SSV Ulm 1846


SSV Ulm 1846 FUSSBALL e.V., commonly known as SSV Ulm 1846 or SSV Ulm, is a German football club based in Ulm, Baden-Württemberg. SSV Ulm 1846 FUSSBALL was formed on 7 March 2009 as new independent club through the separation of the football department from the present-day multi-sports club SSV Ulm 1846 e.V. After finishing in first place and earning promotion from 3. Liga in 2023–24, the club played in 2. Bundesliga in the 2024–25 season; a 17th-place finish in 2. Bundesliga meant relegation back to 3. Liga for the 2025–26 season.
The club's greatest success has been promotion to the Bundesliga in 1998–99, where it played for just one season. Ulm has also spent eight seasons in the 2. Bundesliga between 1979–80 and 2000–01.

History

Organised sport in Ulm dates to 1846 with the founding of Turngemeinde Ulm. In the 1939–40 season, four city clubs—Turnerbund Ulm, Turnverein Ulm, Ulmer Fußballverein 1894, and Sportvereinigung Ulm 1839—merged to form TSG Ulm 1846. Separately, on 12 October 1928, the 1. Schwimmverein Ulm and SV Schwaben Ulm combined as 1. Schwimm- und Sportverein Ulm. On 5 May 1970, TSG Ulm 1846 and 1. SSV Ulm 1928 merged at the Kornhaus to create SSV Ulm 1846, at the time one of Germany's largest multi-sport clubs.
The football section continued under the new umbrella until 2009, when it was spun off as the independent club SSV Ulm 1846 Fußball e.V., while the multi-sport association remained in charge of non-football departments and facilities.

TSG Ulm 1846

The football section in Ulm was consolidated in 1939 when Turnerbund Ulm, Turnverein Ulm, and Ulmer Fußballverein 1894 combined as TSG Ulm 1846; the new side entered the Gauliga Württemberg for the 1939–40 season and remained at that level until league play ended in 1945. After World War II, the club alternated between the top-flight Oberliga Süd and the 2. Oberliga Süd: TSG played in the Oberliga in 1946–49, 1952–53, 1958–61 and 1962–63, otherwise competing in the second tier. With the creation of the Regionalliga Süd in 1963, TSG qualified on league position and spent two seasons there, finishing eighth in 1963–64 before relegation as 18th in 1964–65 to the third-tier Amateurliga. In 1968, the Radsportvereinigung 1948 Ulm joined TSG Ulm 1846 as part of the city's multi-sport consolidation.

1. SSV Ulm

1. Spiel- und Sportverein Ulm was formed in 1928 and, after two seasons in the Bezirksliga Bayern, joined the Gauliga Württemberg in 1933, well before their future partner, where they earned just mid-table finishes. After the war and leading up to their union with TSG 1846, they played as a third or fourth division side. Finally, in 1970, 1. SSV Ulm merged with TSG 1846 to form SSV Ulm 1846.

SSV Ulm 1846

At the time of the merger. both clubs were playing football in the tier III Amateurliga Württemberg and would continue to do so for a nearly a decade. In 1980, the combined side advanced to the 2. Bundesliga Süd and would spend six of the next ten years playing at that level where, except for a fifth-place finish in 1982, their results were well down the table. After another decade in the level III Amateur Oberliga Baden-Württemberg and Regionalliga Süd, 1846 made an unexpected breakthrough after just one season in the 2. Bundesliga with a third-place finish that led to the club's promotion to the top-flight Bundesliga for the 1999–2000 season. Even though the issue was not decided until the last day of the season, Ulm could do no better than a sixteenth-place finish and returned to the second division. The 2000–01 season was an unqualified disaster for the club: they could manage only another sixteenth-place finish and were sent back down to the Regionalliga Süd. They were then denied a licence over the chaotic state of their finances which plunged the club down to the fifth tier Verbandsliga Württemberg. Afterwards Ulm worked their way back, to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg in 2002, and the Regionalliga in 2008.

SSV Ulm 1846 Fußball

Following the 2009 European football betting scandal, the club released three allegedly involved players, Davor Kraljević, Marijo Marinović and Dinko Radojević. In January 2011, the club was declared insolvent, and the results of the 2010–11 season were declared void. The club was relegated to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg but immediately won the 2011–12 title, finishing nine points clear of second-placed VfR Mannheim and earning promotion to the new Regionalliga Südwest.
In May 2014, SSV Ulm 1846 was once again close to insolvency, for the third time in 13 years, requiring €420,000 in financial support before the end of the month to ensure survival. The club eventually entered administration and was relegated back to the Oberliga. After two seasons, SSV Ulm 1846 was promoted to the Regionalliga in May 2016.
On 28 May 2023, SSV Ulm 1846 secured promotion to 3. Liga for the first time from 2023 to 2024, after defeating Barockstadt Fulda-Lehnerz 5–0 and becoming champion of the Regionalliga Südwest.
On 4 May 2024, SSV Ulm 1846 were crowned 3. Liga champions and earned back-to-back promotion to 2. Bundesliga for the 2024–25 season and the first time since 2000–01 season, after defeating Viktoria Köln 2–0.

Honours

League

  • 3. Liga
  • * Champions: 2023–24
  • Regionalliga Südwest
  • * Champions: 2022–23
  • German amateur championship
  • * Champions: 1996
  • Regionalliga Süd
  • * Champions: 1998
  • Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
  • * Champions: 1979, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1993, 1994, 2012, 2016
  • * Runners-up: 1992, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008
  • Amateurliga Württemberg
  • * Champions: 1946‡, 1950‡, 1955†, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1978
  • * Runners-up: 1956†, 1974
  • Verbandsliga Württemberg
  • * Runners-up: 2002

    Cup

  • Württemberg Cup
  • * Winners: 1957†, 1982, 1983, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
  • * Runners-up: 1976, 1998, 2000¥, 2001¥, 2006, 2007, 2022
  • ‡ Won by TSG Ulm 1846.
  • † Won by SSV Ulm.
  • ¥ Won by reserve team.

    Recent managers

Recent managers of the club:
ManagerStartFinish
Dieter Märkle1 July 200428 November 2004
Marcus Sorg29 November 20046 September 2007
Paul Sauter1 July 200730 June 2008
Janusz Góra7 September 200730 September 2007
Markus Gisdol1 July 200830 June 2009
Manfred Paula1 July 200924 September 2009
Frank Kaspari25 September 20094 October 2009
Ralf Becker15 October 20091 December 2010
Janusz Góra2 December 201030 June 2011
Paul Sauter1 July 201130 June 2012
Stephan Baierl1 July 201213 November 2012
Paul Sauter14 November 201217 October 2013
Oliver Unsöld18 October 201330 June 2014
Stephan Baierl1 July 201415 August 2017
Tobias Flitsch17 August 201730 June 2018
Holger Bachthaler1 July 201830 June 2021
Thomas Wörle1 July 202111 March 2025
Robert Lechleiter11 March 202518 September 2025
Moritz Glasbrenner18 September 202510 November 2025
Pavel Dochev16 November 2025Present

Recent seasons

The recent season-by-season performance of the club:
SeasonDivisionTierPosition
1999–2000BundesligaI16th ↓
2000–012. BundesligaII16th ↓
2001–02Verbandsliga WürttembergV2nd ↑
2002–03Oberliga Baden-WürttembergIV2nd
2003–04Oberliga Baden-WürttembergIV6th
2004–05Oberliga Baden-WürttembergIV2nd
2005–06Oberliga Baden-WürttembergIV3rd
2006–07Oberliga Baden-WürttembergIV2nd
2007–08Oberliga Baden-WürttembergIV2nd ↑
2008–09Regionalliga SüdIV7th
2009–10Regionalliga SüdIV6th
2010–11Regionalliga SüdIV↓ due to insolvency
2011–12Oberliga Baden-WürttembergV1st ↑
2012–13Regionalliga SüdwestIV10th
2013–14Regionalliga SüdwestIV15th ↓
2014–15Oberliga Baden-WürttembergV3rd
2015–16Oberliga Baden-WürttembergV1st ↑
2016–17Regionalliga SüdwestIV9th
2017–18Regionalliga SüdwestIV9th
2018–19Regionalliga SüdwestIV6th
2019–20Regionalliga SüdwestIV7th
2020–21Regionalliga SüdwestIV4th
2021–22Regionalliga SüdwestIV2nd
2022–23Regionalliga SüdwestIV1st ↑
2023–243. LigaIII1st ↑
2024–252. BundesligaII17th ↓
2025–263. LigaIII

  • With the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994 and the 3. Liga in 2008 as the new third tier, below the 2. Bundesliga, all leagues below dropped one tier. In 2012, the number of Regionalligas was increased from three to five with all Regionalliga Süd clubs except the Bavarian ones entering the new Regionalliga Südwest.
;Key
↑Promoted↓ Relegated