Rot Weiß Essen was founded as SV Vogelheim in 1907 and after a number of mergers and name changes took on its current name in 1923.
It was not until the post-year wars that it achieved notable success. The club won the cup in 1953 and were national champions in 1955.
In 1956 they were the first German club to qualify for the European Cup.
Relegated in 1961 they achieved seven years back in the top tier between 1967 and 1977.
Recurring financial problems then caused a decline through the 1990’s until they dropped out of the professional leagues altogether.
2004 saw them back in the 2 Bundesliga, but they then dropped down into the newly formed 3 Bundesliga in 2008 and were declared insolvent in 2010.
Rot Weiß Essen currently play in Regionalliga West, which is the fourth tier of German football.
Despite its many misfortunes the club still has a large and passionate supporter base. They had the highest attendance ( 7684) in the league in 2013/14.
Stadium
Since 2012 the club has occupied the new Stadion Essen which has a capacity of 20000
Tickets
Standing tickets cost 10 euros and seats up to 18 euros.
You can buy them on the day or order ahead with the online ticket shop. The site is in German but working your way through it is relatively simple. It will cost you an extra 6.90 euros to have them sent to your home address.
How to get there
The simplest way to get to the ground is to take the S2 train, which runs between Dortmund and Duisburg and get out at a stop called Essen-Bergeborbeck.
Colours : (obviously) red and white
Honours
German Cup Winners: 1953
German Champions: 1955
