Glory Glory Borussia

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Lore & Background

Borussia Mönchengladbach was founded in 1900, with its name derived from a Latinised form of Prussia, which was a popular name for German clubs in the former Kingdom of Prussia. The team joined the Bundesliga in 1965 and saw the majority of its success in the 1970s, where, under the guidance of Hennes Weisweiler and then Udo Lattek, a young squad with a fast, aggressive playing style was formed. During this period, Mönchengladbach won the Bundesliga five times, the UEFA Cup twice and reached a European Cup final in 1977. Since 2004, Borussia Mönchengladbach have played at Borussia-Park, having previously played at the Bökelbergstadion since 1919. Based on membership, they are the fifth-largest club in Germany with over 75,000 members in 2016 and 93,000 as of 2021. The club's main rivals are 1. FC Köln, against whom they contest the Rhine derby. Their secondary rivals include Borussia Dortmund, Fortuna Düsseldorf and Bayer Leverkusen.

In Their Own Story

After acquiring land on Reyerhütterstraße to escape police actions regarding noise and property damage, Borussia played regular games in the second class. They moved again in 1907 due to factory construction, reaching an agreement with Gladbacher Turnverein 1848 near the Schweizerhaus. A memorable turnaround occurred on 13 January 1909, when they scored a 13–1 victory over Spiel und Sport Essen. Following a 5–1 home win and a 3–4 away loss against FC Cleve 06 in their promotion tournament, they secured their first division status with a 4–1 tiebreaker victory. By the 1909–10 season, they had swapped black and white for blue and yellow vertical stripes, surviving relegation battles while membership swelled to a record 143.

Reader's Guide

The club was officially founded on 1 August 1900, when the footballers reformed into the Fussball Club Borussia 1900 within the Marianische Jünglings-Kongregation Mönchengladbach Eicken. Borussia was the second dedicated football club in the city of Mönchengladbach, after FC Mönchengladbach (founded 1894). The team initially played in black and white, changing to blue and yellow vertical stripes in 1909. Borussia joined the Bundesliga in 1965.

Did You Know?

• The club's name Borussia is Latin for 'Prussia', chosen because Mönchengladbach was located in the western provinces awarded to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1815.
• Borussia Mönchengladbach's nickname 'Die Fohlen' (The Foals) reflects the young squad that brought success in the 1970s.
• The club's main rivals are 1. FC Köln, with whom they contest the Rhine derby.