Three clubs united Officially, HSV, the Hamburger Sport Verein (Hamburg Sports Club) was founded in 1887.  However, this is actually the date when the 'Germania' sports club was formed.  It was not until 1919 that Germania united with two other clubs, Hamburg FC and Falke FC, to form HSV.		The familiar HSV logo
Championship success The club gained its first major successes in 1922 and 1923, winning ther German championship each year.  However, the first of these was not officially recognised by the German FA. Match abandoned after 189 minutes At that time (and until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963), the German championship was settled in a final between two of the winners of the country's many regional leagues.  The 1922 final between HSV and Nuremberg was called off after 189(!!) minutes due to darkness.  HSV asked to relinquish title The replay was also ended prematurely, when Nuremberg ended up - due to sending offs, injuries and no substitutes being allowed - with just 7 players on the pitch.  The German FA declared HSV champions, but subsequently urged the club to voluntarily waive their claim to the title, which, of course, no true HSV fan has ever accepted!
Glory years More recent glory years came in the period from 1978-84.  In this period, HSV won the Bundesliga title three times, were runners-up twice and won the European Cup Winners Cup in 1980.  HSV lift European Cup Felix Magath, pictured right, now head coach at Bayern Munich, crowned this series of success by scoring the only goal in HSV's 1-0 win over Juventus to win the club the 1983 European Cup.		Felix Magath - now Bayern Munich coach
Years of mediocrity Since the heady days of the early 1980s, a modest League Cup win and a brief foray into the Champions League, both in 2003, are the only highlights in an otherwise barren spell without significant success. Ever present in the Bundesliga Nevertheless, the Hamburger Sport Verein remains the one and only club to be an ever-present in the Bundesliga since the league's inception for the 1963/64 season, having been a founding member and having never - to date - been relegated.

Top of Page