FT Adler Kiel Rugby
The FT Adler Kiel Rugby is a German rugby union club from Kiel, currently playing in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East. It is part of a larger club, the FT Adler Kiel, which also offers other sports like volleyball, table tennis and handball.
 | |
| Full name | Freie Turnerschaft Adler Kiel von 1893 e.V. |
|---|---|
| Union | German Rugby Federation |
| Founded | 1893 (club) 1999 (rugby department) |
| Location | Kiel, Germany |
| Ground(s) | Professor Peters Platz |
| Chairman | Klaus Schmäschke |
| Coach(es) | Alwin Klick |
| Captain(s) | Christian Droll |
| League(s) | 2. Rugby-Bundesliga (II) |
| 2015–16 | 2. Rugby-Bundesliga North, 2nd |
| Official website | |
| kielrugby | |
History
Origins
Kiel rugby began in the 1930s, when the local shipyards workers and German Navy members, then called the Reichsmarine, formed the 1. Kieler Rugby Fussball Verein.[1]
In post-Second World War Germany, competitive rugby in Kiel resumed in 1949, when three local clubs competed in a league with clubs from Hamburg. The three clubs were the 1. Kieler Rugby Fussball Verein, PSV Kiel and FT Adler. Rugby in Kiel greatly benefited from a strong support through the British Army, which was stationed at Kiel-Holtenau.[1]
Towards the end of the 1950s, Kiel rugby declined and the clubs were only able to field a combined team. In 1963, even this team had to be disbanded. As a form of farewell to rugby in Kiel, a final friendly match was organized. The match was against a team selected from a visiting detachment of the Japanese Navy. After this, rugby disappeared from the city for almost 30 years.[1]
Current club
Rugby returned to Kiel in the late 1980s through the efforts of foreign students at the University of Kiel.[1] The current rugby department of FT Adler was formed in 1997 however.[2]
FT Adler took out the 2008 championship in the Regionalliga North but failed in the promotion round, losing on aggregate to RU Hohen Neuendorf.[3]
The club earned promotion from the Rugby-Regionalliga North, after another championship there, to the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga, the second tier of German club rugby, in 2009.[4]
Kiel lasted for only one season at this level before being relegated again to the Regionalliga, where it came fourth in 2010-11. At the end of the 2014–15 season the club was promoted back to the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga after a Regionalliga championship.
Club honours
- Rugby-Regionalliga North
- Champions: 2008, 2009, 2015
Recent seasons
Recent seasons of the club:[5]
| Year | Division | Position |
| 2005-06 | Rugby-Regionalliga North (III) | 3rd |
| 2006–07 | Rugby-Regionalliga North | 6th |
| 2007–08 | Rugby-Regionalliga North | 1st |
| 2008–09 | Rugby-Regionalliga North | 1st — Promoted |
| 2009–10 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East (II) | 9th — Relegated |
| 2010–11 | Rugby-Regionalliga North (III) | 4th |
| 2011–12 | Rugby-Regionalliga North | 5th |
| 2012–13 | Rugby-Regionalliga North | 2nd |
| 2013–14 | Rugby-Regionalliga North | 4th |
| 2014–15 | Rugby-Regionalliga North | 1st — Promoted |
| 2015–16 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North | 2nd |
| 2016–17 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North | 5th |
| 2017–18 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North | 5th |
References
- FT Adler Kiel Rugby website - History (in German) accessed: 7 April 2010
- FT Adler Kiel club info at totalrugby.de (in German) accessed: 7 April 2010
- Rugby Spielpläne - Archiv 2007/2008 - Regionalliga Nord (in German) rugbyweb.de, accessed: 7 April 2010
- Rugby Spielpläne - Archiv 2008/2009 - Regionalliga Nord (in German) rugbyweb.de, accessed: 7 April 2010
- RugbyWeb Ergebnisarchiv (in German) rugbyweb.de - Results archive, accessed: 24 July 2012
External links
- (in German) Official website
- (in German) Official website of the rugby department
- (in German) FT Adler Kiel club info at totalrugby.de