SV 1919 Bernbach


SV 1919 Bernbach is a German association football club in Bernbach, a village in Freigericht, Hesse.

History

The club was founded in the autumn of 1919 as Fußballclub Germania Bernbach. The club suspended its activities with the onset of World War II and after the conflict was re-established as Sportgemeinde Bernbach out of which came Sportverein 1919 Bernbach in 1954.
After many years in lower-tier football the team first ascended to the Landesliga Hessen-Süd in 1990 on the strength of a Berzirksliga Frankfurt/Ost championship. They finished in second place in their debut Landesliga season and the capture of a division title in 1995 advanced the club to the Oberliga Hessen. Bernbach earned a vice-championship there in 1998 and took part in promotion playoff for the Regionalliga Süd, but missed advancing when they finished second to SC Pfullendorf.
The club soon ran into financial difficulty and by 2001 were facing bankruptcy. They were initially refused a license for Oberliga play and faced relegation, but after long negotiation and the adoption of a tight budget were able to stay up. Bernbach was eventually relegated after a poor result in 2005, and has since become an elevator club moving frequently between fourth and fifth tier competition. After re-claiming a place in the Oberliga in 2006–07, SV finished in 14th place and were again relegated to play in the Landesliga Hessen. In the following years, the club suffered a decline which has put it into the Kreisoberliga for 2011–12.
SV Bernbach is notable as having been one of the ten smallest clubs in the country playing at the Oberliga level.

Honours

The club's honours:

League

The recent season-by-season performance of the club:
SeasonDivisionTierPosition
1999–2000Oberliga HessenIV8th
2000–01Oberliga HessenIV15th
2001–02Oberliga HessenIV11th
2002–03Oberliga HessenIV8th
2003–04Oberliga HessenIV14th
2004–05Oberliga HessenIV16th ↓
2005–06Landesliga Hessen-SüdV1st ↑
2006–07Oberliga HessenIV14th ↓
2007–08Landesliga Hessen-SüdV17th ↓
2008–09Gruppenliga Frankfurt-OstVII10th
2009–10Gruppenliga Frankfurt-OstVII10th
2010–11Gruppenliga Frankfurt-OstVII15th ↓
2011–12Kreisoberliga GelnhausenVIII7th
2012–13Kreisoberliga GelnhausenVIII6th
2013–14Kreisoberliga GelnhausenVIII2nd
2014–15Kreisoberliga GelnhausenVIII3rd
2015–16Kreisoberliga GelnhausenVIII8th
2016–17Kreisoberliga GelnhausenVIII

↑ Promoted↓ Relegated