The history of Arminia Bielefeld
Milestones and background from the club's history, in chronological order.
More milestones and background for each event.
Categories
Competitions
Nicknames through the years Three names tell a story of near misses, late goals and an unbeaten season. Read the storiesClose the stories
Foundation, predecessors and responsibility
The foundation in 1905
Football enthusiasts founded the original Bielefelder Fußballclub Arminia on May 3, 1905.
The club still traces its tradition to this date. The original club and the later combined gymnastics club are recorded as separate predecessors.
The merger into Turngemeinde Arminia
Arminia merged with Bielefelder Turngemeinde von 1848.
The resulting Turngemeinde Arminia was a separate organisation and lasted until the separation in 1922.
An independent football club again
After the combined gymnastics club dissolved, BFC Arminia was reconstituted under its former name on November 6, 1922.
This began a new organisational phase within the tradition dating back to 1905.
BFC becomes DSC
In 1926, the club adopted the name Deutscher Sportclub Arminia Bielefeld.
This gave the growing sports club the name it still uses today.
Cup surprises and new beginnings
Bündnis Ostwestfalen stabilises the club
Regional businesses pooled their support for Arminia.
The sale of the stadium to Bündnis Alm GmbH formed part of the financial restructuring. This support helped create greater stability after repeated financial crises.