Stuttgart-Münster (Germany)

TSVgg Stuttgart-Münster is a sports club from the Münster district of Stuttgart in Germany. The club has sections for athletics, petanque, badminton, health sports, handball, ski & hiking, dance, table tennis, fitness, volleyball, as well as football. The club were formed in 1875.

Münster progressed as C-Klasse champions in 1918-19 at the start of a fine run of honours for the team. The B-Klasse title was collected in 1920-21 before winning A-Klasse in 1923-24 to progress to the Kreisliga, whose title was lifted in 1928-29.

The club reached the Bezirksklasse, the second highest in Württemberg, winning the league championship in 1941-42, 1942-43 and 1945-46 before a fourth title followed in 1948-49. Münster reached the 2. Amateurliga before dropping back to A-Klasse.

The A-Klasse title was lifted in 1953-54 to offer a brief reappearance in 2. Amateurliga. The 1960s saw the team drop down a couple of levels before climbing back to finish as A-Klasse runners-up in 1971-72.

A-Klasse was won in 1977-78 as Münster climbed to the Landesliga. The team continued at similar levels of competition until the 2003-04 campaign, when they finished fifth in the national ninth-tier Kreisliga A1, where an improvement of one place was achieved in 2005-06.

The league title was won in 2008-09 with Münster finishing their first Bezirksliga campaign for many years in mid-table before climbing to fifth in 2010-11 and then becoming champions in 2011-12 to climb to the seventh-tier Landesliga, where they were placed in Staffel 2.

However, the step up proved too severe as the team returned to the Bezirksliga after just one season. A runners-up birth in 2014-15 elevated Münster into the playoffs, where they fell just short. Relegation was avoided on goal difference in 2016-17.

The warning wasn’t heeded as the team went down in bottom place twelve months later despite the goals of Bernhard Kreis. There wasn’t much improvement in 2018-19 under coach David Biedemann, as Rene Weinhardt top-scored in the Kreisliga A1 season.

Münster were just outside the relegation places when the 2019-20 season was halted owing to the COVID-19 pandemic under player-trainer Sascha Rauhut. Stefan Schuon took over as team trainer the following season, with the goals of Kevin Sholabomi helping the team to the title in 2022-23 and promotion to the eighth-tier Bezirksliga.

Andreas Contino was appointed as trainer ahead of the 2024-25 season, which ended in relegation back to Kreisliga A1 Stuttgart/Böblingen, where Uwe Braun came in to take over team affairs. 

TSVgg Stuttgart-Münster will compete in the Kreisliga A Staffel 1 Stuttgart in the 2020-21 season.

My visit

Sunday 16th August 2015

I had a morning to fill in Stuttgart before heading to a couple of matches later in the day. My research of the local football set up and the transport system highlighted a few venues it was easy to call in at. I was totally blind as to what standard the grounds would be.

The rain was falling heavily, and I was on my penultimate ground of four before I needed a change of shirt. My England 1982 retro top was soaked, and I’d foolishly gone out without another layer.

The U-Bahn line 14 dropped me at Münste Viadukt, which was just a few yards from the entrance to the Stadion am Viadukt Rasen. As I approached it soon became apparent that players were turning up for a game.

The large car park backed up to the near goal. Behind it was a tremendous, multiple-storey old brick clubhouse with changing facilities on the bottom floor. The pitch was surrounded by a rail. 

Down one side, there was just a small space before the fence separated the ground from Neckartalstrasse. The far side had a small bank with covered facilities towards the far end. I didn’t have time to explore, but it looked like they could include the traditional catering facilities.

Having left the ground to walk back to the station, I was passed by a couple of players getting off a train from the other direction, all ready for their match. I looked up and was astounded by the size of the huge EnBW steam energy plant built over the transport tunnel and into the hill. A lesson to always look around when in a new place, so you don't miss something.

I headed on to the next venue, that of near neighbours Stuttgart-Canstatt. On returning home, I found out that the game I would have seen if I’d hung around was a friendly game between the second teams of Stuttgart-Münster and ASV Botnang, which ended in a 5-2 win for the visitors.