SpVgg Greuther Fürth II

SpVgg Greuther Fürth II
Full name	Spielvereinigung Greuther Fürth e. V.
Founded	23 September 1903; 121 years ago
Ground	Charly Mai Sportanlage
Capacity	3,000
Manager	Petr Ruman
League	Regionalliga Bayern (IV)
2022–23	Regionalliga Bayern, 8th of 20
Home colours	Away colours

The SpVgg Greuther Fürth II is the reserve team of the German association football club SpVgg Greuther Fürth from the city of Fürth, Bavaria.

Since 2008, it plays in the tier four Regionalliga Süd. The team plays as an under-23 side as the rules on using under-23 players in the first and second teams are less strict.^[1]

History

The side originated as the reserve team of the SpVgg Fürth, a club that merged with TSV Vestenbergsgreuth in 1996 to form the current SpVgg Greuther Fürth. The side was known as SpVgg Fürth Amateure or SpVgg Fürth II, depending whether the first team was playing in professional football or not at the time.

Under the name of SpVgg Fürth Amateure the side achieved promotion to the third division Amateurliga Bayern North in 1958 after a championship in the northern division of the 2nd Amateurliga Mittelfranken.^[2] The team lasted for only two seasons at this level, coming 12th in 1959 and last in the following year and being relegated back down.^[3]

The amateur team of SpVgg Fürth was not a founding member of the Landesliga Bayern-Nord in 1963, unlike the second team of traditional rival 1. FC Nürnberg,^[4] and did not appear in the higher reaches of Bavarian football in the years to come.

With the decline of the senior team in the 1980s, which suffered at first relegation from the 2. Bundesliga in 1983,^[5] followed by another drop, from the Bayernliga to the Landesliga in 1987, the fortunes of the reserve side declined, too.^[6] When the senior team recovered, returning to the Bayernliga in 1991 and becoming a founding member of the new Regionalliga Süd in 1994,^[7] the reserve team improved, too. In 1994, the side earned promotion to the tier-five Bezirksoberliga Mittelfranken, having finished runners-up in the Bezirksliga Mittelfranken-Nord.^[8]

While in the Bezirksoberliga, the team changed its name to SpVgg Greuther Fürth Amateure in 1996, after the merger and promotion of the senior team. It played as a top-level side in this league until 1999–2000, when a league title earned it promotion to the Landesliga.^[9]

The side played for only one season at this level, taking out another league title immediately and earning another promotion, to the Bayernliga. At this level, the side remained until 2008, when the introduction of the 3. Liga allowed for five Bavarian teams to be promoted to the Regionalliga, with runners-up SpVgg Greuther Fürth II being one of them.^[10]

In between, in 2005, a change in the rules meant that all reserve sides, regardless of the status of the first team, would now carry a Roman numeral to indicate its status, SpVgg Greuther Fürth Amateure therefore became SpVgg Greuther Fürth II.

From 2008, the team has played in the tier-four Regionalliga Süd, with a fourth place in 2010–11 as its best result. In 2012, the league was restructured, so they moved to the Regionalliga Bayern where they finished in mid table in its first two seasons there.^[11]

Honours

The club's honours:

League

2. Amateurliga Mittelfranken Nord (IV)
- Champions: 1958
Bayernliga (IV)
- Runners-up: (2) 2007, 2008
Landesliga Bayern-Mitte (V)
- Champions: 2001
Bezirksoberliga Mittelfranken (VI)
- Champions: 2000
- Runners-up: 1997
Bezirksliga Mittelfranken-Nord
- Runners-up: 1994
Bezirksliga Mittelfranken-Süd
- Runners-up: 1969

Cup

Mittelfranken Cup
- Winner: 2002
- Runners-up: 2007

Current squad

As of 2 February 2024^[12]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	GK	GER	Simon Hoffmann
—	GK	GRE	Dimitrios Goumas
—	DF	GER	Oliver Fobassam
—	DF	GER	Tyron Duah
—	DF	GER	Ben Schlicke
—	DF	GER	Rico Wuttke
—	DF	GER	Edgar Prib
—	DF	GER	Kenan Aydin
—	DF	GER	Christoph Meister
—	MF	GER	Philipp Müller
—	MF	GER	Robin Littig
—	MF	GER	Marlon Fries


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	GER	Devin Angleberger
—	MF	KOS	Leart Haskaj
—	MF	JPN	Lucien Littbarski
—	MF	GER	Patrick Götzelmann
—	MF	GER	Daniel Adlung
—	MF	PHI	Sandro Reyes
—	MF	AUS	Aiden Mostofi
—	MF	GER	Alexander Beusch
—	FW	GER	Sebastian Müller
—	FW	GER	Ricky Bornschein
—	FW	USA	Mateus Kolenda
—	FW	SWE	Marin Hrgota

Recent managers

The clubs recent managers were:^[13]

Manager	Start	Finish
Reiner Geyer	1 July 2006	30 June 2009
Frank Kramer	1 July 2009	30 June 2011
Konrad Fünfstück	1 July 2011	31 December 2012
Ludwig Preis	1 January 2013	20 February 2013
Mario Himsl	21 February 2013	30 June 2013
Ludwig Preis	1 July 2013	30 June 2014
Mirko Reichel	1 July 2014	22 February 2015
Thomas Kleine	1 March 2015	2 May 2017
Christian Benbennek (caretaker)	3 May 2017	23 May 2017
Timo Rost	24 May 2017	30 June 2018
Petr Ruman	1 July 2018	30 June 2021
Dominic Rühl	1 July 2021	31 December 2021
Petr Ruman	1 January 2022	Present

Recent seasons

The recent season-by-season performance of the club:^[14]^[15]

Season	Division	Tier	Position
1999–00	Bezirksoberliga Mittelfranken	VI	1st ↑
2000–01	Landesliga Bayern-Mitte	V	1st ↑
2001–02	Bayernliga	IV	5th
2002–03	Bayernliga		9th
2003–04	Bayernliga		4th
2004–05	Bayernliga		12th
2005–06	Bayernliga		4th
2006–07	Bayernliga		2nd
2007–08	Bayernliga		2nd ↑
2008–09	Regionalliga Süd		11th
2009–10	Regionalliga Süd		11th
2010–11	Regionalliga Süd		4th
2011–12	Regionalliga Süd		6th
2012–13	Regionalliga Bayern		12th
2013–14	Regionalliga Bayern		9th
2014–15	Regionalliga Bayern		14th
2015–16	Regionalliga Bayern		9th
2016–17	Regionalliga Bayern		16th
2017–18	Regionalliga Bayern		13th
2018–19	Regionalliga Bayern		14th
2019–21	Regionalliga Bayern		8th
2021–22	Regionalliga Bayern		17th
2022–23	Regionalliga Bayern		8th
2023–24	Regionalliga Bayern

With the introduction of the Bezirksoberligas in 1988 as the new fifth tier, below the Landesligas, all leagues below dropped one tier. 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. With the establishment of the Regionalliga Bayern as the new fourth tier in Bavaria in 2012 the Bayernliga was split into a northern and a southern division, the number of Landesligas expanded from three to five and the Bezirksoberligas abolished. All leagues from the Bezirksligas onward were elevated one tier.

↑ Promoted	↓ Relegated

References

^ Spielordnung Archived 2 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in German) BFV website – Rules of the game, published: 15 July 2011, retrieved 30 July 2011
^ Die Bayernliga 1945–97, p. 41
^ Die Bayernliga 1945–97, p. 45
^ Die Bayernliga 1945–97, p. 56
^ Die Bayernliga 1945–97, p. 118
^ Die Bayernliga 1945–97, p. 122
^ Die Bayernliga 1945–97, p. 129
^ Bezirksliga Mittelfranken-Nord Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in German) Manfreds Fussball Archiv, retrieved 1 July 2011
^ Bezirksoberliga Mittelfranken Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in German) Manfreds Fussball Archiv, retrieved 1 July 2011
^ Bayernliga Archived 9 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine (in German) Manfreds Fussball Archiv, retrieved 1 July 2011
^ Regionalliga Bayern table 2013–14 kicker.de, retrieved 16 June 2014
^ "U23 Mannschaft". SGF1903. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
^ SpVgg Greuther Fürth II " Trainer von A-Z (in German) Weltfussball.de, retrieved 1 July 2011
^ Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv (in German) Historical German domestic league tables
^ Fussball.de – Ergebnisse (in German) Tables and results of all German football leagues

Sources

Grüne, Hardy (2001). (in German) Vereinslexikon. Kassel: AGON Sportverlag ISBN 3-89784-147-9
Die Bayernliga 1945–97 (in German) DSFS, published: 1998