FFC Heike Rheine

Football club infobox
clubname = FFC Heike Rheine


fullname = Frauenfußballclub Heike Rheine e.V.
nickname =
founded = March 10 1998
ground = Jahnstadion, Rheine
capacity = 10,500
chairman = Alfred Werner
manager = flagicon|Germany Ralf Spanier
mgrtitle = Head Coach | league = Regionalliga (women) West (III)
season = 2008-09
position =
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pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=FF0000|body2=FF0000|rightarm2=FF0000|shorts2=000000|socks2=000000

FFC Heike Rhine is a German women's football club based in Rheine, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team currently plays in the German third division Regionalliga (women) West. Heike Rheine was the first independent women's football club in Germany.

History

The club has its origins at the VfB Rheine. They had played on a local level until 1986 when Alfred Werner took over the head of the women's section. Two consecutive promotions in 1988 and 1989 took the club to the Regionalliga (West), then Germany's top football league for women. A second place in their first season 1989-90 qualified Heike Rheine for the newly founded Fußball-Bundesliga (women). In 1992 and 1993 they finished 3rd in their group of the league and reached the semifinals of the cup. In 1994 VfB Rheine merged with SG Eintracht Rheine, naming itself FC Eintracht Rheine. The following years Rheine finished 4th in the league therefore qualifying for the single-railed Bundesliga in 1997 while being runner-up in the cup the same year.

On March 10 1998 the women's section split from the club, becoming independent under the name FFC Heike Rheine. The club was relegated the same year, but managed re-promotion in the following year. In 2004 the club had its greatest success, finishing 3rd in the league and providing the league's top scorer Kerstin Garefrekes. At the end of the season Garefrekes left for 1. FFC Frankfurt though. After other top players had left the club in the following years, Rheine was relegated to the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga (women) in 2007. The relegation triggered the leaving of further coreplayers, leading to a second consecutive relegation in 2008.

tatistics

External links

* [http://www.ffc-heike-rheine.de/ Heike Rheine official website]