Sportverein Sandhausen 1916 e.V., commonly known as simply SV Sandhausen or Sandhausen, is a German association football club that plays in Sandhausen, immediately to the south of Heidelberg in Baden-Württemberg. It is Germany's smallest professional football club.
The club's greatest success came in 2011–12 when it won the 3. Liga and earned promotion to the 2. Bundesliga for the first time.
History
Historical chart of Sandhausen league performance
After a shaky start[tone] financially, the club advanced steadily through the lower leagues until it earned promotion to the Bezirksliga Rhein-Saar in 1931, but only played for a single season at that level before descending again. In 1943, it was merged with TSV Walldorf and VfB Wiesloch to form the wartime squad KSG Walldorf-Wiesloch. The combined squad was dissolved at the end of the conflict and SG Sandhausen was reestablished as an independent club late in 1945. A half dozen[vague] years later it re-claimed its original name. Sandhausen played football in the Landesliga or 2. Amateurliga until 1956, when it advanced to the 1.Amateurliga Nordbaden. In 1977, the team finished as runner-up in the German amateur championship and progressed to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg in 1978, where it consistently earned finishes in the upper half of the table. Sandhausen won three Oberliga titles through[vague] the 1980s and the German Amateur Championship in 1993. It won back-to-back Oberliga titles in 1995 and 2000 and, with its latest title in 2007, gained promotion to the Regionalliga Süd (III).
Negotiations held in late 2005 and early 2006 to merge Sandhausen with TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and FC Astoria Walldorf to create FC Heidelberg 06 were abandoned due to resistance to the idea on the part of both Sandhausen and Walldorf, and the failure to agree on whether the new side's stadium should be located in Heidelberg.
The 2007–08 season was a success for the club,[according to whom?] being in contention for 2. Bundesliga promotion almost until the end of season and comfortably[vague][according to whom?] qualifying for the new 3. Liga. In 2012, the club won the 3. Liga and thus promotion to the 2. Bundesliga. The club finished its inaugural 2. Bundesliga season in a relegation position but was saved when MSV Duisburg was refused a licence and played a much stronger[according to whom?] 2013–14 campaign, finishing 12th.
