This small club on the outskirts of Berlin has seen some minor success in recent years, after general obscurity in the GDR days.
Babelsberg is actually based in Potsdam. They were founded in 1948 as SG Karl-Marx Babelsberg, as a successor to SpVgg Potsdam 03. (And Potsdam actually had some success in the mid/late 1930s, when under the name of SC Nowawes they competed in the Gauliga Berlin.) The next year they merged with another local club, SG Drewitz. In 1950, they were renamed BSG Motor Babelsberg, which remain their name throughout the GDR period. This was marked mostly by mediocrity, as they spent their almost entire existence in the 2nd division DDR-Liga. After die Wende in 1991, they were renamed to the current SV Babelsberg 03.
Things started improving in the mid-90s, as the club became more ambitious. The budget went up by a factor of ten between 1996-1999, and this was mirrored by success on the field. This despite the fact that the main sponsor and his wife committed suicide by having themselves shot by their chauffeur.
The 98-99 season was tough, but a nice finish enabled the Potsdamers to stay up, if only by the skin of their teeth. Next year was better, as Bablesberg surprised by playing well throughout the year. The goal was qualification for the combined Regionalliga, and they achieved that nicely. However, nothing could prepare the Potsdammers for the 2000 season, which turned out brilliant: 2nd place and automatic promotion into the 2nd division! This turned out to be too difficult, and they finished dead last.
Fullname | Sportverein Babelsberg 1903 e.V.
City |
Potsdam (Brandenburg). Pop: 130,000
(2002). On the western
outskirts of Berlin, Babelsberg is a section of Potsdam.
| Address |
Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 112, 14482 Potsdam | Phone: (0331) 70 77 66 Colors |
Blue shirt, black/white trim, yellow shorts.
| Nickname |
Nulldrei
| Stadium |
Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion. Capacity: 15,000 | Built in 1976 as a successor to the Ernst-Thälmann-Stadion, a decripit facility torn down in 1999. Affectionately known as "Karli". Tickets |
Easy to get. Around 9-15 Euros (2002).
| Supporters |
Averaged 1,699 in 2004 (Oberliga). There are a few fan clubs with about
100 members.
| Friends |
|
Foes |
| Heroes |
| Zeroes |
| Beer |
Rex-Pils, from local Potsdam brewery.
|
Pub Grub |
| The Net |
The official page:
www.babelsberg03.de | Actually, they were late getting started; until in 1999 the club sponsored an official page. However, by 2001, it went belly-up, and this truly excellent fan-page was promoted to official status! |
Recent History:
--------------
BSG Motor Babelsberg
1971-72 (**) DDR-Liga, Staffel B 10th
1972-73 (***) Bezirksliga Potsdam 1st
1973-74 (**) DDR-Liga, Staffel B 9th
1974-75 (**) DDR-Liga, Staffel B 9th
1975-76 (**) DDR-Liga, Staffel B 9th
1976-77 (**) DDR-Liga, Staffel B 5th
1977-78 (**) DDR-Liga, Staffel B 2nd
1978-79 (**) DDR-Liga, Staffel B 7th
1979-80 (**) DDR-Liga, Staffel B 10th
1980-81 (***) Bezirksliga Potsdam-Sud 1st
1981-82 (**) DDR-Liga, Staffel B 2nd
1982-83 (**) DDR-Liga, Staffel B 7th
1983-84 (**) DDR-Liga, Staffel B 2nd
1984-85 (**) DDR-Liga, Staffel A 3rd
1985-86 (**) DDR-Liga, Staffel A 8th
1986-87 (**) DDR-Liga, Staffel A 8th
1987-88 (**) DDR-Liga, Staffel A 11th
1988-89 (**) DDR-Liga, Staffel A 17th
SV Babelsberg 03
1993-94 (IV) Verbandsliga Brandenburg 2nd
1994-95 (V) Verbandsliga Brandenburg 2nd
1995-96 (V) Verbandsliga Brandenburg 1st
1996-97 (IV) Oberliga Nordost, Nord 1st
1997-98 (III) Regionalliga Nordost 14th
1998-99 (III) Regionalliga Nordost 15th
1999-00 (III) Regionalliga Nordost 5th
2000-01 (III) Regionalliga Nord 2nd
2001-02 (II) 2.Bundesliga 18th
2002-03 (III) Regionalliga Nord 16th
2003-04 (IV) Oberliga Nordost,Nord 2nd
2004-05 (IV) Oberliga Nordost,Nord 3rd
2005-06 (IV) Oberliga Nordost,Nord 3rd
2006-07 (IV) Oberliga Nordost,Nord 1st
2007-08 (III) Regionalliga Nord 15th
2008-09 (IV) Regionalliga Nord 3rd
2009-10 (IV) Regionalliga Nord 1st
2010-11 (III) 3.Liga 13th
2011-12 (III) 3.Liga
(c) Abseits Guide to Germany