SV Werder Bremen

Historical chart of Werder's league performance after the Second World War

On 4 February 1899, FV Werder Bremen was founded by a group of 16-year-old students who had won a football, after they were victorious in a tug of war tournament.[4] The students took the name "Werder" from the German word for "river peninsula", which described the riverside field on which they played their first football games. The club's first match was played on 10 September 1899 against ASC 1898 Bremen, winning 1–0. In 1900, the team was represented at the founding of the German Football Association (DFB) at Leipzig. They then enjoyed some early success, winning a number of local championships. In 1903, all three Werder teams won their local league competitions. In these years, FV participated in qualification rounds for the national championships held by the Norddeutscher Fussball Verband (NFV), one of the seven major regional leagues after the turn of the century, but were unable to advance. Due to the club's early popularity, Werder became the first club in Bremen to charge spectators a fee to attend their games and to fence in their playing field.[4]

Steady growth after the First World War led the club to adopt other sports (athletics, baseball, chess, cricket, and tennis).[4] On 19 January 1920, the team adopted their current name; Sportverein Werder Bremen. Football remained the club's main sport, and in 1922, they became the first club in Bremen to hire a professional coach; Ferenc Kónya. The team made regular appearances in year-end NFV play-offs through the 1920s and on into the early 1930s, but did not enjoy any success. In the mid-1930s, striker Matthias Heidemann became the club's first international.[4]

In 1933, German football was re-organized by the Nazi's into 16 first tier divisions known as Gauligen, as Werder became part of Gauliga Niedersachsen. The team scored their first real successes, capturing division titles in 1934, 1936, and 1937, and participated for the first time in the national play-offs. The shape of the Gauligen changed through the course of the Second World War, and in 1939, the Gauliga Niedersachsen was split into two divisions. SV played in the Gauliga Niedersachsen/Nord where they captured a fourth title in 1942. In 1944–45, German football was suspended after only two matches. Like other organizations throughout Germany, the club was disbanded on the order of the occupying Allied authorities after the war. They re-constituted themselves on 10 November 1945 as Turn- und Sportverein Werder 1945 Bremen, which was changed to Sport-Club Grün-Weiß 99 Bremen on 4 February 1946. The team played in the Stadtliga Bremen, and after winning the competition, participated in the northern German championship, advancing to the quarter-finals. They were able to reclaim the name SV Werder on 25 March 1946 before taking part in the play-offs.[4]

In these years, professionals were not permitted to play in Germany, so it was normal for football players to take on other jobs, often with the club's local patron. In the case of Werder, a number of the players worked at the nearby Brinkmann tobacco factory, and so the side took on the nickname Texas 11 after one of the company's popular cigarette brands.[5]

Between the end of the Second World War and the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963, the club continued to perform, being recognized as one of the top two teams in northern Germany, along with Hamburger SV. In 1960–61, Werder managed to win their first DFB-Pokal, defeating 1. FC Kaiserslautern. The team consisted of future international Sepp Piontek, former international Willi Schröder, and Arnold Schütz, among others.[6] A second place in the 1962–63 Oberliga Nord, behind Hamburger SV, was enough to qualify as a founder member for the 1963–64 Bundesliga.[7] The first goal of the newly created Bundesliga was scored by Borussia Dortmund's Friedhelm Konietzka against Werder.[8] In the league's second season, Werder won their first national championship, finishing three points clear of 1. FC Köln.[9] One of the team's stars was German international Horst-Dieter Höttges.[10] Werder finished runners-up in 1967–68, but then languished in the bottom half of the table for a dozen years.

In April 1971, in an away match at Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bundesliga history was created. In the 88th minute, Gladbach striker Herbert Laumen fell in Werder's goal, after a collision with Bremen goalkeeper Günter Bernard. The right goalpost subsequently broke, bringing the whole goal down, and could not be repaired nor replaced. The referee stopped the game at the score of 1–1, and the DFB later awarded the match to Werder with a score of 2–0. As a consequence, the wooden goals were replaced by aluminium ones.[11] An attempt to improve by signing high-priced players earned the team the derisive nickname of "Millionenelf" (English: "Million squad") and turned out to be an expensive failure. In 1979–80, the club was relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time, after a 17th-place finish.[12]

The team won the 1980–81 2. Bundesliga Nord title and were promoted back to the Bundesliga. Manager Otto Rehhagel was appointed in April 1981, and under his guidance, Werder recovered themselves, as Rehhagel subsequently led the side to a string of successes.[13] Bremen were Bundesliga runners-up in 1982–83, 1984–85 and 1985–86. In 1983 and 1986, the team lost the title both times on goal difference. In 1986, Werder hosted Bayern Munich in the penultimate match of the season; Bremen needed a win to secure their second Bundesliga title. In the 88th minute, with the score of 0–0, they were awarded a penalty kick, which Michael Kutzop took. He missed, as he hit the right goalpost; the game ended 0–0. Bayern won their last match, but Werder lost 1–2 to VfB Stuttgart, and Bayern took the title.[14] Werder won their second league title two years later, in 1987–88, only conceding a then-record 22 goals.[15] They also reached the semi-final of the 1987–88 UEFA Cup, in which they were eliminated by Bayer Leverkusen.[16] In the third round of the 1989–90 UEFA Cup, Bremen defeated defending champions Napoli and their star player Diego Maradona 8–3 on aggregate, after winning 5–1 at home.[17]

Werder reached the DFB-Pokal final in 1989 and 1990, and were victorious in 1991. This was followed by winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1991–92, beating AS Monaco 2–0 in the final.[18] In 1992–93, the team won their third Bundesliga title and won their third DFB-Pokal the following year. Werder became the first German club to reach the group stage in the newly re-branded UEFA Champions League in 1993–94.[19] That season saw a memorable comeback against Belgian club Anderlecht, later hailed as one of the examples of the "Wunder von der Weser" (English: "Wonder of the Weser").[20] Werder were trailing 3–0 after 66 minutes, as they managed to turn the game around and win 5–3. In this period, Werder had numerous internationals, including Mario Basler, Marco Bode, Andreas Herzog, Karl-Heinz Riedle, Wynton Rufer, and Rudi Völler among others.[21]

Bremen finished runners-up in the 1994–95 Bundesliga. At the end of the season, Rehhagel left the club for Bayern Munich, after a then-national record 14-year stint at the club.[22] As Werder's most successful manager, Rehhagel employed a "controlled offensive" style of play on a tight budget during his reign.[23] Rehhagel's successors (Aad de Mos, Dixie Dörner, Wolfgang Sidka, and Felix Magath) could not bring silverware to the club. In May 1999, former Werder defender and youth coach Thomas Schaaf took over. He kept the team in the Bundesliga, and won the DFB-Pokal only weeks later, defeating Bayern on penalties.[24]

Werder fans celebrating the team's 2008–09 DFB-Pokal triumph at the Bremen City Hall

Werder's league performance stabilized in the following seasons, as they regularly finished in the upper half of the table. In 2003–04, they won the double for the first time, winning both the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal, as Bremen became the third club in Bundesliga history to achieve this feat.[25] The team would also regularly qualify for the Champions League during the 2000s. In the last match of the 2005–06 Bundesliga season, Werder won 2–1 at arch-rivals Hamburger SV to qualify for the Champions League as runners-up, instead of Hamburg.[26] Bremen reached the semi-finals of the 2006–07 UEFA Cup, in which they were eliminated by Spanish club RCD Espanyol.[27] In 2008–09, Bremen struggled in their Bundesliga campaign, eventually finishing tenth, their worst league performance in more than a decade. Nevertheless, the club reached the UEFA Cup final, as well as the DFB-Pokal final. Werder lost the UEFA Cup final against Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk; 1–2 after extra time. In the DFB-Pokal final, Bremen fared better, as they defeated Bayer 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, in the semi-final of the DFB-Pokal, and twice in the semi-final of the UEFA Cup. Bremen defeated Hamburg 2–0 in the Bundesliga, and eliminated them from the DFB-Pokal and the UEFA Cup.[27]

During the 2000s and early 2010s, Werder had numerous players who were sold for large transfer fees, including Diego, Torsten Frings, Miroslav Klose, Mesut Özil, and Claudio Pizarro among others. In October 2010, Bremen's Pizarro became the then-record holder of highest foreign goal-scorer in Bundesliga history.[28] Uninspiring league finishes characterised the 2010s and in 2013, Schaaf left the club by mutual consent after a disappointing 14th place in the Bundesliga.[29] The 2015–16 Bundesliga season saw Werder avoiding the Bundesliga promotion-relegation play-offs, beating direct rivals Eintracht Frankfurt by a scoreline of 1–0 in the last match of the season, after a goal in the 88th minute.[30] In 2019–20, the team beat 1. FC Köln 6–1 on the last matchday to finish 16th, as rivals Fortuna Düsseldorf lost their match; however, Bremen had to play the promotion-relegation play-offs against 1. FC Heidenheim to avoid relegation.[31][32] The tie ended in a 2–2 draw on aggregate, as Werder won on the away goals rule and avoided relegation.[33]

Otto Rehhagel (2009 photograph) is the club's longest serving manager

Werder have had 24 different managers since the beginning of the Bundesliga era in 1963. Otto Rehhagel served the longest term, being in office for fourteen years. Hans Tilkowski, Willi Multhaup, Rudi Assauer, and Otto Rehhagel served two terms each, while Fritz Langner served three.[13]

Manager	Date	Notes
Willi Multhaup	1 July 1963 – 30 June 1965
Günter Brocker	1 July 1965 – 4 September 1967
Fritz Langner	9 September 1967 – 30 June 1969
Richard Ackerschott	2 March 1968 –19 October 1968	Replacement for Fritz Langner in four Bundesliga matches
Fritz Rebell	1 July 1969 – 16 March 1970
Hans Tilkowski	17 March 1970 – 30 June 1970
Robert Gebhardt	1 July 1970 – 28 September 1971
Willi Multhaup	28 September 1971 – 24 October 1971
Sepp Piontek	25 October 1971 – 30 June 1975
Fritz Langner	8 May 1972 – 30 June 1972	Replacement for Sepp Piontek in two Bundesliga matches
Herbert Burdenski	1 July 1975 – 28 February 1976
Otto Rehhagel	29 February 1976 – 30 June 1976
Hans Tilkowski	1 July 1976 – 19 December 1977
Rudi Assauer	20 December 1977 – 31 December 1977
Fred Schulz	1 January 1978 – 30 June 1978
Wolfgang Weber	1 July 1978 – 28 January 1980
Rudi Assauer	29 January 1980 – 20 February 1980
Fritz Langner	21 February 1980 – 30 June 1980
Kuno Klötzer	1 July 1980 – 1 April 1981
Otto Rehhagel	2 April 1981 – 30 June 1995
Aad de Mos	1 July 1995 – 9 January 1996
Hans-Jürgen Dörner	14 January 1996 – 20 August 1997
Wolfgang Sidka	21 August 1997 – 20 October 1998
Felix Magath	22 October 1998 – 8 May 1999
Thomas Schaaf	9 May 1999 – 15 May 2013
Wolfgang Rolff	15 May 2013 – 25 May 2013	Caretaker manager for one Bundesliga match
Robin Dutt	1 June 2013 – 25 October 2014
Viktor Skrypnyk	25 October 2014 – 18 September 2016
Alexander Nouri	18 September 2016 – 30 October 2017
Florian Kohfeldt	30 October 2017 –

• * In the 2008–09 Bundesliga season, during the transition of the German branch of Citibank to Targobank, following its takeover by Credit Mutuel, Werder Bremen sported on the shirts the transitional message "So Geht Bank Heute" (English: "That's how banking is done today").[38]

Werder Bremen have used several different crests during their history. Their first crest was created in 1900; a monogram, which spelled "FVW", as the club was then known as "FV Werder Bremen".[39] 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. It was modified in 1911, as the inscriptions were placed diagonally, and the badge's colours became black with a green stripe that crossed it, 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 changed into a diamond shape in 1929, to create the club's current crest, save for a spell in the early 1970s when the coat of arms of Bremen was used.[39][40] In addition, a star is displayed above the crest on the team's shirts to represent their four Bundesliga titles.[41]

The Weserstadion photographed in 2006

Werder have played their home games at the same location since 1909.[42] That year saw the construction of a shared sports venue with a wooden grandstand, built by the Allgemeinen Bremer Turn- und Sportverein. In 1926, the stadium was renovated; a new grandstand with dressing rooms and a restaurant were constructed, costing 1,250,000 RM. At the time, 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 the Nazi Party, as sporting activities were rarely practiced. In the first years after the Second World War, only American sports like baseball and American football were practiced at the venue (now known as the "IKE-Stadium"). In 1947, the stadium was reopened as a shared sports venue and took its former name "Weserstadion".[42]

Following Werder's first Bundesliga title in 1965, the corner stands were expanded with a second tier, enlarging the capacity in the process. In 1992, Bremen became the first German club to install skyboxes in their stadium. Six years later, in 1998, under-soil heating was implemented. In 2002, the cinder track was removed, thereby expanding the capacity. From 2008 to 2011, the venue was completely rebuilt. The façade was coated with photovoltaic panels and a new roof was built on top of the old roof supporting structure (the old roof itself was torn down). 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.[42] The current capacity is 42,100.[43]

Werder fans at a home match in 2006

Werder Bremen have a long-standing rivalry with fellow northern German club Hamburger SV, known as the Nordderby (English: North derby).[44][45] It goes beyond football, as there is also a historic rivalry between the cities of Hamburg and Bremen, dating back to the Middle Ages.[45] The cities are only separated by a hundred kilometers and they are also the two biggest metropolises in northern Germany. Bayern Munich are another rival, dating back to the 1980s, when both clubs were competing for domestic honours.[46] Bremen have developed a recent dislike of Schalke 04, after they have poached some of Werder's top players over the years (including Aílton, Fabian Ernst, Mladen Krstajić, Oliver Reck, Frank Rost, and Franco Di Santo).[47]

Werder have seven ultra groups: "Wanderers-Bremen",[48] "The Infamous Youth",[49] "Caillera",[50] "L'Intesa Verde",[51] "HB Crew",[52] "Ultra Boys",[53] and "UltrA-Team Bremen".[54] Werder fans maintain friendly relationships with Rot-Weiss Essen,[55] Austrian club SK Sturm Graz,[56] and Israeli clubs Maccabi Haifa,[57] and Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem.[58]

The official anthem of Werder Bremen is "Lebenslang Grün-Weiß" by Bremen-based band Original Deutschmacher, which is also sung before every home game.[59] After each Bremen goal, the song I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers is played, preceded by the sound of a ship's horn.[60]

Werder's honours include the following:[13][43][61]

• SV Werder Bremen (women) – women's only football club, affiliated with SV Werder Bremen.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Werder Bremen.

• Official website (German & English)
• Werder Bremen statistics
• Werder Bremen formations at football-lineups