FC Gütersloh

FC Gütersloh
Full name	Fußball-Club Gütersloh e.V.
Founded	2000; 24 years ago
Ground	Heidewaldstadion
Capacity	8,400
Chairman	Heiner Kollmeyer ; Hans-Hermann Kirschner ; Helmut Delker
Manager	Onkel Serhad
League	Regionalliga West
2022–23	Oberliga Westfalen, 1st of 18 (promoted)
Home colours	Away colours

FC Gütersloh is a German association football club based in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia.

History

The club was formed in 1978 out of the merger of the football sides of Sport Vereinigung Arminia Gütersloh and Deutsche Jugendkraft Gütersloh in the hopes that the new club would be more successful than its un-storied predecessors. The union was a bit of a surprise because of some ill-will that had existed between the clubs going back to Arminia's refusal to share their stadium facility with DJK, and so make it possible for them to play in the Regionalliga in the late 1960s.^[1]

Both sides had bounced back and forth between the second and third division through the late 1960s and into the 1970s. After their merger they settled down as a mid-table Amateur Oberliga Westfalen (III) club, with a couple of poor seasons leading to relegation to Verbandsliga Westfalen (IV), but always followed by immediate promotion. The club managed to play their way into the 2. Bundesliga in 1996, on the strength of a Regionalliga West/Südwest title, for a three-year stay, but in 1999 were crushed by their 7 million DM debt. The club was dissolved by a court and all its results for the season annulled.

The club was re-organized in 2000 and took up play in the Oberliga Westfalen (IV). In January 2010, it was announced that plans were in the works for a merger with SC Wiedenbrück 2000, but the proposal failed.^[2] On 27 October 2013, the Gütersloh side suffered a record defeat losing 5:8 to SpVgg Erkenschwick: the 13 goals scored matched the total of a 1985–86 match that saw DJK Hellweg Lütgendortmund down Sportfreunde Siegen 7:6. In 2014, the club was overshadowed by rumours of around its precarious financial situation and the prospect voluntary withdrawal from play. New merger talks took place with SC Wiedenbruck and SC Verl, but these ended when the club avoided bankruptcy in October 2014 under new management.

Since 2012 the club played in the tier five Oberliga Westfalen.

After repeated financial troubles, the club filed for insolvency in January 2017,^[3] and despite all efforts to secure funding through donations and sponsorship, announced the dissolution and liquidation of assets by the end of May 2017.^[4]

Surprisingly, new sponsors were presented on 26 May, which pledged to finance operations for the next three years. The insolvency filing is to be cancelled.^[5]

Rivalries

FC Gütersloh followers share a heartfelt rivalry with nearby SC Verl whose supporters tease the "big city club" over its inconsistent performance and financial woes. In turn, FCG look down on the "village club".

Honours

The club's honours:

Regionalliga West/Südwest
- Champions: 1996
Oberliga Westfalen
- Champions: 1984, 1995
Westfalenliga – Group 1
- Champions: 1991
Westphalia Cup
- Winners: 2023

Current squad

As of 15 September 2024^[6]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
2	DF	GER	Henri Bollmann
4	DF	GER	Lars Beuckmann
5	MF	GER	André Kording
6	DF	GER	Julian Schauerte
7	MF	GER	Ilias Illig
8	FW	GER	Phil Beckhoff
9	FW	GER	Nico Tübing
10	MF	GER	Allan Firmino Dantas
11	FW	GER	Lennard Rolf
12	GK	GER	Tim Matuschewsky
13	GK	GER	Jarno Peters
16	MF	GER	Björn Rother
17	DF	GER	David Winke
18	MF	CZE	Patrik Twardzik


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
19	FW	GER	Kevin Freiberger
20	FW	GER	Matthias Haeder
21	FW	GER	Luis Frieling
22	FW	GER	Markus Esko
24	FW	PHI	Sandro Reyes
26	DF	GHA	Philimon Tawiah
27	MF	GER	Aleksandar Kandic
28	MF	GER	Erik Lanfer
29	FW	GRE	Dimitrios Touratzidis
31	GK	GER	Roman Schabbing
34	DF	GER	Jannik Borgmann
36	DF	GER	Leo Weichert
37	FW	LVA	Grigorijs Degtjarevs
—	DF	GER	Justus Henke