BFC Germania 1888
Other teams which were formed before Germania including Berliner Cricket-Club 1883, BFC Frankfurt 1885, and SC Germania zu Hamburg 1887 (one of the predecessor sides which formed SV Hamburg in 1919) were also first organized to play other sports – cricket, rugby, and athletics respectively. Of these three clubs only "Hamburg" is still playing.BFC Germania 1888 has a rich sporting heritage and played an important role in the early development of football in Germany.
SC Germania Hamburg
The northern German associations joined to form the Northern German Football Association, the "Norddeutscher Fußball-Verband" in 1905. In that period many players left Germania, which forthwith was in decline and eventually was relegated in 1912. After the outbreak of World War I Germania, like all other clubs, had a shortage of players and in order to be able to field teams entered into temporary associations with "SV Uhlenhorst-Hertha" and SC Concordia.
After the end of the war the club could not revive its fortunes and merged on 2 June 1919 with "Hamburger SV von 1888", Northern German champions of that year, to form today's Hamburger SV, seven times German champions and European Cup of Champions' winner of 1982. Hamburger SV carries 1887 as its official year of foundation. The club colours were the Hanseatic red and white in honour of the City of Hamburg, with the blue and black of the oldest of the founding clubs, Germania, being used on the team badge. It is through Germania that HSV can lay a claim to being the German football club tracing back the furthest.