Duisburger FV 08 is a sports club from the Hochfeld district of Duisburg in Nordrhein-Westfalen who were formed in June 1908 as Hochfelder Fußball Club. Over the years, the club developed sections for handball, boxing, walking, table tennis, pool and rugby. However, it is through football that the name of DFV is best known.
Duisburger FV 08 will play in Bezirksliga Niederrhein Gruppe 5 in the 2025-26 season.
It was day three of my long weekend in Nordrhein Westphalia to watch football and grab some kind of normality away from the shambles of the handling of Coronavirus back in the UK, and I was having a fantastic time.
There were many choices for an afternoon game around the region, but very few married up to make a doubleheader after a morning kickoff. I’d more or less settled on Ramscheid as my destination after discussion with my local pals the afternoon before.
However, I’d woken in good form and recovered well, so I was hungry to pack in as much as possible. I knew that Grunewald-Kampfbahn was a decent enough venue and was easily accessible, so I made up my mind.
Indeed, I nearly made a bit of an idiot of myself as I flicked through the fixtures on my arrival on Friday afternoon and saw that DSV were at home that evening against SV Duissern. I was halfway into planning the journey when it dawned on me that they’d played the previous evening!
My morning game between DSV 04 and KSC Tesla 07 was entertaining enough if not particularly high on quality. I’d returned at full time to Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof to connect perfectly for a journey of twenty minutes north on one of the fantastic new regional express trains.
I’d remembered that the underground system at Duisburg station was at the north end of the platforms. I soon got my navigational head together and found the correct platform, unlike my previous visit.
There were still forty minutes to kick off when I arrived at the ground, so I went inside the clubhouse, which had a fair array of Internazionale souvenirs on the wall, among other club mementoes.
Despite trying not to indulge heavily in beer, it was hard not to be tempted by the cold bottles of locally brewed König Pilsener at just €1.50. The first was so nice that I had a second while checking up on the cricket scores from back home and relaxing in the shade.
I decided to go out and take some photos around the ground from the far side terrace. It was extremely hot yet again. It didn’t look as though hardly anyone was turning out to watch, but those who were sheltering in the shade.
In the early stages, Bünyamin Topuz for the Essen side looked like the sort of small, clever ball-playing midfielder I enjoy watching. It was an even contest in my eyes, so I was slightly surprised to find that Allemania were a team from the eighth-tier Kreisliga A, whereas the hosts were a level higher in the Bezirksliga.
The sun was too hot on the terrace, and despite the good view, I had to retreat to the far side, where I wasn’t as high up, but the trees offered some protection. I also filled in the track and trace form near the gate into the ground.
It only occurred to me at that point that it was as well that there was no admittance fee, as I’d dodged it anyway by going straight into the clubhouse. Some fellow groundhoppers see that as fair game, whereas I prefer to pay my way, as I’ve seen from behind the scenes back home how difficult it is to fund a football club.
Gradually, DSV took control and played some nice intricate stuff going forward before the clever Ahmed Annachat put them ahead just before the half-hour mark with a neat finish to the delight of a couple of his pals who were sitting just in front of me.
The skills and pace of Duisburger were starting to punish the Alemannia side. Ahmed Ammari went on a fine dribbling run, although he probably should have released the ball, which fell when he was tackled, to Annachat, who doubled the lead ten minutes before the break.
Veteran defender Hasan Fidan was having a proper moan at his Alemannia colleagues and goalkeeper Veysel Erdam, who I thought was doing a decent job. He then got stuck into referee Mustapha Ǘmüt, who I also thought was having a good game. It must have been the heat?
To be fair, it must have been hard work. It was tough enough watching as I contemplated an early departure. I was to be rewarded for my resilience with a fine second half. Whatever coach Adem Durmus told his side at the interval must have been inspiring.
He also made five substitutions, which also had an effect, whereas his counterpart, Dirk Pusch, made just the one with another further change at the midway point in the half. It was back to type on equal standing as at the beginning of the match.
Frederick Owusu Ansah impressed me on the left-hand side of defence for DSV. He was a commanding presence who seemed to inspire his colleagues. Gradually, Alemannia were getting back into the contest.
They were rewarded just after the hour mark when Semih Uzunay reduced the arrears before Mehmet Kocak netted the equaliser three minutes later. The visiting bench and smattering of supporters were jubilant.
The mid-half break probably came at the wrong time for them, as DSV were able to regroup. The match could have gone either way after that, as space opened up as limbs began to tire. Haydar Han put the hosts back in the lead ten minutes from time.
It was 4-2 five minutes after when Yüksel Kilic scored after being initially denied by an Erdam save. I’d seen it out to the end, helped by an ice-cold Coke in the second half. I’m not sure what type of meat was being barbecued, but it smelled good.
There was no time to hang around to find out. I returned to Grunewald stop above the ground to catch the U79 all the way back to Düsseldorf. I had a far longer ride than the lad who got on at the same time, only to realise inspectors were aboard. He jumped off at the next stop!
I broke my journey at Heinrich-Heine-Allee for the Altstadt for a snack and more liquid before heading back to my room for a siesta. I returned to the old town, but it was apparent that much of it was closing down as the remaining punters gradually headed home.
After taking a few obligatory sightseeing photos, I made my way nearer home, stopping initially for a couple of beers at Der Grieche am Fürstenplatz. I was allured by the aesthetic nature of a staff member when passing on Friday.
She wasn’t there, the beer was expensive, and I got peppered with the sounds of a Greek bloke wailing along to his Bouzouki over the speakers. Not brilliant. Instead, I headed to Kepler Eck, the more traditional bar where a birthday party was going on the previous evening.
Again, I sat outside with one eye on the kebab and pizza shop up the road. The Alt was going down well, and it was a fair price. The shop's lights went out. It was going to have to be nibbles from the 24-hour convenience store opposite, or maybe not. They closed as well.
Worse was to follow as the bar was closing. However, in a sliding doors moment, I saw that the rather trendy Café Knülle was still serving next door. It would have been rude not to have enjoyed a last couple of beers outdoors as Sunday became Monday.
Supper was eventually provided at another kiosk further up from the crossroads. I even caught the end of some of the snooker before I crashed out, a tired and happy man despite the heat.
I must have had a good rest, as I was in top form to head to Dortmund Airport for my flight home the following day via Wenkers Brauhaus for a quick lunch before heading out on Monday night for beers back in North London to recount my adventures to my pal Steve Barnes.