On the 28th of July 1962, football history was made in the Gold Room at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, as the Bundesliga was called into existence. At the general assembly of the German Football Association (DFB), delegates from the regional football associations decided by 103 votes to 26 to inaugurate a national league, to commence in the 1963-64 season. more…
The starting gun or, more precisely, the opening whistle for the inaugural Bundesliga matches sounded on the 24th of August 1963. The league's first goal was scored rather too quickly for the photographers present, unfortunately. There are however plenty of pictures of the first champions, albeit none of them in color. 1. FC Köln had the upper hand. more…
With the start of the 1970s, the constant changeovers at the top of the table came to an end. Borussia Mönchengladbach became the first club since the inception of the Bundesliga to successfully defend their title. Their triumph was soon relegated to a sideshow however, in the wake of a garden party at the house of Horst-Gregorio Canellas. more…
The huge international success latterly enjoyed by Bayern München, Mönchengladbach, HSV and even Frankfurt resulted in clubs from Europe's other top leagues showing an increased interest in German players. A few star players subsequently headed south, but the Bundesliga continued to offer the fans exciting and attractive football. more…
The early 1990s witnessed a considerable expansion of domestic television coverage of the Bundesliga. This TV boom, coupled with the German national team's success gained the Bundesliga a lot of new followers. There were also, of course, ramifications for the game in the wake of a truly epochal occurrence: the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 and subsequent reunification of Germany. more…
The dawning of a new century brought with it a radical change in the way the Bundesliga was run. On December 18th 2000, the League Association was called into life. In May 2001 the DFL was founded, a fully-owned subsidiary of the League Association, responsible for sales, distribution, licensing and marketing. more…
