Freiburger FC

Founded in 1897, for many decades FFC were the dominant club in the city. Their early successes included a South German title in their second season and a national championship in 1907. The club were also semi-finalists of the Torneo Internazionale Stampa Sportiva, one of the first international football competitions in the world, in 1908. Those wins proved to be the height of their success, and they have not won any significant honours since. In 1916, the club managed to win the Südkreis-Liga but the competition was heavily affected by the war and very localised.

The club belonged to the tier-one Kreisliga Südwest and then the Bezirksliga Baden throughout its existence from 1923 to 1933. They played mid-table in the Gauliga Baden through the 1930s, and after the Second World War, entered the 2. Oberliga Süd. With the formation of the Bundesliga, Germany's professional football league, in 1963, Freiburg found themselves seeded in the tier II Regionalliga Süd, while SC Freiburg were playing in the Amateurliga Südbaden (III). FFC slipped to that level for three seasons in 1974–77 before playing their way back to 2. Bundesliga. However the team could not draw support and suffered from poor attendance throughout the following five-year period spent in the 2nd division. When they were relegated to the amateur Oberliga Baden-Württemberg in 1982, only a saving campaign by fans kept the club out of bankruptcy, while SC Freiburg remained in the 2. Bundesliga on their way to the top…