STV Horst-Emscher

The club traces its history back to TG Horster Mark, a club formed in 1912, which merged eight years later with the TV Horst 1892 to form STV Horst-Emscher. The club was strongly associated with coal mining, as was Gelsenkirchen and the Ruhr area, and the local colliery Zeche Nordstern. STV's most successful era came after the Second World War when it qualified for the new tier one Oberliga West in 1947. In the first three post-war seasons of the league from 1947 to 1950 STV Horst-Emscher out performed Gelsenkirchen's most successful club, FC Schalke 04, who had six German championships to its name at the time. STV finished third twice from 1947 to 1949 and fourth in 1949–50, in an era when Borussia Dortmund won three consecutive league championships. The club attracted a regular crowd of 25,000 in its Fürstenbergstadion during this era. In 1948 the club qualified for the British occupation zone championship but lost to FC St. Pauli in the quarter-finals. In 1950 it took part in the German championship but was knocked out 3–2 by SpVgg Fürth despite leading 2–0 at one stage. After the successful 1949–50 season the club lost eight of its best players and consequently went into decline. Four more Oberliga seasons followed but by 1954 it was relegated to the second tier 2. Oberliga West. The club played in the 1954–55 DFB-Pokal, where it lost to 1. FC Köln in the first round. It returned for a season in 1958–59 but otherwise remained a second-tier side. A fourth place in 1962–63…

The club's honours:

German amateur football championship Champions: 1966–67 2. Oberliga West Champions: 1957–58 Verbandsliga Westfalen Champions: 1971–72, 1979–80