What sets Holstein's ascension apart?
Holstein Kiel has finally made it into the Bundesliga, becoming the 58th club to join Germany's top-tier league. This promotion comes after several years of narrowly missing out on the opportunity, but this time the "Storks" have succeeded. With a 1:1 draw against Fortuna Düsseldorf on the 33rd matchday of the 2nd division, Holstein Kiel clinched their spot in the Bundesliga.
Not only did the North Germans make club history, but they also made Bundesliga history. With this promotion, Schleswig-Holstein now has a team in the Bundesliga, a state that was the last of the old federal states to have a club in the German top flight.
Midfielder Lewis Holtby, who has previously played in the Bundesliga with Mainz 05, Schalke 04, VfL Bochum, and HSV, acknowledged that this was a historic moment for Holstein Kiel: "I'm extremely grateful to be a part of this. To achieve something historic with Holstein Kiel is unique. You could sense the excitement and passion from the people today - I'm very happy to be able to experience this and play in the Bundesliga again."
Footballing History of Holstein Kiel
Holstein Kiel has been around since 1900 and has had some success in the early days of German football. They won the German championship in 1912, reached the final in 1910 and 1930, and the KSV Holstein reserves were crowned German amateur champions in 1961. However, when the Bundesliga was founded in 1962, only three starting places were allocated to the north, with Hamburger SV and Werder Bremen taking two of them. The third place was fiercely contested, but Holstein Kiel was not successful. The DFB decided that Eintracht Braunschweig had better economic prerequisites than Holstein Kiel, and the latter was left out.
Despite this initial setback, Holstein Kiel kept trying to qualify for the Bundesliga. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful until now, but their determination finally paid off. "We've made it. It's the first Bundesliga team for Schleswig-Holstein," said captain Philipp Sander. Minister President Daniel Günther also expressed his excitement: "What a historic day for Holstein Kiel and for our entire sporting state of Schleswig-Holstein. For the first time in Bundesliga history, our state has a first division team."
Awaiting Bundesliga Debut: Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt
While Schleswig-Holstein can now celebrate their first Bundesliga team, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt are still waiting for theirs. Thuringia has had a multiple East German champion in FC Carl Zeiss Jena, and Saxony-Anhalt has had a Bundesliga team with 1. FC Magdeburg. However, neither Thuringia nor Saxony-Anhalt have had a club in the Bundesliga at the same time.
Holstein Kiel's promotion has resulted in a Bundesliga team in every federal state, except for Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. But with the determination and passion of teams like Holstein Kiel, it may only be a matter of time before these two states join the elite league.
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Source: www.ntv.de
