Full name | Aachener Turn- und Sportverein Alemannia 1900 e.V. |
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Nickname(s) | Kartoffelkäfer (potato beetles) Die Alemannen (The Alemanni) |
Founded | 16 December 1900 |
Ground | New Tivoli |
Capacity | 32,960 |
Chairman | vacant |
Manager | Fuat Kılıç |
League | Regionalliga West (IV) |
2016–17 | 8th |
Website | Club website |
Alemannia Aachen (German pronunciation: [ʔaleˈmani̯a ˈʔaːxən]) is a German football club from the western city of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. A long term fixture of the country's second division, Alemannia enjoyed a three-year turn in the top flight in the late 1960s and, after a successful 2005–06 campaign, returned to first division play for a single season. The club has since slipped to third division play and in late 2012 entered into bankruptcy. They finished their 2012–13 3. Liga schedule before resuming play in the tier IV Regionalliga West in 2013–14.
Alemannia carries the strange nickname "the Potato Beetles" (Kartoffelkäfer) because of their striped yellow-black jerseys, which make them look like the particular insects.
In the second half of the 19th century, resident English merchants and industrialists brought football, in addition to the traditional equestrian sports, into the western Rhineland. The club was founded on 16 December 1900 by a group of eighteen high school students. Knowing that another team had already taken the name 1. FC Aachen, the new club was christened FC Alemannia using a Latin word for Germany (see Alamannia). The First World War devastated the club: the pre-war membership of 200 was reduced to just 37 by the conflict. In early 1919 Alemannia merged with Aachener Turnverein 1847 to become TSV Alemannia Aachen 1900. Their new partner's interest was primarily in gymnastics and the union was short-lived, with the clubs splitting again in 1924.
The city of Aachen is near the Belgian and Dutch borders and as a result Alemannia has had frequent contact with clubs from those countries. Their first game was against the Belgian side R. Dolhain F.C., one of that country's earliest clubs. There are intensive and friendly contacts with the Dutch professional club Roda JC Kerkrade. Both clubs have the same club colors.