In 1948, the police formed the BSG DeutscheVolkspolizei Dresden, which eventually became the Dresden entry into the GDR soccer leagues. In 1953, it was renamed to SG Dynamo Dresden, it's membership largely consisting of secret police and state security folks. In these early days, the colors were basically red and white. It wasn't until 1968 that the current colors were chosen. Favored by the GDR regime as the center for soccer development, Dynamo began a climb that would take them to the top of GDR soccer. After winning the first GDR title in 1953, things were a bit dry until the 1970s, which were Dresden's glory years, winning 5 titles. Dynamo also went out with a bang, grabbing the last two DDR-Oberliga championships in 1989 and 1990. This goes along with about 7 GDR Cup victories.
Not surprisingly, many of eastern Germany's best players came from Dynamo ranks. Hans-Jürgen "Dixie" Dörner, was capped by the GDR 100 times up until 1985. Ulf Kirsten (49 caps) and Matthias Sammer were well established GDR internationals until moving to western clubs and joining the German squad.
After reunification, Dynamo managed to hang on in the Bundesliga 3 years, but in 1995, they were denied a professional license, and the drop bypassed the 2.Liga straight into the Regionalliga, where they have been mired ever since. The main cause of the fall was financial mismanagement, which eventually led to the removal and arrest of the former president. Dynamo has set a goal of a return to the Bundesliga, which looks a bit remote at the moment. However, it seemed reasonable to assume that they would return the 2.Liga before long. Then the 1998-99 campaign turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. The next season also turned out poorly, as Dynamo dug themselves into a hole from which they could not recover. Despite a strong finish, they ended up just missing out on the combined Regionalliga, and for the first time in history, they dropped to the 4th division. The club remains dogged by precarious finances. They soon bounced back, getting rid of the embarassment of falling behind tiny local rival DSC. Whether they can make a comeback into the top levels is not clear.
Fullname | 1.FC Fussball-Club Dynamo Dresden
City |
Dresden (Sachsen).
Pop: 479,000 (2002).
| Address |
Lennestraße 1, 12, 01069 Dresden | Phone: (0351) 439430 Fax: (0351) 4393413 e-mail: verein@dynamo-dresden.de Colors |
Yellow shirt, black trim, black shorts.
| Nickname |
| Stadium |
Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion. Capacity: 32,400 (all seats) | Originally set up for 500,000 Reichsmarks in 1923, it was renamed post-WWII. Harbig was a track and field athlete from the Dresden area who medalled in the 1936 Olympics. He held the 800m World record for many years even though he was dead, killed on the Russian front in 1944. From roughly 1970-1990, the name was changed to "Dynamo Stadion". Capacity was roughly 30,000 for most of the period, with about 10,500 seats. Expansion during the brief Bundesliga years saw an increase up to 38,500, but subsequent "improvements" saw a limit of around 24,000. In 2009, a 43 million euro makeover converted the stadium to an all seater. Tickets |
Very reasonable. 7 euros for standing room, 12 euros for seats
(2004). Usually not too hard to get, although
the Sachsen derby will pack them in.
| Supporters |
Averaged 8,700 in 2004 (Regionalliga).
One of the more popular clubs in eastern Germany. The official web site
lists some 130 fan clubs. Despite the forced relegation, Dynamo continues
to draw relatively well, the highest in the Regionalliga Nordost. The
die-hard "Ultras" are usually found in the K-Block, opposite the opposing
fans.
| Friends |
Hansa Rostock, 1860 Muenchen, Hannover 96 and Rapid Wien (Vienna,
Austria). Also with ESC Dresden, an ice hockey team.
|
Foes |
As one of the leading teams of Saxony, certainly lots of rivalries with
other Sachsen based clubs. One bitter enemy is actually FC Berlin, mainly
because of it's roots as Dynamo Ost-Berlin and the Stasi-induced
championships. The old rivalry with fellow city club Dresdner SC has
popped up again, now that both struggle in the Regionalliga. | Heroes |
37 GDR internationals. Among the most famous are GDR
record holder Hans-Jürgen
"Dixie" Dörner (106 caps, 1969-85) and two who later also played
for united Germany Ulf Kirsten (49 caps, 1985-90) and Matthias
Sammer (23 caps, 1986-90). | Zeroes |
| Beer |
The favorite is probably Radeberger, but since it's relatively more
expensive, Feldschlösschen, a sponsor, is also very popular.
|
Pub Grub |
The stadium snackbars serve up the usual sausages and drinks. Worth
mentioning are the fish sandwiches from the snackbar at the entrance of
the Lennestrasse. | The Net |
www.dynamo-dresden.de is the
official site, very complete and well done, one of the best on the
internet. Aside from the obvious German, there are English and Spanish
versions as well. There are many fan pages; a good place to start is on
the links page of the official site.
| |
Recent History:
--------------
1965-66 (*) DDR-Oberliga 5th
1966-67 (*) DDR-Oberliga 4th
1967-68 (*) DDR-Oberliga 13th
1968-69 (**) DDR-Liga, St. Sud 1st
1969-70 (*) DDR-Oberliga 3rd
1970-71 (*) DDR-Oberliga 1st
1971-72 (*) DDR-Oberliga 3rd
1972-73 (*) DDR-Oberliga 1st
1973-74 (*) DDR-Oberliga 3rd
1974-75 (*) DDR-Oberliga 3rd
1975-76 (*) DDR-Oberliga 1st
1976-77 (*) DDR-Oberliga 1st
1977-78 (*) DDR-Oberliga 1st
1978-79 (*) DDR-Oberliga 2nd
1979-80 (*) DDR-Oberliga 2nd
1980-81 (*) DDR-Oberliga 4th
1981-82 (*) DDR-Oberliga 2nd
1982-83 (*) DDR-Oberliga 7th
1983-84 (*) DDR-Oberliga 2nd
1984-85 (*) DDR-Oberliga 2nd
1985-86 (*) DDR-Oberliga 6th
1986-87 (*) DDR-Oberliga 2nd
1987-88 (*) DDR-Oberliga 3rd
1988-89 (*) DDR-Oberliga 1st
1989-90 (*) DDR-Oberliga 1st
1990-91 (*) NOFV-Oberliga Nordost 2nd
1991-92 (I) Bundesliga 14th
1992-93 (I) Bundesliga 15th
1993-94 (I) Bundesliga 13th
1994-95 (I) Bundesliga 18th license denied. Drop to RNO.
1995-96 (III) Regionalliga Nordost 4th
1996-97 (III) Regionalliga Nordost 7th
1997-98 (III) Regionalliga Nordost 2nd
1998-99 (III) Regionalliga Nordost 11th
1999-00 (III) Regionalliga Nordost 8th
2000-01 (IV) Oberliga Nordost, Sud 5th
2001-02 (IV) Oberliga Nordost, Sud 1st
2002-03 (III) Regionalliga Nord 7th
2003-04 (III) Regionalliga Nord 2nd
2004-05 (II) 2.Bundesliga 8th
2005-06 (II) 2.Bundesliga 15th
2006-07 (III) Regionalliga Nord 7th
2007-08 (III) Regionalliga Nord 8th
2008-09 (III) 3.Liga 9th
2009-10 (III) 3.Liga 12th
2010-11 (III) 3.Liga 3rd won promotion playoff
2011-12 (II) 2.Liga
(c) Abseits Guide to Germany : www.abseits-soccer.com