Wacker 04 Berlin was a
German football club based in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
. The club folded in 1994 after becoming insolvent.
''Wacker'' played at the highest level in Berlin for many years throughout its history, in the
Oberliga Berlin-Brandenburg
The Oberliga Berlin-Brandenburg, also known as the VBB-Oberliga, was the highest association football competition in the Prussian Province of Brandenburg, including Berlin, from 1923 to 1933. The competition was disbanded in 1933 with the rise o ...
, the
Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg
The Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg was the highest football league in the provinces of Brandenburg and Berlin in the German state of Prussia from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regio ...
from 1933 onwards and, finally, the
Oberliga Berlin. After the
Introduction of the Bundesliga
The Introduction of the Bundesliga was the long-debated step of establishing a top-level association football league in Germany in 1963. The new league, the Bundesliga, played its first season in 1963–64 and continues to be the highest league in ...
in 1963 ''Wacker'' dropped to the second tier
Regionalliga Berlin
The Regionalliga Berlin was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the city of West-Berlin in Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2. Bundesliga in 1974. It was by far the smallest of the five Regionalligas.
Over ...
. From 1971 to 1974 the club unsuccessfully took part in the
promotion round to the Bundesliga on four occasions. The club became a founding member of the
2. Bundesliga
The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
in 1974 but dropped out of the league and professional football in 1979.
''Wacker'' also had taken part in the
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...
, the German Cup, on a number of occasions, advancing to the second round in
1937,
1976–77,
1977–78 and
1979–80.
History
Wacker was founded 25 July 1904 as ''Reinickendorfer FC West'' and in 1908 merged with ''Tegeler FC Hohenzollern 1905'' to form ''SC Wacker 04 Tegel''. The club played in the top-flight
Oberliga Berlin-Brandenburg
The Oberliga Berlin-Brandenburg, also known as the VBB-Oberliga, was the highest association football competition in the Prussian Province of Brandenburg, including Berlin, from 1923 to 1933. The competition was disbanded in 1933 with the rise o ...
through the 1920s, remaining a solid mid-table side throughout the years, never claiming a title of their own, but also never being relegated. Wacker remained in the top-flight, joining the
Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg
The Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg was the highest football league in the provinces of Brandenburg and Berlin in the German state of Prussia from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regio ...
(I) following the reorganization of German football under the Third Reich in 1933, but were immediately relegated. They returned after a single season absence, were sent down for the 1939–40 season, and after again being promoted in 1940, played in the first division until the end of the war.
Through the 1930s Wacker made a number of cup appearances. They were beaten 6–0 by
Tennis Borussia Berlin
Tennis Borussia Berlin is a German football club based in the locality of Westend in Berlin.
History
The team was founded in 1902 as ''Berliner Tennis- und Ping-Pong-Gesellschaft Borussia'' taking its name from its origins as a tennis and ta ...
in the final of the
Berliner Landespokal
The Berliner Landespokal ( en, Berlin Cup) is an annual football cup competition held by the Berlin Football Association (German: Berliner Fußballverband, BFV). The cup winner qualifies for the national DFB-Pokal. Cup finals are usually held in t ...
in 1931 and made three appearances in the Tschammerspokal, predecessor to today's
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...
.
After the end of the war in 1945, Wacker resumed first division play in the
Oberliga Berlin, initially as ''SG Reickendorf-West'', but were sent down after a last place finish in 1956. They returned to the Oberliga a season later and stayed in first division football until the 1963 formation of the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
, Germany's new professional league. ''Wacker'' went on to play second tier football in the
Regionalliga Berlin
The Regionalliga Berlin was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the city of West-Berlin in Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2. Bundesliga in 1974. It was by far the smallest of the five Regionalligas.
Over ...
and the
2. Bundesliga Nord where they did quite well on the field despite limited resources. Through the early 1970s the club earned three second and one first place Regionalliga finishes. The club's experience in the 2. Bundesliga in the middle of the decade was more difficult, finally leading to their relegation to the
Amateurliga Berlin (III) in 1977. After one more season in the 2. Bundesliga Nord, Wacker slipped to third and fourth division play where they toiled for a decade and a half before finally going bankrupt in 1994, playing in the tier four
Verbandsliga Berlin
The Berlin-Liga (VI), formerly the Verbandsliga Berlin, is the highest league for football teams exclusively in the German capital. Since German reunification in 1990, it has been the highest level of domestic football in the city, replacing the A ...
at the time.
[Historic German football league tables]
Das Deutsche Fussball Archiv, accessed: 1 December 2015
''Der Tagesspiegel
''Der Tagesspiegel'' (meaning ''The Daily Mirror'') is a German daily newspaper. It has regional correspondent offices in Washington D.C. and Potsdam. It is the only major newspaper in the capital to have increased its circulation, now 148,000, ...
'', published: 15 July 2012, accessed: 1 December 2015
Some of its members went on to join BFC Alemannia 90, resulting in the club playing as BFC Alemannia 90 Wacker, a name that was never official and was reverted by the club in 2013.[Alemannia-Wacker hat es nie gegeben]
Fussball-Woche.de, published: 18 March 2013, accessed: 28 November 2015
Honours
The club's honours:
* Regionalliga Berlin
The Regionalliga Berlin was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the city of West-Berlin in Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2. Bundesliga in 1974. It was by far the smallest of the five Regionalligas.
Over ...
(II)
** Champions: 1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...
** Runners-up: 1971, 1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...
, 1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...
* Amateur-Oberliga Berlin
The Amateur-Oberliga Berlin was the second tier of the German football league system in the city of West Berlin in Germany from 1947 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963, operating under the name of Amateurliga Berlin. After 1963, it was ...
(III)
** Champions: 1978
* Berliner Landespokal
The Berliner Landespokal ( en, Berlin Cup) is an annual football cup competition held by the Berlin Football Association (German: Berliner Fußballverband, BFV). The cup winner qualifies for the national DFB-Pokal. Cup finals are usually held in t ...
** Winners: 1950, 1968, 1972
** Runners-up: 1931, 1952, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1971, 1980
See also
*Berlin derby
The Berlin derby (, ) is the name given to any association football match between two clubs in Berlin, Germany, but has more recently referred to the derby between 1. FC Union Berlin and Hertha BSC.
History Before reunification
Despite produci ...
References
External links
The Abseits Guide to German Soccer
Wacker 04 Berlin at worldfootball.net
Wacker 04 Berlin at Fussballdaten.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berlin, Wacker
Defunct football clubs in Germany
Wacker
Association football clubs established in 1904
1904 establishments in Germany
Association football clubs disestablished in 1994
1994 disestablishments in Germany
2. Bundesliga clubs