This weekend we visited KFC Uerdingen 05. A club languishing in the fifth tier of German football structure but one with a big history.
Where is KFC Uerdingen?
KFC Uerdingen 05 is located in the small city of Krefeld which is approximately 25km from Dusseldorf. Train links will take you to Krefeld station and the ground is a one mile walk from there. By car it’s about 25 minute drive and will cost around 40 Euro.
Graffiti on the route to the stadium
The Glory Years
The biggest achievement in their history was winning the Pokal (German Cup) in the 1984/85 season. This was a massive achievement as they beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the first Pokal final to be played at the Olympiastadion, Berlin.
Stadium
KFC Uerdingen 05 play at The Grotenburg Stadion which has a large capacity of 34,500 however currently has just one stand in use for home fans and a small part of a second stand for the away fans.
The angled concrete exterior of the stadium reminded us of the Rurhstadion, home of Bundesliga side Bochum.
Financial Struggles
The club have fallen on bad financial times. Earlier this year the main club sponsor withdrew leaving the club requiring to find 500,000 Euro’s to complete the season. Ahead of the match the figure raised was 165,000 so a huge effort, and at the time of writing the figure had grown to 180,000 Euro’s.
Outside the stadium fans had set up a fundraising area where we purchased some items and also a couple of beers all which went towards the fund.
Memorabilia outside for fundraising efforts
KFC Uerdingen 05 Fan Base
We attended the match versus St.Tonis and this attracted 2914 spectators. The fans we engaged with outside and inside the stadium were fantastic and above all passionate for their club. The support during the match was also great whilst we were treated to seeing some great Kutte’s and Uerdingen shirts.
KFC Uerdingen 05 v SC St. Tonis
Going into the match KFC Uerdingen 05 sat in a position where promotion whilst difficult, was not impossible. Their opponents were lowly St Tonis. The crowd were loud before kivck-off with the Ultra’s section doing their bit incredibly.
The home side started as the brighter team creating the best chances, so it was a surprise when the visitors took a 1-0 lead in the first half. Two goals at the start of the second half really killed the match so when Uerdingen pulled a goal back with 10 minutes to go there was little celebration. St Tonis would wrap the game up with a fourth goal a few minutes later.
A 4-1 defeat was the final score and on Monday, following this defeat, the club parted ways with Head Coach Marcus John with the announcement being made on the club’s website.
The Future
The immediate aim is to return to Regionalliga West, the fourth tier. The defeat at the weekend will make promotion this season difficult with an 11 point gap between themselves in fourth and SF Baumberg at the summit.
If you are visiting the North Rhine-Westphalia region, we would strongly recommend a visit to this great club
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