Monday, December 10, 2012

10 December 2003 - For Lokomotive, The Train Kept A-Rollin'

On 10 December 2003, former German champions Leipzig reformed following the dissolution of their previous incarnation.

Tracing their origins back to 1893, the original club, known as VfB Leipzig, helped form the German Football Association in 1900 and won the inaugural national championship in 1903. Two more titles followed in 1906 and 1913, along with the 1936 German Cup.

Dissolved by the Allies after World War II, Leipzig reformed behind the Iron Curtain in 1946 and went on to lift the East German Cup five times between 1957 and 1987. They played as Lokomotiv Leipzig from 1965 until the early 1990s, when they reclaimed the name VfB Leipzig as part of the new unified German league.

The transition into the new league proved difficult for the club, who went from the top flight in 1994 to fourth division in 2001. By the end of 2003, the club's poor performances and mounting debt led to bankruptcy and dissolution.

But a devoted group of followers worked to re-form the club in December 2003, reclaiming the name Lokomotive Leipzip. They rejoined the German pyramid at the eleventh tier and have since slowly climbed their way to fifth tier for the 2012-13 season.

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