Hannover 96

• German Champion: 1938, 1954
• DFB Cup Winner: 1992
• North German Champion: 1954
• German Amateur Champion: 1960, 1964, 1965
• Champion of the Gauliga Lower Saxony: 1935, 1938, 1941
• Intertoto Cup: 1967, 1972, 1973
• UEFA Europa League: quarter-finals 2011/12, round of 16 2012/13
• European Cup Winners' Cup: 1st round 1992/93
• Lower Saxony Cup Winner: 1997, 1998

With the exception of the 1996/97 and 1997/98 seasons, Hannover 96's professional football team has always played in the highest or second-highest division in Germany and has twice been German champion, in 1938 and 1954. Hannover has been German amateur champion a total of three times: in 1960, 1964 and 1965. In 1992, the 96ers became the first true second division team to win the DFB Cup. Internationally, Hannover 96 was last represented in the UEFA Europa League in the 2012/13 season. 96 participated in European club competition in a total of ten seasons, seven times in the Messepokal, twice in the Europa League and once in the European Cup Winners' Cup. From 2002 to 2016, Hannover 96 played continuously in the Bundesliga. In the 2021/22 season, the club will play in the 2nd Bundesliga. In the first 56 Bundesliga seasons 1963-2019, 96 belonged to the 1st Bundesliga in 30 seasons.

1896-1938: From the foundation of the club to the first championship

An important supporter during the creation of Hannover 96 was the sports pioneer Ferdinand Wilhelm Fricke. Hannover 96 was founded on 12 April 1896 as Hannoverscher Fußball-Club von 1896 (HFC). Despite the club's name, rugby was initially played, as in most clubs, before the club turned to the modern game of football (association football), which was becoming more popular in Germany, in 1899. In 1901, the rugby club became a football club.

Also from 1901 Max Senn from Switzerland became a captain and "one of the first foreigners ever in German football on record". He had actually come to Hanover to work as a short-term trainer for the watchmaker M. Stellmann. The Swiss, who was interested in football and whom contemporary witnesses described as an "excellent ball technician", joined the HFC privately as a striker.

On 3 July 1913, Hannoversche Sportverein von 1896 was formed by a merger of Hannoversche FC von 1896 with BV Hannovera 1898, the latter formed in 1905 by the merger of FV Hannovera 1898 Hannover and Hannoversche BV, which had split off from HFC 1896 in 1902. In 1902 the players of FV Germania 1902 Hannover had already joined the HFC 1896. From the beginning until well into the 1950s, the club played its matches at the Hanover cycling track at Pferdeturm. At the merger in 1913, black trousers and white shirts were adopted as the playing costume. However, the club then returned to the red jerseys of the HFC.

In 1905, Hannoversche FC, which competed in red jerseys despite the club's black, white and green colours, became city champions for the first time. Afterwards, however, they were defeated in the final round of the North German championship by their future arch-rivals Eintracht Braunschweig, a result that was repeated six more times before the start of the FirstWorld War. Although the team always played a leading role within Hanover, it was not until the 1930s that the 96ers came to national attention. In 1932, Robert Fuchs became the first full-time coach for the football players at Hannover 96. Robert Fuchs was employed as a coach at 96 for a total of 16 years (albeit with interruptions). In August 1935, Edmund Malecki and Fritz Deike were the first two players from Hannover 96 to be called up to the national team.

In the 1937/38 season, Hannover 96 became German football champions for the first time. The team reached the final by beating Hamburger SV 3:2 after extra time in the semi-final in Dresden. The final was played on 26 June 1938 in Berlin. Their opponents were FC Schalke 04, who had dominated in the 1930s and were considered high favourites. In front of more than 90,000 spectators, the result was 3-3 after extra time. In the repeat of the final, played again in Berlin on 3 July 1938 in front of more than 94,000 spectators, the score was again 3-3 after normal time. Hannover 96 scored the winning goal in extra time to win 4-3 after extra time and thus achieved a sensation that was hardly thought possible: Hannover 96 was the German football champion in 1938.

The following players played both the first final and the replay for the Reds: Ludwig Pritzer - Helmut Sievert, Willi Petzold - Johannes Jakobs, Ernst Deike, Ludwig Männer - Edmund Malecki, Ludwig Pöhler, Erich Meng, Peter Lay - Richard Meng. Schalke 04 also played both matches in unchanged line-up.

In the following years 96 always played in the respective Gauliga.

1945-1963: From the re-establishment to the foundation of the Bundesliga

During the occupation of Hannover by the Allies as a result of the Second World War, Hannover 96 was dissolved in 1945 like all clubs in Germany. The club was re-established in 1946. In 1947, 96 was accepted at the green table into the newly founded Oberliga, the highest division. In its very first season in the Oberliga-Nord, the team had to be relegated and thus started in the second division for the first time in 1949. However, after Holstein Kiel was subsequently excluded from the Oberliga and Hannover 96 was awarded a guaranteed starting place in the Oberliga for the 1949/50 season, the club deregistered the team from regular play and played only friendly matches for the rest of the season.

From 1949/50 Hannover 96 was again permanently represented in the highest division. Helmut Kronsbein was appointed as the new coach in 1952. In 1953/54, with an unnamed eleven that did not include a single national player from Germany's later World Cup-winning team, he succeeded in winning the North German championship and advancing to the final round of the German championship after a starting record of 22-0 in the Oberliga Nord. 96 beat Berliner SV 92 and VfB Stuttgart to reach the final against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. The final was played in Hamburg's Volksparkstadion in front of 80,000 spectators. Kaiserslautern were clear favourites, as the team featured many national team players, who would later also surprisingly become football world champions in 1954 in Bern. In Hamburg, there was also a miracle on 23 May 1954 - the underdog Hannover 96 defeated Kaiserslautern after a 1:1 at half-time with 5:1 and became German football champions for the second time.

The line-up of the Reds in the final: Hans Krämer - Helmut Geruschke, Hannes Kirk - Werner Müller, Heinz Bothe, Rolf Gehrcke - Heinz Wewetzer, Rolf Paetz, Hannes Tkotz, Klemens Zielinski, Helmut Kruhl. Gehrcke represented the injured Willi Hundertmark.

In the following season, 96 finished 5th in the Oberliga-Nord. In 1956 the team again made it to the final round of the German championship, but was eliminated against Kaiserslautern, Schalke 04 and Karlsruher SC. It was to be the last participation in a final round for the German championship. Top matches were often played at the Eilenriedestadion instead of the Radrennbahn. The increasing alternation between the two venues came to an end with the demolition of the Radrennbahn in 1959, with the Niedersachsenstadion then being permanently occupied when the Bundesliga was founded.

In 1963, Hannover's application to join the newly founded Bundesliga was rejected. In addition to the direct, sporting qualification, the sporting performance according to the twelve-year evaluation as well as the economic situation of the club were considered as criteria for participation in the Bundesliga. Hannover 96 lost out to Eintracht Braunschweig, albeit by a narrow margin and with a highly controversial formal evaluation. This "defeat" at the green table against the Lower Saxon neighbours from Braunschweig became the start of a rivalry between the fans of these two clubs that still exists today. Hannover signed Werner Gräber from Duisburg 48/99, Horst Podlasly from Hamborn 07 and Walter Rodekamp from FC Schalke 04 for the 1963 regional league, all of whom proved to be reinforcements. In addition, Eberhard Herbst was brought in from Preußen Münster.

Hannover 96 then qualified for promotion to the Bundesliga at the first attempt in the 1963/64 season through sporting success and played there for the next ten years. Helmut Kronsbein was again engaged as coach in 1963, and on 28 June 1964 the team achieved promotion to the Bundesliga with a 3:1 win against Hessen Kassel. In the line-up Horst Podlasly - Heinz Steinwedel, Klaus Bohnsack - Winfried Mittrowski, Otto Laszig, Bodo Fuchs - Fred Heiser, Werner Gräber, Walter Rodekamp, Udo Nix, Georg Kellermann the promotion was made perfect.

1964-1974: Bundesliga

Seasons 1964/65, 1965/66

In the 1964/65 season, Hannover managed to finish fifth in the Bundesliga as a promoted team with 33:27 points. Karl-Heinz Mülhausen proved to be a reinforcement. Jürgen Bandura and Heiner Klose were also signed. For the 1965/66 season, Hannover strengthened itself with the signings of Hans Siemensmeyer and Stefan Bena. On 23 April 1966, Helmut Kronsbein was sacked again for allegedly accepting a gift from a players' agent. His successor was Hannes Kirk, who had won the German amateur championship with Hannover 96's amateurs in 1964 and 1965. In the second Bundesliga season, Hannover 96 only finished twelfth with 30:38 points, although no regular players had left the club.

Seasons 1966/67, 1967/68

On 1 July 1966, Horst Buhtz took over the training of Hannover 96. In addition, Christian Breuer, Hermann Straschitz and Kaj Poulsen, among others, were signed. In 1967 Hannover brought in Hans-Josef Hellingrath, Josip Skoblar and Jupp Heynckes, among others. Horst Buhtz finished ninth in the 1966/67 season and tenth in the 1967/68 season with Hannover. His contract was not extended after that.

Season 1968/69

For the 1968/69 season, the club signed coach Zlatko Čajkovski. Other new arrivals were only amateur players, of whom Rainer Zobel was later the most successful. In addition to Kaj Poulsen, Werner Gräber, Horst Grunenberg and Hermann Straschitz, national player Walter Rodekamp left the club, which meant a weakening. Hannover finished eleventh with 32 points. In 1969, Hannover strengthened with the signing of Zvezdan Čebinac. Peter Loof moved up from the amateur squad to the Bundesliga team.

Season 1969/70

Zlatko Čajkovski had already announced that he would not renew his contract. Due to the team's poor performance and because he was allegedly already negotiating with another club (1860 Munich) during the season, he was dismissed on 8 December 1969. Temporarily, amateur coach and champion player Rolf Paetz took over the training, until on 2 January 1970 Hans Pilz was hired as the new coach until the end of the season. Hannover 96 finished the 1969/70 season in thirteenth place in the table.

Season 1970/71

Helmuth Johannsen was brought in as the new coach for the 1970/71 season. With Christian Breuer, Jupp Heynckes, Josip Skoblar and Rainer Zobel, important players had left the team and Horst Berg, Ferdinand Keller, Willi Reimann, Horst Bertl, Rudolf Nafziger and Hans-Joachim Weller were brought in to replace them. Hannover 96 were able to secure their place in the league two matchdays before the end of the season and finished the season in ninth place with 33 points.

1971/72 season

For the 1971/72 season, Hannover 96 brought in Burkhardt Öller to replace long-time goalkeeper Horst Podlasly, who had played 187 Bundesliga games for the team and ended his football career. The club also strengthened itself with the signings of Franz-Josef Pauly, Michael Polywka, Georg Beichle and Rolf Blau. Although the only significant departures were Klaus Bohnsack, Zvezdan Čebinac and Claus Brune, the team was unable to match its performance of the previous season and was constantly in danger of relegation. On 11 November 1971, Helmuth Johannsen was dismissed. His successor Hans Hipp managed to stay in the league. At the end of the season, Hannover had still reached 16th place in the table with 23 points.

Season 1972/73

In the 1972/73 season Hannover was again playing against relegation, especially as Ferdinand Keller, Hans-Joachim Weller, Burkhardt Öller, Horst Berg, Michael Polywka and Rudolf Nafziger were important players who had left the club and could not be adequately replaced. New signings were Karl-Heinz Mrosko, Ludwig Denz, Rolf Kaemmer and Eckhard Deterding. During the season Roland Stegmayer was brought in. On 1 March 1973, Hans Hipp was sacked after a 2-0 defeat to Hamburger SV and replaced by Hannes Baldauf. At the end of the season, Hannover once again finished 16th with 26 points, just one point ahead of second last in the table. It took a 4-0 away win against Wuppertaler SV on the last matchday to keep the club in the relegation zone.

Season 1973/74

After Rudolf Blau, Hans-Josef Hellingrath, Karl-Heinz Mrosko and during the season Eckhardt Deterding left the team at the beginning of the 1973/74 season, it was too weak for the Bundesliga. With Georg Damjanoff, Gerd Kasperski, Karlheinz Höfer, Roland Peitsch, Bernd Wehmeyer and Peter Dahl new players were signed and at the beginning of the season high-scoring defeats alternated with victories, but after a 1:3 defeat against Schalke Hannover 96 slipped to a relegation place for the first time this season on matchday 13. After a 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich, Baldauf resigned as coach on 12 March 1974, after which the club brought back championship-winning coach Helmut Kronsbein. Finishing bottom of the table, Hannover were relegated from the Bundesliga at the end of the season with 22 points. Jürgen Bandura and Hans Siemensmeyer subsequently ended their professional careers and Willi Reimann had already signed a contract with Hamburger SV before the relegation.

1974-1989: Between First and Second Bundesliga

1974/75, 1975/76 seasons

For the 1974/75 season, the club strengthened with Wolfgang Lex and Herbert Meyer. During the season Bernd Wehmeyer was signed on. The champion coach Helmut Kronsbein succeeded with Hannover 96 the direct promotion to the Bundesliga.

With Gerd Kasperski and Roland Peitsch, important players left the club. Wehmeyer also returned to Bielefeld during the season. Well-known new signings were Paul Holz, Wolfgang Lüttges, Jürgen Weber and Peter Hayduk. Günter Wesche from Arminia Hannover also proved to be a reinforcement. From the youth came Jürgen Milewski, who only made five appearances in his first year, but later became a regular. After the first half of the season, former international Klaus Wunder was brought in from Bayern Munich. In their first year in the Bundesliga since the return to the top flight, Hannover 96 had to return to the Second Bundesliga in sixteenth place.

Seasons 1976/77, 1977/78, 1978/79

After relegation, several players left the team: Georg Damjanoff, Peter Hayduk, Karlheinz Höfer, Rolf Kaemmer, Wolfgang Lex and Herbert Meyer. Kronsbein was sacked again in January 1976 and replaced by Hannes Baldauf, but a year later was hired for the fourth time until 1978. Frank Pagelsdorf and Wehmeyer, who had returned from Bielefeld, reinforced Hannover.

In the following years, the team sometimes more and sometimes less narrowly missed the promotion places to the Bundesliga. In the 1976/77 and 1977/78 seasons, Hannover 96 finished fifth in the North Division. On 24 April 1978, the club was denied a licence for the Second Bundesliga North. On 15 May 1978, however, the licence was granted by mercy. Peter Dahl, Reinhard Dittel, Franz-Josef Pauly, Jürgen Weber and Peter Bengsch were sold. Helmut Kronsbein also left the team and was replaced by Anton Burghardt. Hannover finished 15th in the table in the 1978/79 season.

Seasons 1979/80, 1980/81, 1981/82

After that, Wolfgang Lüttges, Frank Pagelsdorf, Günter Wesche, Klaus Wunder, Jürgen Milewski, Hans-Herbert Blumenthal and Rainer Stiller, among others, left the club. Important new signings were goalkeeper Heinz Blasey, returnee Eckhard Deterding and Heiko Mertes. The most successful new signing this year was goal scorer Dieter Schatzschneider from OSV Hannover. Surprisingly, the team finished third in the league in the 1979/80 season under the leadership of coach Diethelm Ferner, who held the coaching post from 1979 to 1982.

After the return of Peter Hayduk and the new signings Bernd Gorski, Karl-Heinz Mrosko and goalkeeper Jürgen Rynio, who replaced the departing Heinz Blasey, Hannover qualified for the single-division Second Bundesliga as fourth in the 1980/81 season with the additions of Bernd Dierßen, Norbert Bebensee, Gerhard Kleppinger and Karsten Surmann. During this time, Dieter Schatzschneider, who still leads the perpetual scorer list of the Second Division, goalkeeper Jürgen Rynio and midfielder Bernd Dierßen were particularly convincing. In the single-division Second League, Hannover 96 finished fifth in the 1981/82 season.

Seasons 1982/83, 1983/84, 1984/85

On 28 November 1982, Ferner was dismissed as coach. The club hired Gerd Bohnsack as coach, who finished twelfth in the 1982/83 season. In 1983, the club signed Martin Giesel, Bastian Hellberg, Werner Lorant and Bernd Thiele. In turn, Dierßen left the team.

Bohnsack was dismissed on 24 October 1983. As his successor, the club appointed Werner Biskup the following day, who finished 14th in the table in his first year (1983/84 season). In 1984, Michael Gue and Maximilian Heidenreich and Franz Gerber came from Arminia Hannover, while Lorant left Hannover again after only one year. Matthias Kuhlmey, who had moved up from the club's own amateurs, also became a regular.

In the 1984/85 season, the young team managed to return to the Bundesliga under the leadership of Werner Biskup.

Seasons 1985/86, 1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89

After the promotion in 1985, Siegfried Reich, Wayne Thomas, Jürgen Baier and Jürgen Fleer and Roman Geschlecht were among the players brought in during the season. As ten years earlier, Hannover 96 was unable to stay in the league in the 1985/86 Bundesliga season, finishing last in the table and facing direct relegation to the Second Division.

In the 1986/87 season, the aim was to return to the top flight: The team got off to a very successful start under coach Jürgen Wähling. After three victories at the start of the season, 40,000 spectators came to the second league home game against SSV Ulm 1846, an unusually large number for the 1980s, which were marked by a decline in spectators. The team managed direct promotion and in the following season 1987/88 finished tenth in the league. In the second half of the season, Hannover 96 won against Bayern Munich and thus contributed to the championship of their neighbours Werder Bremen. In the following season 1988/89, however, Hannover 96 had to be relegated again.

One of the most consistent 96 players was Karsten Surmann, who played in midfield from 1980 to 1992 and was team captain for several years.

1989-1996: Second Bundesliga, Cup win and relegation to the Regionalliga

From 1989 to 1996, Hannover 96 belonged to the 2nd Bundesliga for seven seasons.

Seasons 1989/90, 1990/91

In the first two second division seasons after relegation from the Bundesliga, Hannover 96 finished in mid-table. Hannover 96 finished the 1989/90 season in eighth place, and the 1990/91 season in tenth place. In both seasons, the team recorded a balanced points ratio of 38:38 with twelve wins, 14 draws and twelve defeats.

Season 1991/92

As a result of the integration of clubs from the former GDR, the 2nd Bundesliga separated into a southern and a northern group for the 1991/92 season. Hannover 96 finished fifth in the latter. This season was marked less by the league games and more by the successful performance in the DFB Cup: Under the leadership of coach Michael Lorkowski, the club became the first second-division club to win the cup. The team defeated five Bundesliga teams - VfL Bochum, Borussia Dortmund, Karlsruher SC, Werder Bremen and, in the final, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Goalkeeper Jörg Sievers became a cup hero by saving several penalties in the semi-final against Bremen (7:6 after penalty shootout) as well as in the final (4:3 after penalty shootout). In the semi-final he also converted the decisive penalty for Hannover himself.

The players who won the DFB Cup final for Hannover were: Jörg Sievers - Roman Wójcicki, Jörg-Uwe Klütz, Axel Sundermann - Michael Schjønberg, Oliver Freund, Jörg Kretzschmar, Karsten Surmann, Bernd Heemsoth (119. Matthias Kuhlmey) - Miloš Đelmaš, Michael Koch (68. Uwe Jursch).

1992/93, 1993/94 season

After winning the DFB Cup, Hannover 96 was allowed to compete in the 1992/93 European Cup Winners' Cup. The draw for the first round of the competition was unfortunate: One team per nation started in the competition, plus the European Cup winner of the previous year. Instead of an international team, defending champions Werder Bremen were drawn. After a 3-1 defeat away from home, the team only managed a 2-1 win in the return match in Hanover, meaning they missed out on a place in the second round.

Hannover 96 finished the 1992/93 season in ninth place in the table and the 1993/94 season in twelfth place.

Season 1994/95

In the 1994/95 season, great financial efforts were made to play in the Bundesliga again for the club's anniversary. Among others, Günter Hermann was signed as a libero, Uwe Harttgen as a defensive midfielder and Stefan Studer as a left winger, who together with the forward duo Torsten Gütschow and Andrzej Kobylański were to become guarantors for promotion. However, with coach Rolf Schafstall, the team found itself in a relegation battle. In the middle of the season, the club hired Peter Neururer, who took over the team in a relegation spot and continued to fight against relegation until his last game as coach on matchday 32. In the 20 games under Neururer, the team had a decent record of seven wins, seven draws and six defeats. Before the end of the season, Neururer fell out with the board, was sacked and replaced by interim coach Miloš Đelmaš. The club was saved from relegation on the penultimate matchday.

Season 1995/96

In the 1995/96 season, coach Egon Coordes was supposed to bring about promotion, but all the top performers had left. Coordes was sacked during the season and Jürgen Stoffregen took over the team without being able to bring about a change. In the anniversary year of the club's founding, Hannover 96 was relegated to the Regionalliga.

1996-2002: From the regional to the national league

Season 1996/97

The relegation to the Regionalliga was followed by a personnel bloodletting. At the beginning of the 1996/97 season, only goalkeeper Jörg Sievers, Carsten Linke and Kreso Kovacec remained from the old squad. But the rebuilding succeeded. Reinhold Fanz as coach and Franz Gerber as manager put together a young team. In 1997, Hannover 96 became regional league champions, five points behind second-placed Eintracht Braunschweig. The team included Otto Addo, Vladan Milovanović, Fabian Ernst, Kreso Kovacec and Dieter Hecking. Hannover failed to beat Energie Cottbus in the relegation play-off in a dubious match: the stadium floodlights went out in the middle of the game and supporters of the opposing team shouted racist insults at 96 players Otto Addo and Gerald Asamoah and threw bananas at them.

1997/98 season

During the course of the second regional league season in 1997/98, club president Utz Claassen began a reorganization plan during his short 74-day tenure to improve the club's financial situation. He dismissed manager Franz Gerber, whereupon there was an open rebellion from the football department, in which the team, various employees and other officials of the club also participated. Among others, the team called on the then Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Gerhard Schröder, for help. As a result, there were mass entries from the fan scene with the intention of voting Claassen out of office at an extraordinary general meeting. The latter tried unsuccessfully to have the new members declared ineligible to vote, and subsequently avoided a vote by resigning. Hearing aid entrepreneur Martin Kind was elected as Claassen's successor, who professionalised the club's structures and invested his own money.

In 1998, under Reinhold Fanz, Hannover 96 was promoted back to the 2nd Bundesliga as regional league champions again and after relegation matches against Tennis Borussia Berlin, thus achieving a return to professional football. Numerous young players who played in the Bundesliga and in the national teams of Germany (including Gerald Asamoah, Fabian Ernst, Sebastian Kehl) and Ghana (Otto Addo) a few years later were involved. The later 96 coach Dieter Hecking was also part of the promotion team. Long-time players of the 90s were especially goalkeeper Jörg Sievers, today's goalkeeper coach, and defender Carsten Linke.

1998/99, 1999/2000 and 2000/01 seasons

Although Hannover 96 only finished the first half of the 1998/99 season in eleventh place in the table, it was still able to participate in the fight for promotion during the second half of the season: The direct march into the Bundesliga was narrowly missed in fourth place with one point less than third-placed SSV Ulm.

In the two following seasons, Hannover 96 was also in contact with the promotion places and was on them for a while, but could not keep them: After a home victory over Fortuna Köln on the fifth matchday of the 1999/2000 season, Hannover 96 reached third place in the table, but dropped back to tenth place by the end of the Hinrunde, where Hannover 96 finished the season with 44 points. The gap to the relegation places was nine points, and the gap to the promotion places was 14 points. In the 2000/01 season, Hannover 96 finished the first half of the season in the third promotion place with 29 points, but had to give it up in the second half. The season ended in ninth place in the table, again 14 points behind the promotion places and nine points behind the relegation places.

2001/02 season

After several changes of coach (Reinhold Fanz (until 1998), Franz Gerber (1999), Branko Ivanković (1999 to 2000), Horst Ehrmantraut (2000 to 2001)), Ralf Rangnick took over the team on 1 July 2001 and led it directly into the Bundesliga in the 2001/02 season: at the end of the first half of the season, Hannover 96 finished second in the table, and in the course of the second half of the season, they were able to move up to first place in the table and pull away from their pursuers: They finished the season with 75 points, ten points ahead of fellow promoted teams ArminiaBielefeld and VfL Bochum. Rangnick enjoyed great popularity with the fans, as he had the team play successful offensive football.

2002-2004: Relegation fight

Season 2002/03

The first Bundesliga season in 13 years was characterised by a continued attacking but only partially successful style of play. Typical results under Ralf Rangnick's management turned out to be high-scoring on both sides, a fact that was also attributed to the players' lack of Bundesliga experience. At the end of the first half of the season, Hannover 96 were 16th in the table with 16 points, with a 2-2 draw against relegation rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach securing their place in the relegation places on the penultimate matchday. Hannover 96 ended the season with an away win against fellow promoted side Arminia Bielefeld and finished eleventh in the table, seven points clear of the relegation places. With eight away wins - only champions Bayern Munich managed more - the promoted team was particularly convincing on away grounds.

On February 25, 2003, shortly after the 22nd match day, the reconstruction of the stadium began. The athletics track was removed, the stands moved closer to the pitch and completely roofed over. The measures lasted almost two years and cost around 65 million euros. During the construction period, matches continued to be played there, but the capacity of the Niedersachsenstadion, which had been renamed the AWD Arena in 2002, was reduced.

2003/04 season

At the end of the first half of the following season, Hannover 96 was in eleventh place in the table with 20 points, seven points clear of the relegation places. Hannover 96 started the second half of the season on a negative note: Ralf Rangnick was dismissed after a 1-0 away defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach on matchday 23. The club hired Ewald Lienen as his successor, who led the team to the relegation zone in the final phase of the season. Hannover 96 ended the season in 14th place, five points clear of the relegation places.

2004-2009: Establishment in the Bundesliga midfield

In the following five seasons, Hannover always achieved mid-table finishes, but missed out on qualifying for the European competitions on each occasion.

2004/05 season

In contrast to the offensive style of his predecessor, Ewald Lienen placed greater emphasis on defensive security. This system was not always considered attractive, but proved successful. At the end of the first half of the 2004/05 season, the club was seventh in the table with 28 points, narrowly missing out on a UI Cup place with 45 points (10th place) after the 34th matchday. For the first time since being promoted again, Hannover 96 did not find itself in a relegation battle.

With the fewest yellow and red cards, Hannover 96 came first in the unofficial fair play rankings. However, due to additional criteria in the UEFA regulations, Mainz 05 were awarded the fair play place in the UEFA Cup qualifiers.

2005/06 season

President Martin Kind surprisingly resigned at the beginning of the 2005/06 season. As a result, confusion arose over the redistribution of authority between president Götz von Fromberg, managing director Karl-Heinz Vehling and manager Ilja Kaenzig, as well as the club's governing bodies. In November 2005, Ewald Lienen was dismissed and replaced by Peter Neururer. Neururer temporarily led the team to 5th place, before 96 fell out of the single-digit table positions after a prolonged period of weakness in the second half of the season, eventually finishing in 12th place at the end of the season. Hannover 96 had missed the season target of a single-digit place in the table, but did not get into a relegation battle for the second season in a row and also became the best-placed club from Lower Saxony for the first time since 1993: This had previously always been VfL Wolfsburg.

After the 2006 World Cup, there was renewed turbulence in the club management of Hannover 96, the result of which was the resignations of Götz von Fromberg and Karl-Heinz Vehling. Martin Kind was re-elected president and resumed work just under a year after his retirement.

2006/07 season

Hannover 96 started the 2006/07 season with eight new players, but initially only two of them were able to establish themselves as regulars: Hungarian midfielder Szabolcs Huszti and attacking midfielder Arnold Jan Bruggink. After Per Mertesacker's transfer to Werder Bremen, Frank Fahrenhorst, who was signed as a replacement, played his way into the starting eleven at the beginning of the second half of the season with good performances in training.

After three matchdays, Hannover 96 had yet to record a points win: Peter Neururer was sacked on 30 August 2006. On 7 September, former 96 player Dieter Hecking was hired as the new head coach after Hannover 96 reached an agreement with the club Hecking had previously coached, league rivals Alemannia Aachen, on a change. Dirk Bremser, with whom Hecking had already worked in Aachen and before that in Lübeck, was signed on as co-trainer.

Hecking initially led the team to moderate results and Hannover 96 remained in the relegation zone until 8 November. On that day, Hannover 96 won for the first time since 1988 in a league match against record champions FC Bayern Munich (1:0); this also marked Hannover's first away win at this club. Although 96 lost to VfB Stuttgart on the next matchday, the team consolidated after a number of victories, including its first home win in eight months. They finished the first half of the season in 11th place with 20 points.

In mid-November, the club parted company with manager Ilja Kaenzig. He was succeeded on 1 January 2007 by sporting director Christian Hochstätter, who most recently held the same position at Borussia Mönchengladbach. On 31 January 2007, Dieter Hecking's team won 5-0 against Hertha BSC, the highest win since the club was promoted again in 2002, and also the second-highest win in its Bundesliga history. During the subsequent winning streak, the club reached the UI Cup on matchday 22, but lost it on matchday 28. At the end of March, Hannover 96 parted ways with its sports manager Carsten Linke, as his responsibilities overlapped with those of sports director Christian Hochstätter. On the last matchday, Hannover 96 failed to qualify for the UEFA Cup in the decisive home match against 1. FC Nürnberg and dropped to 11th place in the narrow midfield. The third season in a row without a relegation battle was nevertheless predominantly considered a success against the backdrop of the unsuccessful start to the season.

2007/08 season

Hannover 96 began planning the squad for the 2007/08 season at an early stage: In addition to the contract extensions of key players Robert Enke, Michael Tarnat and Altin Lala, Sérgio da Silva Pinto, Christian Schulz and Mike Hanke were among the new signings. Hanke is the first current German international to move to Hannover. This was the case with Thomas Brdarić, Fredi Bobic and Per Mertesacker, for example, who had moved to financially stronger clubs as internationals.

Hannover 96 finished the first half of the season in seventh place with 27 points, in line with expectations. At the end of the second half of the season, the club achieved its best Bundesliga finish since 1965, ending the season in 8th place with 49 points, but once again failed to qualify for European competitions.

2008/09 season

For the 2008/09 season, Hannover 96 strengthened itself with Mario Eggimann, Florian Fromlowitz, Jan Schlaudraff and Mikael Forssell, among others. The start of the season was unsatisfactory: After three league games, Hannover 96 found itself in last place in the table with a goal difference of 0:5 goals and only one point. As the first half of the season progressed, a positive home record of 16 points and victories over Bayern Munich and Hamburger SV, among others, contrasted with a poor away record of just one point. After the first half of the season, Hannover 96 was 13th in the table with 17 points.

In the second half of the season, initially good home results were again offset exclusively by defeats away from home, before Hannover 96 picked up eight points from the last four away games and finished with a significantly improved total of 23 points in the overall second half of the season. The environment was rather dissatisfied with 11th place at the end of the season: The upward trend was broken after two years fighting relegation, three years in the lower midfield, an eighth place in the preseason and the most expensive player purchases in the club's history. Dieter Hecking thus came under media criticism.

2009-2010: Suicide of Robert Enke

The 2009/10 season began with a defeat at Hertha BSC and a draw at home to Mainz 05, and Hannover 96 was also eliminated from the DFB Cup by fourth-division side Eintracht Trier. As a result, Dieter Hecking, whose dismissal had been demanded by fans and the surrounding area for several months, resigned. His successor, Andreas Bergmann, initially delivered a positive result; under his leadership, the team picked up 15 points from the following ten games and reached mid-table.

After the suicide of Robert Enke on 10 November 2009, the team scored only one point in the following six matches and was in danger of relegation. Coach Bergmann was suspended after a 3-0 home defeat to bottom-of-the-table Hertha BSC on the first matchday of the second half of the season and replaced by Mirko Slomka a few hours later. With Slomka, Hannover 96 initially lost six more Bundesliga matches, making it a total of nine consecutive defeats. On 6 March 2010, Hannover 96 ended an unprecedented negative streak for the club with just one point from twelve games with a 2-1 win at SC Freiburg, and stabilised as the season progressed. In the last ten matchdays of the season, 16 points were earned. With a 4-2 win over championship contender Schalke 04 on matchday 30, a 6-1 win in the final home game against Mönchengladbach and a 3-0 win at relegation rival VfL Bochum on the final matchday, 96 finally managed to stay in the class. At the end of the season, 96 stood in 15th place with 33 points.

The impact of Robert Enke's death on the season is clearly reflected in the points achieved. The team took 16 points from the first twelve games with Enke, a single point from the following twelve games after his death and again 16 points from the last ten games. In addition to the employment of sports psychologists, a solidarity campaign by the club and various institutions had also sought support for the unsettled team.

2010-2013: "Off to Europe

Season 2010/11

After weak test match results and the cup exit in a penalty shootout at fourth-division team SV 07 Elversberg, Hannover 96 was traded in the media as a relegation candidate at the beginning of the 2010/11 season. Both coach Mirko Slomka and sporting director Jörg Schmadtke were under pressure. In the Bundesliga, however, Hannover 96 presented itself successfully. On the thirteenth matchday, the team recorded its seventh win of the season, overtaking Eintracht Braunschweig in the Bundesliga standings. Two matchdays later, the club climbed another place in this table. On matchday 16, Hannover 96 set the club record of five consecutive Bundesliga victories from the 2004/05 season with a 2-1 win over VfB Stuttgart. After the first half of the season, 96 was in fourth place in the table. In club history, this was the best first half of the season since the Bundesliga was founded.

At the end of the first half of the season, Hannover's top striker Didier Ya Konan had already prematurely extended his contract, which ran until 2012, by a further two years. At the beginning of the second half of the season, Mirko Slomka surprisingly replaced the previous regular goalkeeper Florian Fromlowitz with the previously nominally third goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler. Slomka extended his contract at the end of January 2011 after a lengthy period of negotiations. In March, sporting director Schmadtke received a new contract with an indefinite term, followed by contract extensions for four other players, including Christian Schulz and Karim Haggui.

The second half of the season was similarly successful, with Hannover 96 consistently finishing in positions that entitle them to participate in European competitions. The 3:1 victory over rivals Bayern Munich on matchday 25 attracted a great deal of media attention, enabling the club to defend its Champions League qualifying place 3, which FC Bayern had in turn declared as an absolute goal due to the 2012 Champions League final in Munich. With a 2-0 win against TSG Hoffenheim on matchday 27, Hannover 96 set the points record from the 2007/08 season (50 points). On matchday 31, qualification for the Europa League was mathematically achieved (in 3rd place in the table). In the second half of the season, 96 went head-to-head with Bayern Munich for third place, which was lost on the penultimate matchday. The best season in the club's history in terms of points was completed with 60 points in 4th place in the table, enabling 96 to participate in a UEFA European Cup for the first time since 1992 and for the second time overall.

Season 2011/12

The start to the 2011/12 season was even more successful than in the previous season. Hannover 96 reached the second round of the DFB Cup for the first time in three years, winning the first two Bundesliga matches 2-1 and earning another 2-1 victory in the first leg of the Europa League play-off round against clearly favoured FC Sevilla. On 25 August 2011, a 1-1 draw in Sevilla earned Hannover a place in the Europa League group stage, where they faced FC Copenhagen, Standard Liege and Vorskla Poltava in Group B. In the second round of the DFB Cup, 96 was eliminated by Mainz 05 0:1 after extra time. In the Bundesliga, Hannover 96 finished in the top half of the table on all match days, but fell behind the Europa League places towards the end of the first half of the season, mainly due to numerous draws. At the end of the first half of the season, Hannover 96 was in 7th place with 23 points.

In the group stage of the Europa League, Mirko Slomka's team was already able to reach the sixteenth finals after the penultimate matchday in second place despite a 2-1 defeat to Standard Liege - FC Copenhagen, against whom the Hannover team won the direct comparison, only managed a draw against Vorskla Poltava - and met FC Brugge there. After a 2-1 home win in the first leg, the return leg was won 1-0. Hannover 96 met Standard Liege again in the round of 16 and advanced to the quarter-finals after a 2-2 draw in Liege and a 4-0 home win in the second leg. There, Hannover 96 lost 2-1 in both games to eventual cup winners Atlético Madrid and were eliminated from the competition. On the final matchday of the season, Hannover 96 secured a return to Europa League qualification, finishing 7th with 48 points, and benefited from a DFB Cup final made up of two Champions League teams, meaning that another starting place in the league was played out. At home, Hannover 96 was the only club in the Bundesliga to remain unbeaten throughout the season.

Season 2012/13

At the start of the 2012/13 season, Hannover 96 had to play St. Patrick's Athletic in the third qualifying round of the Europa League at the beginning of August 2012. After a 3:0 first leg win in Dublin, the return match in Hannover was also won 2:0. In the first round of the DFB Cup, 96 beat fifth-division FC Nöttingen 6-1. In the Bundesliga opener, Hannover 96 and Schalke 04 drew 2-2, and in the Europa League play-off round, Polish champions Śląsk Wroclaw were defeated 5-3 away and 5-1 at home. This was Hannover's highest win in European competition since beating FC Porto 5-0 in 1965. Hannover 96 scored 23 goals in the first six competitive matches of the season, with 15 different players scoring; of the outfield players with a total of more than 60 minutes of action, this included everyone except captain Steven Cherundolo. On the second day of the Bundesliga season, 96 scored 4-0 at VfL Wolfsburg, their highest Bundesliga away win since 1971. After nine competitive games with 7 wins and 2 draws, 96 suffered their first defeat in the tenth at Hoffenheim, losing 3-1. A 3-2 loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach on the ninth Bundesliga matchday ended a run of 22 Bundesliga home games without defeat.

On the fourth of six matchdays in the Europa League group stage, 96 qualified early for the sixteen-finals with a 3-2 win over Helsingborgs IF. At the end of the group stage, the Hanoverians were group winners with three wins and three draws. They finished the Bundesliga first round with 23 points, as in the previous season, but only in eleventh place in the table. In their 30th competitive match of the first half of the season - the highest number of competitive matches of any German professional club - and also the last match of 2012, Hannover 96 were eliminated in the round of 16 of the DFB Cup by Borussia Dortmund with 1:5. After the winter break, 96 was also eliminated in the sixteenth final of the Europa League with a 1-1 draw against the Russian-Dagestani club Anschi Makhachkala, after losing the first leg in Moscow with 1:3.

In fan circles, demands for Martin Kind's dismissal grew louder during the second half of the season and were articulated during matches in the form of banners and chants. On 17 April 2013, the club parted ways with sporting director Jörg Schmadtke. Prior to this, President Kind had attempted to mediate between Schmadtke and Mirko Slomka in a personal meeting. However, due to differing sporting views, the separation was ultimately amicable. On 23 April 2013, Dirk Dufner was presented as Schmadtke's successor, one day after his contract with SC Freiburg was terminated. 96 finished the Bundesliga season in 9th place with 45 points.

2013-2016: Downturn to relegation

2013/14 season

The start to the 2013/14 season was initially successful. In the first round of the DFB Cup, Victoria Hamburg was defeated away 2:0, the first four home games against Wolfsburg, Schalke, Mainz and Augsburg were all won and 96 settled back into the top half of the table with 12 points from six games. In the 2nd round of the cup, 96 was eliminated with a 1:4 at Bayern Munich. In the following seven games, Hannover 96 picked up only 2 points, none of them away from home. Thus, after the 13th matchday, they found themselves in the lower half of the table with 14 points. After the first half of the season, which clearly fell short of expectations, Martin Kind and Dirk Dufner drew the consequences and suspended Mirko Slomka on 27 December 2013. He was succeeded by 39-year-old former Turkish international Tayfun Korkut, who started the second half of the season with two wins in the first two Bundesliga matches. At the end of the season, the club finished 10th with 42 points.

Season 2014/15

After promising test match victories at Werder Bremen and against Lazio Roma, 96 started the season with a laborious 3:1 at regional league team FC Astoria Walldorf in the first round of the DFB Cup and a 2:1 home win against Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga. In the second round of the cup, Hannover lost 2-0 at second-division club VfR Aalen. At the end of the first half of the season, 96 were in 8th place with 24 points. On 26 January 2015, shortly before the start of the second half of the season, star striker Didier Ya Konan, who had moved to Saudi Arabia on a free transfer at the end of the previous season, surprised everyone by returning. As the second half of the season progressed, 96, who despite good performances failed to record a single win until shortly before the end of the season, gradually slipped close to the relegation places, so Korkut was suspended after matchday 29 and Michael Frontzeck, last employed in the Bundesliga four years ago, became coach for five games. With two wins on the last two matchdays, the team secured the class under him and still finished the season in 13th place. At the end of the season, Hannover 96 also set a new record for the transfer of player Joselu, who had only moved to Hannover in 2014. The club agreed a transfer fee of €8 million with Stoke City, to which up to €2 million (performance-related) could be added; in any case, this is the highest transfer fee that Hannover 96 has ever collected in its history.

Withdrawal of the Ultras for the 2014/15 season

The 2014/15 season saw far-reaching changes in the club's fan base. Large sections of the Ultras organised under the umbrella organisation Rote Kurve in the upper tier of the Nordkurve as well as the Brigade Nord in the lower tier had withdrawn from the stadium. The decision was prompted by a conflict that had been simmering between the Ultra groups and club president Martin Kind since 2012 and had been repeatedly revived in fits and starts. At the time, a fan from the Nordkurve was banned from the stadium for waving a flag bearing the likeness of Fritz Haarmann, a serial killer known in Hannover.

The issue of pyrotechnics accompanied the club in the 2012/13 and 2013/14 seasons. The fines imposed by the DFL on Hannover 96 for setting off fireworks in the cup match against Dynamo Dresden on 31 October 2012 and in the home match against Eintracht Braunschweig on 8 November 2013 were to be passed on to the perpetrators. As far as the match against the local rival from Braunschweig is concerned, some members of the Ultra grouping from the Nordkurve were identified as perpetrators. However, the club management decided not to hold individuals liable for the fine. Instead, the financial damage incurred was recouped by temporarily increasing ticket prices for individual sections of the Rote Kurve.

For the second leg in Braunschweig on 6 April 2014, the club took measures that were new in German football for fear of further misconduct by fans. The 10 per cent ticket quota available to a visiting club was not offered for free sale. Those interested in tickets had to register for a losphase, giving their personal details. Those who received a ticket by lot were entitled to a ticket. At the meeting point Schützenplatz in Hannover the ticket was handed out on the day of the match and on presentation of the identity card. There, on the recommendation of the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior and the police, the club management had provided a whole convoy of buses with which the fans were brought collectively and flanked by police forces to the neighbouring city. The procedure met with criticism in fan circles. President Kind, who was responsible for this measure, was accused of restricting the fans' freedom to travel.

For some Ultra representatives, this event was the culmination of what they perceived as bullying on the part of the club. The majority of organised fans decided to stop supporting the Bundesliga team with choreographies and chants, and the subsequent complete withdrawal from the stadium was directly related to the increase in spectator numbers for the second team, which was based in the Regionalliga Nord.

On matchday 30, the Ultras returned to the Nordkurve and cheered their team on loudly against TSG Hoffenheim. They had announced that they would always support the 1st team unless the 2nd team was playing on the same day.

Season 2015/16

Immediately at the start of the season, sporting director Dirk Dufner asked for his contract to be terminated for personal reasons in August after he had assembled the squad for the season. His successor, Martin Bader of 1. FC Nürnberg, was promoted to the position of managing director of sport in October alongside the only managing director to date, Martin Kind, and also brought in Christian Möckel as sporting director. The season got off to a good start with a 2-0 win at regional league side Hessen Kassel in the 1st round of the DFB Cup. In the next round, Hannover lost 2-1 to Darmstadt 98 and was eliminated from the cup in round two, as in the previous year. 96 finished the first half of the season in 17th place with only 14 points, the worst result since the club's return to the top flight; however, the team was not without a chance in the relegation battle and, in the meantime, occupied non-relegation places. Coach Frontzeck announced his resignation on the last day of the first leg, after a defeat against FC Bayern Munich. He was succeeded in January by the long-time Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf. Under him, 96 got off to a disastrous start in the second half of the season; with ten defeats in eleven games, comparisons were made with Tasmania Berlin, who had played their worst Bundesliga season ever 50 years earlier. On 3 April 2016, the club parted ways with Thomas Schaaf, with U19 coach Daniel Stendel initially taking over until the end of the season. Although the team managed to pick up points against Berlin and Gladbach under Stendel, after a 2-2 draw at FC Ingolstadt and rivals Eintracht Frankfurt's 2-1 win a day later against 1. FSV Mainz 05, Hannover 96 was already certain of relegation after the 31st matchday. Immediately afterwards, the club agreed a coaching contract with Stendel for the following season in the Second Division.

Since 2016: Present

After relegation, President Kind demanded immediate re-acceleration and declared it to be "without alternative", following formulations from politics. After a rather small upheaval, in which some of the key players such as Salif Sané were retained and the team was significantly rejuvenated, the season began successfully for Hannover 96. The number of spectators declined only slightly: around 20000 season tickets were sold, the home games of the season were watched by an average of 36646 spectators. In the DFB Cup, the team reached the round of 16 after a narrow first-round victory at the fourth-rate Offenbacher Kickers and a 6-1 win over Fortuna Düsseldorf, in which 96 had already led 4-0 after 16 minutes. There they were unlucky to lose 1-2 against Eintracht Frankfurt. At the end of the first half of the season, 96 was 2nd in the table with 32 points.

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was introduced as the new Chairman of the Supervisory Board in January 2017. Although the team under Stendel was usually able to stay close to the promotion places, the dissatisfaction in the environment and management increased after the first second-round match days due to very weak performances, especially in terms of play. After the dismissal of sporting director Bader, whose job was taken over by Horst Heldt on 5 March, coach Stendel was sacked on 20 March and replaced by André Breitenreiter.

For Breitenreiter's team, one of the goals in the season's final spurt was to win the upcoming three home games against promotion rivals, and they succeeded in all of them. First, Union Berlin was defeated 2-0, then on 15 April 2017, the 29th matchday in the second Bundesliga, Hannover won the traditionally explosive Lower Saxony derby against Eintracht Braunschweig. Füllkrug scored the only goal of the day in the first half. On the penultimate matchday, they also beat VfB Stuttgart 1-0 and ousted Braunschweig from the direct promotion spot.

With 67 points at the end of the season, Hannover 96 was promoted directly back to the Bundesliga, finishing second in the table behind VfB Stuttgart. 96 had the best home record in the league, conceded the fewest goals of all clubs and managed six home wins in a row at the end of the season.

The next season began in August with a 6-2 away win in the DFB Cup at fourth-division team Bonner SC. In the Bundesliga, the first two games of the season were both won 1-0. They also signed Brazilian Jonathas for €9 million, which was the most expensive club transfer in history to date. On matchday 4, they managed to at least temporarily take the top spot in the table for the first time since 1969. After a satisfying first half of the season, they finished 11th in the table with 23 points. The first match after the winter break was also successful with a 3:2 home win against 1. FSV Mainz 05, with Niclas Füllkrug scoring his first Bundesliga treble.

This season, too, there was a mood boycott by the active fan scene in the northern upper and lower tiers right from the start as a demonstration against club boss Martin Kind and his demand to overturn the 50+1 rule in Hannover and make Hannover 96 completely his private property.

As the season progressed, various controversies arose between the club's management and the active fan scene. In addition to the usual methods of protest on the part of the fans, attempts were increasingly made on a legal level to stop Martin Kind's takeover plans and the abolition of the 50+1 rule in Hanover. In most cases, the interest group Pro Verein 1896 acted in the interests of the fans and filed various applications for interim injunctions as well as court orders. Nevertheless, Martin Kind filed an application to suspend the 50+1 rule in Hanover with the DFL on 30 August 2017.

However, after a decision was imminent at the beginning of February 2018 and a rejection of the application was considered likely, Martin Kind put the application on hold for the time being on 5 February 2018 and thus initially assumed no further voting rights in the club. At the general meeting on 20 April 2018, the opposition to Martin Kind was able to form, but failed to achieve any effective success. As a signal of dissatisfaction, the Executive Board and Supervisory Board were not discharged by the vote of a narrow majority, and a motion by the opposition that the Executive Board would be bound by resolutions of the general meeting in the future also received a narrow majority, but not the required two-thirds majority. Kind assessed the majority votes against him as "at most visually interesting, but ultimately meaningless in terms of content".

At the start of the season, the club was able to earn a draw against Bremen and Dortmund. After that, the professional team lost all further duels until the first victory in the seventh Bundesliga match. At the end of the first half of the season, 96 had only 11 points on their account, the team finished 17th. Head coach André Breitenreiter was dismissed together with his assistant Volkan Bulut after a 1:5 in Dortmund on matchday 19 - and replaced by Thomas Doll. Due to a failure to meet sporting targets in the professional football team, sporting director Horst Heldt was dismissed during the second half of the season. Even under Doll, the team was unable to improve significantly, so that relegation to the 2nd Bundesliga was certain after the 33rd matchday.

Towards the 2019/20 season, Mirko Slomka took over the team as head coach. Former player Jan Schlaudraff became the new sporting director. After six home games without a win and a position in the bottom third of the table, Slomka was dismissed after the matchday 12 game. After two people from the professional squad were proven to be infected with the virus during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, a two-week quarantine was ordered for the entire professional team.