The team was coached in the early 1960s by the famed Fritz Walter, who decided that there was no reason his village team on the outskirts of Kaiserslautern couldn't compete with the big boys. He managed to convince a few players from his old club Kaiserslautern to join, and a local construction company owner named Hannes Ruth provided the funds.
In 1967-68, they created a sensation, as they won the 2nd division Regionalliga-Südwest and participated in the promotion playoffs to the Bundesliga. However, they could not get over the last hump to make it into the Bundesliga. The star of the team was a young Lorenz Horr, who would later transfer to Hertha BSC Berlin, with the highest transfer fee in Germany at that time. For 3 years running, Alsenborn qualified for Bundesliga playoffs, coming close to promotion. By this time, the club had run it's course. Altogether, some 31 players were sold to top clubs throughout Germany.
The club began to decline after that, and was mainly in the news during the founding of the "new" 2.Bundesliga Nord/Süd. Apparently the regional federation decided to nominate 1.FC Saabrücken instead of Alsenborn. Obviously money influenced this decision, and there were allegations that DFB official Hermann Neuberger (later DFB boss), a Saarbruecken member, also had a hand. In any case, it went to the courts, and Alsenborn's appeal was denied. They kept top amateur status until the mid 1970s, and then a seemingly irrevocable decline set in. With the changing of the league structure, the weak Regionalliga Sudwest disappeared, and it appears unlikely that this village team could ever threaten the ranks of the Bundesliga - or any professional league - again.
Full Name | Sport-Verein 1919 Alsenborn e.V. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
City |
Enkenbach-Alsenborn (Rheinland-Pfalz). Pop: 7,400
Address |
Kinderlehre, 67677 Enkenbach-Alsenborn | Phone: (06303) 6631 Colors |
Blue jersey, white shorts. Opposite for road.
| Nickname |
| Stadium |
Kinderlehre, Capacity: 8,000 | The club had expanded to a maximum of 16,000 in 1974, in anticipation of the 2.Bundesliga, which was then cruelly denied. Earlier Bundesliga promotion rounds were held in Ludwigshafen, with crowds in the mid 20s to 40,000. However in Regionalliga play, the attendance usually averaged under 2,000. Today, they probably get about 50 family members and girlfriends. Tickets |
I'm sure they're quite reasonable and available.
| Supporters |
| Friends |
|
Foes |
| Heroes |
Lorenz Horr was one of the best players to come from the club. He transferred for a then-record DM 336,000 to
Hertha BSC in 1969 and eventually was capped for Germany.
| Zeroes |
| Beer |
|
Pub Grub |
Pizzeria Da Franco serves as the club house.
| The Net |
Official site: www.svalsenborn.de .
| |
Recent History:
--------------
1964-65 (III) Amateurliga Südwest 1st
1965-66 (II) Regionalliga Südwest 9th
1966-67 (II) Regionalliga Südwest 8th
1967-68 (II) Regionalliga Südwest 1st
1968-69 (II) Regionalliga Südwest 1st
1969-70 (II) Regionalliga Südwest 1st
1970-71 (II) Regionalliga Südwest 5th
1971-72 (II) Regionalliga Südwest 3rd
1972-73 (II) Regionalliga Südwest 8th
1973-74 (II) Regionalliga Südwest 10th (license denied)
1974-75 (III) Amateurliga Südwest 10th
1975-76 (III) Amateurliga Südwest 14th
1976-77 (V) Bezirksliga Westpfalz 6th
1977-78 (V) Bezirksliga Westpfalz 2nd
1978-79 (IV) Verbandsliga Südwest 6th
1979-80 (IV) Verbandsliga Südwest 15th
1980-81 (IV) Verbandsliga Südwest 12th
1981-82 (IV) Verbandsliga Südwest 16th
1982-83 (V) Bezirksliga Westpfalz 1st
1983-84 (IV) Verbandsliga Südwest 9th
1984-85 (IV) Verbandsliga Südwest 3rd
1985-86 (IV) Verbandsliga Südwest 18th
1986-87 (V) Bezirksliga Westpfalz 15th
1987-88 (V) Bezirksliga Westpfalz 18th
1997-? (VIII) Bezirksklasse Kaiserslautern/Nord
2004-05 (VIII) Kreisliga Kaiserslautern
2005-06 (VIII) Kreisliga Kaiserslautern
2006-07 (VIII) Kreisliga Kaiserslautern
2007-08 (VIII) Kreisliga Kaiserslautern
2012-13 Bezirksklasse Kaiserslautern/Donnersberg
(c) Abseits Guide to Germany