German Rugby Association

German Rugby Association (DRV)
founding	4th November 1900
Place of foundation	kassel
President	Harald Hees
Secretary General	Volker Himmer
National teams	Men's 15-man national team , 7-man national team , U18, U16 women 7-man national team
Clubs (approx.)	133
Members (approx.)	16,234
Seat	Olympic Training Center RMN Im Neuenheimer Feld 710 69120 Heidelberg
Website	www.rugby.de

The German Rugby Association e. V. (DRV) is the umbrella organization of 14 German regional rugby union associations, to which 137 clubs belong, which operate rugby union, the most popular variant of rugby worldwide . Teams and competitions in 7-a-side rugby , the rules of which are based on rugby union, are also assigned to the association. This was founded on November 4th, 1900 in Kassel and is now based in Heidelberg. Since 1988 the DRV belongs to the umbrella organizations Rugby Europe and World Rugby .

history

History of German rugby before the DRV was founded

The English town of "rugby" owes its name to the team game with the egg-shaped leather, because, according to legend, William Webb-Ellis, a student at the local school, was the first to come up with the idea of ​​putting the ball under the ball while playing football in 1823 to take your arms and run away with it. It should be added, however, that football, which only appeared a few decades later, developed out of rugby and not the other way around. Since then, the game has spread rapidly, first of all in English schools and universities, and later also in the countries of the British Commonwealth, in Europe and America. The British special position in rugby is expressed in the fact that the associations of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland formed the International Rugby Football Board (founded in 1890) as so-called "Home Unions" together with South Africa, New Zealand and Australia and only formed in 1999 with the Fédération Internationale de Rugby Amateur (FIRA) have merged into a common world association.

In Germany in 1872 the Heidelberg Flag Club (today rowing club) was the first club to take up rugby as a sport; two years later the game was also introduced at the Martino-Katharineum in Braunschweig. In 1878 the first German rugby club ( DFV Hannover 1878 ) was founded.

Founded until the First World War

With the establishment of the first German rugby club, a call for the establishment of a German rugby football association appeared for the first time, but it would be two decades before the first German rugby day took place in Heidelberg in 1898 and another two years until the German one was founded Rugby Association on November 4, 1900 in Kassel. Curiously, this took place within the German Football Association , which had been founded a few months earlier , as the clubs that had advocated a joint association but had not yet prevailed had already joined the DFB in order to bring about the agreement. At that time, the boundaries between rugby football and the newer football according to the rules of the English Football Association , the Association Football , were still fluid. Ferdinand Wilhelm Fricke was elected as the first chairman , more than 20 years after he founded the DFV Hannover in 1878. In 1902 he was followed by Edward Hill-Ullrich, founding father of the Heidelberg Rowing Club, initially for two years and later again from 1906 to 1907. Other chairmen were in the first four decades of the association's history: 1908 H. Behlert (Elite Hannover), 1909 H. Böhler ( Elite Hannover), 1913 to 20 Baron von Reden-Pattensen (DFV Hannover 1878), 1921 to 23 Albert Wolters (DFV Hannover 1878), 1924 to 25 Paul Simon (Frankfurt 1880), 1926 Fritz Müller (Frankfurt 1880), 1927 to 31 again Baron von Reden-Pattensen (DFV Hannover 1878) and 1931-47 Hermann Meister (Heidelberg). The first German championship was won in Stuttgart in 1909 by the football club 1897 (Hanover) 6: 3 against FV Stuttgart, today's VfB Stuttgart , which again showed the close connection between football and rugby, which only came about through the (often non-existent) application stricter rules for football, such as B. the omission of the hand, could be separated from each other. In the same year the South German Rugby Association was founded.

The DRV during the two world wars

After the forced break caused by the First World War - there were no finals for the German championship between 1915 and 1919 - a German Rugby Day was held again in Hanover in February 1920. On the first of September of this year, the "Deutsche Rugby-Zeitung" appeared for the first time. In 1927, the year of the death of the pioneer of the Hanoverian rugby sport and first DRV president FW Fricke, a national team was set up for the first time. The German team played their first international match against France on April 17th in Paris and clearly lost with 5:30, but four weeks later the French were surprisingly beaten 17:16 in the revenge in Frankfurt.

Post-war period and re-establishment

The French and German associations also did the essential preparatory work for the establishment of the international association FIRA, which, however, was launched in Rome in 1935 without the British associations. But in contrast to football and unlike in the British countries and France, rugby remained little widespread in Germany. Favorable developments in the 1930s were interrupted and stopped by the Second World War.

After the collapse of the Third Reich, the German Rugby Association was re-established on May 14, 1950. The old strongholds of Hanover and Heidelberg developed the fastest again and, along with Berlin, are still the centers of this lawn game today. In 1948, TSV Victoria Linden won the first post-war championship 30-0 against Berliner SV 92. In the following years, most of the titles went to the traditional clubs of the Lower Saxony state capital.

The DRV in reunified Germany

With the unification of the Federal Republic and the former GDR, the German Rugby Sports Association (DRSV) and the German Rugby Association also merged in 1990 . Thus, the former GDR rugby clubs joined the German Rugby Association.

Since 2000

In 2010 and 2011 the association almost went bankrupt. For 2010 there was no funding from the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) amounting to 126,000 euros. The BMI denied that the DRV was eligible for funding because the association did not have sufficient financial resources. A financial loss of 38,000 euros in 2008 could not be compensated for a year later. The Federal Ministry of the Interior was concerned that the DRV was misappropriating the funds for debt reduction. At the end of 2011 the redeeming news came. The Federal Ministry of the Interior considers the association to be eligible for funding again.

An extensive league reform took place in 2012. As part of this reform, the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga were divided into regional leagues. Since the 2012/2013 season there have been different first and second leagues for north / east / south / west. Many former regional league teams were promoted to the Bundesliga on the "green table". In addition, the championship round, the DRV Cup and the League Cup were introduced, which regulates promotion and relegation. Already eight months after the implementation of the first phase of the league reform, there were criticisms, some of which called for a return to the old system. This has sparked a debate that will lead to a lively discussion at the German Ruby Day 2013.

Ian Rawcliffe was elected as the new President on July 6, 2013. In June 2014 the Unity Project started between the DRV and the English Rugby Federation. The Unity Project was launched at the beginning of 2014 in order to give impulses to a total of 17 nations in the run-up to the Rugby World Cup beyond 2015. Two English counties ("constituent bodies") are always brought together with one target country. They then pass on their experiences and ideas over a period of three years in order to advance various aspects of rugby: such as trainer and referee training, school projects or efficient structures at club and association level.

In 2014, the marketing activities of Deutsche Rugby-Marketing GmbH (DRM), which was active again, showed their first successes. Because the German Rugby Association (DRV) and the French fashion company "Camberabero" have signed an equipment contract, the two-year term of which begins on January 1, 2015. The DRV is thus working with one of the most legendary names in French rugby. Because the company belongs to the Camberabero family - a fourth generation rugby dynasty in our neighboring country. The reputation of the Camberabero family is based on the 1968 Grand Slam victory against England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland in the then Five Nations.

Furthermore, the WILD Rugby Academy (WRA), based in Heidelberg, has been the official premium sponsor of the men's national teams in 15 and 7 rugby of the German Rugby Association (DRV) since September 2014. In the past few years, the WRA has made a significant contribution to the positive development of rugby sport in Germany and is now taking the next step in collaboration with the DRV to make the battle for oval leather even more popular and successful in this country. The agreement between the WILD Rugby Academy and the Hanover-based German Rugby Association on the sponsorship of national teams, signed with effect from September 1, 2014, runs for a period of three years. As the main sponsor, the WRA will be present exclusively on the match and training equipment of both teams. In addition, the Academy supports the two national teams financially and organizationally.

The path to World Cup qualification and the European Championship

A few months ago nobody expected that Germany would have a chance of qualifying for the World Cup. This was made possible because the World Rugby Federation downgraded Belgium, Romania and Spain. Their associations allegedly used unregistered players in qualifying.

The last World Cup ticket will be played in the Repechage tournament in Marseille with teams from Germany, Canada, Hong Kong and Kenya. In the first game, the team around captain Michael Poppmeier won against Hong Kong thanks to a strong second half with 26: 9 (6: 6). In their second game against the big favorites Canada, the DRV selection lost with 10:29 (7:10). This means that the German team no longer has a chance of reaching the World Cup finals in Japan.

Germany became European champions in Olympic 7-a-side rugby for the first time in 2019. With the tournament victory at the second tournament of the Rugby Europe Grand Prix Series (GPS) in Lodz, Poland, the men's national team headed by national coach Vuyo Zangqa not only secured the European crown, but also won the ticket again for the Hong Kong Sevens , where one will make another attempt at a place in the Sevens World Series . In addition, the German selection will participate as an invitation team in the two world series tournaments in Paris and London in the coming season.

Competitions

National competitions

National competitions within the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga

The following national competitions are held under the umbrella of the DRV:

• German Rugby Championship : Will of the 16 teams in the 1. Bundesliga played
• DRV-Pokal : Was played in the KO system among the Bundesliga clubs
• League Cup : Was played among the unqualified Bundesliga clubs of the DRV Cup main round

National Association Championship

In 2013, regional association championships were held for the first time in years. The various regional associations of the German Rugby Association compete at this tournament in Olympic 7-a-side rugby.

International competitions

Olympic games

"Germany" already took part in the II. Olympic Games, which took place in 1900 together with the World Exhibition in Paris , in the rugby union competition, which was an Olympic sport until 1924. Instead of a national team that did not yet exist, SC Frankfurt played for the German Empire in 1880 . Since the 7er rugby was part of the program of the Olympic Games for the first time in 2016, the German 7er rugby national team has competed in the qualifying games.

Rugby Union World Cup

In November 1988, the DRV was accepted as the 38th of 95 national associations in the International Rugby Board, so that Germany was able to qualify for the Rugby Union World Cup in 1989 (for 1991), but the team has never qualified. In 2014 the team reached the playoffs of the 6th round in qualifying for the Rugby Union World Cup 2015 .

Organization and structure

The German rugby association consists of 13 regional associations, 125 clubs and 13,542 members (as of 2015). The highest body is the German Rugby Day , which meets at least once a year. Not only the regional associations, but also the clubs send delegates. The main tasks of the German Rugby Day are the election of the presidium and the discussion of the applications.

Members

Members of the DRV are the 13 regional associations and various clubs in Germany. Unlike in other sports, the regional clubs are not automatically members of the DRV through their regional association. So it can happen that an association is a member of the DRV and a regional association. As part of a structure commission that was decided at the DRT 2012, u. a. this dual membership should be reconsidered.

Membership numbers

• 2005: 8,743 members
• 2006: 9,396 members
• 2007: 9,693 members
• 2008: 10,200 members
• 2009: 11,084 members
• 2010: 11,656 members
• 2011: 12,227 members
• 2012: 12,936 members
• 2013: 13,852 members in 122 associations
• 2014: 13,985 members in 125 associations
• 2015: 13,542 members in 125 associations
• 2016: 14,304 members in 124 associations
• 2017: 15,311 members in 123 associations

Parts of this article seem out of date as of 2017 .
Please help to research and insert the missing information .

Regional associations

The 13 regional associations of the DRV (blue).

There are currently 13 regional associations in the German rugby association:

1. Rugby Association Baden-Württemberg
2. Rugby Association Bavaria
3. Berlin Rugby Association
4. Brandenburg Rugby Association
5. Rugby Association Bremen
6. Hamburg Rugby Association
7. Rugby Association Hessen
8. Rugby Association Lower Saxony
9. Rugby Association of North Rhine-Westphalia
10. Rugby Association Rhineland-Palatinate
11. Rugby Association of Saxony
12. Rugby Association Schleswig-Holstein
13. Rugby Association Thuringia

Associations in areas where there is no regional association are usually members of the neighboring association.

Sub-organizations

DRV presidents

There are also the following sub-organizations:

• German Rugby Youth (DRJ, since 1967): Responsible for youth and school rugby as well as the U16 / U18 national teams.
• Referees Association (SDRV, since 1996): Responsible for refereeing in the association.
• German Rugby Women (DRF, since 2003): Responsible for women and girls rugby and the women’s national teams.

Boards or committees of the DRV

• School Rugby Commission
• Game operation
• Arbitration board
• Sports court
• Anti-Doping Committee
• Erich Kraft Foundation

President of the DRV

• 1900–1901: Ferdinand Wilhelm Fricke ( DSV Hannover 1878 )
• 1902–1903: Edward Hill Ullrich ( Heidelberg RK )
• 1904–1905: Ferdinand Wilhelm Fricke (DSV Hannover 1878)
• 1906–1907: Edward Hill Ullrich (Heidelberg RK)
• 1908–1909: Hermann Behlert ( SC Elite Hannover )
• 1909–1913: Robert Müller ( SC Merkur Hannover )
• 1913–1920: Ottomar Baron von Reden-Pattensen (DSV Hannover 1878)
• 1920–1923: Albert Wolters (DSV from 1878 Hanover)
• 1923–1924: Paul Simon ( TV 1860 Frankfurt )
• 1924–1925: Theodor Freud ( BFC Preussen )
• 1925–1927: Fritz Müller ( SC 1880 Frankfurt )
• 1927–1931: Ottomar Baron von Reden-Pattensen (DSV Hannover 1878)
• 1931–1947: Hermann Meister ( RG Heidelberg )
• 1947–1949: Paul Schrader ( SV Odin Hannover )
• 1949–1951: Willi Abel ( FV 1897 Linden )
• 1951–1956: Fritz Bösche ( TSV Victoria Linden )
• 1956–1974: Heinz Reinhold ( SV 1908 Ricklingen )
• 1974–1985: Hans Baumgärtner ( SC Neuenheim 02 )
• 1985–1991: Willi Eckert ( NTV 09 Hannover )
• 1991–1996: Theodor Frucht (TSV Victoria Linden)
• 1996-2004: Ian R. Rawcliffe ( BSC 99 Offenbach )
• 2004–2005: Bernd Leifheit (SV 1908 Ricklingen)
• 2005–2011: Claus-Peter Bach (SC Neuenheim 02)
• 2011–2013: Ralph Götz (SC Neuenheim 02)
• 2013–2015: Ian Rawcliffe (BSC 99 Offenbach)
• 2015–2018: Klaus Blank
• 2018–2019: Robin J. Stalker
• since 2019: Harald Hees (RK Heusenstamm)

Memberships

The DRV is a member:

• the world organization World Rugby since 1988 (formerly IRB),
• of the European continental association Rugby Europé (formerly FIRA-AER) and founding member in 1934,
• of the German Olympic Sports Confederation ,

See also

• Rugby in Germany
• German national rugby union team
• International Rugby Board (IRB)
• Fédération Internationale de Rugby Amateur Association Européenne de Rugby (FIRA-AER)

Web links

• Homepage

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Inventory survey 2019 (PDF) German Olympic Sports Confederation, accessed on November 16, 2019 . 
2. ↑ DRV threatens bankruptcy. In: TotalRugby.de . July 17, 2011, accessed November 20, 2012 . 
3. ↑ German Rugby Association avoids bankruptcy and is promoted again . op-online.de. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
4. ↑ League reform is coming . In TotalRugby.de . Retrieved November 20, 2012.
5. ↑ RKH defends the league reform . op-online.de Retrieved on April 23, 2013.
6. ^ Rödermarker Rawcliffe new rugby president . op-online.de. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
7. ↑ The starting signal for the “Unity Project” has been given . rugby.de. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
8. ↑ French rugby textile outfitter Camberabero makes DRV VII of the men look good . rugby.de. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
9. ↑ Premium sponsor: WILD Rugby Academy supports men's national teams from the DRV . rugby.de. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
10. ^ Frankfurter Rundschau: Rugby: The dream of the first World Cup ticket . In: Frankfurter Rundschau . ( fr.de [accessed on November 19, 2018]).
11. ↑ sportschau.de: Rugby: Germany starts successfully in World Cup qualification . November 11, 2018 ( sportschau.de [accessed November 19, 2018]).
12. ↑ Rugby: Germany's dream of the first World Cup finals burst . In: sport.de . ( sport.de [accessed on November 19, 2018]).
13. ↑ The return of rugby rugby.de , July 21, 2019, accessed on September 10, 2019.
14. ^ The associations of the DRV . rugby.de. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
15. ^ Report on the structural commission . In TotalRugby.de . Retrieved November 15, 2012.