Deutscher Sportclub für Fußballstatistiken
Professional services
UnclaimedGerman association dedicated to collecting, analyzing, and publishing football statistics.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Deutscher Sportclub für Fußballstatistiken, commonly abbreviated DSFS, is a German association focused on the systematic collection and publication of football statistics. Its work covers the historical and contemporary record of football in Germany, with particular attention to leagues and competitions beyond the most visible professional divisions. In this respect, the organization occupies a specialist position similar to that of international statistical projects such as the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, while concentrating primarily on German football. The association was formed on 1 July 1971 after football enthusiast Helmut Druwen placed an advertisement in the sports magazine kicker seeking people interested in football statistics. The initial group developed into a membership organization. A further recruitment advertisement in kicker in 1978 helped expand membership, and the club was formally registered in 1979. In the same period it joined the German Olympic Society. The organization was later recognized as gemeinnützig, a German status broadly associated with public-benefit or nonprofit organizations, in 1998. DSFS began publishing brochures and a club magazine in 1980. Its best-known publication became the annual Deutscher Fussball-Almanach, a yearbook that differed from many football annuals by giving substantial coverage to higher amateur football rather than concentrating almost exclusively on the Bundesliga and other elite professional competitions. The association’s publishing activity therefore helped preserve information about competitions, clubs, seasons, and divisions that receive less attention in mainstream sports media. The organization experienced an early period of decline after 1983, followed by a recovery in 1986 after several years of limited activity. German league restructuring later created a new opportunity for the association. Following the re-establishment of the Regionalliga in 1994, DSFS began revising and expanding its annual statistical publication. The content was enlarged progressively between 1994 and 2004, eventually covering all divisions of German football through the top five levels, as well as leading youth and women’s competitions. Reflecting this broader scope, the yearbook was renamed Deutschlands Fussball in Zahlen, meaning Germany’s football in numbers. Membership reached its reported high point in 2004, when the association had almost 430 members. Membership subsequently declined, although DSFS remained active; a 2023 census reported approximately 378 members. The club is a specialist knowledge organization rather than a conventional commercial media brand. Its value lies in archival research, statistical compilation, publication, and the contribution of volunteer or member expertise to the documentation of German football. As of September 2022, its president was Michael Diepenbrock. The available reference material does not establish a separate corporate parent, commercial owner, headquarters address, public listing, or independently reported financial figures.
History
The Deutscher Sportclub für Fußballstatistiken emerged from a small community of German football-statistics enthusiasts. Its origins date to 1 July 1971, when Helmut Druwen advertised in kicker for people interested in collecting and discussing football statistics. The initiative developed into an organized club, and a second advertisement in 1978 helped accelerate membership growth. Although the association had been operating for several years, it was not formally registered until 1979. It also joined the German Olympic Society around that time. The association’s early mission was to gather, preserve, and publish structured information about German football. From 1980 it issued brochures and a club magazine, creating a publishing platform for statistical material that was not commonly available in mainstream sports coverage. Its principal annual reference work was the Deutscher Fussball-Almanach. Unlike many football yearbooks, the publication did not limit itself to the leading professional competitions. It gave considerable attention to higher amateur leagues, where historical data was more fragmented and less likely to be documented by large commercial publishers. After 1983, DSFS entered a period of decline and inactivity. The organization recovered in 1986, allowing its statistical and publishing work to continue. A major later turning point came with the re-establishment of the Regionalliga in 1994. The change in the German league structure prompted DSFS to redesign its annual publication and expand its coverage year by year. By 2004, the publication had grown to cover all German football divisions through the top five levels, together with the leading youth and women's leagues. The enlarged scope was reflected in a new title, Deutschlands Fussball in Zahlen. The association also developed a formal public-benefit profile. In 1998 it was recognized as gemeinnützig, a status associated in Germany with nonprofit or public-benefit organizations and certain tax advantages. Membership continued to be an important foundation of the club’s work. It reached almost 430 members in 2004, before declining in subsequent years. The available reference material gives a membership figure of approximately 378 for a 2023 census. DSFS is best understood as a specialist association and publisher rather than as a mass-market sports-media company. Its contribution is the compilation and dissemination of detailed football records, especially for German competitions below the highest professional level. Its materials also encompass youth and women's football, extending the historical record beyond the competitions most heavily covered by national media. The available source identifies Michael Diepenbrock as president as of September 2022. No reliable information in the supplied material establishes a precise headquarters address, founder list beyond the role of Helmut Druwen in initiating the recruitment effort, commercial ownership, financial results, or an independent corporate parent.
- 2023
Membership census
[1]A reported 2023 census placed membership at approximately 378 people.
- 2022
Michael Diepenbrock identified as president
[1]The reference material identifies Michael Diepenbrock as president as of September 2022.
- 2004
Publication scope and title expanded
[1]After progressive expansion through the top five levels and selected youth and women's leagues, the annual work was titled Deutschlands Fussball in Zahlen.
- 1998
Recognized as a public-benefit organization
[1]DSFS received gemeinnützig recognition, giving it a public-benefit or nonprofit institutional status under German practice.
- 1994
Annual reference work reformed
[1]The return of the Regionalliga prompted a reform and subsequent expansion of DSFS’s annual publication.
- 1986
Recovery from inactivity
[1]The club recovered after several years of reduced activity.
- 1983
Early decline
[1]The association entered a period of decline and inactivity after 1983.
- 1980
Publishing activity begins
[1]DSFS began issuing brochures and a club magazine.
- 1979
Formal registration
[1]The club was formally registered and joined the German Olympic Society.
- 1978
Membership recruitment renewed
[1]A further advertisement in kicker helped drive membership growth and prepared the association for formal registration.
Products and positioning
A specialist German football-statistics association and publisher emphasizing archival accuracy, historical records, and coverage of amateur, youth, and women's competitions alongside the professional game.
Football statistical yearbook
Deutscher Fussball-Almanach
DSFS’s best-known annual reference publication, covering German football statistics with an emphasis on higher amateur leagues as well as the wider national football structure. Its editorial focus distinguishes it from yearbooks centered primarily on professional football.
Football statistical yearbook · 2004
Deutschlands Fussball in Zahlen
The expanded successor title to the Deutscher Fussball-Almanach. By 2004, the work covered German football through the top five divisions and included leading youth and women's competitions, reflecting the association’s broader statistical remit.
Association publication · 1980
Club magazine
A periodical publication produced as part of DSFS’s publishing activity from 1980. The supplied material confirms its existence but does not provide a title, frequency, circulation, or current publication status.
Football statistics publication · 1980
Statistical brochures
Brochures containing football statistical material formed part of the association’s publishing program from 1980. The available sources do not specify individual brochure titles, subjects, print runs, or continuing availability.
Brand decisions
2004
Annual publication renamed Deutschlands Fussball in ZahlenGeneration changeBackground
The yearbook had been broadened over the preceding decade beyond its earlier focus and now covered a much wider range of German football.
Action taken
The association adopted the title Deutschlands Fussball in Zahlen for the enlarged statistical reference work.
Aftermath
The renamed publication represented DSFS’s positioning as a comprehensive statistical source for German football across professional, amateur, youth, and women's competitions.
1994
Reform and expansion of the annual statistical publicationStrategyBackground
The re-establishment of the Regionalliga changed the structure of German football and created a need to revise the association’s annual statistical reference work.
Action taken
DSFS began expanding the publication’s contents year by year, ultimately extending coverage across the top five German divisions and selected leading youth and women's leagues.
Aftermath
The expanded scope led to the publication being renamed Deutschlands Fussball in Zahlen by 2004.
Sources1 sources
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