SSV Ulm 1846 FUSSBALL e.V., commonly known as SSV Ulm 1846 or SSV Ulm, is a German football club based in Ulm, Baden-Württemberg. SSV Ulm 1846 FUSSBALL was formed on 7 March 2009 as new independent club through the separation of the football department from the present-day multi-sports club SSV Ulm 1846 e.V. The team currently plays in Regionalliga Südwest, following back-to-back relegations from both the 2. Bundesliga and 3. Liga.
The club's greatest success has been promotion to the Bundesliga in 1998–99, where it played for just one season. Ulm has also spent eight seasons in the 2. Bundesliga between 1979–80 and 2000–01, most recently playing there in the 2024-25 season.
History Organised sport in Ulm dates to 1846 with the founding of Turngemeinde Ulm. In the 1939–40 season, four city clubs—Turnerbund Ulm, Turnverein Ulm, Ulmer Fußballverein 1894, and Sportvereinigung Ulm 1839—merged to form TSG Ulm 1846. Separately, on 12 October 1928, the 1. Schwimmverein Ulm and SV Schwaben Ulm combined as 1. Schwimm- und Sportverein Ulm (1. SSV Ulm). On 5 May 1970, TSG Ulm 1846 and 1. SSV Ulm 1928 merged at the Kornhaus to create SSV Ulm 1846, at the time one of Germany's largest multi-sport clubs.
The football section continued under the new umbrella until 2009, when it was spun off as the independent club SSV Ulm 1846 Fußball e.V., while the multi-sport association (SSV Ulm 1846 e.V.) remained in charge of non-football departments and facilities.
TSG Ulm 1846
The football section in Ulm was consolidated in 1939 when Turnerbund Ulm, Turnverein Ulm, and Ulmer Fußballverein 1894 combined as TSG Ulm 1846; the new side entered the Gauliga Württemberg for the 1939–40 season and remained at that level until league play ended in 1945. After World War II, the club alternated between the top-flight Oberliga Süd and the 2. Oberliga Süd: TSG played in the Oberliga in 1946–49, 1952–53, 1958–61 and 1962–63, otherwise competing in the second tier. With the creation of the Regionalliga Süd (II) in 1963, TSG qualified on league position and spent two seasons there, finishing eighth in 1963–64 before relegation as 18th in 1964–65 to the third-tier Amateurliga. In 1968, the Radsportvereinigung 1948 Ulm (RSV 1948 Ulm) joined TSG Ulm 1846 as part of the city's multi-sport consolidation.
1. SSV Ulm 1. Spiel- und Sportverein Ulm was formed in 1928 and, after two seasons in the Bezirksliga Bayern, joined the Gauliga Württemberg in 1933, well before their future partner, where they earned just mid-table finishes. After the war and leading up to their union with TSG 1846, they played as a third or fourth division side. Finally, in 1970, 1. SSV Ulm merged with TSG 1846 to form SSV Ulm 1846.
SSV Ulm 1846 At the time of the merger. both clubs were playing football in the tier III Amateurliga Württemberg and would continue to do so for a nearly a decade. In 1980, the combined side advanced to the 2. Bundesliga Süd and would spend six of the next ten years playing at that level where, except for a fifth-place finish in 1982, their results were well down the table. After another decade in the level III Amateur Oberliga Baden-Württemberg and Regionalliga Süd, 1846 made an unexpected breakthrough after just one season in the 2. Bundesliga with a third-place finish that led to the club's promotion to the top-flight Bundesliga for the 1999–2000 season. Even though the issue was not decided until the last day of the season, Ulm could do no better than a sixteenth-place finish and returned to the second division. The 2000–01 season was an unqualified disaster for the club: they could manage only another sixteenth-place finish and were sent back down to the Regionalliga Süd (III). They were then denied a licence over the chaotic state of their finances which plunged the club down to the fifth tier Verbandsliga Württemberg. Afterwards Ulm worked their way back, to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg (IV) in 2002, and the Regionalliga in 2008.
SSV Ulm 1846 Fußball Following the 2009 European football betting scandal, the club released three allegedly involved players, Davor Kraljević, Marijo Marinović and Dinko Radojević. In January 2011, the club was declared insolvent, and the results of the 2010–11 season were declared void. The club was relegated to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg but immediately won the 2011–12 title, finishing nine points clear of second-placed VfR Mannheim and earning promotion to the new Regionalliga Südwest.
In May 2014, SSV Ulm 1846 was once again close to insolvency, for the third time in 13 years, requiring €420,000 in financial support before the end of the month to ensure survival. The club eventually entered administration and was relegated back to the Oberliga. After two seasons, SSV Ulm 1846 was promoted to the Regionalliga in May 2016.
On 28 May 2023, SSV Ulm 1846 secured promotion to 3. Liga for the first time from 2023 to 2024, after defeating Barockstadt Fulda-Lehnerz 5–0 and becoming champion of the Regionalliga Südwest.
On 4 May 2024, SSV Ulm 1846 were crowned 3. Liga champions and earned back-to-back promotion to 2. Bundesliga for the 2024–25 season and the first time since 2000–01 season, after defeating Viktoria Köln 2–0.
Honours
League 3. Liga (III) Champions: 2023–24 Regionalliga Südwest (IV) Champions: 2022–23 German amateur championship Champions: 1996 Regionalliga Süd (III) Champions: 1998 Oberliga Baden-Württemberg (III/IV/V) Champions: 1979, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1993, 1994, 2012, 2016 Runners-up: 1992, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 Amateurliga Württemberg (III) Champions: 1946‡, 1950‡, 1955†, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1978 Runners-up: 1956†, 1974 Verbandsliga Württemberg (V) Runners-up: 2002
Cup Württemberg Cup (Tiers III-VII) Winners: 1957†, 1982, 1983, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 Runners-up: 1976, 1998, 2000¥, 2001¥, 2006, 2007, 2022
‡ Won by TSG Ulm 1846. † Won by SSV Ulm. ¥ Won by reserve team.
Recent managers Recent managers of the club:
Manager Start Finish Dieter Märkle 1 July 2004 28 November 2004 Marcus Sorg 29 November 2004 6 September 2007 Paul Sauter 1 July 2007 30 June 2008 Janusz Góra 7 September 2007 30 September 2007 Markus Gisdol 1 July 2008 30 June 2009 Manfred Paula 1 July 2009 24 September 2009 Frank Kaspari 25 September 2009 4 October 2009 Ralf Becker 15 October 2009 1 December 2010 Janusz Góra 2 December 2010 30 June 2011 Paul Sauter 1 July 2011 30 June 2012 Stephan Baierl 1 July 2012 13 November 2012 Paul Sauter 14 November 2012 17 October 2013 Oliver Unsöld 18 October 2013 30 June 2014 Stephan Baierl 1 July 2014 15 August 2017 Tobias Flitsch 17 August 2017 30 June 2018 Holger Bachthaler 1 July 2018 30 June 2021 Thomas Wörle 1 July 2021 11 March 2025 Robert Lechleiter 11 March 2025 18 September 2025 Moritz Glasbrenner 18 September 2025 10 November 2025 Pavel Dochev 16 November 2025 30 June 2026 Daniel Jungwirth 1 July 2026 Present
Recent seasons The recent season-by-season performance of the club:
Season Division Tier Position 1999–2000 Bundesliga I 16th ↓ 2000–01 2. Bundesliga II 16th ↓ 2001–02 Verbandsliga Württemberg V 2nd ↑ 2002–03 Oberliga Baden-Württemberg IV 2nd 2003–04 Oberliga Baden-Württemberg 6th 2004–05 Oberliga Baden-Württemberg 2nd 2005–06 Oberliga Baden-Württemberg 3rd 2006–07 Oberliga Baden-Württemberg 2nd 2007–08 Oberliga Baden-Württemberg 2nd ↑ 2008–09 Regionalliga Süd 7th 2009–10 Regionalliga Süd 6th 2010–11 Regionalliga Süd ↓ due to insolvency 2011–12 Oberliga Baden-Württemberg V 1st ↑ 2012–13 Regionalliga Südwest IV 10th 2013–14 Regionalliga Südwest 15th ↓ 2014–15 Oberliga Baden-Württemberg V 3rd 2015–16 Oberliga Baden-Württemberg 1st ↑ 2016–17 Regionalliga Südwest IV 9th 2017–18 Regionalliga Südwest 9th 2018–19 Regionalliga Südwest 6th 2019–20 Regionalliga Südwest 7th 2020–21 Regionalliga Südwest 4th 2021–22 Regionalliga Südwest 2nd 2022–23 Regionalliga Südwest 1st ↑ 2023–24 3. Liga III 1st ↑ 2024–25 2. Bundesliga II 17th ↓ 2025–26 3. Liga III 19th ↓ With the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994 and the 3. Liga in 2008 as the new third tier, below the 2. Bundesliga, all leagues below dropped one tier. In 2012, the number of Regionalligas was increased from three to five with all Regionalliga Süd clubs except the Bavarian ones entering the new Regionalliga Südwest.
Key ↑Promoted ↓ Relegated
Current squad Team, ssvulm1848-fussball.de, 24 September 2026
Out on loan
Former players David Zdrilic
Fans and controversies In the fanscene there are right-wing extremist tendencies and right-wing hooligans. In May 2019, several extremists attacked a Roma family. Four of the perpetrators had connections to the SSV Ulm fan scene. Despite a trial, the perpetrators were initially not banned from the stadium, which is why the club's management was heavily criticized by the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma.Sport inside, Neonazis bei Traditionsvereinen | Sportschau on YouTube (in German)
"To ignore this inhuman crime simply stunned us. Imagine if the same incident had occurred against the Jewish minority, then different measures would have been taken by the club's management. The Holocaust clearly also includes the annihilation of half a million Sinti and Roma in Nazi occupied Europe. And the responsibility of a club management must be the same here." – Romani Rose, chairman, Central Council of German Sinti and Roma.
In addition, there are group photos on which, among other things, the Nazi salute is shown.Sport inside, Neonazis bei Traditionsvereinen | Sportschau on YouTube (in German)
References
External links
SSV Ulm 1846 at Weltfussball.de Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv – historical German domestic league tables