Ten Things on FC Ingolstadt 04
Cologne - Following their 2-1 win at home to RB Leipzig on Matchday 33, FC Ingolstadt 04's remarkable rise to the top has continued with promotion to the promised land of the Bundesliga as 2014/15 second-tier champions.
In honour of the occasion, allow bundesliga.com to bring you up to speed on the Bavarian side with ten little-known facts about the club...
The city
Ingolstadt is the youngest of all the big cities in Germany, after passing the 100,000 inhabitants mark in 1989. The population has grown by around 27,000 since then. Lying on the Danube river, Ingolstadt is approximately 80 kilometres due north of the Bavarian capital Munich. Car manufacturer Audi, the club's main sponsor, has its base in the city, while Ingolstadt was also the setting of the Mary Shelley novel Frankenstein.
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Into Bundesliga 2
On 31 May 2008 die Schanzer secured promotion into Bundesliga 2 thanks to a 2-0 win over SpVgg Unterhaching, an achievement orchestrated by head coach Thorsten Fink, who had joined during the winter break. They were relegated back to the third division in 2008/09, but bounced straight back up again the following year after beating FC Hansa Rostock in the play-offs.
Prediction
In an interview given in 2011, the chairman of Ingolstadt’s supervisory board, Martin Wagener, said he was eyeing promotion to Bundesliga in 2014 at the very latest. “But if we have to wait until 2015, I’d be delighted with that too.” It turns out he wasn’t too far off with his prediction. Recovering from a 3-2 defeat to VfL Bochum on Matchday 32, Wagener's team have finally delivered on his promise following victory over Leipzig.
The fans
Ingolstadt’s fan base has grown steadily since the club’s inception just over a decade ago. While just over 4,000 spectators watched their inaugural match, now more than 15,000 supporters pass through the turnstiles at every home game. Ingolstadt are followed by 39,344 fans on Facebook and have approximately 27,000 followers on Twitter. FCI now even have their own app to provide the latest news and information on the goings-on at the club.