On 1 July 1899, in a village in south-west Germany, about twenty men founded a gymnastics club. On 1 July 2027 TSG Hoffenheim turns 128. It is one of the most unlikely stories in European football: from the local leagues to the Champions League.

Gymnasts before footballers

The first club was Turnverein Hoffenheim, a gymnastics club. Football came later, with a separate club in the early 1920s. Sources disagree on the year, which is given as 1920, 1921 or 1923.

In May 1945, right after the war, the two clubs merged. That was the birth of Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft 1899 Hoffenheim, the TSG we know today. The "1899" in the name is a reminder that the club counts its age from the gymnasts.

Blue, white and a village

The club's colours are blue and white. The crest is split diagonally in two: the blue half reads "TSG 1899" and the white half "Hoffenheim". On the pitch the team wears mainly blue, with white details.

Hoffenheim has only about 3,260 residents and lies in the Kraichgau region of Baden-Württemberg. That is why the players are also called the "Kraichgauer". Few villages that small have a team in the top division of a major European country.

The former player who became a patron

The big turning point has a name: Dietmar Hopp. The co-founder of software company SAP had played for the club as a boy. From 1989 he began to back it financially, when it was playing in the lowest local leagues.

His money brought one promotion after another, and he came to own 96% of the football company. That is why he is often targeted by rival fans. In June 2023 he handed the majority of voting rights back to the members' club.

From Flick to Rangnick

In the early 2000s the coach was Hansi Flick, who took the team up to the Regionalliga. In 2003, while still in the third tier, it knocked Leverkusen out of the German Cup. In 2006 Ralf Rangnick arrived and with two promotions in a row took it to the Bundesliga in 2008.

The first season in the top flight shocked everyone. Hoffenheim ended the first half of 2008-09 on top, with goals from Vedad Ibišević and Demba Ba, although it eventually finished seventh. In January 2009 it moved to the new Rhein-Neckar-Arena in Sinsheim, with 30,150 seats.

Nagelsmann, the Champions League and stars

In 2016 the club put its trust in 28-year-old Julian Nagelsmann, the youngest permanent head coach in Bundesliga history. In 2017-18 it finished third and qualified directly for the Champions League for the first time. There it faced Manchester City, Lyon and Shakhtar, but finished bottom of the group with three draws.

The blue shirt was worn by Roberto Firmino, who scored 49 goals from 2011 to 2015. The all-time top scorer is Andrej Kramarić, while goalkeeper Oliver Baumann has the most appearances. In the 2025-26 season, with coach Christian Ilzer, Hoffenheim finished fifth and earned a Europa League ticket.

Celebrate with us

From twenty gymnasts in a village to Champions League nights, Hoffenheim has proved that nothing is impossible in football. Its blue shirt carries 128 years of history.

Happy birthday, Hoffenheim! Keep surprising the giants of Germany and Europe.

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: The Rhein-Neckar-Arena in Sinsheim – 4028mdk09, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.