MSV Duisburg
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| Full name | Meidericher Spielverein 02 e. V. Duisburg |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Die Zebras (The Zebras) |
| Founded | 1902 |
| Ground |
Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena, Duisburg, Germany |
| Capacity | 31,500 |
| Manager | Iliya Gruev |
| League | 3. Liga |
| 2015–16 | 2. Bundesliga, 16th (relegated) |
| Website | Club home page |
Meidericher Spielverein 02 e. V. Duisburg, commonly known as simply MSV Duisburg (German pronunciation: [ʔɛm ʔɛs faʊ̯ ˈdyːsbʊʁk]), is a German association football club based in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. Nicknamed Die Zebras for their traditional striped jerseys, the club was one of the original members of the Bundesliga when it was formed in 1963.
The club was founded in 1902 as Meidericher Spielverein, representing the city of Meiderich, which became a district of Duisburg in 1905. In 1905, they absorbed the club Sport Club Viktoria Meiderich. In 1967, they took on their current name, acknowledging their role as the city's most popular and successful side.
While Duisburg has always been a competitive side, real success has so far eluded them. Early in their history, they captured a number of local championships, and even enjoyed a pair of undefeated seasons (1913–14) when they scored 113 goals while only giving up 12. In 1929, they won the first Niederrhein championship and qualified for the first time for the national championship rounds, repeating the feat in 1931.
However, the club then went into a tailspin from which they did not really recover until the 1950s, when they began once again to field competitive sides. During World War II, the club came close to folding, but returned to play after the war emerging as city champions in 1946. In 1951, Duisburg earned promotion to the top-flight Oberliga West with their first-place finish in the 2. Oberliga West. The Oberliga West was the most competitive division of German football at the time, and except for the 1954–55 season, Duisburg would play first division football there right up to the time of the formation of the Bundesliga.
The club's play was good enough to earn a place as one of the original 16 teams in Germany's new professional league, the Bundesliga, in 1963. That first season was their most successful as they finished second, behind only champions 1. FC Köln. The "Zebras" spent nearly 20 years in the upper league before slipping to the 2. Bundesliga in 1982–83 and then becoming one of German football's "elevator teams", named for their frequent up and down moves between divisions. Even so, they managed another eight seasons in the Bundesliga over two-and-half decades.
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