Eintracht Trier

SV Eintracht-Trier 05 e. V., commonly known as Eintracht Trier (), is a German association football club based in Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate. The club was established on 11 March 1948 through the merger of Westmark 05 Trier and Eintracht Trier 06, coinciding with the 43rd anniversary of the founding of its predecessor, Trier Fußball Club 05. The team's badge prominently features the Porta Nigra, an ancient Roman city gate and iconic symbol of Trier, considered Germany's oldest city.

The club has competed in various levels of German football, including the 2. Bundesliga and Regionalliga Südwest, and has achieved notable successes such as winning the German Amateur Championship multiple times and reaching the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal in 1998.

History

Predecessor clubs (1905–1945)

Trier FC was established 11 March 1905 and in 1911 was renamed Sport-Verein 05 Trier. In 1930, 05, Fußballverein Kürenz, and Polizei SV Trier were joined to form SV Westmark 05 Trier.

The origins of Eintracht Trier are in the 1906 establishment of Fußball Club Moselland 06 Trier. In 1920, the club joined with FV Fortuna 1910 Trier to create Vereinigte Rasenspieler 1906 Trier, which the following year merged with SV Alemannia 1909 Trier to form SV Eintracht 06 Trier.

Westmark and Eintracht played first in the Bezirksliga Rhein-Saar and then in the Gauliga Mittelrhein, one of 16 top-flight divisions formed through the 1933 re-organization of German football under the Third Reich. Westmark appeared in the opening rounds of the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's DFB-Pokal (German Cup) in 1936, advancing past FV Saarbrücken (3–1), before being put out in the next round by VfB Stuttgart'' (0–1). Both Trier teams were relegated in 1936 and did not re-appear in the top-flight until 1941 when they were both promoted to the Gauliga Moselland, Gruppe West.

Westmark was relegated at the end of the season, however Eintracht fared slightly better, lasting a further two seasons before being sent down. Player shortage during World War II forced the mergers of many clubs into combined wartime clubs known as Kriegspielgemeinshaft, and in 1943, the two clubs were joined as KSG Eintracht/Westmark Trier. The team won only a single point in 11 matches, conceding 52 goals and scoring just 13. By 1944, the region was strongly affected by the war and matches of the Gauliga Moselland were eventually suspended.

Post-war (1945–2000)

The two clubs re-emerged as separate sides after the conflict but joined to one club on 11 March 1948 as SV Eintracht Trier 05. The newly combined side resumed playing in the top-flight Oberliga Südwest (Gruppe Nord), but were never a serious contender at that level, consistently finishing well behind the leaders. By the time the Bundesliga, the new nationwide professional football league, was formed in 1963, the club played in the second division.

They continued to play tier II football in the Regionalliga Südwest until slipping to the Amateurliga Rheinland (III) in 1973. Eintracht's second team amateur side had also made an appearance in the Amateurliga for a single season in 1970–71. The senior side performed well in the Amateurliga after their descent, but failed in a bid to advance at the end of the 1975–76 season after winning their division and then finishing second in the relegation play-off group. The following year, Trier again captured the Amateurliga title, but this time were successful in their bid to move up to the 2. Bundesliga Süd. However, they performed poorly there and were in 17th place at the end of the 1976–77 campaign. The club avoided relegation only because Röchling Völklingen, who had finished above Eintracht, were denied a license for financial reasons. Trier was able to turn their narrow escape into a five-year stay in the second division.

In 1981, the Nord and Süd divisions of the 2. Bundesliga were combined, and the number of teams playing tier II football reduced from 42 to 20. Trier missed the cut with an 8th-place finish and found themselves playing in the Amateuroberliga Südwest (III). The club went on to perform well through the next decade and on into the mid-1990s, earning a string of top three finishes which included Amateurliga titles in 1986, 1993, and 1994 and consecutive German Amateur Championships in 1988 and 1989. They also enjoyed an extended run in the 1998 DFB-Pokal (German Cup) tournament, advancing to the semi-finals before finally being put out by MSV Duisburg in a match that ended in a 1–1 draw before being decided 9–10 on penalty kicks. However, the team failed in four opportunities (1987, 1992, 1993, 1999) to win its way back to second division play and remained a mid-table side in the Regionalliga West/Südwest and Regionalliga West for most of the 1990s and on into the new millennium.

From 2. Bundesliga to Oberliga (2002–2007)

From 2002 to 2005, the club enjoyed a three-season spell in the 2. Bundesliga, earning their highest finish with a 7th-place result in 2003.

The decline of the club began with relegation to the Regionalliga (III) in 2005. Club manager Paul Linz resigned and was replaced by former ''Trier'' Captain Micheal Prus. The start of the Regionalliga season was disappointing and led to replacement of the former manager with Eugen Hach in October 2005, which however failed to stop the decline. The team was again relegated and started the 2006–07 season in the Oberliga Südwest (IV).

The aim of the club was promotion straight back to the Regionalliga and the men in charge of this challenge were Adnan Kevric and Roland Seitz. However, Seitz left to take over at SC Paderborn within just a few days of his appointment. Kevric was to see out the rest of the season with the team before resigning his position on 3 March 2007 after a 2–0 home defeat at the hands of FV Engers 07 which finally ended all hopes for promotion. Herbert Herres then took over as head coach, but he in turn resigned as manager on 3 April 2007 following a 3–1 defeat against SpVgg EGC Wirges. Former player Werner Kartz took over until the end of the season.

Under Kartz the team was able to lift itself once again and even managed to win the Rhineland Cup after a 2–1 victory over TuS on 7 June 2007, leading to qualification to the opening round of the DFB-Pokal. On 5 August 2007, Trier met Schalke at the sold out Moselstadion with tickets for this event changing hands on eBay for over 60 euros per ticket. Trier did not stand a chance and was beaten 9–0 by the Bundesliga side.

Struggles and Revival: From the Oberliga to Regionalliga (2007–present)

The plan for the 2007–08 season was to finish in the top four of the Oberliga Südwest (IV) to ensure promotion into the newly formed Regionalliga West (IV) for the 2008–09 season. The team met this objective in a 5–0 win over Eintracht Bad Kreuznach that locked their place in the top four. It played in this league until 2012 when it became part of the new Regionalliga Südwest. Eintracht Trier maintained a position in the upper ranks of the Regionalliga in subsequent seasons but failed to qualify for the promotion playoffs. In March 2014, after a 1–0 defeat against TuS Koblenz, the club parted ways with head coach Roland Seitz due to a poor start to the second half of the season, including four consecutive winless matches. He was succeeded by Jens Kiefer, who had previously led SV Elversberg to promotion to the 3. Liga. Kiefer signed a contract until 2015.

On 28 May 2016, Eintracht Trier won the Rhineland Cup with a 5–1 victory over SG HWW Niederroßbach on Finaltag der Amateure (Amateurs' Finals Day), securing qualification for the 2016–17 DFB-Pokal. In the first round, they hosted Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund at the Moselstadion, suffering a 3–0 defeat. After the 2016–17 season, Trier was relegated from the Regionalliga Südwest, finishing second to last and dropping to the fifth-tier Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar for the first time in their history.

Over the next four seasons, Eintracht Trier failed to secure promotion back to the Regionalliga. During the 2020–21 season, they led the Oberliga table unchallenged before the league was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the season was cancelled, all matches played were annulled, and the club's appeal for sporting promotion was unsuccessful.

In the 2021–22 season, Trier achieved promotion under head coach Josef Çınar. The COVID-19 pandemic had divided the Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar into North and South groups. Trier won the North group but narrowly missed direct promotion in the championship round, losing out to Wormatia Worms on goal difference. Interest in the club surged during this period, with unusually high attendance for fifth-tier matches, including 4,500 spectators against Wormatia Worms and 4,000 for the final home match against Hertha Wiesbach. In the promotion playoffs, Trier defeated Eintracht Stadtallendorf 5–0 away in the first leg. On 14 June 2022, they hosted the Stuttgarter Kickers at a sold-out Moselstadion. Despite a stoppage-time equaliser resulting in a 1–1 draw, Trier's superior goal difference secured their return to the Regionalliga Südwest.

During the 2022–23 Regionalliga season, Trier struggled, dropping to last place from early-May 2023 onward and being relegated back to the Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar at the season's end. However, in the following 2023–24 season, Trier made a commanding return to the Regionalliga Südwest, finishing first with 99 points.

Stadium

In 1934, the club built its present home The Moselstadion. The Moselstadion is set in the midst of a sports complex surrounded by several sports fields and tennis courts. The stadium holds a maximum of 10,254 spectators with approximately 2,000 seats and terracing for a further 8,000 spectators, of which 2,000 spaces are covered. The stadium has been gradually improved since it was built culminating in the erection of floodlight masts in 1998 in time for the DFB-Pokal semi-final against Duisburg.

The stadium no longer conforms to the DFL licensing regulations and there are plans for a new, modern stadium in Trier, however following the relegation of the club to the Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar these plans are currently on hold.

Current squad

Reserve Squad: SV Eintracht Trier 05 II

SV Eintracht Trier 05 II currently plays in Rheinland Kreisliga C Trier/Eifel

Honours

The club's honours:

League

* German amateur championship
** Champions: 1988, 1989
* 2. Oberliga Südwest (II)
** Runners-up: 1963
* Amateurliga Rheinland (III)
** Champions: 1975, 1976
** Runners-up: 1974
* Oberliga Südwest (III)
** Champions: 1987, 1993, 1994
** Runners-up: 1984, 1988, 1989, 1991
* Regionalliga West/Südwest (III)
** Runners-up: 1999
* Regionalliga Süd (III)
** Runners-up: 2002
* Regionalliga West (IV)
** Runners-up: 2011

Cup

* Rhineland Cup (Tiers III–VII)
** Winners: 1982, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1997, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016
** Runners-up: 1974, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2017

Reserve team

* Rheinlandliga (V–VI)
** Champions: 2005, 2011
* Rhineland Cup
** Runners-up: 2003

Recent managers

Recent managers of the club:

Recent seasons

The recent season-by-season performance of the club:Fussball.de – Ergebnisse
Tables and results of all German football leagues

* With the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994 and the 3. Liga in 2008 as the new third tier, below the 2. Bundesliga, all leagues below dropped one tier. In 2012, the number of Regionalligas was increased from three to five with all Regionalliga West clubs from the Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate entering the new Regionalliga Südwest.

Other

To mark the 100-year anniversary of the club in 2005 Leiendecker Bloas wrote the club anthem "Für uns geddet nur Eintracht Trier (2005)" ("For us there is only Eintracht Trier"). The club also use the terrace anthem You'll Never Walk Alone to inspire the team and is usually sung as the team enters the pitch.

Former players

References

External links

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Eintracht Trier at Weltfussball.de

Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv
historical German domestic league tables

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trier, Eintracht

Sport in Trier
Football clubs in Germany
Football clubs in Rhineland-Palatinate
Association football clubs established in 1905
1905 establishments in Germany
2. Bundesliga clubs