Holstein Kiel (Germany)

Kieler SV Holstein, or Holstein Kiel as the club is more commonly known is a professional football club from the city of Kiel, located the southwestern shore of the Baltic Sea in Northern Germany.

The current club was formed on June 7^th 1917, following the merger of Kieler Fussball Verein von 1900 and Sportverein Holstein von 1902, who had both been severely weakened during World War One.

Kieler Fussball Verein von 1900

Kieler Fußball-Verein was formed on October 7^th 1900 out of the gymnastics club Kieler Männerturnvereins von 1844. The club wasn’t too successful leading to an emphasis on track and field athletics.

Kieler Fußball-Club Holstein

Kieler Fußball-Club Holstein was formed on May 4^th 1902, changing their title to Fußball-Verein Holstein von 1902 in 1908. The club quickly established themselves with the team reaching the final of the German Football Championship in 1910.

Holstein went down 1-0 after extra time to Karlsruher FV at Platz im Weidenpescher Parkin Köln before being crowned as national champions in 1912 when the same opponents were defeated 1-0 thanks to a penalty from Ernst Möller at Stadion Hoheluft in Hamburg.

A further change of name to Sportverein Holstein von 1902 came in 1914 before the merger to form the current club.

Further appearances were made in the final rounds of the championship before finishing as runners-up for a second time in 1930 after a 5-4 defeat to Hertha BSC in Düsseldorf. Under Third Reich rule German football was divided into sixteen top flight Gauliga’s, with Holstein being placed in Gauliga Nordmark.

The team fared well but success became slightly easier in 1942 when Gauliga Nordmark was split in two with Kiel joining Gauliga Schleswig-Holstein, away from the biggest club in the region; Hamburger SV. Holstein won their new league in 1942, 1943 and 1944.

Shortly after the end of World War Two ‘Die Störche’ joined Oberliga Nord, one of five top level regional divisions across Germany. The team ended as runners-up in 1952-53 and 1956-57, with the reserve team winning the German Amateur Championship in 1960-61.

Kiel didn’t make the cut for the newly formed Bundesliga for the 1963-64 season, so they took up a position in the second tier Regionalliga Nord. The goals of Gerd Saborowski and Gerd Koll took the team to the title in 1964-65. However, promotion wasn’t won after poor results in the play-off group rounds.

German football was restructured in the summer of 1974 with the introduction of a new 2. Bundesliga. Kiel failed to qualify and were placed in the third tier Oberliga Nord, winning promotion to the Nord section in 1977-78.

Holstein dropped back down to Oberliga Nord for the 1981-82 campaign after 2. Bundesliga was streamlined to one division. Axel Möller banged in the goals as the side finished in third place in 1982-83.

Kiel came close to promotion in 1986-87, finishing in fourth place with Carsten Nemitz as top scorer. The team continued to finish in the top seven for several seasons before German football had another facelift in 1994 with Holstein playing in Regionalliga Nord; the new third tier before being relegated to Oberliga Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein in 1995-96.

Holstein recovered their Regionalliga position in 1997-98 before dropping back down to the fourth tier a couple of seasons later before reclaiming third level football at the first attempt in 2000-01.

The goals of Dmitrijus Guščinas and then Daniel Teixeira brought cheer to the loyal fans at Holstein-Stadion on their return for the following three campaigns. Pavel Dobrý was in the goals in 2005-06 as Kiel finished in fourth position.

However, the 2006-07 season ended in relegation to Oberliga Nord, which had become the fourth tier after further re-organisation of the league’s with Kiel winning the title and promotion just twelve months later.

The run continued as Kiel were crowned as Regionalliga Nord champions in 2008-09 to reach 3. Liga. The goals of Michael Holt weren’t enough to save the team from relegation after just one season.

Marc Heider and Fiete Sykora’s goals took the side to sixth place in the Regionalliga table in 2010-11, while Jarosław Lindner joined the party in 2011-12 with Kiel finishing as runners-up. Marcel Schied was top scorer in 2012-13 with Hostein finishing as champions.

KSV Hessen Kassel were defeated 4-2 on aggregate in the play-offs as Kiel returned to 3. Liga. A third place finish in 2014-15 secured a play-off place which was lost 2-1 on aggregate to TSV 1860 München.

Head coach Karsten Neitzel had been at the club since 2013 before departing in August 2016 with Markus Anfang taking over. The change paid dividends as Kiel ended winning promotion to 2. Bundesliga as runners-up with Kingsley Schindler top scoring.

A superb season back in the second tier saw the goals of Marvin Ducksch and Dominick Drexler fire Holstein into third place. VfL Wolfsburg retained their top flight place to deny Kiel Bundesliga football with a 4-1 aggregate win.

Anfang departed to 1. FC Köln before the start of the 2018-19 campaign, with Tim Walter taking over the role. He took Kiel to sixth position at the completion of the season as the redevelopment of Holstein-Stadion continued.

Kiel went for a change of coach for 2019-20 as André Schubert but only lasted six matches. Poor form led to the appointment of Ole Werner as his replacement with Holstein achieving a place just above mid table come the seasons end.

Holstein Kiel will play in 2. Bundesliga in the 2020-21 season.

My visit

Holstein Kiel 5 FC Erzgebirge Aue 1 (Friday 15^th March 2019) 2. Bundesliga (att: 8,666)

I had decided to visit northern Germany while on annual leave from work to coincide with home games for HSV and Holstein. The previous day had seen me visit some local Hamburg football venues before going on a walking tour of the Reeperbahn and St Pauli district.

It had certainly been an eye opener and a great way to learn. It was followed up by an enjoyable tour of local bars before returning to my room at the Hotel Stadt Altona. Once again, the weather was not the best as I headed into town on Friday morning.

I’d plumped for further education by way of a walking tour of the new and old city centre, with as it turned out, Sabina who had entertained us the previous evening as she gave us excellent tips and information.

Unfortunately, a couple of heavy showers engulfed us on our way. I was cold, wet and a little tired. I was in two minds whether to take the hour long train journey up to the Baltic coast, despite already purchasing a €14 terrace ticket to be collected at Holstein-Stadion.

The train fare was also a slight deterrent. I really should have bought a cheap bus ticket in advance, as the rail fare was to cost €29. However, my mantra of only being here once eventually won through. The other uninteresting local fixtures was also a factor.

Once repaired with currywurst and fries I felt ready to tackle the world once more. The busy train wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, as I thought I may fit in a little siesta. The journey north was uneventful before alighting in Kiel, in sight of the harbour.

The wind was strong and cold, with Kiel not really looking to be much of a tourist destination. The visiting Aue team bus was across the road from the station, as the team boarded from the Hotel Y Living Kiel to head to the stadium.

There really didn’t look much to do; at least around the station. I didn’t have enough time to sound out the Aldstadt so I took a bus with other fans in the direction of the ground. The journey took around fifteen minutes and was definitely too far to walk.

We jumped out on Westring and walked a few minutes up to the stadium. I found the ticket office without any bother and was pleased to see no queues. Within minutes I’d walked round to the far side for my entrance to Block J in the Nord-Tribüne where I picked up a free A4 sized colour programme.

My first job was to take a few photos inside before returning to the area for concessions; where a beer, bratwurst and frikkadel were enjoyed. It was really cold and blustery, even if the hardened locals didn’t seem to show signs of being cold.

Holstein-Stadion was a bit of a mixture of a venue, as it was being modernised for the demands of the upper end of the second tier. The stadium previously had a track around the pitch. The new covered terrace of the West-Tribüne was right up to the goal.

Another new standing area was under construction at the other end, but not yet ready to be opened. The Nord-Tribüne had an area of seats flanked by covered terrace. The Aue fans were positioned in the far end blocks.

Finally, the Süd-Tribüne consisted of a basic raised stand with a full length open paddock in front of it. A small covered area had been erected towards the Ost end, while a raised area had been installed next to the original stand towards the West-Tribüne.

The terrace was the best place to be pre-match as it was sheltered from the wind and then heavy rain. The young lasses in their dancing gear must have been frozen as they entertained the crowd. I honestly thought one of them had been dropped from a height, but it was all part of the act.

It all had the feel of Portsmouth, or Grimsby Town as a local fan corrected me on Facebook later. There were certainly plenty of sturdy built blokes who’d enjoyed some fuel after work. One fella was having to be held up by his mates as he sported a wide grin.

Cold wind and rain or not, Holstein got straight into action from the kick-off and simply blew Erzgebirge away despite losing their previous two matches. The hosts were to take the lead in the sixth minute.

The classy László Bénes used the conditions to put in a free kick bending towards goal where Mathias Honsak headed past the visiting keeper Martin Männel. I’d taken to the Kiel team and fans and celebrated with them.

Not least because of the goal music. I am usually no fan of such gimmicks, but a ships hooter going off followed by a burst of Nellie the Elephant by the Toy Dolls was simply brilliant and just seemed to fit perfectly. It can be enjoyed here.

The lead was nearly doubled within a minute as Honsak fired a shot to the top corner after being set up by Atakan Karazor; forcing Männel into a fine save. It wasn’t to be long before we were jumping about in celebration for a second time. Honsak teed up Bénes who fired home from the edge of the box.

To be fair, Aue tried to force their way back in with some decent attacking play of their own. Pascal Testroet saw his shot from the edge of the box dealt with by home custodian Dominik Reimann on thirteen minutes.

The Kiel defence held firm until the twenty sixth minute when Jan Hochscheidt scored a cracker from outside the box to round off a rapid foray. Suddenly there was a serious game on. Alexander Mühling replied with a shot that went narrowly wide for Holstein.

Aue saw a couple of efforts on goal go over the bar, while Honsak missed from close range for Kiel. Bénes came close to extending the lead shortly before the interval as his left footed shot came back off the crossbar.

At the break I remained in the stand but tried to get myself a better position. It wasn’t easy as the area was busy and plenty of the patrons were most certainly “in beer”. I hoped that the second half matched up to the second in terms of entertainment.

Nine minutes after the break it was 3-1 when Bénes scored with a low shot from inside the box. Masaya Okugawa had an effort saved for Holstein as the locals went in search of more goals throughout the half.

Okugawa made it 4-1 with fifteen minutes remaining as he scored from close in after being assisted by Honsak. Emmanuel Iyoha had a couple of attempts at goal for Erzgebirge, but the game was done and dusted.

Honsak went off to a fine ovation with six minutes left on the clock. His replacement, Aaron Seydel, also received a rousing reception. It proved to be well deserved as the substitute scored with his first touch when converting a cross from Bénes.

With a minute or so remaining I edged my way through the terrace and to the exit. I wanted to ensure that I caught the first available train back, and I managed to get a seat on the second of the queue of buses waiting to transport us back to the station.

I was certainly pleased that I had made the effort to go to the match. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and performance. There was plenty of room on the train, which contained some visiting fans. All seemed to be going well, at least for most of the journey.

That was until we reached Pinneberg, on the outskirts of Hamburg. I was listening to music as an announcement went out. We certainly weren’t moving, and several other passengers were getting off. A member of staff explained that there had been an incident ahead and advised us to cross platforms.

Fortunately, the S3 local S Bahn set out from Pinneberg so we could take that route back into the city. It worked out well for me, despite the many stops, as I could get out at the Reeperbahn stop without having to change at the Central Station.

By now I was ready for a few beers to round off a cracking day. I headed back to Astra Bar on Friedrichstraße, where the welcome had been superb the night before as I was given a couple of free shots. The barman remembered me, and we were soon back into it.

After a few bottles of Astra, I walked to the excellent Astra Brauerei on the main drag for a couple of beers while listening to a cheesy singer and pianist. The locals seemed to enjoy him anyway. I was now feeling adventurous.

Bar 99 Cent offered all drinks for that price. Why not I thought? I got to the door where the bouncer told me it was €1 admission. No problem I thought. Until I got inside. It was rammed, with customers three deep around the bar and just a couple serving. Very clever!

I nodded and winked at the bouncer fully thirty seconds after our previous encounter. You live and learn! Instead I wandered about taking in the sights, sounds and smells of Große Freiheit.

I could imagine how the fledgling Beatles must have felt having discovered such a vibrant area back in their late teens. I’m an experienced traveller and it was lively enough for me. I’d really grown to like Hamburg on my return. I never really got to grips with it on my first visit a few years previously.

The kebabs were certainly large from the takeaway I chose, as I wandered back along Königstraße towards my Altona hotel without a care in the world. It had been a fantastic day and night once again on my travels.