Hamburger SV — German sports club best known for its football team

Foundation of the association

Predecessor clubs

The Hamburger SV itself officially names 29 September 1887 as its founding date. However, the actual founding of the HSV took place on June 2, 1919. On this day, the three clubs SC Germania von 1887, Hamburger FC 1888 (which was called Hamburger SV 1888 from 26 February 1914) and FC Falke 1906 from Eppendorf merged, although strictly speaking this was an accession of the other two clubs to Hamburger FC 1888, which had already been entered in the register of clubs at the Hamburg district court on 30 June 1909. However, since HSV explicitly continues the tradition of its three predecessor clubs, the statutes state under § 1, paragraph 2, sentence 2: "The date of foundation is 29 September 1887."

The SC Germania von 1887 was founded on 29 September 1887 from the merger of the athletics clubs Hohenfelder SC and Wandsbek-Marienthaler SC, which were founded in 1884. Football was also played at Germania from 1891. In 1896, the club won the first Hamburg-Altona championship. Four more titles followed. In 1904 Germania took part in the final round for the German championship and was eliminated in the semi-finals against Britannia 92 Berlin. In 1917 Germania formed a wartime union with SV Uhlenhorst-Hertha von 1911. A year later there was a wartime association with SC Concordia Hamburg.

Long before that, Hans Nobiling and Hermann Friese, who were important pioneers of football in Brazil at the start of the 20th century, had emerged from the club. Nobiling founded SC Internacional in São Paulo, which went on to become World Cup winners FC São Paulo, and SC Germânia, which has since become EC Pinheiros, the biggest sports club in the southern hemisphere. Friese, Brazil's first soccer star, was also the German champion in the 1500-meter run in 1902.

The second parent club was the Hamburger FC von 1888, which was founded on 1 June 1888 by pupils of the Wilhelm-Gymnasium. Between 1895 and 1898, FC Victoria 95 joined the HFC as a youth division. Hamburger FC changed its name to Hamburger Sportverein 1888 on 3 February 1914, before merging with SC Victoria on 27 July 1918 to form Kriegsvereinigung Victoria-Hamburg 88. The association was successful and became both Hamburg and North German champions in 1919. The final round of the German championship was omitted after the end of the First World War, so the Kriegsvereinigung disbanded just one day after the North German championship.

The third parent club was FC Falke 06, which was founded on 5 March 1906 by pupils of the Oberrealschule in Eppendorf. FC Falke 06 did not achieve any notable successes and mostly played in lower leagues. On 12 May 1919, FC Falke 06 joined Hamburger Sportverein 1888, which from then on called itself Hamburger SV von 1888. On 2 June 1919, the SC Germania von 1887 and the Hamburger SV von 1888 finally merged to form Hamburger Sport-Verein e. V. (Hamburg 88-Germania-Falke), which was entered in the register of associations at the district court on 12 July 1919.

SC Germania and HFC 88 were among the founding members of the German Football Association.

Club colours and emblem

In honour of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the Hanseatic colours red and white were chosen as the shirt colours. Blue and black, the colors of the SC Germania, were adopted in honor of this in the club coat of arms (logo). It shows on blue ground a white square standing on the point with broad black and white edge. Because the square stands on the point, it is called in the vernacular usually "rhombus".

The coat of arms was designed after decades of adopted (also own) representations of the later advertising graphic artist and HSV player Otto Sommer. In 1996, however, the name Henry Lütjens also came into play as the inventor. In the end, the authorship cannot be clarified with certainty. The "rhombus" is borrowed from a frequently used symbol of Hamburg's merchant shipping: The Blue Peter, the flag signal for "All hands on board", is also said to have been the godfather. The HSV club logo is the only one of a Bundesliga club that has remained essentially unchanged to this day; only the width of the square has varied in the past.

History of the football department

1919-1933: Foundation and first successes

HSV began its first season in the Hamburg league with an 8-0 victory over SC Concordia. After the team had secured the autumn championship, the club came into conflict with the federation, as the newcomer Hans Popp was said to have had no formal clearance. The "Rothosen" were initially deducted five points, but the association revised the ruling again after the end of the season. Champion was the SC Victoria with one point ahead. In the 1920/21 season, the North German Football Association set up two top divisions in the form of the Nord- and Südkreisliga. HSV became undefeated champions of the northern group and won the North German championship for the first time with two clear victories over Hannover 96. In the final round of the German championship, however, the team was already eliminated in the quarter-finals after losing 2-1 to Duisburger SpV after extra time.

Reinforced by the Norwegian national player Asbjørn Halvorsen, HSV entered its third season in which the "Rothosen" competed in the Alster Kreisliga. Although the team only finished third after a messed-up season, they were allowed to participate in the final round of the North German championship as defending champions. Here, HSV defended its title and entered the final of the German championship after victories over Titania Stettin and Wacker München. The HSV met the 1st FC Nuremberg. With the score at 2-2, the match in Berlin's Grunewaldstadion had to be abandoned after 189 minutes played due to darkness. The replay at Leipzig's VfB Stadium ended 1-1 at the end of regulation time. A sending-off, followed by another in extra time, and a player out injured had reduced the Nuremberg side to eight men. When another Nuremberg player, Luitpold Popp, was injured and could not continue, referee Peco Bauwens abandoned the game.

The DFB then declared HSV the German champions because of the "unsportsmanlike conduct" of Nuremberg. Nuremberg protested against the decision, claiming that the abandonment of the match was against the rules. In November 1922, the DFB initially declared HSV the German champions at its national meeting in Jena. A few minutes later, Hamburg board member Henry Barrelet declared that HSV "has no claim to this year's championship". Thus there was no German football champion in 1922.

→ Match dates of the 1922 championship finals

One year later, HSV would secure its first championship title on a sporting level. The team won both the Alsterkreis and the North German championship in superior fashion. After victories over Guts Muts Dresden and VfB Königsberg, the "Rothosen" reached the final of the German championship. Through goals from Otto Harder, Ludwig Breuel and Karl Schneider, HSV defeated SC Union Oberschöneweide and won their first championship title.

→ Game data of the championship final 1923

In 1924, HSV players were again in the final of the German championship. Once again, the team dominated the competition at local and regional level at will. In the final round of the German championship, HSV first beat Vereinigte Breslauer Sportfreunde and SpVgg Leipzig-Lindenau and met 1. FC Nürnberg in the final. Through goals by Georg Hochgesang and Wolfgang Strobel, Victoria went to Franconia.

→ Game data of the championship final 1924

In the years that followed, the club was unable to build on its great successes. Although the "Rothosen" reached the final round of the German championship every year, the team was always eliminated early, except for the semi-final defeat in 1926 against Hertha BSC. At the same time, there was growing dissatisfaction with the championship system at local level. HSV was too seldom challenged in the Alsterkreisliga, which is why it regularly played friendly matches against well-known foreign clubs. It was not until 1928 that the team again reached the final of the German championship, in which their opponents were Hertha BSC. After 20 minutes the Hamburg team was already leading 3:0 and finally won clearly with 5:2.

→ Game data of the championship final 1928

The following season brought the "Hamburg Football Revolution". Nine of Hamburg's top clubs and Holstein Kiel broke away from the association and played out their own championship with the "Round of Ten", which HSV won undefeated. After tough negotiations, the federation finally gave in and reduced the number of first leagues from eleven to six. Although HSV was able to defend its North German championship title, it was already eliminated at DFB level in the quarter-finals after a 2-0 defeat by SpVgg Fürth. After HSV missed the final round of the championship in 1930, the team was rejuvenated. Long-time key players such as Otto Harder, Walter Kolzen and Hans Rave left the club.

A year later, the "Rothosen" became northern champions again and were only eliminated in the semi-finals of the German championship in 1931 with a 2:3 after extra time against Hertha BSC. A further rejuvenation of the team brought talents like Richard Dörfel and the only 18-year-old Rudolf Noack into the team. Noack alone scored 48 competitive goals in the 1931/32 season. The only defeat of the year came in the quarter-finals of the German championship, when HSV lost 4-2 to FC Schalke 04. A year later, the team was already eliminated in the round of 16 after a 1:4 defeat against EintrachtFrankfurt.

1933-1945: The HSV in the Third Reich

The Nazi takeover brought significant changes to German league football. 16 Gauligen were introduced, which were from now on the highest German division. HSV was one of the founding members of the Gauliga Nordmark, whose catchment area covered Hamburg, the province of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg. In the first three seasons, HSV remained in the shadow of local rivals Eimsbütteler TV (ETV), who secured the Gaumeisterschaft in each case. In 1934 and 1935 the "Rothosen" were runners-up, a year later only third. In 1935, the forerunner of today's DFB Cup was introduced in the form of the Tschammerpokal. After a 5:4 first round win at Werder Bremen, Hamburg were eliminated just one round later against Fortuna Düsseldorf.

It was not until the 1936/37 season that HSV won its first regional championship and reached the final round of the German championship. In the preliminary round the "Rothosen" met BC Hartha, Hindenburg Allenstein and Beuthen 09 and won all matches. In the semi-final, which was played in the Berlin Olympic Stadium, the 1st FC Nuremberg proved to be too strong and the HSV lost with 2:3. The match for third place the HSV lost against the VfB Stuttgart with 0:1. One year later the better goal quotient secured the "Rothosen" the advancement. HSV and ETV finished the Gauliga season level on points and undefeated, but HSV was 0.66 goals better. Also in the final round of the German championship the better goal quotient against Eintracht Frankfurt secured the entry into the semi-finals. HSV led 2-0 at half-time, but the Lower Saxons equalised in the second half and scored the winning goal in extra time despite being shorthanded. As in the previous year, HSV lost in the match for third place, this time only in a replay with 2:4 against Fortuna Düsseldorf.

The third fourth place in a row was secured by HSV 1939. After winning the Gaumeisterschaft again, the team prevailed in the group stage and met Admira Vienna in the semi-finals. The match in Frankfurt was lost 1:4 for the Hamburg team, and the "Rothosen" also lost in the match for third place, this time with 2:3 against Dresdner SC. The negative highlight of the season was the first-round exit in the cup against VfB Peine. The outbreak of the Second World War was not without consequences for football in Hamburg. Initially, a "Hamburg War Championship" was played, before Gauliga points were awarded again from the end of November 1939. HSV won its season unbeaten, but suffered two bitter defeats in the final against Eimsbütteler TV. But things went better in the Tschammerpokal. HSV was the first Hamburg team to reach the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated after a 6-2 defeat at SV 07 Waldhof.

The 1940/41 Gauliga season was a curious one. The "Rothosen" won all 21 league games played and became Gaul champions for the fourth time. The missing game at Barmbeck SG was not played until after the end of the 1941/42 season. At the Reich level, however, the Hamburg side failed to progress beyond the group stage after losing out to FC Schalke 04 in the group final. After HSV finished runners-up again in 1942, the Gauliga Nordmark was disbanded and replaced by the Gauligen Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg. In 1943 the title went to Victoria, a year later to the newcomer Luftwaffen SV. At this time the war dictated the team line-up, which in the meantime included the then record international Paul Janes, so that it was often not clear until match day which line-up HSV would field. While almost everywhere in Germany the Gauliga season 1944/45 had to be broken off or did not begin at all, in Hamburg 1945 still a Gaumeister was selected. The "Rothosen" secured the last district championship undefeated.

Immediately after the National Socialists came to power, HSV subordinated itself unconditionally to the regime. Numerous officials and players became members of the NSDAP, the SA and the SS. Between 1933 and 1945, the chairmen of the board were referred to as "club leaders". Members of the Jewish faith were initially not allowed to join the club and were later systematically excluded. In 1935, some Jewish members had saved the association from bankruptcy through donations. But also non-Jewish members went through difficult times during the National Socialist era. The later honorary president Emil Martens was imprisoned for homosexuality and later had to undergo castration.

1945-1963: Dominance in the Oberliga North

While a large-scale league had already been set up in southern Germany in the autumn of 1945 in the form of the Oberliga Süd, points were only played for at local level in the north. In Hamburg, the Hamburger Liga was introduced, which HSV won undefeated. A North German championship was abandoned after the first round at the behest of the British military government. One year later, HSV was runner-up behind FC St. Pauli. For the first time a British Zone Championship was played. Via VfB Lübeck, Schalke 04 and Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, the "Rothosen" reached the final in Düsseldorf's Rheinstadion. A goal by Alfred Boller won the match for Hamburg and secured their first post-war title.

In the summer of 1947, the Oberliga Nord finally began play with twelve clubs. HSV and St. Pauli finished the round level on points, so that a deciding match became necessary. Here the "Rothosen" kept the upper hand with 2:1. The two teams met again in the final for the British Zone Championship. HSV defended its title with a 6:1 victory. In the first German post-war championship, however, Hamburg were eliminated in the quarter-finals by SpVgg Neuendorf. The quarter-final of the 1949 German championship was also the end of the line, this time the "Rothosen" were clearly defeated by the later champions VfR Mannheim with 0:5.

For the 1949/50 season, the contract player statute was introduced, which legalized the payment of players. In the following years, HSV's dominance became increasingly clear, and the "Rothosen" became Oberliga champions, sometimes by a large margin. But while the team was superior to its regional rivals, it could only celebrate limited success in the finals for the German championship. In 1950, HSV squandered a 2-0 half-time lead against Kickers Offenbach in the quarter-finals and lost 3-2. A year later, the team set two league records with 113 goals scored and striker Herbert Wojtkowiak with 40 goals in the season. In the final round, the "Rothosen" missed out on a place in the final after a 1:4 defeat at 1. FC Nürnberg. In 1952, too, it was the Nurembergers who put an end to HSV's dreams of reaching the final with a 4-0 home victory.

Hamburg played a special kind of match in preparation for the 1952/53 season, when the "Rothosen" played the Indian national team in a friendly match. Although the match was played on a grand pitch, the Indians played barefoot and lost 3:5. After another championship in the Oberliga Nord, the team was again without a chance in the final round and only won against SC Union 06 Berlin. On the other hand, HSV won the NFV Cup, which was played for the first time since 1927, by beating Holstein Kiel 3:2. The DFB Cup was also reintroduced; the Hamburg team reached the quarter-finals, but was defeated 1:6 by Rot-Weiss Essen.

The 1953/54 season was a complete mess. Disputes within the team and a four-point deduction for forbidden hand money payments to Willi Schröder, who had signed on from Bremen, meant that HSV only reached 11th place, and for a short time was even mathematically in danger of relegation. The 2:10 defeat at Arminia Hannover was the only double-digit defeat in a match in HSV's history. After the season, two Hamburg players, Jupp Posipal and Fritz Laband, won the World Cup in Switzerland with the German national team.

Martin Wilke and Günter Mahlmann took over as coaches for the 1954/55 season and incorporated several talented youngsters into the team in the shape of Uwe Seeler, Klaus Stürmer and others. Seeler and Günter Schlegel became top scorers in the Oberliga Nord with 28 goals each and secured their team's seventh northern championship in eight years. HSV moved to the Volksparkstadion for the final round of the German championship. Here, Hamburg finished second in their group behind 1. FC Kaiserslautern.

The championship in the Oberliga Nord also went to HSV in the 1955/56 season, but the Reds had the narrowest lead in five years, with a three-point advantage over Hannover 96. In the final round of the German championship, Hamburg finished the group stage level on points, but with the worse goal ratio against Borussia Dortmund in second place. In the DFB Cup, the "Rothosen" reached the final after a semi-final victory over Fortuna Düsseldorf. Uwe Seeler gave HSV the lead before two goals from Bernhard Termath and Antoine Kohn sent Karlsruher SC to cup victory.

→ Match dates of the 1956 DFB Cup Final

The team was further rejuvenated and won the Oberliga Nord for the ninth time in the 1956/57 season. In the final round, HSV managed to enter the final with a 2:1 victory over 1. FC Saarbrücken. In doing so, the Hamburg team benefited from the fact that Duisburger SpV could not go beyond a 2-2 draw at 1. FC Nürnberg at the same time. In the final, Borussia Dortmund showed the young HSV team their limits. Two goals each from Alfred Kelbassa and Alfred Niepieklo helped the Westphalians defend their championship title. Gerd Krug scored the consolation goal for Hamburg.

→ Match dates of the 1957 championship final

Throughout the 1957/58 season, HSV finished first in the league. On 1 December 1957, during a home match against TuS Bremerhaven 93, Uwe Seeler was sent off for an assault, the only one of his career. The referee had to leave the stadium incognito and by stealth. The club then received a ground ban and had to play its home game against Eintracht Braunschweig at Bremen's Weserstadion. After trailing 0:4 at half-time against Eintracht, HSV turned the game around and won 6:4. Once again, the "Rothosen" moved into the championship final, where the team met Schalke 04. Two goals from Bernhard Klodt and one from Manfred Kreuz meant that HSV were beaten 0:3.

→ Match dates of the 1958 championship final

On 25 June 1960, Hamburger SV won the third German championship in the club's history after a 3-2 victory over 1. FC Köln.

→ Game dates of the 1960 championship final

In addition, HSV reached the semi-finals of the European Champion Clubs' Cup for the first time in 1961. After the first and second leg against CF Barcelona (today FC Barcelona) the score was tied, in the deciding match on 3 May 1961 Hamburger SV then lost 1:0.

1963-1973: Mediocrity in the newly created Bundesliga, first highlight in Europe

In the Bundesliga, which was founded for the 1963/64 season, HSV was unable to secure any more championship titles for the time being. Its dominance in the north was also initially over when Werder Bremen won the championship in 1965 and Eintracht Braunschweig did likewise two years later. On the 22nd matchday of the 1965/66 season, HSV scored an 8-0 win over Karlsruher SC, its highest home win to date. In the following season, HSV lost the cup final against FC Bayern Munich, again a year later the European Cup final against AC Milan. Uwe Seeler became "Footballer of the Year" two more times in 1964 and 1970 and ended his active football career with HSV in 1972.

Despite rather mediocre finishes in the Bundesliga (with 14th place in 1966/67 and 1972/73 as the worst finishes), one of the foundations for the successes in the second half of the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s was laid at the beginning of the 1970s by signing young players who later became permanent regulars and some of whom also played for the national team.

Charly Dörfel scored the first Bundesliga goal for HSV in HSV's away match at Preußen Münster to level the score at 1-1 on the first matchday. HSV finished sixth in their debut season, with Uwe Seeler winning the first goalscorer's crown with 30 goals in 30 games - only Gerd Müller (six times), Dieter Müller (once) and Grafite (once) achieved an equal or better scoring rate in the Bundesliga. In the DFB Cup, on the other hand, Hamburger SV lost to SpVgg Fürth in the first round, and in the European Cup Winners' Cup the German representatives lost to Olympique Lyon in the quarter-finals.

In the following season, HSV only finished in ninth place and was eliminated in the second round (round of 16) in the cup against 1. FC Nürnberg. The 1965/66 season was only marginally better: again ninth in the standings, quarter-final in the cup (1:2 against FC Bayern München).

A partial success, which brought in the following year the renewed participation in a European competition, succeeded in the season 1966/67 - admittedly not in the championship (14th place) - but in the cup: The "Rothosen" made it to the final and lost in Stuttgart to FC Bayern clearly with 0:4. However, since FC Bayern had already won the German Cup the previous year and subsequently also the European Cup Winners' Cup, making them European title holders, HSV were allowed to take part in the international competition the following season as "runners-up" alongside FC Bayern.

→ Match dates of the cup final 1967

In the Cup Winners' Cup 1967/68, HSV beat the Danish club Randers Freja, Wisła Krakow from Poland, Olympique Lyon from France and the Welsh club Cardiff City, who however played in England, in succession and met AC Milan in the final. However, the Hanseatic League team had no chance against the Italians in the final in Rotterdam and lost 0:2. In the league, HSV ended up in 13th place, in the DFB Cup, the team had already lost in the first round (0:1 at Hertha BSC).

→ Match dates of the 1968 European Cup Winners' Cup final

In the 1968/69 season, Hamburg finished sixth in the table. In the DFB Cup, the Hanseatics were eliminated in the quarter-finals - for the third time in four years, they lost to FC Bayern Munich in the Cup. HSV reached the quarter-finals of the Messepokal, the forerunner of the UEFA Cup, but decided not to play Göztepe Izmir because they feared they would not be back in Germany in time for the weekend, when they were due to play Kickers Offenbach. Hamburg were thus eliminated from the competition without a fight.

At the beginning of the 1969/70 season, Peter Nogly, who later became a top performer, joined HSV, who finished sixth in the standings. In the DFB Cup, the Hanseatic team was eliminated in the round of 16 (second round) against Eintracht Frankfurt. In the following season, Hamburg finished fifth in the standings and advanced to the quarterfinals of the DFB Cup (0:2 against 1. FC Köln).

The 1971/72 season was the last in which Uwe Seeler was active for HSV. On 1 May 1972, the farewell match took place in front of 62,000 spectators in the sold-out Volksparkstadion. Seeler competed with HSV against a world selection put together by him; HSV lost the game 3:7. In Seeler's farewell season, several, later important players joined the club: Manfred Kaltz (TuS Altrip), Rudi Kargus (Wormatia Worms), Caspar Memering and Ole Bjørnmose (both Werder Bremen) and Georg Volkert (FC Zurich). In that season, HSV finished in tenth place, lost to Werder Bremen in the last 16 of the DFB Cup and were eliminated in the UEFA Cup in the first round by Scottish representatives FC St. Johnstone.

In the 1972/73 season, HSV was in a relegation battle for long periods and ended up 14th. In the cup, HSV was eliminated in the round of 16 (second round) against 1. FC Köln. The sporting "bright spot" was winning the DFB League Cup, which was held for the first time (to bridge the Olympic break). In the final, the Hanseatic League defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach 4:0. With Willi Schulz, another long-time player ended his career after this season.

1973-1987: The greatest successes

Peter Krohn (son of Hans Krohn, a member of the 1923 championship team), who was elected as the new HSV president on 26 November 1973, introduced a number of innovations at HSV that brought the club unprecedented economic success and thus gradually made it possible to invest in new players. For example, from the 1974/75 season onwards, HSV became the fifth club in the Bundesliga (after Eintracht Braunschweig, FC Bayern München, Eintracht Frankfurt and MSV Duisburg) to run corporate jersey advertising on its chest. The sponsor was the beverage producer Campari. Events were held around the matches for the first time in order to attract more spectators through this alone - which was indeed crowned with success. However, this did not always meet with approval - jersey designs in pink and sky blue, for example, were particularly controversial because, according to Krohn, "these colours appeal to women". Already in the first season under Krohn, HSV made a profit of 250,000 DM on a turnover of 5.7 million DM - one season before, a loss of 250,000 DM had been made on a turnover of 2.9 million DM. Krohn remained president until 1975 and then served as the club's general manager for two more years. His successor as president in 1975 was Paul Benthien, under whose presidency Günter Netzer was hired as manager and the first Bundesliga championship was won (1979). Benthien in turn was succeeded in 1979 by Wolfgang Klein (until 1987). Under Klein's aegis, the greatest triumphs in the club's history to date (twice German champions, once cup winners and the European Cup victory in the 1983 National Champions Cup) were achieved.

Under coach Kuno Klötzer (1973 to 1977), HSV won a cup (1976), the European Cup Winners' Cup (1977) and was runner-up in the Bundesliga once (1976) and vice cup winner. Klötzer's successor Rudi Gutendorf remained a brief episode. In addition to "Riegel-Rudi", the club also parted ways with "general manager" Dr. Peter Krohn. Gutendorf's successor Arkoc Özcan, former HSV goalkeeper, was considered "too soft" towards his players - a European Cup place was missed - he also had to vacate his seat after a few months. He is remembered as a coach mainly because he came up with a startling diagnosis of striker Georg Volkert's condition in a press briefing: "Volkert has a performance strain."

Manager Netzer brought Branko Zebec, who was considered to be very authoritarian, to the Elbe, and under his leadership the team won the 1979 championship. Despite the deployment of 500 stewards and 340 police officers, riots and a panic broke out at the victory celebration in the Volksparkstadion. 71 people were admitted to hospitals with injuries. Due to Zebec's alcoholism, the club dismissed the coach. Temporarily, the former co-coach Aleksandar Ristić took over as coach, and finally in 1981 HSV hired Ernst Happel. He is still the most successful coach in HSV's history.

Of the 14 seasons in this era, HSV played in European competition in eleven seasons, including three times in the national champions, twice in the Cup Winners' Cup and six times in the UEFA Cup. In addition to three German championships, HSV finished second in the final table five times during this period. In the period from 16 January 1982 to 29 January 1983, the Hanseatic League remained unbeaten in 36 consecutive games - a Bundesliga record that remained unbroken until the end of 2013.

HSV only finished twelfth in the league in the 1973/74 season, but advanced to the cup final against Eintracht Frankfurt that year after wins over SV Darmstadt 98, Borussia Mönchengladbach, SG Wattenscheid 09 and Kickers Offenbach. The Hessians won 3:1 in front of 53,000 spectators at the Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf.

→ Match dates of the 1974 cup final

For the 1974/75 season, the club signed strikers Horst Bertl (from Borussia Dortmund, stayed until 1979) and Willi Reimann (from Hannover 96, stayed until 1981), who contributed to the title wins in the following years. In order to be able to buy Bertl's services, president Krohn had launched the "Fans buy players" campaign, in which an extra obolus had to be paid in addition to the ticket price. HSV started 1974/75 in the UEFA Cup, where it came to the German-German encounter with Dynamo Dresden in the round of 16. HSV won the first leg 4-1 at home, the second leg ended 2-2, with Rudi Kargus saving two penalties. HSV eventually succumbed to Juventus Torino in the quarter-finals. In the league, this season ended with a fourth place, but in the DFB Cup, HSV surprisingly lost in the second round against the amateurs of VfB Eppingen.

Things went better in the 1975/76 season: After HSV had won the DFB Cup against lower-class teams (1. FC Köln Amateure, Union Salzgitter, SC Jülich 1910, Bayern Hof and FC Homburg), there was a memorable clash with FC Bayern München in the semi-finals. The match took place in front of 53,000 spectators at the home Volksparkstadion. After regulation time, the score was 1-1 with goals from Ole Björnmose and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. In extra time, Bayern took a 2-1 lead through Franz Beckenbauer, but Peter Nogly equalized in the 115th minute. In the replay in Munich, no goals were scored for a long time. In the 82nd minute, Gerd Müller stepped up to take a penalty kick (the foul had been committed on himself), but Rudi Kargus parried the penalty. Finally, in stoppage time, Kurt Eigl scored the 1-0 winner for HSV. The cup final in front of 61,000 spectators in Frankfurt was won 2-0 by HSV against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. In the Bundesliga, HSV also played at the top for a long time and was ultimately runner-up behind Borussia Mönchengladbach - the best Bundesliga finish up to that point. In the UEFA Cup, HSV beat Young Boys Bern, Red Star Belgrade, FC Porto and FKS Stal Mielec in succession and only failed to reach the semi-finals against FC Brugge, who were still coached by future HSV manager Ernst Happel at the time. At the start of the season, Horst Blankenburg had arrived from Ajax Amsterdam, who at the time was considered the second-best German libero after Franz Beckenbauer, and Hans "Buffy" Ettmayer from VfB Stuttgart.

→ Match dates of the 1976 cup final

The 1976/77 season, at the start of which Felix Magath was signed from 1. FC Saarbrücken, brought a sixth-place finish in the league and elimination in the second round of the DFB Cup. Once again the opponents were Bayern Munich. In the European Cup Winners' Cup, on the other hand, the Hanseatic team beat Keflavík ÍF, Heart of Midlothian (Edinburgh), MTK Budapest FC and Atlético Madrid in the semi-finals. As a result, HSV reached the final against RSC Anderlecht. HSV won the final on 11 May 1977 in Amsterdam 2-0, achieving the greatest success in the club's history up to that point. Coach Kuno Klötzer had already known before the final that he would be replaced by Rudi Gutendorf for the new season; so for him, the European Cup victory was the crowning achievement of his four-year tenure.

→ Dates of the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup 1977

For the start of the 1977/78 season, offensive defender Ivan Buljan joined from Hajduk Split and Liverpool FC brought in their star player Kevin Keegan. As European Cup winners, HSV played for the European Super Cup at the start of the 1977/78 season, where they lost to Keegan's former club. As defending champions, HSV also competed again in the European Cup Winners' Cup, but were eliminated in the second round - against RSC Anderlecht, of all teams. As a result, coach Rudi Gutendorf was sacked and was succeeded by Arkoc Özcan. In the DFB Cup, FC Schalke04 was too strong in the round of 16 (already under Özcan) and won 4:2. In the league, the Hanseatic League only reached tenth place. Manager Netzer then decided that the team needed a coach with high authority and signed Branko Zebec.

Hamburger SV brought in fresh talent at the start of the 1978/79 season. While Georg Volkert (to VfB Stuttgart) was sorted out, as he was identified by Netzer as a "troublemaker" within the team and Klaus Zaczyk (to KSV Hessen Kassel) also changed, the Hamburg team brought in the second league goal scorer (41 goals) of the previous season, Horst Hrubesch from Rot-Weiss Essen. They also signed "Jimmy" Hartwig from TSV 1860 München and Bernd Wehmeyer from Hannover 96. All three became regulars and played a significant part in the successes of the years to come. These began in the season in which HSV became Bundesliga champions for the first time and brought the fourth German title to the Elbe. The championship celebration on the last matchday (9 June 1979) at the home stadium got out of hand when fans overcame the fencing and stormed onto the pitch. In the process, 71 people were injured, some seriously. The result of the match (1:2 against Bayern Munich) was irrelevant. HSV had already secured the championship with a 0-0 draw at Arminia Bielefeld on the penultimate matchday, because rival VfB Stuttgart had lost at home to 1. FC Köln at the same time. However, Bielefeld also inflicted a 2-1 defeat on the Hanseatic League in the first round of the DFB Cup that season.

In the 1979/80 season, HSV was eliminated in the third round of the DFB Cup - once again the Hanseatic League lost to an underclass opponent, in this case Kickers Offenbach. In the Bundesliga, HSV led the table until the penultimate matchday, but lost 2-1 at promoted Bayer 04 Leverkusen and had to let FC Bayern pass them. Bayern did not relinquish their two-point lead on the last matchday (31 May 1980) and took the championship, leaving HSV in second place. This was the second disappointment in just a few days, as HSV had already lost the final of the European Champion Clubs' Cup against Nottingham Forest on 28 May. The "Rothosen" had qualified for the final with victories over Valur Reykjavík, Dinamo Tiflis, Hajduk Split and Real Madrid. The semi-final against Madrid was a particularly memorable one. Hamburg had lost the first leg 2-0 in front of 110,000 spectators at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. In front of 61,500 spectators at the Volksparkstadion, however, the home team offered "the greatest and best I have ever seen from HSV" (manager Netzer) and knocked the Madrilenians out of the competition with a 5:1 victory. For the HSV scored Kaltz (10., FE), Hrubesch (17.), again Kaltz (40.), again Hrubesch (45.) as well as Memering (89.), the intermediate 2:1 had scored Cunningham (31.). After the end of the match, HSV received a congratulatory telegram: "Your loyal supporter, Helmut Schmidt, Federal Chancellor". In the final, which was played in Madrid, John Robertson scored the winning goal for Nottingham in the 20th minute, which the English team saved over the next 70 minutes.

→ Dates of the final of the European Champion Clubs' Cup 1980

As second in the final table in 1979/80, HSV entered the UEFA Cup and reached the round of 16. However, a 5-0 defeat at home to AS Saint-Étienne made it clear after the first leg that this would be the "end of the line"; the 1-0 defeat in the second leg meant the final elimination. Despite having won the autumn championship, the "Rothosen" parted company with coach Branko Zebec in December 1980. Due to his alcohol problem, the club had dismissed him in December 1980, and his successor until the end of the season was the previous co-coach Aleksandar Ristić. In the league, Bayern once again came out on top, finishing four points ahead of HSV. In the DFB Cup, Hamburg did not advance beyond the quarter-finals: Eintracht Braunschweig won 4:3 after a draw.

In the following season, HSV reached the semi-finals of the DFB Cup, the furthest they had gone since 1976. However, 1. FC Nürnberg kept the upper hand in the semi-final (2:0). In the UEFA Cup, HSV beat FC Utrecht, Girondins Bordeaux, FC Aberdeen, Neuchâtel Xamax and Radnicki Nis in succession to reach the final. The first leg at IFK Göteborg was lost 1-0, so hopes were pinned on the second leg at the Volksparkstadion. However, the hosts lost 0:3 there, which meant that the cup went to the Swedish port city. In the Bundesliga, on the other hand, things went better for HSV. The last time the "Rothosen" lost during the season was on 16 January with 1:2 at Eintracht Braunschweig, after which they did not lose another game. This was the start of the longest streak without defeats by a Bundesliga club: it lasted until January 1983. This record lasted 30 years and was only surpassed by FC Bayern Munich in the 2012/13 season. HSV won its fifth German championship in its first season under coach Ernst Happel.

→ Match dates of the 1982 UEFA Cup finals

Under Ernst Happel, HSV finally won the European Champion Clubs' Cup with 1:0 against Juventus Turin. In the first round, Hamburg beat BFC Dynamo from Berlin in a German-German duel (1:1 in Berlin, 2:0 at home). Victories over Olympiakos Piraeus, Dynamo Kiev and Real Sociedad San Sebastián followed before the team met Juventus Turin on 25 May 1983, whose ranks included several Italian internationals who had won the World Cup in Spain a year or so earlier, as well as French midfield genius Michel Platini and powerful Polish striker Zbigniew Boniek. A Felix Magath goal in the eighth minute gave HSV the lead and they did not relinquish it until the end of the game. The success in the Olympic Stadium in Athens is still the biggest in the club's history. In the Bundesliga, HSV once again became German champions and thus managed to repeat a championship title for the first time in the club's history. In the DFB Cup, HSV lost in the round of 16 at Hertha BSC with 1:2.

→ Dates of the final of the European Champion Clubs' Cup 1983

In the summer of 1983, Dieter Schatzschneider from SC Fortuna Köln, who scored 15 goals in 31 games, was signed as the successor to goal scorer Horst Hrubesch, who had transferred to Standard Lüttich. Midfielder Wolfram Wuttke also arrived from FC Schalke 04. In the 1983/84 season, defending champions HSV played for the championship until the penultimate matchday, but lost 2-0 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt, while rivals VfB Stuttgart won in Bremen and, thanks to their much better goal difference, could only theoretically be caught. HSV's 1-0 win in Stuttgart on the final matchday was worthless. In the DFB Cup, too, VfB Stuttgart was the final stop for HSV: In the replay (after 1:1), the Swabians won 4:3 after a draw. In the National Champions Cup, HSV had a bye in the first round and then lost to Dinamo Bucharest (0:3, 3:2). Also in that season, HSV played for the World Cup and the European Supercup as 1983 winners of the Landesmeister Cup. These games were also lost (1:2 n. V. against Grêmio PortoAlegre and 0:0 and 0:2 against FC Aberdeen). HSV had thus played for five titles, but had not won any, so that coach Ernst Happel spoke of a "lost year". Schatzschneider, who had human difficulties with Happel and his teammates, left the club again after the season (to FC Schalke). Wuttke, who had the same problems, left a year later for 1. FC Kaiserslautern. At the end of the season, crowd favourite Jimmy Hartwig also left the club for 1. FC Köln.

→ Match data of the 1983 World Cup match

In 1987, HSV was runner-up in the league and won the DFB Cup with a 3:1 victory over Stuttgarter Kickers. It has remained the last "big title" (championship, cup, European cups) until today.

→ Match dates of the DFB Cup Final 1987

1987-1999: Years of dreariness

The following years were marked by the team's relegation to league mediocrity. Between 1989/90 and 1996/97, the club achieved UEFA Cup places only twice, otherwise exclusively double-digit table positions. In some seasons the club played against relegation until late in the season. In the early 1990s, HSV also had to fear for its existence due to a high level of debt. It was saved from its financial misery mainly by the lucrative transfer of the most valuable player Thomas Doll to Lazio Rome. There was no continuity either at the top, i.e. in the presidium, or on the coaching bench. There was also a high turnover in the squad. Klein was succeeded at the top by Ernst Naumann (1987-1990), Horst Becker (who remained in office for only ten months in 1990) and Jürgen Hunke. It was only under Hunke that the club's financial rehabilitation succeeded, when Doll was sold to Rome for the then-record transfer fee of DM 17 million. Hunke remained in office until 1993, followed in the next six years by Ronald Wulff (1993-1995), Uwe Seeler (until 1998), Werner Hackmann (1998) and Rolf Mares (1998-1999). Between 1987 and 1999, HSV was thus presided over by seven presidents. During the same period, HSV employed eight different coaches.

The first half of the 1987/88 season already gave a foretaste of the high turnover in the squad. Coach Josip Skoblar, signed as Happel's successor, had to leave on 10 November 1987 - with him goalkeeper Mladen Pralija, who had only been brought in at the start of the season to replace the suspended Uli Stein (Stein had punched Bayern player Jürgen Wegmann in the 1987 Supercup). After some heavy defeats, including a 0:6 at Bayern Munich, a 0:4 at home to Karlsruher SC and a 2:8 at Borussia Mönchengladbach, Pralija also had to leave. Skoblar's successor on the sidelines was Willi Reimann, and in goal was "Jupp" Koitka, who had already been a substitute goalkeeper for HSV from 1980 to 1982 and was signed from SG Wattenscheid 09. A reinforcement was Uwe Bein, who formed a good midfield duo with Thomas von Heesen. HSV finished the season in sixth place, and in the DFB-Pokal the Hanseatic League reached the semi-finals before being eliminated by VfL Bochum. In the European Cup Winners' Cup, the club failed in the round of 16 (second round) to Ajax Amsterdam.

In the summer of 1988, HSV had no fewer than eleven new signings, although only striker Jan Furtok made a significant impact on the club (59 goals in 156 games over five years). In the 1988/89 season, HSV once again achieved a UEFA Cup place (fourth). In the DFB Cup, a 1-0 home defeat to Werder Bremen meant elimination in the quarter-finals. In the following season, Hamburg only finished eleventh and thus failed to reach a single-digit place in the table for the first time since the 1978/79 season. A 1-0 defeat at home in the first round against MSV Duisburg meant an early exit from the DFB Cup. The match took place at the Rothenbaum. After the defeat there were riots, so that the HSV first team never played there again - the defeat against Duisburg was therefore the last game at the traditional venue. In the UEFA Cup, HSV still managed to reach the quarter-finals, but there they were defeated by Juventus Turin - HSV did not get at least as far in the UEFA Cup until the 2008/09 season, when they lost to Werder Bremen in the semi-finals. In April 1990, HSV sacked coach Reimann, who was succeeded by Gerd-Volker Schock, who had previously been Reimann's assistant.

HSV started the 1990/91 season with some spectacular new signings: Thomas Doll and Frank Rohde came from BFC Dynamo, and Manfred Kaltz also returned to Hamburg. The season brought the "Rothosen" a fifth place in the standings. In the DFB Cup, however, the team was eliminated in the round of sixteen: a 2-1 defeat against SG Wattenscheid 09 meant the end of the season. In the summer of 1991, after only one season with the "Rothosen", Thomas Doll moved to Lazio Rome for a transfer fee of DM 17 million. Even though the Hanseatic League only had seven to eight million DM left over, it was enough to rehabilitate itself financially. Manfred Kaltz ended his professional career after 20 years, most of which he spent with Hamburg. At the end of the season, HSV finished in twelfth place. In the DFB Cup, Werder Bremen won the second round (all Bundesliga teams had a bye in the first round) 3:1 at the Weserstadion. In the UEFA Cup, HSV lost to Sigma Olmütz in the round of 16. Coach Gerd-Volker Schock was replaced by Egon Coordes in April 1992. President Hunke tried to divide the club into a grassroots division and a professional football division, as Borussia Dortmund later did. His plan failed, however, because there were not enough buyers for the "shares" of HSV Sport AG. Several prominent HSVers, including former presidents Peter Krohn, Wolfgang Klein and Horst Becker, spoke out against the division of the club. The plans were not pursued further.

The following season brought another poor start to the season for HSV. In the DFB Cup, Hamburg reached the second round (2:4 at Karlsruher SC). Coach Coordes was sacked and replaced by Benno Möhlmann. The Hamburg team finished the season in eleventh place in the table. The 1993/94 season brought HSV a twelfth place in the table as well as the elimination in the DFB Cup quarterfinals against Werder Bremen (2:4 at the Weserstadion). In the following season, the Hanseatic League finished in 13th place in the table, and in the cup they lost to FC Schalke 04 in the second round.

In the 1995/96 season, HSV was eliminated in the first round of the DFB Cup by Arminia Bielefeld. Möhlmann was sacked in October and was succeeded by Felix Magath. The Hanseatic League team finished fifth in the league and thus for the first time in years earned a place in the UEFA Cup the following season. In autumn 1995, HSV got a new president: Uwe Seeler had applied and was elected with his new team by the members with a large majority. Financially, the Seeler team took over a now healthy club - without debts, but instead with around five million DM in reserves. In the 1996/97 UEFA Cup, HSV lost to AS Monaco in the last 16. In the DFB Cup, the Hanseatic team lost to VfB Stuttgart in the semi-finals. In the league, on the other hand, Hamburg once again only achieved a 13th place. In May 1997, the club dismissed the coach and Ralf Schehr became interim coach until the end of the season.

For the 1997/98 season, HSV not only signed coach Frank Pagelsdorf, who stayed for just over four years (longer than any coach since Ernst Happel), but also goalkeeper Hans Jörg Butt from VfB Oldenburg, who in the following seasons became the new regular goalkeeper and also the most successful penalty taker among German goalkeepers. In addition, Rodolfo Cardoso, who had previously only been on loan from Werder Bremen, was signed permanently. Anthony Yeboah (from Leeds United), Ingo Hertzsch (from Chemnitzer FC) and Thomas Gravesen (from Vejle BK) were also signed during the season. Even though these new signings only finished ninth that season, they all became regulars and key players in the following years. However, in the 1997/98 season, HSV had finished bottom of the table with only 20 points after the 21st matchday and saved itself from relegation in the final spurt with only one defeat. In the DFB Cup, HSV's bid for the title ended in the second round at Bayer 04 Leverkusen (1:2 n. V.).

The 1998/99 season was the last in the "old" Volksparkstadion. On 2 June 1998, shortly after the end of the 1997/98 season, demolition work began. The capacity of the stadium subsequently dropped significantly as a result of the reconstruction during ongoing football operations; the match against FC Bayern Munich on 13 March 1999 was sold out with 28,600 spectators. At the beginning of that season, Thomas Doll returned to HSV, and the Hanseatic League also signed Nico-Jan Hoogma. At the end of the season, HSV finished seventh and was eliminated by Rot-Weiß Oberhausen in the round of 16 of the DFB Cup after a penalty shootout.

1999-2010: Back to Germany's top with a new stadium and two European semi-finals

At the same time as the new stadium was completed, HSV also achieved sporting success again. The new Volksparkstadion was opened on 21 August 1999 for the match against VfB Stuttgart - however, the stadium was not yet completely roofed over. In the 1999/2000 season, HSV finished third in the table and qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time. In the first match on 13 September 2000 against the Italian club Juventus Turin, which was usually regarded as the favourite, the so-called match of the century took place with a 4-4 draw. In Turin, HSV won 3-1 and eventually finished third in the group and went on to play in the UEFA Cup. There, the club was defeated by AS Roma.

The new arena was finally completed at the beginning of the 2000/01 season, which was a setback in sporting terms compared to the previous season, with HSV finishing 13th in the final table and being eliminated from the DFB Cup in the second round (round of 16) against Karlsruher SC. In the following season, the Hanseatic League finished eleventh and was again eliminated in the second round of the DFB Cup, this time against VfB Stuttgart. In September 2002, Dietmar Beiersdorfer was hired as the new sporting director. In the 2002/03 season, HSV had a record deficit of €14.3 million on its balance sheet.

HSV won its first title in 16 years in July 2003, winning the DFB League Cup with a 4:2 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the final. The 2002/03 season ended for HSV with fourth place and thus qualification for the UEFA Cup. In the DFB Cup, HSV failed to qualify by losing 0-1 at home to VfL Bochum. On 1 February 2003, Bernd Hoffmann was appointed chairman of the board. He held this position until 16 March 2011. The 2003/04 season ended with an eighth place in the table. In the DFB Cup, the "Rothosen" were eliminated by a 0:3 at FC Bayern Munich, in the UEFA Cup 2003/04 in the first round against Dnipro Dnipropetrowsk.

With the new signings Daniel Van Buyten (from Olympique Marseille), Khalid Boulahrouz (from RKC Waalwijk) and Piotr Trochowski (from FC Bayern München), HSV strengthened itself at the beginning of the 2004/05 season. In the league, HSV finished eighth, but in the DFB Cup, HSV was eliminated by SC Paderborn 07 with a 2:4 defeat (for details see here). Later it turned out that the match had been manipulated by referee Robert Hoyzer. In exchange for compensation of €500,000 from the DFB and a promise to host an international match in Hamburg, HSV refrained from further action against the "scandalous match". In the UI Cup, HSV reached the semi-finals in the summer of 2004, but lost to FC Villarreal and thus did not qualify for the UEFA Cup in the current season.

With the Dutchmen Rafael van der Vaart and Nigel de Jong (both from Ajax Amsterdam), as well as Guy Demel, signed from Borussia Dortmund, HSV strengthened itself again at the beginning of the 2005/06 season, and also won the UI Cup in the summer and thus entered the UEFA Cup. The Hanseatic League lost to Rapid Bucharest in the round of 16. In the DFB Cup, FC Bayern Munich got the upper hand in the round of 16 with a 1-0 draw. HSV finished third in the league and then qualified for the Champions League.

At the beginning of the 2006/07 season, there was a personnel upheaval. Important players like Sergej Barbarez, Daniel Van Buyten and Khalid Boulahrouz left the club. The team qualified for the group stage of the Champions League against CA Osasuna (0-0, 1-1). In the Champions League, HSV finished bottom of the group with five defeats and only one win. In the Bundesliga, the team finished last in the table after the 20th matchday. On 1 February 2007, Hamburger SV reacted to the ongoing failure and prematurely parted ways with head coach Thomas Doll. One day later, Huub Stevens was hired as the new coach. Stevens managed to keep HSV out of the relegation zone on the 33rd matchday at the away game in Nuremberg: HSV picked up nine wins and three draws from the last 14 games of the season and ultimately finished in seventh place. Hamburg thus took part in the UI Cup the following season.

HSV reached the qualifying round of the UEFA Cup via the third round of the UI Cup. Victories against FC Dacia Chișinău (first leg 1:1, second leg 4:0) and Honvéd Budapest (first leg 0:0, second leg 4:0) qualified HSV for the UEFA Cup. After two wins (1-0 away and 3-1 at home) against Litex Lowetsch (Bulgaria) they reached the group stage. On 22 February 2008, HSV was declared the winner of the competition as the last remaining UI Cup participant. This was the second time after 2005 that the UI Cup had been won, but due to the change in match mode and the awarding of victory to the team remaining longest in the UEFA Cup, this time the trophy went to HSV alone. In the league, HSV played more stable than in the previous year and was placed in the top group of the league for practically the entire 2007/08 season. Only after the announcement of coach Stevens to leave the club at the end of the season, a period of relative failure followed. Nevertheless, the club managed to reach the UEFA Cup thanks to a 7-0 win over Karlsruher SC on the final matchday.

On 1 July 2008, Dutchman Martin Jol succeeded Huub Stevens as head coach. Under Jol, Hamburger SV played its best season in 26 years. The club reached the semi-finals of the DFB Cup and the UEFA Cup. In both competitions, however, Hamburger SV was eliminated by arch-rivals Werder Bremen. At the end of the season, HSV finished fifth and qualified for the UEFA Europa League. The club generated a profit of €13.4 million in 2008/09.

Martin Jol terminated his contract early after the end of the season in May 2009 to join Ajax Amsterdam. Bruno Labbadia was signed as his successor. After disputes arose between Bernd Hoffmann and Dietmar Beiersdorfer over competencies, Dietmar Beiersdorfer's contract was terminated by mutual agreement. The position of sporting director had been vacant since the 2009/10 season. HSV started the season strongly and was in first place in the table on matchday 7 after wins against Borussia Dortmund, reigning champions VfL Wolfsburg and FC Bayern Munich, among others. The first half of the season ended in fourth place. In the second half of the season, the team steadily declined. After a 1:5 defeat on matchday 32 against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, Labbadia was sacked and replaced by technical coach Ricardo Moniz. With him, HSV were eliminated in the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League after a 2-1 defeat against Fulham FC - as they had been in the previous season against their northern rivals from Bremen - and missed the final at their own stadium after a 0-0 draw in the first leg while still under Labbadia. HSV finished the season in seventh place, failing to qualify for the international stage for the first time in six years. After the end of the season, Joris Mathijsen and Eljero Elia played for Hamburger SV in the final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa with the Dutch national team; Mathijsen played through and Elia was substituted in extra time.

2010–2018: Decline, spin-off and relegation after successful rescues

Season 2010/11

Since the start of the 2010/11 season, former Stuttgart championship coach Armin Veh has been in charge of the team together with co-coach Michael Oenning. Among the departures were Jérôme Boateng and Bastian Reinhardt. The latter took over as sporting director. New arrivals included Jaroslav Drobný and new captain Heiko Westermann. The first half of the season was a mixed bag for Hamburg and they went into the winter break in ninth place in the table. The second half of the season was equally unsuccessful. The first sporting low point was the 0:1 derby defeat at home to FC St. Pauli on matchday 21. After the team lost 6-0 at FC Bayern Munich on matchday 26, Veh was given his leave of absence on 13 March 2011 and replaced by previous co-coach Michael Oenning. Three days later, the club parted ways with the previous chairman of the board Bernd Hoffmann and marketing director Katja Kraus. Carl-Edgar Jarchow, who had already been a member of the supervisory board from 2001 to 2004, became the new chairman of the board on a temporary basis. Joachim Hilke became the new marketing director. HSV finished the season in eighth place in the table and again missed out on qualifying for international business.

Season 2011/12

The 2011/12 season saw a major change in personnel. Frank Arnesen became the new sporting director. Among others, deserving players such as Piotr Trochowski, Joris Mathijsen, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Frank Rost and Collin Benjamin left the club. Arnesen's first transfers caused a stir, signing Jacopo Sala, Jeffrey Bruma, Michael Mancienne, Slobodan Rajković and Gökhan Töre from his former club Chelsea. On 19 September 2011, Oenning was given his leave of absence after a season-long 13 point games without a win. He was succeeded by Rodolfo Cardoso, who had previously been employed as the U-23's coach, as interim coach. As Cardoso did not have the necessary football coaching licence and the DFB did not grant him an exemption, sporting director Frank Arnesen took over as interim coach after two games. Arnesen played one game on the sidelines after he had already signed Thorsten Fink as the new coach from FC Basel for HSV. In the end, the club finished 15th in the table, the worst final position in its 49 years in the Bundesliga.

Season 2012/13

Two key players, Mladen Petrić and Paolo Guerrero, left the club during the summer break. René Adler, on the other hand, joined HSV from Bayer 04 Leverkusen. In the first competitive match of the 2012/13 season, HSV lost in the first round of the DFB Cup against third-division team Karlsruher SC. After also losing the first league match, Rafael van der Vaart returned to HSV from Tottenham Hotspur. After an improvement in performance, the first half of the season ended in 10th place in the table. On 30 March 2013, HSV were handed one of the highest club defeats in HSV Bundesliga history to that point by FC Bayern Munich, losing 9-2 (HSV had previously lost three times with a seven-goal difference). The season ended in seventh place in the table after a changeable second half with 48 points, which meant that they missed out on qualification for the Europa League play-offs - on the last matchday.

2013/14 season

The 2013/14 season went down in HSV history as the worst season ever in terms of points. Just a few days after the end of the previous season, the club parted company with sporting director Frank Arnesen and hired Oliver Kreuzer from Karlsruher SC as his successor. Going into the season with the goal of improving on last year's performance in order to enter the UEFA Europa League, the team fluffed the start of the season. After matchday five, Thorsten Fink was relieved of his duties following a 6-2 defeat at Borussia Dortmund. After Rodolfo Cardoso took over the 15th-placed team as interim coach for two matches, Bert van Marwijk was hired as the new head coach on 25 September 2013. Under him, HSV improved in the beginning and finished the first half of the season in 14th place. After losing the first three matches of the second half of the season 3-0, the supervisory board caused a stir by discussing the removal of the board and the coach and the installation of Felix Magath, although it cannot intervene in the operational business. However, the latter later cancelled his contract with HSV and all positions remained unchanged for the time being. Meanwhile, they were eliminated 5-0 in the quarterfinals of the DFB Cup against FC Bayern Munich, which was HSV's highest home defeat in the competition. When the following Bundesliga match against last-place Eintracht Braunschweig was also lost 4-2, Bert van Marwijk was released and replaced by Mirko Slomka. This development was described by the media as the worst crisis in the club's history up to that point. Under Slomka, HSV, with two wins against top teams Borussia Dortmund and Bayer 04 Leverkusen, among others, reached the relegation spot with 27 points despite a final series of five defeats. A 0-0 draw in the first leg and a 1-1 draw in the second leg against SpVgg Greuther Fürth prevented HSV's first relegation from the Bundesliga due to the away goals rule.

Season 2014/15

A structural reform took place at the club prior to the 2014/15 season. After the Board of Management had already been instructed by the members on 19 January 2014 to prepare the spin-off of the professional players' division - in accordance with the HSVPlus reform model - into a public limited company, the implementation was voted on at an ordinary general meeting on 25 May 2014. 86.9 percent of the 9702 voting members present at the largest general meeting to date voted in favour of a spin-off. Dietmar Beiersdorfer, who had already been sporting director from 2002 to 2009, was hired from Zenit St. Petersburg as CEO of HSV Fußball AG. In addition, Oliver Kreuzer was released as sporting director and replaced by Peter Knäbel as "director of professional football" from 1 October 2014. Bernhard Peters took over the new position of "Director of Sport" as of August 1, 2014. Jens Meier was elected as the new president of e. V. at the end of January 2015, succeeding Jarchow.

There was also upheaval in sporting terms. More than ten players left the club, of which the departure of Hakan Çalhanoğlu, who moved to Bayer 04 Leverkusen after a transfer hullabaloo, should be explicitly mentioned. Despite the initial euphoria caused by the structural reform, HSV started the season badly. After two defeats in the first three league games, Mirko Slomka was sacked and replaced by previous U23 coach Josef Zinnbauer, who had won the first eight games of the Regionalliga season. On matchday 6, the team set a new negative record by only scoring their first goal of the season after 507 minutes of play. At the winter break, HSV was in 14th place in the table with 17 points despite scoring only nine goals. During the winter break, the club upgraded and signed former crowd favourite Ivica Olić from Wolfsburg and Chilean Marcelo Díaz from Basel. In the second half of the season, however, the club's sporting decline continued. After winning two Bundesliga matches in a row for the first time since April 2013 in February 2015, they conceded their highest ever Bundesliga defeat with a 0:8 loss at FC Bayern Munich on 14 February 2015. After six consecutive winless games, coach Josef Zinnbauer was replaced by sporting director Peter Knäbel, who would take over the 16th-placed team as interim coach for the remaining eight games. After Knäbel lost his first two games and HSV slumped to last place in the table, the club changed coaches for the third time in a season, hiring Bruno Labbadia, who had led HSV to the Europa League semi-finals in the 2009/10 season, six matchdays before the end of the season. Under Labbadia, HSV picked up ten points out of a possible 18. While the team had significantly underperformed the previous season with half as many goals, they had still managed to finish the season with 35 points in the season-ending spurt, which saw them finish in the relegation places on the final matchday. After the first leg of the relegation against Karlsruher SC had ended in a 1-1 draw at Volkspark, HSV secured their relegation place in the second leg: After trailing 1-0, Marcelo Díaz only equalised in injury time with a directly converted free kick, which had been awarded for a handball, and saved HSV into extra time, in which Nicolai Müller ultimately scored the decisive 2-1 in the 115th minute of the game.

Season 2015/16

For the 2015/16 season, the contracts of veteran players Marcell Jansen, Heiko Westermann and Rafael van der Vaart were not renewed; the Swiss Johan Djourou became the new captain. In addition to them, more than ten players left the club. The team was strengthened, for example, with the long-time Bremen player Aaron Hunt, who was signed from the then vice-champion and reigning cup winner VfL Wolfsburg. After an unsuccessful start to the season with elimination from the DFB Cup after a 3-2 extra-time defeat to fourth-division FC Carl Zeiss Jena and a 5-0 defeat in the Bundesliga opener at champions Bayern Munich, HSV played its best first half of the season in three years, finishing tenth in the table with 22 points before the winter break. In the second half of the season, HSV came closer to the relegation places again, but secured its place in the league on matchday 33. Before the season finale, the club parted ways with "Director of Professional Football" Peter Knäbel, whose duties Dietmar Beiersdorfer took over in addition to his duties as CEO. HSV ended the season in tenth place with 41 points.

Season 2016/17

Before the 2016/17 season, HSV invested around €38 million in the squad with the help of AG shareholder Klaus-Michael Kühne. Signings included Bobby Wood from second-division club 1. FC Union Berlin, reigning Olympic champion Douglas Santos (Atlético Mineiro), Luca Waldschmidt (Eintracht Frankfurt), Alen Halilović, who left the club again in the winter, for five million euros from FC Barcelona, and Filip Kostić, who was signed from relegated VfB Stuttgart for a club-record transfer fee of 14 million euros. Nevertheless, HSV had a weak start to the season. After finishing 16th in the table with just one point from their first five games, Bruno Labbadia was sacked and replaced by Markus Gisdol. Even under Gisdol, who appointed Gōtoku Sakai as the new team captain, the team failed to improve, finishing with two points after ten games, the weakest start to the season in the club's history. After securing their first win on matchday 13, the team improved and finished the first half of the season in the relegation spot with 13 points. Due to the developments, the Supervisory Board replaced CEO Dietmar Beiersdorfer with Heribert Bruchhagen at the end of December 2016. The latter filled the position of "Director of Professional Football" with Jens Todt during the winter break. In the winter transfer period, the squad was strengthened - especially on the defensive side - with Kyriakos Papadopoulos (most recently RB Leipzig), Mergim Mavraj (1. FC Köln) and Walace (Grêmio Porto Alegre). In the second half of the season, HSV stabilised and finished seventh in the second-round table with 25 points. Negative highlights were the 0:8 defeat at FC Bayern Munich on matchday 22, which repeated the highest defeat in the club's history from the 2014/15 season, as well as three defeats in a row between matchdays 29 and 31, which put HSV back in acute danger of relegation. On the final matchday, they - standing in the relegation spot - managed to secure their relegation with a 2-1 win over 15th-placed VfL Wolfsburg, ending the season in 14th place in the table with 38 points. In the process, HSV turned around a 0:1 deficit late on with goals from Kostić (32nd) and Waldschmidt (88th). In contrast, things went better than in recent years in the DFB Cup: After victories against third-division teams FSV Zwickau and Halleschen FC as well as 1. FC Köln, HSV was eliminated in the quarterfinals against Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Season 2017/18

René Adler (1. FSV Mainz 05) and Michael Gregoritsch (FC Augsburg) were among those who left the club for the 2017/18 season. New signings included André Hahn (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Rick van Drongelen (Sparta Rotterdam) and reigning U-21 European champion Julian Pollersbeck (1. FC Kaiserslautern). In addition, Kyriakos Papadopoulos, who had previously been on loan, was signed permanently. In the first round of the cup, HSV was eliminated after a 3-1 defeat at the hands of third-division team VfL Osnabrück. After two opening victories, a negative series followed. By the end of the Hinrunde, HSV had won two more games and spent the winter in 17th place in the table with 15 points after 17 match days. No changes were made to the squad during the winter break. After HSV also lost the first two second-round games, coach Markus Gisdol was replaced by Bernd Hollerbach. In the seven games under Hollerbach, HSV picked up three points through three draws and ranked 17th in the table after 26 matchdays, seven points clear of the relegation place. Due to these developments, in February 2018, CEO Heribert Bruchhagen was relieved of his duties by the new supervisory board led by chairman Bernd Hoffmann, who had been elected as the new club president at the e. V. general meeting. Frank Wettstein, who was from then on the sole chairman of the board, also suspended director of professional football Jens Todt and, following a 6-0 defeat at FC Bayern Munich, coach Bernd Hollerbach, replacing him with former U-21 coach Christian Titz before the 27th matchday. Titz relied on players who had started the season in the second team, Tatsuya Itō and Matti Steinmann, and was able to significantly improve the team's performance and style of play. Ten points from seven games brought HSV to within two points of the relegation places ahead of the final matchday. Despite a 2-1 home win over Borussia Mönchengladbach on the final matchday, HSV were relegated from the 1. Bundesliga for the first time and as the last Bundesliga founding member after 55 seasons of league membership on 12 May 2018.

Since 2018: Present in the second division

In the 2018/19 season, HSV played in the second division for the first time in its club history. Following relegation, the restructuring of HSV Fußball AG, which had begun after the election of Bernd Hoffmann as club president and chairman of the Supervisory Board of the AG in February 2018, continued. At the end of May 2018, the Supervisory Board appointed Bernd Hoffmann - initially on a transitional basis for one year, which meant that his seat on the Supervisory Board was dormant - as Chairman of the AG's Management Board and hired Ralf Becker from league rivals and last year's third-place finisher Holstein Kiel as a Sports Director. Hoffmann was finally appointed CEO in September 2018, for which he permanently relinquished his position as club president and his seat on the supervisory board. In January 2019, ex-player Marcell Jansen was elected as the club's new president.

During the summer transfer period, numerous players left the club whose contracts had not been renewed. Among the players added to the squad were the return of Pierre-Michel Lasogga (Leeds United) and the loan players Orel Mangala (VfB Stuttgart) and Hee-Chan Hwang (FC Red Bull Salzburg). The only player for whom a transfer fee was paid was Khaled Narey (SpVgg Greuther Fürth). Lewis Holtby, Gōtoku Sakai and Aaron Hunt, who replaced Sakai as captain, extended their expiring contracts. After matchday 10, Titz was replaced by Hannes Wolf. Although HSV was in 5th place at this point, only 2 points behind the league leader, they had already suffered 2 heavy home defeats with a 0:3 in the opening match against Holstein Kiel and a 0:5 against SSV Jahn Regensburg, which was the highest home defeat in the club's history, and played 0:0 3 times. Under Wolf, HSV won 6 of the last 7 first-round matches - with one draw - and finished the first half of the season as autumn champions with 37 points. In a disastrous second half of the season, in which they finished 15th in the second round table with 19 points, HSV frittered away direct promotion. The only highlights of the second half of the season were reaching the DFB Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2009, where they were eliminated by first division team RB Leipzig, and the 4-0 victory in the city derby at FC St. Pauli on matchday 25, after which HSV only won the meaningless match on the final matchday. Already before the last matchday, the separation of Hannes Wolf was announced at the end of the season. HSV finished their first season in the second division with 56 points in 4th place. By missing out on re-promotion, HSV lost the record for most Bundesliga appearances, which will henceforth be held by northern rivals Werder Bremen, who only missed one season in the Bundesliga.

Ahead of the 2019/20 season, sporting director Ralf Becker was replaced by Jonas Boldt, who was signed from first division side Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The new head coach was Dieter Hecking, who led Borussia Mönchengladbach to the Europa League in the previous season but subsequently had to leave the club anyway. The squad was again heavily changed with over 30 additions and departures. In addition to former captain Gōtoku Sakai (Vissel Kōbe), long-time players Pierre-Michel Lasogga (Al-Arabi) and Lewis Holtby (Blackburn Rovers) as well as Douglas Santos (Zenit St. Petersburg) left HSV. New signings were mainly players with first and second division experience such as Adrian Fein (on loan from FC Bayern Munich, previously SSV Jahn Regensburg), Martin Harnik (Werder Bremen), David Kinsombi (Holstein Kiel), Sonny Kittel (FC Ingolstadt 04), Tim Leibold (1. FC Nürnberg) or Lukas Hinterseer (VfL Bochum), who was the third best scorer in the 2nd Bundesliga in the previous season with 18 goals. HSV had a positive start to the season, and from matchday 3 until the end of the first half of the season, they were always in a direct promotion spot. They finished the Hinrunde in 2nd place with 30 points. Meanwhile, the team was eliminated in the DFB Cup against league rivals VfB Stuttgart in the 2nd main round. During the winter break, the squad was again supplemented with players from the Bundesliga, including the arrival of Joel Pohjanpalo on loan from Bayer 04 Leverkusen until the end of the season. As in the previous year, performances slumped in the second half of the season, leaving them in 7th place in the second-round table with 24 points. In mid-March, the season had to be interrupted for 2 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, HSV was in 3rd place with 44 points after the 25th matchday. After an interruption of about two months, during which the supervisory board released the chairman of the board Bernd Hoffmann after differences with the other board members Boldt and Wettstein, play was resumed with ghost matches. In 4 of the last 9 games, the team gave away a total of 6 points in injury time. This was also the case on matchday 33 against fourth-placed 1. FC Heidenheim, against whom they lost 2-1 after leading 1-0 and thus failed to finish in the top 3 for the first time since matchday 2. On Matchday 34, HSV conceded their highest defeat of the season with a 5-1 home loss to SV Sandhausen, although due to Heidenheim's simultaneous defeat at champions Arminia Bielefeld, a draw would have been enough to earn them relegation. HSV eventually finished its second season in the second division in 4th place with 54 points.

Hecking's contract was not renewed after the club missed out on promotion once again. For the 2020/21 season, Daniel Thioune was signed from league rivals VfL Osnabrück as his successor. In the summer transfer period, various players left the club at the end of their loan or contract, but most of them had not been regulars. In addition to Amadou Onana (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim U19) and Moritz Heyer (25; VfL Osnabrück), mainly experienced players were signed, including Klaus Gjasula (30; SC Paderborn 07), Toni Leistner (30; Queens Park Rangers), Simon Terodde (32; 1. FC Köln), who had been the Zweitligatorschützenkönig in 2016, 2017 and 2019, and Sven Ulreich (32), who had been the replacement for Manuel Neuer at FC Bayern for the past 5 years. In addition, Tim Leibold became the new team captain as the successor of Aaron Hunt. The season started with a 1:4 first-round loss in the DFB Cup against third-division team Dynamo Dresden. Despite this defeat, HSV started the season well and won the first 5 games. After a subsequent winning streak of 5 games, 3 of which were lost in a row, the team stabilised again from matchday 11 onwards and only lost one point by the end of the half-season due to a draw. The first half of the season, which did not end until January 2021 due to the late start to the season, thus ended with 36 points as league leaders. In the second half of the season, the performances of HSV, who finished 10th in the second-round table with 22 points, slumped as in the previous two seasons. The team again remained winless for 5 games in a row from matchday 20 onwards. After 2 victorious games, another 5-game winless streak followed from matchday 27 onwards, during which they played 3-3 against Hannover 96 after leading 3-0 or lost to relegation candidates SV Sandhausen, among others. Due to this development, Thioune was replaced three matchdays before the end of the season by Horst Hrubesch, who had returned to HSV before the season after 37 years as youth director. The team still picked up 6 points, but after losing to relegation candidates VfL Osnabrück on matchday 33, it was already clear ahead of time that the relegation spot was no longer attainable. With 58 points, HSV played its best season ever in the 2nd Bundesliga and had the best offense with 71 goals, but this was only enough for 4th place in the third year.

Successes and records of the football department

Successes

In its history, HSV has been German football champion six times and DFB Cup winner three times. In addition, HSV has won two European titles: the European Cup Winners' Cup and the European Champion Clubs' Cup. HSV is one of 16 European teams to have won a title in at least two different European cup competitions.

HSV won the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1983, the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1977 and the UI Cup in 2005 and 2007. HSV reached a European final three other times (Cup Winners' Cup 1968, National Champions Cup 1980 and UEFA Cup 1982), but were defeated in the finals by AC Milan, Nottingham Forest and IFK Göteborg.

With six German championship titles, HSV ranks fifth in the list of clubs with the most titles - behind FC Bayern Munich (30 titles), 1. FC Nürnberg (nine), Borussia Dortmund (eight) and FC Schalke 04 (seven titles). Taking into account the championships in the GDR, which were won ten times by Dynamo Berlin, eight times by Dynamo Dresden and six times by FC Vorwärts Berlin, HSV ranks seventh together with Vorwärts Berlin. HSV became German champion in 1922, but relinquished the title, as well as in 1923, 1928, 1960, 1979, 1982 and 1983. All of HSV's German championships are inscribed on the German championship trophy under the name "HSV. Hamburg" or, from 1982 onwards, as "HSV Hamburg". This is probably related to the fact that at the time of the first championships they wanted to avoid confusion, as Hannover 96 was also called "HSV". In any case, an official report of that time distinguishes between "H.S.V.-Hamburg" and "H.S.V.v.96-Hannover".

The Hanseatic League has won the DFB Cup three times: in 1963, 1976 and 1987. With three titles (and six appearances in the final), HSV - together with VfB Stuttgart - ranks eighth in the list of DFB Cup winners, behind FC Bayern München, Werder Bremen, FC Schalke 04, 1. FC Köln, Eintracht Frankfurt, 1. FC Nürnberg and Borussia Dortmund. The three unsuccessful finals appearances were in 1956, 1967 and 1974. Borussia Mönchengladbach also won three times, but has one fewer final appearance to its name.

HSV became North German champion in the years 1921 to 1925, 1928, 1929, 1931 to 1933, 1948 to 1953 as well as 1955 to 1963. In the Oberliga Nord there was thus only one season in which HSV did not become champion - this was in 1954 Hannover 96, who later also won the national title. The football championship of the British occupation zone was won by HSV in 1947 and 1948 - these were the only two seasons in which this competition was held. During the Nazi period, HSV became Nordmark champions four times: in 1937, 1938, 1939 and 1941. Hamburg-Altona champions HSV became champions 16 times: in 1896*, 1897*, 1901*, 1902*, 1904*, 1905*, 1919**, 1924, 1926 to 1928, 1930 to 1932, 1945 and 1946, in addition to six North German Cup winners' titles (1927, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960).

The club won the (unofficial) DFB Indoor Cup in 1987 and the German League Cup, first held in 1973, as well as the 2003 edition.

(* by Germania 1887 Hamburg, ** championship by a war football association (KFVgg) of Victoria Hamburg and Hamburger FC 1888)

Records

Hamburger SV played in the highest league level of German football from its foundation in 1919 until 2018, the club's first men's team has consequently never been relegated for a total of 99 seasons in a row. Until the 2017/18 Bundesliga season, the "Rothosen" belonged to the league since its inception, longer than any other German team. The club also has the highest number of regional championship titles in Germany (25 times North German champion) and the largest number of final round appearances for the German championship (32, 31 times HSV and once Germania 87). Hamburger SV is the fourth club to defend its Bundesliga title, along with Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach and FC Bayern München.

HSV's highest home win in the Bundesliga was 8-0 against Karlsruher SC on 12 February 1966. The highest away wins were 6-0, at Hansa Rostock on 14 November 2004, at Eintracht Frankfurt on 13 April 1991, at Fortuna Düsseldorf on 7 September 1982 and at Hertha BSC on 5 April 1980.

The highest home defeats were a 0:5 against FC Bayern München on 4 May 1974 in the Bundesliga, a 0:5 against AS Saint-Étienne on 26 November 1980 in the UEFA Cup, a 0:5 against FC Bayern München on 12 February 2014 in the DFB-Pokal and a 0:5 against SSV Jahn Regensburg on 23 September 2018 in the 2. Bundesliga. The highest away defeats were a 2:10 at SV Arminia Hannover on 20 February 1954 in the Oberliga Nord, a 0:8 against FC Bayern München on 14 February 2015 in the Bundesliga and a 0:8 against FC Bayern München on 25 February 2017 in the Bundesliga.

From 16 January 1982 to 29 January 1983, the Hanseatic League remained unbeaten in 36 consecutive matches across the season - this Bundesliga record stood for 30 years and was only surpassed by FC Bayern Munich on 9 November 2013. Hamburg's best Bundesliga start came in the 2009/10 season: They scored 22 points from ten matches (six wins, four draws, no defeats).

In the seasons 1979/80 to 1985/86, i.e. seven years in a row, HSV played in a European competition - the longest uninterrupted period so far. HSV competed three times in the National Champions Cup and four times in the UEFA Cup. Between 2003/04 and 2009/10, HSV also played in European competitions, but in the 2004/05 season it only started in the UI Cup (lost in the semi-finals to FC Villarreal, thus no subsequent participation in the UEFA Cup).

In the Oberliga Nord era, HSV had the league's top scorer in eight of the 16 seasons: Herbert Wojtkowiak and Günter Schlegel (together with Uwe Seeler) once each, and Uwe Seeler alone six times.

In the 2013/14 season, HSV achieved relegation with 27 points. This was the lowest number of points with which a club has not been relegated since the introduction of the three-point rule and, together with the converted 27 points with which FC 08 Homburg stayed in the league in the 1986/87 season, the lowest figure since the Bundesliga was founded. In the relegation matches, HSV became the first club to win through with only one goal scored and no game won. This was made possible by the away goals rule, which was used for the first time to decide the outcome.

In the 2014/15 season, HSV managed to stay in the league with 25 goals scored. This was the lowest number of goals scored by a team since the Bundesliga was founded and the third lowest of all participating teams. Fewer goals were scored by Tasmania Berlin in the 1965/66 season (15 goals) and Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 2006/07 season (23 goals).

Most successful trainers

Since its foundation the club employed 44 different coaches. First coach was Rudolf Agte, who became German champion once and vice-champion once in three terms. The first foreign coach was the Englishman A. W. Turner, under whose leadership the first German championship was won in 1923.

Turner was the only coach to work four times for HSV, Agte came to three phases as HSV coach. Carl Mattheides, Otto Rohwedder, Karl Höger, Georg Knöpfle and Bruno Labbadia each had two coaching stints. However, all this is only comparable to a limited extent because some of the early coaches - among them Agte and Turner, also Mattheides - were voluntary club members, not employed professional coaches.

Coach of the 1960 championship team was Günter Mahlmann, the 1963 cup victory was won under Martin Wilke. Kuno Klötzer was on the sidelines for the first European Cup victory in 1977. HSV won the 1979 championship under the aegis of Yugoslavian Branko Zebec.

The most successful HSV coach was the Austrian Ernst Happel, who won the German championship twice (1982, 1983), the cup once (1987) and the European Cup once (1983 National Champions Cup) with the club.

The HSV coach with the longest tenure was Günter Mahlmann. He was initially coach for two years together with Martin Wilke (1954-1956), directly followed by six years as the sole responsible coach. Ernst Happel also spent six years on the sidelines (1981-1987).

Record player

Manfred Kaltz scored 53 of his 76 Bundesliga goals for HSV on penalties (on 60 attempts), making him the most successful penalty taker in Bundesliga history. However, with six own goals, he also holds this Bundesliga record (along with Nikolče Noveski). Ivica Olić scored the first hat-trick for HSV in the Bundesliga against VfB Stuttgart on 20 October 2007 in Hamburg's 45th Bundesliga season. Uwe Seeler (1963/64) and Rafael van der Vaart (2007/08) were the only HSV players to score in seven consecutive Bundesliga matches (once each).

Horst Schnoor (507), Rudi Kargus (336) and Richard Golz (314) were the most frequent goalkeepers. Richard Golz (273), Rudi Kargus (254) and Uli Stein (228) played the most Bundesliga games between the posts. With 24 penalty kicks saved, most of them during his time at HSV, Kargus is the goalkeeper with the most penalties saved in Bundesliga history. On 9 March 1985, Kargus, then with Karlsruher SC, also held a penalty against his ex-teammates. The penalty held was one of Manfred Kaltz's seven misses.

The youngest HSV player to date in Bundesliga history is Josha Vagnoman, who made his Bundesliga debut on 10 March 2018 at the age of 17 years and 89 days. The youngest ever goalscorer in HSV Bundesliga history is Fiete Arp, who scored his first Bundesliga goal on 28 October 2017 at the age of 17 years and 295 days. The youngest player and goalscorer over all time remains Otto Sommer with two goals on his debut on 15 January 1922 at the age of 17 years and two weeks.

Three HSV players were top scorers in the Bundesliga:

• Uwe Seeler in the premiere season (30 goals)
• Horst Hrubesch in the 1981/82 season (27 goals)
• Sergej Barbarez in the 2000/01 season (22 goals, together with Ebbe Sand from FC Schalke 04).

Former players

Selection of former well-known and successful players of the first team.

Walk of Fame

In 2005, Hamburg entrepreneur Andreas Maske donated the "Walk of Fame", which is located in the north-east of the Volkspark Stadium. The following former HSV players and officials were chosen by a committee and honoured there.

125th anniversary team

For HSV's 125th Anniversary on September 29, 2012, the following players were selected to the 125th Anniversary Team.

Current squad 2021/22

• Status: 23 June 2021

Below is the squad in its current composition. The captain of the team is Tim Leibold, his deputies are Toni Leistner and Klaus Gjasula. Tom Mickel and David Kinsombi are also members of the team council.

Squad changes 2021/22

Coaching Staff

Tim Walter has been head coach of the professional team since the 2021/22 season. Filip Tapalović and Julian Hübner, who had already been his co-coach at Karlsruher SC's U19s in 2014, and Merlin Polzin, who had moved to HSV from VfL Osnabrück with then head coach Daniel Thioune the previous year, serve as co-coaches. With Sven Höh, a new goalkeeping coach also joined HSV in the summer of 2021. In the other specialist areas, Walter works with the long-serving staff of his predecessors. Responsible are currently in the following: