ATS Kulmbach
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| Full name | Allgemeiner Turn- und Sportverein Kulmbach 1861 e.V. |
|---|---|
| Founded | 23 Mars 1861 |
| Ground | ATS-Stadion |
| Chairman | Heidesuse Wagner |
| League | Bezirksliga Oberfranken-Ost (VII) |
| 2015–16 | 3rd |
The ATS Kulmbach is a German association football club from the city of Kulmbach, Bavaria.
ATS, in its better days, played in the third division and reached the first round of the German Cup in 1975–76. The club has declined since then, to the point that its first team plays in tier eleven, the lowest level in its region.
The club was formed as a gymnastics club in 1861, under the name of Turnverein 1861. It took TV until 1911, to form a football department. In 1931, the TV merged with local side Turnerbund Kulmbach to form Kulmbacher Turnerschaft.
After the end of the Second World War, on 3 March 1946, the ATS Kulmbach was formed out of this club.
ATS first made an appearance on the Bavarian football scene when they won the local Oberfranken championship in 1948 and took part in the promotion round to the Landesliga Bayern (II), where it came last, without a win.Kulmbach made another attempt at Landesliga promotion the year after but was equally as unsuccessful.
The club finally succeeded in 1951 in earning promotion to Bavaria's highest league, which was now the tier-three Amateurliga Bayern.
Kulmbach finished its first Bayernliga season in 13th place, three points away from a relegation rank. The club dramatically improved the following season, taking out the league title thanks to an unbeaten run at home. The team then took part in the promotion round to the tier-two 2nd Oberliga Süd but finished last out of six teams and FC Hanau 93 and Bavarian runners-up FC Wacker München earned promotion instead.
The Bavarian league was split into a northern and a southern division from 1953 to 1963 and ATS was grouped in the northern league, where it finished fourth in 1953–54. The club remained a mid-table side until 1957–58, when a 14th place meant relegation to what was now the 2nd Amateurliga Oberfranken (IV).
ATS took until 1960 to recover from this, when it won the eastern division of the Oberfranken league and beat western champions ASV Gaustadt to earn promotion back to the third division.
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