VfB Lichterfelde

Lichterfelder FC was a German association football club from the Berlin district of Lichterfelde. The club had approximately 1,300 members and included the country's largest youth department.

History

The history of the association was marked by a long string of mergers and name changes. The earliest predecessor sides were ''FV Brandenburg Berlin'' founded on 20 March 1892, and ''FC Lichterfelde'' established 18 June 1912.

''FV'' fielded strongly competitive sides in the early 1900s until the club briefly split in two with the formation of ''TuFV Helvellia Berlin''. These two sides were re-united in 1905 but the club was seriously weakened by World War I and nearly disappeared. At the end of the war in 1919 ''FV'' merged with ''Berliner SC 09 Brandenburg'' to form ''SV Brandenburg Berlin''. Another union followed in 1921, this time with ''BBC 03 Berlin'' to create ''BBC-Brandenburg Berlin''. Both ''Brandenburg'' and ''Lichterfeld'' were playing second-tier football through this period with ''SCB'' winning promotion to the top-flight for a two-year turn that ended in 1925 after which ''BBC'' again became an independent side.

By 1929 the '92 Brandenburg side was playing as ''FV Brandenburg Berlin'' and in 1933 merged with ''FC Eintracht Lankwitz''. At the outbreak of World War II ''FV'' formed a partnership with ''Rot-Weiß-Schöneberg'' in order to be able to continue to field a team during the conflict. At war's end in 1945 occupying Allied authorities ordered the dissolution of all organizations in Germany, including sports and football clubs. Later that year the membership of ''FVBB'' established ''SG Steglitz-Friedenau'' (renamed ''FV Brandenburg Berlin'' in 1950) and the Lichterfeld club also re-appeared being known briefly as ''SG Lichterfeld''.

A 1971 merger joined ''FCL'' and ''FVBB'' to create ''FV Brandenburg Lichterfelde'' which was in turn joined in 1988 by ''Lichterfelder Sport-Union'' (founded 15 February 1951) to form ''VfB Lichterfelde 1892''. The association adopted its last name in 2004.

These myriad predecessor sides enjoyed only limited success with both Lichterfelder sides making occasional appearances in the Amateurliga Berlin (III-IV) in the 50s and 60s. ''Sport-Union'' spent a single season in second-tier competition in the Regionalliga Berlin in 1966–67.

''VfB'' won promotion to the Oberliga Berlin (III) in 1989, became a founding member of NOFV-Oberliga in 1991, and played there continuously until being demoted in 2004 after a 16th-place finish. A highlight for the club during this period was the club's advance to the final of the Paul-Rusch-Pokal (Berlin Cup) in 1998. Now playing as ''FC'' the club claimed the 2006 Verbandsliga Berlin (V) championship to return to the Oberliga.

In 2013 the club merged with BFC Viktoria 1889 to form a new club, FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin.{{Cite web, title=VfB Lichterfelde, url=http://www.fussball-historie.de/Vereine/Berlin/LichterfelderFC.html, access-date=2021-03-19, website=www.fussball-historie.de

Stadium

''Lichterfeld'' played its home matches at the Stadion Lichterfelde in Steglitz. The stadium has a capacity of 4,300 which includes 1,800 seats (800 covered, 1,000 uncovered). Construction of the facility began in 1926 and it was inaugurated on 16 June 1929. From 1933 to 1945 the facility was known as the Adolf Hitler Stadium and it was used as a training venue for the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. Severely damaged in the course of the war, the stadium was not restored to a usable condition until April 1952 and underwent a major renovation that included the installation of floodlights in the 1980s, followed by the installation of artificial turf in the 90s.

Honours

The club's honours:
* Berlin-Liga (V)
** Champions: 2006
* Berlin Cup
** Finalist: 1984, 1998

References

Defunct football clubs in Germany
Defunct football clubs in Berlin
Association football clubs established in 1892
Association football clubs disestablished in 2013
1892 establishments in Germany
2013 disestablishments in Germany
Football clubs in Germany