1903 German football championship

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1903 German football championship

The 1903 championship was the first national competition organized by the German Football Association (DFB). At that time the DFB had about 150 member clubs in 30 local associations. The champions of these associations could enter the championship, and teams from outside Germany could also participate, such as the Prague champions.

Only six teams entered, far fewer than the possible 30. VfB Leipzig won the title and became the first German champions, lifting the Viktoria trophy. DFC Prag finished as runners-up.

Tournament details: Dates 3–31 May; 6 teams; 4 matches played; 31 goals scored in total (about 7.75 per match). The top scorers were Heinrich Riso and Bruno Stanischewski, with 6 goals each.

The Viktoria trophy was awarded to the champions from 1903 to 1944. It disappeared during World War II, reappeared after German reunification, and was displayed at the DFB headquarters in Frankfurt until 2015, when it moved to the Deutsches Fußballmuseum in Dortmund.

Scheduling and travel issues caused complications: matches were planned for Munich, Prague preferred to host in Prague, and Karlsruhe protested traveling. Because of time constraints, one match was scratched and both teams advanced to the semifinals. Another incident involved Karlsruhe not traveling to Leipzig for a scheduled match and being disqualified after a telegram allegedly from the DFB claimed the match was postponed.