Elversberg: Bundesliga newcomers from tiny town make history
A team from a small southwestern German town of just 7,000 inhabitants has made history by sealing promotion to become the 59th club to play
A team from a small southwestern German town of just 7,000 inhabitants has made history by sealing promotion to become the 59th club to play in the Bundesliga. Where is Elversberg? Elversberg is a small town northeast of Saarbrücken in the small state of Saarland, in southwestern Germany. As part of Spiesen-Elversberg, the town has a population of around 13,000 but Elversberg alone has just 7,000 people living in it. There is no train station and just three bakeries. What is Elversberg's back story? The club was formed in 1907, although folded during World War I before reforming in 1918. In 2013, the club reached the third division alongside RB Leipzig, but they were promptly relegated. After two playoff defeats in 2016 and 2017, the club finally returned to the third division in 2022 and slowly began to gain a greater reputation. The club's surge coincided with the appointment of Nils-Ole Book in 2017 and head coach Horst Steffen, a former Bundesliga player, a year later. Book first joined as a scout before becoming sporting director, where he played a key role in recruitment. Steffen secured back-to-back promotions for the club as they reached the second division in 2023 as a newly- side in the third division.
Germany and Newcastle striker Nick Woltemade played a key role in the club's promotion that year before moving on, and Bayern Munich's Paul Wanner enjoyed a successful loan spell at the club a year later. In just their second season in the second division (2024-25), Elversberg were in the promotion playoff. But a 95th minute winner from Heidenheim broke their hearts, as they missed out on the top flight. Steffen left for Werder Bremen, star player Fisnik Asllani returned to Hoffenheim and five other key players departed. Not only did it look like the chance had gone, but the club looked more likely to battle against relegation the following season. How did Elversberg reach the Bundesliga? Aided by continuity at leading levels of the club, Elversberg found a way to turn a desperate situation into a remarkable one. What proved particularly helpful was having the father-son duo of Frank Holzer, chairman of the supervisory board, and Dominik, the president, leading the way and also calling the shots at main sponsor Ursapharm. The appointment of head coach Vincent Wagner from Hoffenheim's reserve team was understated, but Wagner did not change much from Steffen's approach. Aided by former Bundesliga legend Mike Frantz, the assistant coach, and team manager Selina Wagner, who won a Champions League with Wolfsburg, the unit off the field appeared as united as the one forming on it.
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