Kieler Sportvereinigung Holstein von 1900 e.V., commonly known as Holstein Kiel (German pronunciation: [ˌhɔlʃtaɪn ˈkiːl] ) or KSV Holstein, is a German association football and sports club based in the city of Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein. From the 1900s through the 1960s, the club was one of the most dominant sides in northern Germany. Some notable honors from that period include the German football championship in 1912, and being vice-champions 1910 and 1930. Holstein also won six regional titles and finished as runners-up another nine times. They remained a first-division side until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963. They will make their debut in the Bundesliga in the 2024–25 season after gaining promotion from the 2. Bundesliga in 2024.

Quick Facts Full name, Nickname(s) ...
Holstein Kiel
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Full nameKieler Sportvereinigung
Holstein von 1900 e.V.
Nickname(s)Die Störche (The Storks)[citation needed]
Founded7 October 1900; 123 years ago (1900-10-07)
GroundHolstein-Stadion
Capacity15,034[1]
Executive directorWolfgang Schwenke[2]
PresidentSteffen Schneekloth[3][4]
Head coachMarcel Rapp
LeagueBundesliga
2023–242. Bundesliga, 2nd of 18 (promoted)
WebsiteClub website
Current season
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History

Foundation to WWII

Holstein Kiel is the product of the merger of predecessor sides Kieler Fußball-Verein von 1900 and Kieler Fußball-Club Holstein. The earliest of these two sides was Kieler Fußball-Verein (later 1. KFV) established on 7 October 1900 out of the membership of the gymnastics club Kieler Männerturnvereins von 1844. Later the club concentrated on track and field athletics.

Kieler Fußball-Club Holstein was formed on 4 May 1902 and was renamed Fußball-Verein Holstein von 1902 (FV Holstein Kiel) sometime in 1908.[5] The club quickly became competitive and, in 1910, they reached the German championship final, where they lost 0–1 in extra time to Karlsruher FV. In 1912, they won the German championship with a 2–1 overtime semi-final victory over defending champions Viktoria 89 Berlin followed by a 1–0 win in the final over the previous year's champions, Karlsruher FV.[6] In 1914, the club renamed again after the new branches of hockey and athletics were added, becoming Sportverein Holstein von 1902.

On 7 June 1917, 1. Kieler Fussball Verein von 1900 and Sportverein Holstein von 1902, severely weakened by World War I, merged to form the current day club. The new association adopted the foundation date of the older club, while taking up the ground, kit, colours, logo and the name Holstein from SV Holstein Kiel.[citation needed] Through the 1920s, the team made regular appearances in the national playoffs and in 1926 reached the semi-finals where they were eliminated 1–3 by SpVgg Greuther Fürth.[citation needed] In 1930, they played their way to the final, losing 4–5 to Hertha BSC.[7] The following year they reached the semi-finals where they were eliminated 0–2 by TSV 1860 Munich.

Under the Third Reich, German football was re-organized into sixteen top flight divisions. Kiel played in the Gauliga Nordmark, but failed to attain a title. In 1942, the Gauliga Nordmark was broken up into the Gauliga Hamburg and Gauliga Schleswig-Holstein.[citation needed] No longer in the company of Hamburger SV and other strong teams from the city, Kiel immediately won the title of the new division and defended it over the next two seasons until the end of World War II brought play to a halt across the country.

Those titles earned Kiel entry into the national playoff rounds. They made their best run in 1943 when they advanced as far as the semi-finals before losing to eventual champions Dresdner SC. The team secured third place by defeating First Vienna FC. The next year, they were eliminated early on and no final was played in 1945.

Postwar to 2000

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Historical chart of Holstein Kiel league performance
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Aerial view of the Holstein-Stadion (2019)

Since the end of the war, Kiel has primarily been a tier II and III club. After the conflict, football in the western half of the country was re-organized into five regional top flight divisions. Holstein Kiel played from 1947 until 1963 in the Oberliga Nord (I) and twice finished as runners-up (1953, 1957). In 1961 the reserve team won the German amateur championship. After the 1963 formation of a single national first division known as the Bundesliga, the club became a second division side and played in the Regionalliga Nord (II). Kiel did not advance to the Bundesliga after its 1965 Regionalliga Nord championship. German football was restructured in 1974 with the formation of a new second division known as the 2. Bundesliga and the team slipped to third division play in the Amateuroberliga Nord (III). Holstein Kiel won promotion to second-tier competition in 1978 as part of the 2. Bundesliga Nord and was relegated in 1981.

With the reunification of Germany in 1990, teams from the former East Germany became part of a combined national competition. German football was re-organized again in 1994 and Holstein Kiel qualified for the new tier three division Regionalliga Nord (III). In 1996, the club was relegated for the first time to the Oberliga Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein (IV) and returned to Regionalliga Nord (III) in 1998.

2000–2017: Regionalliga and 3. Liga

The club were relegated again to the Oberliga Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein (IV) in 2000–01, after failing to qualify for the restructured Regionalliga (III), which went from four divisions to two. They did advance the next year to Regionalliga North, then narrowly missed promotion to the 2. Bundesliga in the 2005–06 season. By 2007, they had slipped to the Oberliga Nord (IV), but earned two consecutive promotions to reach the new 3. Liga (III) in 2009. After one year in the third division, the club were relegated again in the Regionalliga Nord (IV). The team reached the quarter-finals of the 2011–12 DFB-Pokal, after beating FC Energie Cottbus, MSV Duisburg and 1. FSV Mainz 05. In the quarter-final they lost to Borussia Dortmund 4–0. Since 2013, the club played again in the third division, and, in 2017, they were promoted after 36 years to the second division.

2017–present: 2. Bundesliga and promotion to Bundesliga

In the 2017–18 2. Bundesliga, after Holstein Kiel finished in 3rd place as the highest-scoring team with 71 goals, they lost 4–1 on aggregate to Wolfsburg in the relegation play-offs. In 2019, the club entered an official partnership with American USL League Two club San Francisco Glens SC. The team reached the semi-finals of the 2020–21 DFB-Pokal after beating Bayern Munich in the second round.

In the 2020–21 2. Bundesliga, Holstein Kiel missed direct promotion to the Bundesliga by losing the last two matches in the league by the same score 3–2 against Karlsruher SC and SV Darmstadt 98, to finish in third place behind VfL Bochum and Greuther Fürth. In the promotion play-offs, they won the first leg away 1–0 against FC Köln, but lost the second leg at home 5–1 to miss another chance of promotion.[8]

On 11 May 2024, the club secured their inaugural promotion to the Bundesliga, clinching a top-two finish in the 2023–24 2. Bundesliga with a 1–1 draw against third-placed Fortuna Düsseldorf.[9]

Honours

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Viktoria trophy awarded to the German champions from 1903 to 1944

National titles

  • German Championship
    • Champions: 1912
    • Runners-up: 1910, 1930
  • German Cup
    • Semi-finals: 1941, 2021
    • Quarter-finals: 1943, 2012
    • Round of 16: 1962, 1966, 1971, 1979, 2019
  • 2. Bundesliga
    • Runners-up - Promoted: 2024
    • Promotion Playoffs: 2018, 2021
  • 3. Liga
    • Runners-up - Promoted: 2017
    • Promotion Playoffs: 2015


Regional

Reserve team

order: (league/achievement/tier/year)

Recent seasons

The recent season-by-season performance of the club:[31][32]

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Key
Promoted Relegated

League history

Since 1947

Players

Current squad

As of 30 August 2024[33]

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

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Out on loan

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

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Holstein Kiel II

As of 12 September 2024[34]

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

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Notable former players

Germany
International

Germany international footballers

Players which achieve during their active years at Holstein Kiel to become Germany international footballers. In parentheses (games / goals/ years).

Coaching staff

More information Position, Name ...
Position Name
Head Coach Marcel Rapp
Assistant Head Coach Dirk Bremser
Assistant Coach Alexander Hahn
Goalkeeper Coach Patrik Borger
Niklas Jakusch
Fitness Coach Timm Sörensen
Athletic Coach Lasse Bork
Match Analyst Alexander Rudies
Team Doctor Andre Hönig
Dr. Marco Diekmann
Head of Physiotherapy Tim Höper
Physiotherapist Timm Pflügler
Tim Rosenthal
Sebastian Süß
Timo Syroka
Lennart Schlegel
Organizational Leader Jan Uphues
Team Manager Sebastian Ermuth-von Petersdorff
Bus Driver Tim Petersen
Tim Brockmüller
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Women's section

Since July 2004, the club has a women's football section as Wittenseer SV-TUS Felde dissolved their club to join Holstein Kiel.[98] The team played from 2005–06 to 2010–11 in the 2. Bundesliga, then experienced promotions and relegations between the latter and Regionalliga Nord.[99]

Other departments

Other departments are team handball (men and women), tennis, and cheerleading.[citation needed] The women's handball team won the 1971 German handball championship.

References

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