Ground: Sportpark Höhenberg
Capacity: 8,343
Club Founded: 1904
League: 3. Liga (current level)
Viktoria Cologne, as known in English, may not receive as much coverage as city giants 1. FC Köln, but they attract passionate supporters who head to their homely stadium on a matchday.
Early Years
FC
Viktoria Köln’s origins go
all the way back to 1904 and have evolved through a series of mergers, name changes, and restructuring
over the years. FC
Germania Kalk was its first name, being formed before merging with FC Kalk, to become SV Kalk 04 in 1909.
A further merger occurred a couple of years later, as
Mülheimer FC came on board to create VfR Mülheim-Kalk 04. In 1918, the club changed their title to VfR Köln 04 after the previously independent towns of Kalk and Mülheim had become part of the city of Cologne.
The Third Reich Years
The club's first
honour came in 1923-24 when the club were crowned Westdeutsche Fußball
Meisterschaft Western German champions. The club's
Flughafen Stadion, located inside Sportpark Höhenberg, was completely rebuilt a few years later, before football in Germany was reorganised in 1933 under the
rule of the Third Reich.
VfR Köln 04 were placed in Gauliga Mittelrhein, one of sixteen top-flight divisions, where they finished as runners-up before becoming champions the following season. The title win was repeated three seasons later in 1936-37.
Post War
The nearest
the side came to further honours was a runners-up place, followed by the same performance on a couple of occasions in the Gauliga
Köln-Aachen. Following the conflict, the club was placed in Oberliga West in 1947-48 but was relegated in its
inaugural season.
The club played a season in the Rheinbezirksliga before a further merger took place in 1949. VfR had joined forces for one Gauliga season with Mülheimer SV, but now entered a permanent merger with the club, being renamed SC Rapid Köln 04.
The team
competed in 2. Oberliga West, from where they were relegated after
the league streamlined to one division. A league title and then a runners-up spot in 1955-65 was enough to secure a place in the
new Verbandsliga, the third-tier level of West German football.
Rapid joined local rivals SC Preußen Dellbrück, forming SC Viktoria 04 Köln in 1957 to take Dellbrück’s place in the top-level Oberliga West in an attempt to compete with 1. FC Köln. The first few seasons saw Viktoria finish in mid-table positions under their trainer, Hennes Weisweiler.
European Football
Viktoria were chosen to play in the 1962-63 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, going out to Ferencváros in the first round before the club was placed in the second-tier Regionalliga West after the advent of the Bundesliga in 1963-64. The team generally finished in mid-table, while star player Jürgen Schult moved to Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Viktoria had an escape from relegation, but the team went down at the end of the 1971-72 campaign. They regained their status, being promoted from Verbandsliga Mittelrhein a year later, but the joy was short-lived as Viktoria were relegated again.
Ups and Downs
Viktoria went on to win promotion in 1977-78 to take the team to 2. Bundesliga Nord. Viktoria dropped back down to the third-level Oberliga Nordrhein once the second tier was reduced to one national division. After finishing runners-up twice, a disastrous 1993-94 campaign saw Viktoria relegated in bottom place.
Another merger was created with SC Brück as the club was renamed as SCB Preußen Köln. League restructuring saw the Oberliga become the fourth tier after the introduction of the Regionalliga, with the team returning to that level following promotion from Verbandsliga Niederrhein, which is from where the team was relegated.
Preußen returned to the fourth tier at the first attempt as league champions. The club was re-christened SCB Viktoria Köln in 2002.
A New Start
They were relegated in 2003-04 before dropping further to the Landesliga five years later. However, the club could not continue because of a huge debt. A new replacement club, FC Viktoria Köln 1904, was formed on 22nd June 2010.
The club continued to run the youth sides of SCB Viktoria while waiting to restart the senior side. The authorities deemed that they should start in the lowest level, Kreisliga D. However, Viktoria came to an agreement to buy the licence of another local club, FC Junkersdorf.
This allowed Viktoria to take their place in the fourth-tier NRW-Liga that Junkersdorf had earned after winning the Mittelrheinliga championship the previous season. New investment arrived at the restructured club as they looked to build on the momentum.
This was achieved as Viktoria won the league title in 2011-12 to climb to Regionalliga West as the combination of Mike Wunderlich and Ercan Aydoğmuş put away the goals, with crowds returning to Sportpark Höhenberg.
Aziz Bouhaddouz added firepower in Regionalliga West under trainer Claus-Dieter Wollitz as Viktoria continued their improvement, as Fatih Candan scored regularly. Tomasz Kaczmarek was appointed as trainer at the winter break in the 2014-15 season after a faltering start to the season.
Marco Antwerpen arrived as chief trainer in the summer of 2016. His side saw Sven Kreyer score regularly as Viktoria stormed to the Regionalliga West title before losing on away goals to FC Carl Zeiss Jena in the play-offs to miss out on promotion.
Timm Golley and Simon Handle added valuable goals as Viktoria ended another season as league runners-up after Olaf Janßen took over the trainer’s role after the winter break. He was replaced by Patrick Glöckner, whose team won the 2018-19 league title with Albert Bunjaku leading the scoring.
Skipper Wunderlich continued to be the main talisman in the 3. Liga under new trainer Pavel Dotchev. Janßen returned as chief trainer in February 2021. Robin Meißner, Lex-Tyger Lobinger and Serhat-Semih Güler were all regular goalscorers before the appointment of new trainer, Marian Wilhelm, in the summer of 2025.
My visits
Stadium Visit - Friday 26th October 2012
A Weekend Away
I had been in Germany and in and around the city of Cologne for a few hours after first calling at the Südstadion, the home of SC Fortuna Köln. My journey on the tram to the Höhenberg Frankfurter Strasse stop required a change on the way.
It turned farcical as my particular vehicle suffered from a breakdown, which led to a load of announcements that I didn't understand and a standstill for some time before we went in a direction I wasn't prepared for. Eventually, I worked out where I was and got to my intended stop.
I crossed the busy Frankfurter Strasse and entered Sportpark Höhenberg, which had a tree-lined lane with lots of country paths heading off it. It looked as if it attracted people who kept fit and headed out for a stroll.
After a few hundred metres, I arrived outside the Flughafen Stadion, such named because of the altitude of the park. I was delighted to see the gates were open, with workers preparing for the following day's clash with Rot Weiss Essen. I walked past the artificial pitch behind the Main Stand to have a proper look.
The ground showed signs of once having a running track around it and was still of that shape. The Main Stand was a single covered tier of seats. Opposite was open terracing. At the far end, a semi-temporary hospitality building had been erected, while at the entrance end was disused with a shallow grass bank following the curve around.
I walked out and found another Verbandsliga Mittelrhein club, TuS Köln, who were based across the track, which can be read about here.
Viktoria Köln 2 TSG Hoffenheim 3 – after extra time DFB Pokal Round One - Monday 9th August 2021 (att: 3,402)
👨👨👧👧 3,402 🎟️ €15
COVID Restrictions Eased
The restrictions
surrounding the pandemic being relaxed for travel between Germany and the UK had been eased, saw me jumping the gun, and bag cheap Ryanair return flights between Stansted and
Cologne for a long weekend between Friday and Tuesday. As ever, I
had been scouring the advanced fixtures, which offered lots of football
possibilities.
I was concerned if there would be anything on my final night, so
I was naturally delighted when this cup tie was scheduled. Next up was
keeping a close eye on the Viktoria website for ticket news. It was all straightforward,
as I managed to buy one on the terracing behind the goal for €15. Absolutely
perfect.
A Quality Football Weekend
The trip had
gone better than I could have wished for. I’d already seen seven full and a half
matches. The previous morning, I’d received an email from my hotel allowing me to
pay an extra €10 for an early check-in, which I was delighted to do. I’d had
quite a good evening in Düsseldorf’s Altstadt and
headed south on the train, ready for an extended rest.
Well, once I’d completed
the online form required for returnees to the UK and realised it required
booking a Covid test with a reference number. Having
rested, I headed out for a walk and took some sightseeing photos around the
river and old town. A late lunch came courtesy of a generous portion of spicy currywurst
and chips for €4.50 in the square at Heumarkt.
Pre Match
I’d arranged
to meet my Bayer Leverkusen supporting pal Marius, who had obtained a ticket
through one of his mates at Viktoria. In the meantime, I wandered the streets
of the city centre before I got a message to meet at Mülheim station. I had called
in the bar Marius was at before a Bayer against Mönchengladbach game a few
years before.
It had changed hands and was now called Zoki's Brauhaus, but still
produced its own Kölsch beer. Marius was
in good form. He’d been to his first Bayer away game in many months on the Saturday
as his side progressed in the Pokal away to Lokomotive
Leipzig. He said it had been an extremely long drinking day with the usual
travelling tales.
I mentioned
that I was running out of options of prominent football clubs that I’d yet to
visit in North Rhine-Westphalia, and this game would tick off all three major
Cologne clubs. So you’ve done Viktoria and Fortuna, but I can’t think of the
third, he replied, showing his Leverkusen colours and their rivalry with FC Köln.
We sat
outside and enjoyed a few refreshing drinks before crossing over Frankfurter Straße
to catch the bus 151 to the stop ten minutes up the main road nearest to Sportpark
Höhenberg. Kick-off was 6.30pm, but we still had bags of time. It was time to go
local.
It’s a
tradition that many fans don’t bother with official bars but take their own
drinks and gather near stadiums. Marius went to the Aral petrol station, which
was doing a fine trade in beers to thirsty fans. We crossed over the road and
came across some folk familiar to him.
Jürgen was
with a Glaswegian Partick Thistle supporter, whose name I didn’t catch. We did
the introductions and drank the beer as I had a chat with the Scotsman, who said
he’d lived in the city for twenty-seven years and loved the place. I mentioned
my liking for Düsseldorf, but he rather surprisingly compared that city to
Edinburgh and Cologne being like Glasgow.
I’d always thought of the comparison, but the other way around. That’s why I like talking and listening to locals. We walked
along through the woodland. Höhenberg was certainly in a beautiful setting.
Proof of both vaccinations was required at the gate. I asked my Scottish
friend, who was a season ticket holder, if the club produced programmes.
He didn’t
seem sure but told me to enquire at the little hut selling merchandise and gave
me two phrases in German to ask the young fräulein behind the counter. One was “program”
in a local dialect, but I hadn’t heard the other one. I repeated it to Marius, who burst out laughing. I’d been stitched up and sent to ask for toilet paper.
We had beers
and a bratwurst before heading up onto the open terrace. This was a semi-permanent
construction and a new addition from my previous visit. The far end had extra paraphernalia
to accommodate the live TV coverage and looked more like part of a rugby union
venue back home.
Supporters Connections
Jürgen told
me all about a fan partnership that Viktoria had with Carshalton Athletic. Supporters
of both clubs had been to watch the other side play and stayed in contact.
Indeed, some of the Köln contingent had even been to
support the Robins away to Guernsey! What struck
me about the home fans, like everyone I spoke to on the trip, was that they
were most welcoming to me.
Slightly surprised too at the football I’d attended,
but they were also extremely honest and pragmatic about their own sides’
chances in this cup tie. Viktoria
from 3. Liga were up against a top-level Hoffenheim outfit. I was struggling to
find a fan who thought that the hosts would progress. I was probably the most
optimistic. I think it says plenty about how we get carried away before
international tournaments.
The Match
The
visitors, cheered on by less than 200 travelling fans, looked dangerous going
forward in the early exchanges. Andrej Kramarić went close with a shot that
went just past the post after ten minutes. Kai Klefisch responded for Viktoria,
but his shot failed to trouble keeper Philipp Pentke. The home
side began to grow in confidence, finding gaps in the TSG midfield prior to
Kevin Akpoguma hitting the side of the Köln net.
Georginio Rutter then went close with a header for Hoffenheim. It was the
away side who went ahead on twenty-seven minutes when referee Franz Bokop adjudged
that Christoph Gregor stood on an opponent's foot in the area. Kramarić, with
his stuttering run-up, calmly put the penalty away past Moritz Nicolas.
Six minutes
later, the majority of Höhenberg went wild. Viktoria midfielder Nikolaj Möller,
on loan from Arsenal, spread the ball wide to Simon Handle, who put a beautiful
curling shot into the far corner with Pentke well beaten. Jacob Bruun
Larsen had an effort for TSG off target as the rain clouds threatened. A youth
next to me was getting out his rain poncho.
We joked together with his friends
joining in as I offered him €3. I was smug as the danger passed, and he had to
put it away. At the break, I grabbed a beer and caught up with Jurgen as we’d moved so Marius could catch
up with other friends. Jürgen was calm about the penalty. I saw it as an exaggerated
fall. He thought it justified.
Home keeper
Nicolas punched away a cross after the restart, which was headed back in by Angelo
Stiller. The goalie made the save. This was backed up by an off-target header
from Kramarić, while the hosts were more than holding their own. Nicolas made
another save from an effort from Christoph Baumgartner following a centre from
substitute Sebastian Rudy.
Midway through the half, a heavy rainstorm did
deposit itself over the stadium, and I got absolutely soaked. The lads to my
side, all in ponchos, thought it hilarious. Baumgartner
was sent through by Kramarić, but put his effort
wide. TSG pressed for a winner in normal time, but Viktoria were defending
well. It was 1-1 after ninety minutes, and we went into thirty minutes of extra
time.
Four minutes
in, Hoffenheim regained the lead. Baumgartner got round Handle down the left and
centred low for another replacement, Munas Dabbur to score. There were some
deflated looks all around me on the terrace. Viktoria refused
to submit, as Timmy Thiele fired narrowly wide before Dabbur forced Nicolas
into a save as play became stretched.
Three minutes before the interval, the
home side and their fans were in ecstasy. Handle took
a corner, which found the unmarked Christoph Greger to rise and head home.
Stefan Posch went close to putting TSG back ahead. However, they wouldn’t have
to wait long to score what would turn out to be the winner.
Mijat Gacinovic
fed Kramarić, who skilfully beat home skipper Maximilian Rossmann before
slotting home. It was a goal of great quality and fitting to win a cup tie. His
side closed out the game well with some diligent defending.
Post Match Beers
After the
match, we headed back to the main road. Marius had a lift back to Leverkusen
while I went to catch the nearby number 1 tram. I stayed on for a few stops towards the city
before alighting at Kalk Kapella for post-match libations. I’d tried to
get served on my previous visit to Kornkammer Köln-Kalk, but they were about to
close. This time, I had more luck as I sat at the bar drying out and enjoying
fine local beer. I saw someone from the match who beckoned me to join her and
her friend.
Danii was
one of the fans who’d travelled to Guernsey. The three of us had a good chat
and were joined by her boyfriend Stefan, a shorter lookalike of Richard Osman.
They spoke excellent English and were excellent company. I learned
about Cologne, the dislike between Viktoria and Fortuna and that most football
fans also supported FC Köln but had either been priced out or were unable to
get tickets, so they also had a “smaller” club.
We had a
good conversation about the UK leaving the EU and the Prime Minister. I was thinking I didn’t rate him highly! I’d had enough soon after 11pm and took the
tram back to Heumarkt from where I walked back to my room at a&o Köln
Hauptbahnhof. It was as well that I checked all travel advice before I went to sleep.
Last Minute Panic
How I missed
it, I don’t know, but there it was. I needed a negative C-19 test. I began
scouring and found out what all the tents were doing at the entrance to Sportpark
Höhenberg. It was a drive and walk-in test centre. The
following morning, I was up and followed my route from a few hours earlier,
full of confidence.
Therefore, I was more than a little concerned when a lady
at security asked me where my car was, as only drive-ins were allowed. I was pleading
with her, but she wasn’t going to budge. She then saw her boss arrive and sent
me in his direction. Fortunately, he took pity on me and instructed the nurse
to give me the swab. I was most grateful and headed to Messe/Deutz station for breakfast.
Shortly
after, I got a notification and an online certificate that my test was negative. I
then had to phone the company who had charged me rather a lot for my test on
return, but had not emailed me the reference code. What a kerfuffle!
At the airport, I regaled my friends with my dramas on Facebook. It was, therefore, more than a
little concerning when someone pointed out that the rapid flow test would be
insufficient. It was a bit late by then. I had gone through passport control.
Whether it
was sufficient or not, we will never know. The Ryanair staff didn’t check, and
nor did border staff at Stansted. The pilot mentioned we needed both
vaccinations and proof, but they were not checked either. Instead, I just used
the automatic electronic passport gates.
I got home,
tired and ready for a few nights off the booze, but delighted with what was a superb
time in a district of a country that never lets me down. Danke, North Rhine-Westphalia!
