Arminia Bielefeld
DSC Arminia Bielefeld, or just Arminia, is a German sports club from Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. Arminia is best known as a professional football club, having competed in the first-tier Bundesliga for a total of 19 seasons. It currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga after winning promotion in the 2024–25 3. Liga season. The club also operates field hockey, figure skating and cue sports departments.
Arminia won two West German Championships, in 1922 and 1923. They were also successful in the 1980s and 2000s, having played five consecutive years in the Bundesliga in each of those decades.
Arminia have earned a reputation as a yo-yo club for their frequent promotions and relegations. They had prolonged spells in regional third-tier football in the 1950s and early 1990s, but have also been promoted to the Bundesliga eight times, and most recently played in the Bundesliga in 2021–22. The team reached the final of the DFB-Pokal for the first time in 2025, but lost 4–2 to Stuttgart.
Arminia's colours are black, white and blue. They have played home games at the Bielefelder Alm Stadium since 1926. The stadium's current capacity of 27,332 includes 7,940 as terracing and 19,392 seats. Since 2004, Bielefelder Alm has been named SchücoArena through a sponsorship deal. The club's supporters primarily originate from the Ostwestfalen-Lippe region, and supporters' groups primarily congregate in Bielefelder Alm's south stand during matches. Arminia's longest-standing rivalry is with SC Preußen Münster, a club from western Westphalia.
History
Founding and early years (1905–1918)
Arminia Bielefeld was founded on 3 May 1905 as 1. Bielefelder FC Arminia. The fourteen men who founded the club were from the local bourgeoisie. Arminia's name derives from the Cheruscan chieftain Arminius, who defeated a Roman army in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. Two weeks later, the club played its first match against a team from Osnabrück. Neither the name of the opponent nor the result are known. The club was admitted to the German Football Association in the same year and started to play in a league in 1906. In 1907, local rivals FC Siegfried joined Arminia, a move which strengthened Arminia's squad. Soon other clubs from Bielefeld joined League football.After playing on various grounds, Arminia moved to a new home at the Pottenau in 1910. Their first league championship came during the 1912–13 season, when they won the Westphalian championship beating BV 04 Dortmund 5–1 in the final. The outbreak of World War I interrupted Arminia's rise, and between 1914 and 1918 the club played at the district level.
West German Champions and "The Alm" (1918–1933)
In 1919, Arminia merged with Bielefelder Turngemeinde 1848 to form TG Arminia Bielefeld. However, the two merged teams dissolved the merger in 1922 and both parent clubs were formed again. Arminia won the West German championship in 1922. Originally, they were level on points with Kölner BC 01, but Köln fielded an ineligible player in one match. Arminia played for the first time in the German Championships, but were eliminated in the quarter-finals after losing 5–0 to FC Wacker München. In 1923, Arminia won their second West German championship in a dramatic way. They trailed TuRU Düsseldorf 3–1 at half time of the final, but came from behind to win 4–3 after extra time. Arminia faced Union Oberschöneweide in the quarter-finals of the German championships. The match ended goalless, so a replay was held. Arminia led 1–0 and conceded the equalizer in injury time. The Berlin side won the match after extra time. Walter Claus-Oehler became Arminia's first player to win a cap in the German national team. Arminia won further Westphalian titles from 1924 to 1927, but were unable to repeat their success in the West German Championships. An away match against SC Preußen Münster in November 1925, which Arminia won 5–0, was the first football match to be broadcast on German Radio. On 30 January 1926, the club took its current name Deutscher Sportclub Arminia Bielefeld. Their next piece of silverware was won in 1932 by winning the Westphalian cup.Arminia during the Nazi regime (1933–1945)
In 1933, Arminia qualified for the Gauliga Westfalen, from which they were relegated after the inaugural season. Three attempts of gaining promotion failed before their return to the top flight was won in 1938. Their best performance in the Gauliga was the 1939–40 campaign, where Arminia finished second. Two years later, Arminia was one of only two teams to win a match at Schalke 04. On 25 July 1943 Arminia merged with local rivals VfB 03 Bielefeld. The merger finished the 1943–44 season in last place.Post World War II years (1945–1962)
After World War II, a new league with all teams who competed in the Gauliga Westfalen was formed. Arminia were relegated and were unable to win re-promotion. In 1947–48, Arminia were a third division side for the first time in their history. After a dominating season in the Bezirksklasse, Arminia was docked 14 points because they fielded an ineligible player. The next season was already under way when the Landesliga was expanded by two teams. Arminia took their chance, won the league and gained promotion to the Oberliga West.Arminia's time in the Oberliga lasted only one season. Arminia beat Schalke 04 4–2 at home but finished only second from the bottom. In 1954, Arminia were even relegated to the third tier, the "Landesliga Westfalen, Gruppe Ostwestfalen", a league only covering the north-eastern part of Westphalia. In 1956, Arminia qualified for a new third tier, the "Verbandsliga Westfalen, Gruppe Ostwestfalen", which encompassed a slightly larger area.
Promotion to the Bundesliga (1962–1970)
In 1962 Arminia become a second division side again. In 1962–63 they finished in seventh place to secure a spot in the newly formed Regionalliga West, which was situated directly below the new Bundesliga.Arminia finished their first season in mid-table, but recorded a top-half finish in four of the following five seasons. In 1966, Arminia beat Alemannia Aachen to win the West German Cup for the first time. The following year, the forward Ernst Kuster joined the team. He went on to become the club's all-time leading goalscorer, until Fabian Klos beat his record more than half a century later. A 1–0 loss to Wuppertaler SV on the last day of the 1966–67 season stopped Arminia entering the Bundesliga promotion play-offs. Arminia were runners-up in the 1969–70 season, and won their first promotion to the Bundesliga after a 2–0 win at Tennis Borussia Berlin in the play-offs.
Bundesliga scandal and return (1970–1980)
Halfway through their first Bundesliga season, Arminia were in 17th place, a relegation position, but went on to finish the season in 14th. However, near the end of the season, the president of Kickers Offenbach, Horst-Gregorio Canellas, revealed that Arminia and several other clubs had engaged in match-fixing. Three of the ten Bundesliga games proven by the DFB to have been manipulated through bribery directly involved Arminia. Two players at the club were banned from football for life. Arminia participated in the 1971–72 Bundesliga season while the investigation was ongoing, and finished in last place, but were found guilty of match-fixing by the DFB and were denied a licence and forcibly relegated at the end of the season. Arminia finished mid-table in the following seasons, but did qualify for the newly formed 2. Bundesliga in 1974.After returning to the 2. Bundesliga in 1974, Arminia became Herbstmeister during the 1976–77 2. Bundesliga season, but finished as runners-up behind St. Pauli and faced 1860 Munich in a two-legged promotion play-off. Arminia won the first match at home 4–0, but lost the second leg in Munich, also 4–0. A third match had to be played in Frankfurt, which Munich won 2–0.
The team recovered to win promotion to the Bundesliga for the 1978–79 season. Under the management of Otto Rehhagel, they won 4–0 at Bayern Munich on 10 March 1979, but finished in 16th place, unable to avoid relegation. The club kept the team together and were immediately promoted back to the Bundesliga after a record-breaking 1979–80 season. They won 30 of 38 matches, scored 120 goals, had a 28 match unbeaten streak and set a league record by beating Arminia Hannover 11–0.
Establishment in the Bundesliga (1980–1985)
Arminia had difficulty avoiding relegation, but stayed in the Bundesliga for five years. This period included two eighth-place finishes at the end of the 1982–83 and 1983–84 seasons, which remain Arminia's best finishes in the Bundesliga. Arminia also took part in the UEFA Intertoto Cup three times.In August 1981, the Arminia Bielefeld midfielder Ewald Lienen was the victim of what the press referred to as "the most brutal foul in Bundesliga history". Werder Bremen's defender Norbert Siegmann slashed Lienen's right thigh in a tackle, exposing his muscles and femur. Attendances declined in the mid-1980s, increasing the club's financial problems. In 1984–85, Arminia finished third from bottom, and lost a relegation play-off against 1. FC Saarbrücken.