 kilometers around Bielefeld.[according to whom?] There are around 140 fanclubs, mostly from Ostwestfalen-Lippe.[according to whom?] However, there are fanclubs in Berlin, Stuttgart, London, Birmingham, Taunton, Austria and the Netherlands.
Arminia supporters backing their team during an away game at Millerntor-Stadion
There is a traditional rivalry with SC Preußen Münster. The match against them in March 2012, which was the first one taking place in Bielefeld after nearly 20 years, was attended by 21,203 spectators. No other match in the 3. Liga had such a high attendance.[according to whom?] One year later, the stadium was nearly sold out in that derby. An earlier rival was VfB 03 Bielefeld from the east of Bielefeld, but the rivalry lessened, and, nowadays,[when?] friendly matches between Arminia and VfB Fichte Bielefeld, as the club nowadays is called, take place every year. Another rival is VfL Bochum, especially since the late 90s, and there were "fashion rivalries" with other clubs from the Ruhr, because that area also belongs to Westphalia.[62] Many SC Paderborn 07 supporters consider Arminia as their main rival, but Arminia fans generally do not feel the same about them.[63][64] Also the matches against VfL Osnabrück are a small derby (somehow oscillating between friendship and rivalry).[vague] There are friendly relations to the supporters of the Hamburger SV,[vague] with both clubs sharing the same colours (black, white and blue), resulting in the chant "Schwarz, weiß, blau – Arminia und der HSV" (Black, white, blue – Arminia and HSV) among supporters of both clubs. For many fans this friendship also involves friendly ties to Hannover 96, whose fans share a friendship with Hamburg as well. All three clubs are sometimes dubbed the "Nordallianz" (Northern Alliance), despite the fact that Bielefeld (other than Hamburg and Hannover) is not located in what is considered Northern Germany.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the club's formation, a fan poll was taken to determine the club's greatest starting XI, as well as seven substitutes and a manager. The following players were chosen:[66]
^Lotter, Markus (15 November 2011). "Iraner in der Bundesliga". Welt.de (in German). Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
^Pommerenke, Tim; Stotz, Patrick (November 2018). "Freunde und Rivalen". Der Spiegel (in German). Spiegel. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
^Jan-H. Grotevent. "Derby ohne Derby". FANkultur.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
^"Das Team 2019/2020". DSC Arminia Bielefeld (in German). Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
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