Erzgebirge Aue
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| Full name | Fußball Club Erzgebirge Aue e.V. |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Veilchen (German for Viola) |
| Founded | 4 March 1946 |
| Ground | Erzgebirgsstadion |
| Capacity | 15,711 |
| Chairman | Helge Leonhardt |
| League | 2. Bundesliga |
| 2015–16 | 3. Liga, 2nd (promoted) |
| Website | Club home page |
Fußball Club Erzgebirge Aue e.V., commonly known as simply FC Erzgebirge Aue or Erzgebirge Aue, is a German football club based in Aue, Saxony. The former East German side was a founder member of the 3. Liga in 2008–09, after being relegated from the 2. Bundesliga in 2007–08. The city of Aue has a population of about 18,000, making it one of the smallest cities to ever host a club playing at the second highest level of German football. However, the team attracts supporters from a larger urban area that includes Chemnitz and Zwickau, whose own football sides are among Aue's traditional rivals.
The club was founded as SG Aue in 1945, and on 1 November 1948 became BSG Pneumatik Aue under the sponsorship of the local construction tool works. Changes in sponsorship led to a change in name to Zentra Wismut Aue in 1949 and then simply to SC Wismut Aue in 1951.
The club performed well, advancing through third and second tier play to the DDR-Oberliga in 1951. BSG finished as national vice-champions in 1953 losing in a final to Dynamo Dresden by a score of 2–3.
In 1954 the East German government decided that the nearby city of Chemnitz—recently renamed Karl-Marx-Stadt—deserved a quality team and so, while the team was never relocated, it was renamed SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt. It was during this time that the club became dominant in East German football. It captured the 1955 East German Cup and followed this up with four national titles in 1955, 1956, 1957 and 1959. It also played for the 1959 East German Cup, but lost 2–3 in a rematch versus Dynamo Berlin after the clubs had drawn 0–0 in the first game. Those successes led to Aue's participation in the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1958, 1959 and 1961.
In 1963, Karl-Marx-Stadt got its own team and Aue's squad recovered its identity as BSG Wismut Aue. The club continued to enjoy modest success by staying up in the top-tier DDR-Oberliga, and, although it did not win another championship, it holds the record for the most games played by any team in that league. Aue sits 4th on the all-time DDR-Oberliga list and over the course of thirty-eight years played more games (1,019 matches) than any other East German side. Just behind them, 6th place Rot-Weiß Erfurt played 1,001 matches.
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