DDR. Ranked 16th. Perhaps the biggest change happening in the Eastern Europe – the Berlin Wall fell down in mid-season, so the football season started in one kind of reality and ended in different kind. The process of unification of Germany spelled out the end of East German football as separate entity, but that took time and there was one more season to be played yet. However, there were changes happening during the season, some of them confusing. The first one was scheduled earlier and had nothing to do with politics: it was decided that the second teams of top league clubs would no longer be able to play in the Second Division: this decision affected only 2 teams – the second teams of Dynamo (Berlin) and Dynamo (Dresden), which were excluded from Second Division and replaced by other clubs before the season started. The the Berlin Wall unleashed more significant changes – the process was stretched in time from early 1990 to the end of the 1990-91 season and basically was a process of re-organization of clubs from state-run to ‘independent’ professional clubs, which included often change of names. In most cases the change is barely noticeable: East German clubs mostly had combined names of some abbreviation and the popular name. Since the abbreviation was popularly excluded, a change of it did not confuse anyone, yet… in the records the DDR champion of 1989-90 is SG Dynamo (Dresden), but the Cup winner 1.FC Dynamo (Dresden). Same well known club, but it changed its name between the end of the championship and the Cup final. More problematic was the other Cup finalist – its name is nowhere to be found in the early stages of the competition and in the same time one semi-final winner suddenly disappeared: that’s because the club changed its name between the semifinals and the final and in more radical manner than Dynamo (Dresden). The change was also made before the end of the championship, so in the final tables the club was under its new name. The biggest changes affected 2 well-known clubs and they were practically the earliest changes in East German football: on January 30, 1990 BSG Sachsenring (Zwickau) changed its name to FSV Zwickau (Zwickau) and on Feburary 19, 1990 the hated Stassi club BFC Dynamo (Berlin) became FC Berlin (Berlin). The first changes represented a problem faced everywhere in East Europe: desire to get rid of Communist yoke and symbols and restoration of original names, often confronted by the popularity of the Communist name among fans. The early East-German changes represented both tendencies: in Zwickau original name was restored. In Berlin there was no original club, so no old name to go back to – a new one had to be created. For the moment, re-naming the club signifying entirely Communist oppression seemed enough and final, largely because it was hated club with few fans, But, like elsewhere in Eastern Europe, with time it turned out that the hated club still had enough supporters, even new ones, perhaps attracted largely by its history of success, and the abolished name was restored – today Dynamo (Berlin) exists. Few other clubs changed radically their names before the end of the season – neither attracted big interest, for they were all smallish Second Division clubs and even politics were played on mellower scale than in the cases of Dynamo and Sachsenring: Dynamo (Eisleben) changed to MSV Eisleben (Eisleben), SG Dynamo (Schwerin) changed to PSV Schwerin (Schwerin), ASV Vorwaerts (Stralsund) changed to TSV 1860 Stralsund (Stralsund), and Vorwaerts (Dessau) became SG 1898 Dessau (Dessau). Actually, Dessau’s club changed name earlier – in the 1988-89 season, which may have been because the Army opted to exclude this team from their system. If one pays attention to the names, the problems – and solutions – become clear: as elsewhere in Eastern Europe, Police and Army clubs played leading role during Communist rule and also represented exactly that rule – in DDR Police clubs were named Dynamo, Army clubs – Vorwaerts. Changing their names into something else was practically getting rid of Communist rule, but it was mostly symbolic gesture when it came to secondary clubs in smaller town without rival clubs in them. Dynamo (Berlin) really represented ominous oppression, not Dynamo (Eisleben). Forget the Second Division small fry, even Dynamo (Dresden), the original Police club of DDR, did not symbolize oppression for a long time – Dynamo (Berlin) became that, changing the whole picture – from a club signifying ominous state power Dynamo (Dresden) was seen as a club resisting it, confronting Dynamo (Berlin). As for the Army, looks like the Police took the upper hand in the invisible struggle between Communist powerful structures and Army clubs faded since 1970. In 1990 renaming of Army clubs perhaps was not that much a drive to get rid of Communist symbols, but rather the Army getting rid of expensive baggage in entirely new reality. Especially in smallish cities there was no question of folding the Communist club – locals needed their own club, change the name and keep it, one symbolic gesture is enough. And the new reality already presented its own problems – money first of all – so the revamped SG 1898 Dessau disappeared just as quickly as it apperead: Vorwaerts (Dessau) started the 1989-90 season, SG 1898 Dessau finished it, but FC Anhalt (Dessau) started the 1990-91 season – between seasons SG 1898 Dessau merged with SG Waggonbau’05 (Dessau) into FC Anhalt. Thus, radical name changes affected only Army and Police clubs in the second half of 1989-90 season, the only different case was Zwickau, which was getting rid of the Communist club no matter what its name and to which institution it belonged (Sachsenring belonged, or attached, or financed, or represented the large automotive plant in Zwickau) and restore the name of the club existing before the Communist took power. Then again Zwickau was provincial city with one club – Berlin quickly developed complications, for there were ‘split’ clubs existing under same names in both East and West Berlin, both claiming to be the original club and thus unwilling to fold, rename, even amalgamate.
It was not only a matter of names and ownership: freedom shook the season – there was uncertainty, other things on the minds than football, lost financing, and perhaps the most important problem: out of the blue East German players could go and play for real money in West Germany. Now in the minds of players was not that much the championship, but getting lucrative contract with rich and famous Bundesliga club. There was no doubt where Sammer, Doll, Thom, Kirsten will be in the next year. There was also little doubt that even if not wanting to go to the Bundesliga a long established players like Bodo Rudwaleit will change clubs for the once they played many years for were no longer able to pay them enough. It was a season of both hopes and despair, a season of turmoil. And in the same time it looked the same as before…
Apart from name-changes there was nothing to distinct this season from any other before in the Second Division: former top-league clubs were stronger than the rest and if there was any battle for promotion, it was was between 2-3 of those. There was no battle at all, however. Perhaps the only important thing was to mention clubs which did not appear in the next season – relegation is relegation, but few clubs simply disappeared. Judging by tradition, 7 teams were possible candidates for top positions and promotion and only one of them slipped down the table. Still, as it often happened before one teams was dominant leader in each Second Division group.
In Group A TSV 1860 Stralsund (which started the season under the name Vorwaerts (Stralsund) was weak and finished 10th – the only former member of First Division which was weak this season. 5 teams did not appear in the league next season: Motor (Schonebeck) – last and relegated anyway, Motor (Ludwigsfelde) – 17th and also relegated, KWO Berlin (Berlin) – 15th, Dynamo (Furstenwalde) – 12th, and BSG Chemie (Velten) – 3rd. Apart from them keep in mind PSV Schwerin, which started as SG Dynamo (Schwerin) and finished 13th.
BSG Chemie (Velten) finished 3rd with 40 points – 7 points behind the second-placed.
1.FC Union (Berlin) was 2nd with 47 points. Much stronger than the rest of the league, yet, not a real challenge to the winners.
Vorwaerts (Frankfurt/Oder) won the championship with 53 points from 22 wins, 9 ties, 3 losses and 80-30 scoring record. They dominated the championship and climbed back to First Division from which were relegated in 1987-88. Once upon a time a leading DDR club, Vorwaerts faded away long time ago and even their brief revival during the 1980s was very short. Hard to tell what the future of the number one team of the Army would be in entirely different reality – seemingly they were going up with new confidence, but there was also big uncertainty, judging by this team photo, dated alternatively 1989-90 and 1990-91.
Group 2. 4 teams did not appear in the next season: Union (Muhlhausen) – last and possibly relegated, Aufbau ddk Scharfenstein/Krumher. – 16th, MSV Eisleben (Eisleben) – 15th, and BSG Chemie Buna (Schkopau) – 14th. The former First Division clubs were all at the top of the table, but there was only one dominant team. FSV Zwickau (Zwickau) may have been the earliest and most rebellious club in DDR, but changing their name from Sachsenring to FSV Zwickau did not help their strenght: relegated in the previous season, now they ended 4th. BSG Stahl (Riesa) was 3rd and BSG Chemie (Leipzig) – 2nd with 39 points. They clinched second place by a point, but first place was not even a dream. However, sometimes even no-dreams become reality…
BSG Chemie (Bohlen) dominated the season and won the championship with 51 points: 22 wins, 7 ties, 4 losses, 77-35 scoring record. In the beginning of the 1980s they had a brief strong period, meaning, they got promoted to First Division a few times never lasting more than a season among the best. Now they got a new wind for another try. Dominant this season and promoted, but… they were not going to play top league football: just before the start of the 1990-91 season they disappeared in a matter of 4 days: on July 27 they changed their name to FSV Bohlen and on August 1st they merged with FC Grun-Weiss 1990 (Leipzig) – as BSG Chemie (Leipzig) renamed itself right after the 1989-90 season – to form FC Sachsen (Leipzig). And this club played in the First Division. At least geographically not Chemie (Bohlen), but the team they left 12 points behind moved to First Division.
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