VfB Stuttgart was founded on 9 September 1893, in a tavern in the city. On 9 September 2027 the club turns 134. Its most recognisable feature, the red ring across the chest, is almost unique in Europe.

Twenty schoolboys at the "Zum Becher"

The founding took place at the "Zum Becher" tavern, on Kernerstraße, with 20 founding members, mostly schoolboys. Behind the idea was teacher Carl Kaufmann, who in summer 1893 had launched an initiative for the city's young people.

The club was called FV Stuttgart and rugby soon became its main sport. In 1909 it finished runner-up in the German rugby championship, and one of its members, Hugo Betting, had won a silver medal with the German team at the 1900 Olympics.

The union with Cannstatt

Across the Neckar, in Cannstatt, former members of a local club formed FC Krone in 1897, which became known as the Kronenklub. On 2 April 1912 the two clubs merged.

The new team took the name Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893, roughly "Club for Movement Games", which is where VfB comes from. Its first chairman was Wilhelm Hinzmann.

White and red, like Cannstatt

With the 1912 merger the team settled on white and red. The exact reason is not known, but the most likely explanation is its ties to Cannstatt, whose coat of arms is also white and red.

Those colours gave rise to the nickname "die Roten", the Reds. Just as often, fans simply call their team "die Schwaben", the Swabians, after the historic region of Swabia.

The ring on the chest

The white shirt with the red band across the chest was first worn on 30 August 1925, in a friendly against Alemannia Worms. At first it was a practical way to unify the club's colours.

Over time the Brustring became VfB's identity and a symbol of unity for team and fans. In March 2025 it was even written into the club's statutes.

Exactly 100 years on, in August 2025, the team wore a retro shirt against Mönchengladbach featuring only the ring, with no sponsor. The fans responded with the biggest choreography in the club's history.

Titles, the "Magic Triangle" and the "Junge Wilde"

VfB have five German titles, in 1950, 1952, 1984, 1992 and 2007. In the mid-1990s they thrilled fans with the "Magic Triangle" of Krasimir Balakov, Giovane Élber and Fredi Bobic.

The early 2000s brought the "Junge Wilde", the "Young Wild Ones" from the academy, with Timo Hildebrand, Kevin Kurányi and Andreas Hinkel. The shirt has also been worn by Jürgen Klinsmann, Guido Buchwald, the Förster brothers and Mario Gómez.

In 2023-24 Stuttgart finished second, overtaking Bayern on the final matchday. In 2025 they won their fourth German Cup, after 1954, 1958 and 1997, beating Arminia Bielefeld 4-2 and ending an 18-year wait.

All of this was written at the Bad Cannstatt ground, which opened in 1933 as the Neckarstadion. It later became the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, from 2008-09 the Mercedes-Benz-Arena, and today it is called the MHPArena, where fans recently cheered Serhou Guirassy and Deniz Undav.

Celebrate with us

From twenty schoolboys in a tavern to the packed stands of Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart always carry the same red ring close to their heart. Happy 134th birthday to the Swabians!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Stuttgart's stadium (now MHPArena) in Bad Cannstatt – MSeses, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.