FC Sachsen Leipzig

BSG Chemie Leipzig
Full name Betriebssportgemeinschaft Chemie Leipzig e.V.
Founded 1899 as Britannia Leipzig
1938 as Tura 1899 Leipzig
1950 first named BSG Chemie Leipzig
1990 as Sachsen Leipzig
1997 re-founded as BSG Chemie Leipzig
Ground Alfred-Kunze-Sportpark
Ground Capacity 4,999
Chairman Karl Hopfner
Manager André Schönitz
League Sachsenliga
2014-15 3
Website Club home page

BSG Chemie Leipzig is a German football club from the Leutzsch district of Leipzig, Saxony. The prewar identity of the club is rooted in the establishment of Britannia Leipzig in 1899 and its successor TuRa Leipzig. During the Soviet era the traditions of the club were continued in the East German teams BSG Chemie Leipzig and Lokomotive Leipzig before the emergence of FC Sachsen Leipzig following German reunification.[1]

History

Predecessor sides

Logos of Sachsen's earliest predecessors Britannia, Tura 32 and Tura 99

After World War I, a 1919 merger between Britannia Leipzig and FC Hertha 05 Leipzig (FC Hohenzollern 1905 Leipzig from 1905–18) created Leipziger Sportverein 1899. Only Britannia was of any note competitively, playing in senior level city competition from 1908 to 1910. The club re-emerged there in 1922 as SV 1899, but finished at the bottom of the table the next season. Predecessor Sportverein für Turnen- und Rasensport Leipzig was formed in 1932 and six years later, in 1938, joined with 1899 to create Turn und Rasensportverein 1899 Leipzig.

German football was reorganized in 1933 under the Third Reich into 16 premier divisions. Newcomer SV TuRa 32 joined the top flight Gauliga Sachsen in 1936 and following its merger with SV 1899 in November 1938, continued in the top flight as SV TuRa 1899. The team escaped relegation in 1939 only because of the restructuring of the Gauliga Sachsen into two divisions. In 1940, the club made its only appearance in play for the Tshammerspokal, predecessor to the modern-day DFB-Pokal (German Cup), and was put out in the second qualifying round. By 1942 the club's continued lacklustre performance saw them in last place and relegated from the top flight. They earned a return in 1943, but World War II made play untenable and the Gauliga Sachsen broke up into a number of small local city-based leagues. TuRa merged with Sportvereinigung Leipzig to briefly form the wartime side Kriegspielgemeinschaft TuRa/SpVgg Leipzig.

Postwar play in East Germany

Following the war, Germany was divided into eastern and western zones of occupation by the victorious allies, and eventually, a separate football competition emerged in Soviet-occupied East Germany. New sports and football clubs were formed, often built around the cores of pre-war clubs: SG Leipzig-Leutzsch was the closest descendant of the old TuRa side. In March 1949, Leutzsch, SG Lindenau-Hafen, SG Lindenau-Aue, SG Leipzig-Mitte, and SG Böhlitz-Ehrenberg were united to form ZSG Industrie Leipzig. In August the next year, the club was renamed BSG Chemie Leipzig. They promptly finished atop the Oberliga der DDR and continued to deliver good results over the next few seasons. Chemie was dissolved in September 1954 when its players were assigned to Lokomotive Leipzig. Over the next decade, Lok was a middling Oberliga side with their best results being third-place finishes in 1956 and 1960.

In 1963, East German football was re-organized with a view towards fostering the development of talent for the country's national side. This time Lok was disassembled to help re-create the club BSG Chemie Leipzig. Once again, the remade side captured the Oberliga title before following with a string of uneven results that saw the club moving between first and second division play into the early 1980s. After a two-year stint in the Oberliga in 1983-85, "Chemie" settled into the tier II DDR-Liga.

Post reunification era

FC Sachsen Logo

The reunification of East and West Germany saw significant change in football in the eastern half of the country. At the end of May 1990, the club was renamed FC Grün-Weiß Leipzig and quickly merged with SV Chemie Böhlen (formerly BSG Chemie Böhlen) to create FC Sachsen in August of that year and took up play in the Oberliga Nordost (III). They took part in qualification play for the 2. Bundesliga at the end of 1990-91, but failed in their attempt to advance. Sachsen captured the Oberliga title in 1992-93, but were denied an opportunity to again take part in the promotion round because of financial problems. After another season at the Oberliga level, they slipped to the Regionalliga Nordost where they remained through 2001 before again collapsing into bankruptcy.

In 2006, Red Bull tried to purchase FC Sachsen Leipzig and make it part of its sports portfolio with a long term view of an advance to the Bundesliga. Despite the fact that the club was plagued by constant financial trouble, and the prospect of financial stability and sporting success, fans throughout the country strongly opposed what was viewed an overtly commercial approach. After months of protests which deteriorated into violence, the company abandoned the plan,[2] opting instead to buy the licence of SSV Markranstädt as their entrée to German football, leading to the establishment of RB Leipzig in 2009.

Bankruptcy and Successors

Sachsen continued to struggle and, in March 2009, the club had to declare bankruptcy for the second time in its history before folding on 30 June 2011.[3]

Two new sides soon appeared, both claiming to be the rightful heirs of the tradition of FC Sachsen. Founded on 21 May 2011, SG Leipzig Leutzsch took up the place of Sachsen in league play and moved into the ground at Alfred-Kunze-Sportpark. In mid-2013 the club re-adopted the name SG Sachsen Leipzig,[4] but their financial difficulties continued and in May 2014 the association was again bankrupt.[5] However, the name Sachsen Leipzig was soon taken up again by a new club, the LFV Sachsen Leipzig, founded in 2015.[6] LFV Sachsen Leipzig is playing the 2015-16 season in the 3. Kreisklasse .

A new BSG Chemie Leipzig was founded in 1997 and the team began play in the lowest tier city competition, 3. Kreissklasse Leipzig, in 2008-09. That club won successive promotions and quickly advanced to 6th tier play and by 2011-12 was playing alongside SG Sachsen in the regional Sachsenliga. Their progress stalled in 2013 when they slipped to Bezirkliga play for a single season.

Despite the fact that both clubs see themselves as the sole legitimate successors to the club that failed in 2009, they have agreed to cooperate at the youth level to help ensure that sporting opportunities remain available to area youth. They also hope to preserve and build on the historical tradition represented by Chemie and Sachsen.[7]

In May 2014 it was announced that both clubs will cooperate in the future at the junior level, as the SG Sachsen (the main tenant in the stadium) is insolvent, the employed administrators decide the ultimate direction of the club. The ultimate goal is the survival of the Association, so that at least the youth teams of SG Sachsen is secured. In their current press release it is called among others: "No matter what decision the liquidator of SG Sachsen in terms of the insolvency proceedings: BSG Chemie Leipzig will ensure that children and young people can play football even after the 30th June in the Alfred-Kunze-Sportpark!".[7]

The SG Sachsen Leipzig sees itself - similar to BSG Chemie Leipzig as the only legitimate successor of the defunct FC Sachsen Leipzig. The SG Sachsen Leipzig is currently playing in Saxony League . After the end of 2013 liquidity difficulties were encountered, the SG had Sachsen Leipzig on May 5, 2014 to file for bankruptcy.[5]

Recent standings

FC Sachsen Leipzig

Season League Division Place Goal difference Points
2011/12 Sachsenliga 6 6. Platz 50:31 49
2012/13 Sachsenliga 6 7. Platz 54:60 41

BSG Chemie Leizig

Season League Division Place Goal difference Points
2008/09 3. Kreisklasse 12 1. Platz 158:18 76
2009/10 2. Kreisklasse 11 1. Platz 105:19 74
2010/11 1. Kreisklasse 10 1. Platz 99:27 79
2011/12 Sachsenliga 6 7. Platz 54:33 47
2012/13 Sachsenliga 6 14. Platz 36:46 29
2013/14 Bezirksliga Sachsen Nord 7 1. Platz 56:17 60
2014/15 Sachsenliga 6 3. Platz 54:29 56

Notable players

Internationals

The following players were capped by East Germany while playing for Chemie Leipzig:

  • Bernd Bauchspieß – 1 cap
  • Rainer Baumann – 2 caps
  • Günter Busch – 2 caps
  • Bernd Dobermann – 2 caps
  • Werner Eilitz – 8 caps
  • Dieter Fischer – 4 caps
  • Heinz Fröhlich – 2 caps
  • Rudolf Krause – 2 caps
  • Horst Scherbaum – 5 caps
  • Lothar Vetterke – 1 cap
  • Manfred Walter – 16 caps
  • Arno Zerbe – 1 cap

Others

Honours

The club's honours:

References

  1. ↑ Grüne, Hardy (2001). Enzyklopädie des deutschen Ligafußballs 7. Vereinslexikon. Kassel: Agon-Sportverlag. ISBN 9783897841475.
  2. ↑ Red Bull Wants to Caffeinate Small Soccer Club Spiegel online, published: 19 June 2009, accessed: 25 June 2009
  3. ↑ "Sachsen Leipzig stellt den Spielbetrieb ein". Kicker (in German). 19 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  4. ↑ http://www.lvz-online.de/sport/regionalsport/sachsen-leipzig-ist-zurueck-sg-leutzsch-benennt-sich-um-mitglieder-muessen-dafuer-zahlen/r-regionalsport-a-191025.html
  5. 1 2 SG Sachsen Leipzig: Aus und vorbei
  6. ↑ Teichert, Torsten (27 October 2014). "Sachsen Leipzig ist wieder da". Leipziger Volkszeitung (in German) (Leipzig). Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  7. 1 2 http://www.chemie-leipzig.de/index.php?id=25&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=27&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1175&cHash=5c1f35252737b4d188c75c40cc1bc991

External links

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