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 Alm becomes home
A friendly against Victoria Hamburg inaugurated the new ground on Melanchthonstraße.
The 1–5 defeat was disappointing on the pitch, but the Alm became the club’s permanent home.
Cup surprises and new beginnings
Six goals against a promotion contender
Fighting relegation, Arminia stunned promotion contenders Eintracht Braunschweig with a 6–0 win.
Carsten Rump’s emotional dressing-room address and the performance that followed became symbols of Bielefeld’s resilience. Survival was not yet mathematically secured.
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.
An eighth Bundesliga promotion, watching from home
Arminia Bielefeld4:0
Dynamo DresdenMatch 1 · June 15, 2020 · Location: Bielefeld Stadium: SchücoArenaHamburg’s 1–1 draw against Osnabrück confirmed Arminia’s eighth Bundesliga promotion.
The team had beaten Dresden 4–0 the previous day. The pandemic prevented the usual celebration together with supporters inside the stadium.
The road to Berlin and a hundred years of the Alm
The big final in Berlin
Arminia lost its first DFB-Pokal final 2–4 to Stuttgart.
Two late goals followed a 0–4 deficit. Reaching Berlin remained the culmination of an exceptional cup campaign by a third-division club.
A hundred years of the Alm
The home match against Bochum marked celebrations for the stadium’s centenary.
For the anniversary weekend, the traditional Alm name returned to official prominence. The match ended 1–1 after Arminia had taken the lead.
