1.FFC Frankfurt · History

In the spring of 1999, in its first season under that name, 1. FFC Frankfurt won the Frauen-Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. The club, formally 1. Frauen-Fußball-Club Frankfurt e. V., was based in the Rödelheim district. It was founded on 27 August 1998 from the women's section of SG Praunheim and took over its Bundesliga licence on 1 January 1999. By 2020 it had won seven league titles, nine German Cups and four European trophies. That year it became part of Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Praunheim roots

SG Praunheim's women qualified for the new Frauen-Bundesliga in 1990 and played in every one of its seasons. In 1995-96 they finished runners-up in the championship round, losing the final to TSV Siegen. Their only titles in that era were two German indoor cups, in 1997 and 1998. Monika Staab, a former captain, had coached the team since 1993. In the summer of 1998 the section broke away to form its own club. Staab became founding chair and head coach, and Siegfried Dietrich became general manager.

A founding double and a first UEFA Cup (1999-2002)

The 1998-99 double was only the start. Frankfurt won the cup again in 2000 and added further doubles in 2000-01 and 2001-02. On 23 May 2002 they met Sweden's Umeå IK in the UEFA Women's Cup final at the Waldstadion in Frankfurt, in front of 12,106 spectators. They won 2-0, with goals from Steffi Jones in the 68th minute and Birgit Prinz in the 90th. Prinz, Jones, Renate Lingor, Nia Künzer and Kerstin Garefrekes formed the core of that side, which was also the core of the Germany national team.

Ruling Germany and Europe (2003-2008)

A fourth double in five years followed in 2002-03. In 2004 Frankfurt reached another European final but lost 8-0 on aggregate to Umeå. Staab stepped down as coach that year and Hans-Jürgen Tritschoks took over until 2008. Under him the club won the 2004-05 league and the 2005-06 UEFA Women's Cup against Turbine Potsdam: 4-0 in Potsdam and 3-2 at home, 7-2 on aggregate. Doubles followed in 2006-07 and 2007-08. In 2008 they completed a treble by beating Umeå 4-3 on aggregate in the European final, after a 1-1 draw in Sweden and a 3-2 win in the second leg.

Stadium and crowds

The team played at the Stadion am Brentanobad in Rödelheim. The ground is owned by the city of Frankfurt, holds 5,200 spectators with 1,100 covered seats, and was shared with the men of Rot-Weiss Frankfurt. Some big matches were moved to the Commerzbank-Arena. The second leg of the 2006 European final drew 13,100 spectators. The 2008 second leg against Umeå drew 27,640, at the time the highest attendance for a women's club match in Europe.

Behind Wolfsburg and a fourth European crown (2008-2015)

After 2008 the club did not win the league again. It finished fourth in 2008-09, third in 2009-10, and runner-up in 2010-11 and 2013-14. Günter Wegmann (2008-2009), Sven Kahlert (2009-2012) and Philipp Dahm (2012-2013) coached the team in turn. The trophies of this period came in the cup, which Frankfurt won in 2011 and 2014. In 2012 they lost the Champions League final 2-0 to Olympique Lyon. Under Englishman Colin Bell, coach from 2013, Frankfurt finished third in the 2014-15 league and needed to win the European competition to qualify for the next one. On 14 May 2015, at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark in Berlin and in front of 17,147 spectators, they beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1. Celia Šašić scored the opener and Mandy Islacker got the winner in stoppage time. It was the club's fourth Champions League title.

Final seasons and the Eintracht merger (2015-2020)

Bell left in December 2015. Matt Ross followed until September 2017, and then Niko Arnautis. The team finished third in 2015-16, fifth in 2016-17, sixth in 2017-18, fifth in 2018-19 and sixth in 2019-20. A merger with Eintracht Frankfurt was first discussed in the summer of 2018 and announced in June 2019. Members approved it at an extraordinary general meeting on 12 December 2019, and the contract was signed on 16 June 2020. Since 1 July 2020 the team has played as Eintracht's women's section. 1. FFC Frankfurt was dissolved on 27 August 2020, 22 years to the day after its founding.