ZFC Meuselwitz

The origins of the club go back to the establishment of Aktivist Zipsendorf in 1919. After World War II the club played as BSG Aktivist Zipsendorf and enjoyed some early minor success with three consecutive titles (1954–56) in the Kreisliga Altenburg and a 1962 win in local cup play. However, the club remained mired in the lower echelons of East German competition. When the community of Zipsendorf was merged into nearby Meuselwitz in 1976 the team was re-christened BSG Aktivist Meuselwitz. In 1991, after German re-unification the year before, the club briefly joined SV Bergbau as that association's football department before going their own way, first as FV Zipsendorf and then, in 1994, as Zipsendorfer Fußballclub Meuselwitz.

Mid-way through the decade the club began an ascent out of the lower divisions of German football. Between 1993 and 1997 they worked their way up through four different divisions on the strength of four consecutive titles before settling into the Landesliga Thuringia (V) for seven seasons.

Under coach Damian Halata the club reached the semi-finals of the 2003 Thüringerpokal (Thuringia Cup) and the following season captured the Landesliga title to advance to the NOFV-Oberliga Süd (IV) where they played for five seasons until winning promotion to the Regionalliga Nord in 2009. After three seasons at this level the club moved to the Regionalliga Nordost in 2012 when this league was reformed. It has been playing as a mid-table side in this league since.[1]

The association has grown to include departments for bowling and cheerleading.

The club plays its home matches in the bluechip-Arena (capacity 5,000) named under a sponsorship agreement with a local computer firm. The facility was constructed as the Stadion Glaserkuppe in 1953 and refurbished over a two-year period ending in 2004.

As of 13 February 2018[2]

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

No. Position Player 1 GK Tom Pachulski 2 DF Francesco Lubsch 3 DF Arman Aydeniz 4 DF Felix Müller 5 DF David Urban 6 MF Luca Bürger 7 MF Janik Mäder 8 MF René Weinert 9 FW Andy Trübenbach 10 FW Yanick Haag 11 FW Daniel Barth

No. Position Player 14 FW Berkan Aydeniz 16 MF Fabian Raithel 19 MF Sebastian Albert 20 DF Gracjan Horoszkiewicz 21 DF Pierre le Beau 22 MF Fabian Stenzel 23 MF Michael Rudolph 24 FW Maximilian Weiß 26 DF Denny Krahl 27 MF Yves Brinkmann 31 GK Steven Braunsdorf

The club's honours:

• NOFV-Oberliga Süd (V)
  • Champions: 2009
• Landesliga Thüringen (V)
  • Champions: 2004
• Landesklasse Ost (V)
  • Champions: 1997
• Kreisliga Altenburg (VI)
  • Champions: 1994
• Bezirksliga Gera (VI)
  • Champions: 1996
• Bezirksklasse Gera (VII)
  • Champions: 1995

The recent season-by-season performance of the club:[3][1]

• 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.

• Official team site
• Abseits Guide to German Soccer
• Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv historical German football league tables (in German)