| Clubname: | VfL Frohnlach |
| Fullname: | Verein für Leibesübungen 1919 e. V. Frohnlach |
| Founded: | 1919 |
| Ground: | Willi-Schillig-Stadion |
| Capacity: | 5,000 |
| Chairman: | Willi Schillig |
| Manager: | Oliver Müller |
| League: | Bayernliga Nord (V) |
| Season: | 2015–16 |
| Position: | 17th |
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| Socks1: | 635BF4 |
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VfL Frohnlach is a German association football club from the municipality of Frohnlach in Ebersdorf bei Coburg, Bavaria.
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The club was established as Sports Club Arminia Frohnlach in 1919 and, after a 1925 merger with Turnverein Frohnlach, became Verein für Leibesübungen 1919 e. V. Frohnlach. In addition to fielding a football side the sports club had departments for cycling, fistball, and gymnastics. Like other clubs that were part of the Arbeiter-Turn- und -Sportbundes (Worker's Gymnastics and Sports Union) VfL was banned in 1933 by the Nazi regime as politically undesirable. After World War II it was re-established as TV Frohnlach and before the end of 1945 was playing as Allgemeine Sportvereinigung Frohnlach. By 1948 the association was again known as VfL.
The footballers took part in lower level local play in the Coburg district league, until the mid-70s when the club made a rapid ascent with the support of local furniture maker Willi Schillig, who took on the presidency and a major sponsorship role. Three consecutive promotions from 1978 to 1980 saw the club through to the fourth division Bayernliga. They also made their first appearance in DFB-Pokal (German Cup) play in 1980 where they were put out in the second round by Stuttgarter Kickers (0:9). Frohnlach enjoyed a decade long run in the Bayernliga until slipping to become an elevator side, moving frequently up and down between fourth- and fifth-tier play. The team competed as an Bayernliga side in 1992–93, 1994–99, and 2004–07. Their most current result, a 16th-place finish, saw the club sent down to the Landesliga Bayern-Nord (V), where they finished on top and returned to the Bayernliga for the 2008–09 season.
After another relegation in 2010 the club promptly bounced back and won the Landesliga title for a fifth time in 2011. At the end of the 2011–12 season the club managed to finish in the top nine of the Bayernliga and thereby directly qualified for the new tier four Regionalliga Bayern.[1] In the 2012–13 season the club struggled in the bottom region of the table all season and was eventually relegated back to the Bayernliga. Frohnlach had to enter the relegation round in the 2015–16 Bayernliga season and, after two loses against Würzburger Kickers II, was initially relegated but was awarded another opportunity by having to face SV Erlbach for one more Bayernliga spot where the club successfully defended its league place.
Recent managers of the club:[2]
| Manager | Start | Finish | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manfred Müller | 1 July 2007 | 17 April 2007 | |
| Werner Gückel | 16 April 2007 | 30 June 2010 | |
| Dieter Kurth | 1 July 2010 | 8 October 2012 | |
| Andreas Schöll | 15 October 2012 | 29 March 2013 | |
| Stefan Braungardt | 30 March 2013 | 30 June 2016 | |
| Oliver Müller | 1 July 2016 | present |
The recent season-by-season performance of the club:[3] [4]
| Season | Division | Tier | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | Landesliga Bayern-Nord | V | 3rd |
| 2000–01 | Landesliga Bayern-Nord | 3rd | |
| 2001–02 | Landesliga Bayern-Nord | 2nd | |
| 2002–03 | Landesliga Bayern-Nord | 3rd | |
| 2003–04 | Landesliga Bayern-Nord | 1st ↑ | |
| 2004–05 | Bayernliga | IV | 11th |
| 2005–06 | Bayernliga | 7th | |
| 2006–07 | Bayernliga | 16th ↓ | |
| 2007–08 | Landesliga Bayern-Nord | V | 1st ↑ |
| 2008–09 | Bayernliga | V | 7th |
| 2009–10 | Bayernliga | 16th ↓ | |
| 2010–11 | Landesliga Bayern-Nord | VI | 1st ↑ |
| 2011–12 | Bayernliga | V | 7th ↑ |
| 2012–13 | Regionalliga Bayern | IV | 20th ↓ |
| 2013–14 | Bayernliga Nord | V | 11th |
| 2014–15 | Bayernliga Nord | 13th | |
| 2015–16 | Bayernliga Nord | 17th | |
| 2016–17 | Bayernliga Nord |
| ↑ Promoted | ↓ Relegated |
Between 1958 and 1980 the club played its home matches at Am Wirtsteich until the opening of the Waldstadion (capacity 5,000). The stadium has served as a venue for matches of the German junior national U20 and U21 teams. In 2006 the facility was renamed for club president Willi Schillig.
The club has qualified for the first round of the German Cup just once:
| Season | Round | Date | Home | Away | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFB Cup 1979-80[5] | First round[6] | 26 August 1979 | VfL Frohnlach | Alemannia Haibach | 8–4 aet | 1,500 |
| Second round[7] | 29 September 1979 | Stuttgarter Kickers | VfL Frohnlach | 9–0 | 1,800 |