Kickers Offenbach

Through the late 1920s and early 1930s, the club played in the Bezirksliga Main-Hessen as mid table side. This was the time when the German football got re-organized in 1933, under the Third Reich to sixteen first divisions Gauligen. The team of Kickers joined the Gauliga Sudwest, capturing the title instantly and entering the national playoffs for the first time. However, they fared very poor, and didn’t manage to raise their overall level of play in the next seasons. But, they won five consecutive divisional championships from 1940 to 1944.

In early 1940s, the Gauliga Sudwest was split to the Gauliga Westmark and the Gauliga Heseen-Nassau, when this team played and did their best, in 1942. However, the team did not play the 1944-45 season. This team found themselves in the new Regionalliga Sud (II) and played in the Bundesliga, waiting till 1968. The team returned to the upper league, in 1970-71, winning few honors in 1970 with 2:1 German Cup victory over the team of 1. FC Koln.

In 1983-84, the club returned to the Bundesliga for a single season, after spending the next 7 years in the second division. In 1985, due to some financial problems, they were penalized and were driven to the third division Amateur Oberliga Hessen. In 1989, they were again denied any license and were sent down again. By mid 1990s, the team slipped to Oberliga Hessen (IV), remaining competitive. In 1994, they appeared in the finals of the national amateur championship, losing 0:1 to Preuben Munster. Post a failed attempt to advance in 1998, Offenbach returned to play in the 2. Bundesliga and were sent down after a 17th place result. In each of these seasons, they took part in the nation amateur championship, winning the title in 1999.They appeared next in second division in 2005, and after two lower table finishes, Kickers were relegated to 3. Liga on the 2007-08 season final day. Prior to this, they were defeated by 0:3 to fellow strugglers VfL Osnabruck. Irrespective of their mixed fortunes, they remain a favorite team of the fans and are quite well supported.

Major Achievements

Kickers won the Kreisliga Sudmain in 1920, 1922 and in 1923. Post this, they won the Gauliga Sudwest/Mainhessen in 1934, 1940 and in 1941. Moreover, they won the Gauliga Hessen-Nassau in 1942, 1943 and in 1944.

Further, they were the proud winners of Oberliga Sud in 1949 and in 1955 other than the Regionalliga Sud (I) in 1967, 1970 and in 1972. In 2005, they won the Regionalliga Sud (III) and the Oberliga Hessen (III-IV).

Kickers won the DFB-Pokal in 1970 and the Hesse Cup winners in 1949, 1993, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009 and in 2010.