Einheit Rudolstadt

Uli Oevermann, Andreas Krause and Peter Rock all left Rudolstadt for FC Carl Zeiss Jena. For decades the town's side served as a place to grow players for that bigger neighbour. Their names are the ones the club points to.

The nickname says as much about the place as the results do. Rudolstadt is known as FC Pädagogik, FC Pedagogy, because so many of its players were studying to become teachers or had already qualified. At times up to 80% of the squad came from those courses. Niclas Fiedler, Robert Teske and Philipp Röppnack are the more recent names.

The club began in 1950 as BSG Einheit Rudolstadt, a works sports community, and grew out of the SG Rudolstadt of 1946. Its best season in East German football came in 1957, when it went up to the II. DDR-Liga, the third tier.

Reunification changed the club's shape. In 1990 it merged with its neighbours and rivals Chemie Schwarza, now SV 1883 Schwarza, to form FC Rudolstadt/Schwarza. Green and yellow remained its colours.

Promotion in 2012 came by an unusual route. Eintracht Sondershausen finished second and waived their place, so Rudolstadt stepped up to the NOFV-Oberliga Süd, the fifth tier. They still play there, at the 4,000-capacity Heinepark stadium. Their regional opponents include 1. SC 1911 Heiligenstadt and BSG Wismut Gera.