The FV 1897 Linden is a German rugby union club from Hanover. As well as rugby, the club also offers other sports, such as American football and gymnastics.
| Full name | Fussball Verein 1897 Linden e.V. |
|---|---|
| Union | German Rugby Federation |
| Founded | 1897 |
| Location | Hanover, Germany |
| Chairman | Albert Kumm |
| Official website | |
| www | |
The club has four German rugby union championships to its name, won in 1932, 1937, 1940 and 1978 but has not appeared in a championship final since 1980.[1]
In recent seasons, the club has not fielded a team in competitive senior rugby.
History
editFV 1897 Linden was formed on 2 September 1897 as a football club. In March 1898, the club then switched codes and adopted rugby as its sport instead but retained its name Fussball Verein.[2]
FV made its first trip to a German championship final in 1932, defeating RG Heidelberg 6-5. It lost the 1934 final to fellow Hanover club VfR Döhren before winning its second title, again beating RG Heidelberg, in 1937.[1]
A third championship was won in 1940, during the Second World War, when Eintracht Frankfurt Rugby was defeated 19-6.[1]
It took the club 38 years to appear in another final, when, in 1978, TSV Handschuhsheim was beaten 24-16 and FV's fourth and so far last championship was won. It made one more finals appearance, in 1980, but this time RG Heidelberg triumphed 16-10.[1] In between those two finals, it appeared in the 1979 German rugby union cup final, where it lost to DSV 78 Hannover.[3]
The club has since disappeared from the Rugby-Bundesliga and not fielded a side in competitive senior rugby, but continues to be listed as a member of the Lower Saxony Rugby Federation.[4]
Club honours
edit- German rugby union championship
- Champions: 1932, 1937, 1940, 1978
- Runners up: 1934, 1980
- German rugby union cup
- Runners up: 1979
References
edit- ^ a b c d Die Deutschen Meister der Männer Archived October 25, 2007, at the Wayback Machine (in German) DRV website - German champions (men), accessed: 15 April 2010
- ^ Zur Geschichte (in German) FV 1897 Linden website, accessed: 15 April 2010
- ^ Die DRV-Pokalsieger Archived 2007-10-25 at the Wayback Machine (in German) DRV website - German cup winners, accessed: 15 April 2010
- ^ List of member clubs Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine (in German) Lower Saxony Rugby Federation website, accessed: 16 April 2010
External links
edit- (in German) Official website