FC Hansa Rostock

FC Hansa Rostock is a German football club of the Bundesliga (premier league), based in the City of Rostock. Currently in its 10th consecutive Bundesliga season. This year, the Ostseestadion, Hansa's home arena, celebrates its 50th birthday.

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History

The club was founded on December 28 1965, when the soccer division of the club SC Empor Rostock diverged and the new FC Hansa Rostock was founded. The antecedent had been created in 1954, when the team of the SC Empor Lauter was ordered to relocate to Rostock to form a forceful team playing in the new Ostseestadion (finished in 1954).

The 1960s were the most "successful" time of the club. 1962-1964 the team was three times the vice champion of the East German premier league, the Oberliga, as well as four times losing the final of the East German cup.

In the 1970s the club mostly finished in the lower half of the table, and also went to the second division for a while.

In the 1980s the success returned, especially when the club surprisingly became last Oberliga champion (after the German reunification renamed to NOFV-Oberliga) in 1991, as well as winning the east German cup for the first time. The club thus qualified for the Bundesliga.

However after one year in the first league they went down to the second league, managing to return to the first league in 1995, and having remained there for nine years now.

Several famous German soccer players were brought up by FC Hansa Rostock, only to be sold to wealthier clubs like Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund - most notably Stefan Beinlich and Oliver Neuville.

Fans

In a study, FC Hansa Rostock placed fourth in Germany (after Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Schalke 04) in terms of fans. It has currently about 3.8 million supporters.