On 13 February 1948, in a Cologne still clearing the rubble of the war, 1. FC Köln was born. On 13 February 2027 Köln turns 79. This is the club that lifted the very first Bundesliga title, and its mascot is a real, living goat.

A merger in a tavern

The club came out of the union of two local sides, Kölner BC 01 and SpVgg Sülz 07. Members of both voted by a huge majority in favour of the merger. That same day the new club was set up in a tavern in the Sülz district, on Luxemburger Straße.

Franz Kremer, a man of big ambitions, was unanimously elected the first president. According to the club, he asked those at the meeting whether they wanted to become German champions with him.

The name and "Effzeh"

The full name is Fußball-Club Köln 01/07, the two numbers recalling the founding years of its two "parents", 1901 and 1907. The original idea was "Erster Fußballclub Köln", meaning "First Football Club Cologne", which is where the "1." in front of the name comes from.

Fans, however, simply call it "Effzeh", the way FC is pronounced in the local dialect. Its other nickname, "Die Geißböcke", means "the billy goats" and comes with its own very Cologne story.

Red, white and a cathedral

The club colours are white and red, the same as the city flag. Sülz 07 already played in red and white, while KBC wore red and black, so red was what the two had in common.

Throughout the club's history both colours have taken centre stage on the shirt: usually white is the home kit and red the second. The crest features the goat and the towers of the cathedral, Cologne's most recognisable building.

Over the years the shirt has been made by Adidas, Puma, Reebok, Erima, Uhlsport and Hummel. From 2026 Adidas is back at Müngersdorf.

Hennes, a goat named after a coach

On 13 February 1950, exactly two years after the founding, circus director Carola Williams presented the club with a young goat at a carnival event. It was a carnival joke that went on to become an institution.

The animal was named Hennes, after player-coach Hennes Weisweiler. Today Hennes IX, in the role since 2019, runs out at the stadium, and the goat is the symbol the whole club identifies with.

The first Bundesliga champions

Kremer's dream came true in 1962, when Köln beat Nürnberg 4-0 in the final to become German champions. Two years later, in 1964, they won the first title of the brand-new Bundesliga.

In 1965 they were knocked out of the European Cup by Liverpool after a coin toss in Rotterdam, a story fans have never forgotten. In 1978 came the double, the best season in the club's history, and in 1986 they played in the UEFA Cup final.

Legends who wore red and white include Wolfgang Overath, the appearance record holder with 542 competitive games, Wolfgang Weber, goalkeeper Toni Schumacher, Pierre Littbarski and, later, Lukas Podolski.

Celebrate with us

From a tavern in Sülz to the great stadiums of Europe, Köln carries the city, the carnival and a goat loved like a hero on its shirt. Few clubs have such a distinctive personality.

Happy 79th birthday, Effzeh! May Müngersdorf always be full.

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Köln's RheinEnergieStadion – -wuppertaler, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0.