SpVgg Ansbach

Full name	Spielvereinigung Ansbach 1909 e.V.
Founded	1909
Ground	Sportpark Ansbach
Capacity	5,000
Chairman	Theodoros Mutsios
Manager	Christoph Hasselmeier
League	Regionalliga Bayern (IV)
2022-23	Regionalliga Bayern, 15th
Home colours Away colours

SpVgg Ansbach is a German football club from the city of Ansbach, Bavaria.

The club's greatest league success came in 2001, when it earned promotion to the tier-three Regionalliga Süd, where it lasted for only one season. They returned to the Regionalliga in 2022. SpVgg Ansbach qualified for the German Cup on three occasions, reaching the second round once, in 1980–81.

History

The club roots go back to the 1909 formation of a football department within the gymnastics club Turnverein 1860 Ansbach. The team disappeared for a period of three years during World War I but was re-formed in 1917 as the independent club Sportverein 1909 Ansbach by the footballers of TV and 1. FC 1912 Ansbach. A highlight of the club's early years came in 1928 with the capture of the A-Klasse Mittelfranken title and subsequent promotion playoff win over 1. FC Zirndorf that advanced the club to the second tier Kreisliga where they would compete until 1937.

Following World War II most organizations in the country, including sports and football clubs, were dissolved by occupying Allied authorities. The club was re-established in 1945 as Sportverein Ansbach out of the membership of a number of local sports clubs. On 30 November 1948, the association was renamed Turn- und Sportverein Ansbach and, in 1951, the footballers went their own way again as Spielvereinigung 1909 Ansbach.

The team advanced to the fourth tier 2nd Amateurliga Bayern in 1953 for a single season, and after being sent down, promptly returned in 1955. They played at that level until sent down through league restructuring in the early 60s. The club qualified for DFB Pokal (German Cup) play for the first time in 1981 and advanced out of the first round by defeating FSV Pfaffenhofen 1–0. In the next round they were soundly thrashed by second-division side Stuttgarter Kickers (0:13). Ansbach returned briefly to fourth-tier play in the Landesliga Bayern-Mitte in 1985 and again qualified to participate in the opening round of the DFB Pokal the same year where they were put out 0–3 by SV Waldhof Mannheim.

SpVgg spent eleven seasons in the Landesliga with a fifth place in 1993 as its best result, but was then relegated to the Bezirksoberliga Mittelfranken in 1996. This lasted for only one season, earning promotion straight back and returning to the Landesliga as a much more competitive side.

Ansbach enjoyed their best successes to date in the late 90s as they won promotion first to the Fußball-Bayernliga (IV) in 1999, and two seasons later, to the Regionalliga Süd (III). However, they had a difficult time in the third tier, and after a 12-game winless streak and a next to last place finish, the team was sent down.

The club continued to struggle after being sent down and narrowly missed relegation in each of the next two campaigns. They were finally relegated to the Landesliga Bayern (V) after a 15th-place finish in 2004–05. Ansbach promptly rebounded and on the strength of a division title in 2006–07 and won promotion back to the Fußball-Bayernliga (IV) for three seasons, before it was relegated again in 2010.

After only being saved from relegation from the Landesliga in 2012 by a league expansion Ansbach won the Landesliga Bayern-Nordwest in 2014 and earned promotion back to the Bayernliga. After a fifteenth place in 2014–15 the club had to enter the relegation round where it lost to 1. FC Bad Kötzting and was relegated. Ansbach won its Landesliga division in the following season and was promoted back to the Bayernliga.

Honours

The club's honours:

Players

As of 30 August 2023^[1]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  GER Sebastian Heid 2 DF  GER Michael Belzner 3 DF  GER Lukas Karakas 4 DF  GER Jonas Bayerlein 6 MF  GER Tobias Dietrich 7 MF  GER Daniel Schelhorn 8 MF  GER Niklas Seefried 9 FW  GER Michael Sperr 10 FW  GER Patrick Kroiß 11 FW  GER Florian Seefried 13 MF  GER Michael Kleinschrodt 14 DF  GER Luca Ruiu 15 DF  GER Lukas Oberseider 16 MF  GER Christian Kestel

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 MF  GER Lukas Schmidt 18 DF  GER Pepe Brekner 19 MF  TUR Tanyel Deliboyraz 20 DF  GER Tom Abadjiew 21 FW  GER Maximilian Hirschmann 22 FW  GER Sven Landshuter 23 FW  GER Bastian Herzner 24 GK  GER Heiko Schiefer 25 DF  GER Eric Weeger 27 DF  GER Robin Hartnagel 29 DF  GER Riko Manz 30 MF  GER Jonas Sauerstein 99 GK  GER Christian Lieben

Recent managers

Recent managers of the club:^[2]

Recent seasons

The recent season-by-season performance of the club:^[3][4]

• With the introduction of the Bezirksoberligas in 1988 as the new fifth tier, below the Landesligas, all leagues below dropped one tier. With the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994 and the 3. Liga in 2008 as the new third tier, below the 2. Bundesliga, all leagues below dropped one tier. With the establishment of the Regionalliga Bayern as the new fourth tier in Bavaria in 2012 the Bayernliga was split into a northern and a southern division, the number of Landesligas expanded from three to five and the Bezirksoberligas abolished. All leagues from the Bezirksligas onwards were elevated one tier.

Stadium

Since 1976 the club has played its home matches at the Sportpark Ansbach which has a capacity of 5,000 (1,000 seats).

DFB Cup appearances

The club has qualified for the first round of the German Cup three times:

American football department

From 1979 to 1981, the club was home to an American football department, the Ansbach Grizzlies. The Grizzlies were a successful team during the early days of the game in Germany, reaching every German Bowl from 1979 to 1986 and winning it in 1981, 1982 and 1985. In 1981, this department however went its own way, separating from the SpVgg.^[9]