Eintracht Frankfurt II was the reserve team of Eintracht Frankfurt. Formerly known as Eintracht Frankfurt Amateure until 2005 the team played as U23 to emphasize the character of the team as a link between youth academy and pro team. The traditional home ground was the Riederwaldstadion but for safety purposes the team was forced to play at Bornheimer Hang. The ground was actually renovated for local rival FSV Frankfurt but since their unexpected promotion to the 2. Bundesliga and the stricter home ground requirements FSV used to play at Eintracht's actual stadium while the SGE reserves play at their home. From 2009-10 both teams, FSV and Eintracht U23 played at Bornheimer Hang. The squad was frequently supported by Ultras Frankfurt, especially when playing derby matches against Darmstadt and Kassel, both home and away.
History
Eintracht Frankfurt Amateure first played at highest level in Hesse when it earned promotion to the Amateurliga Hessen in 1969, winning the league in its first attempt in 1969–70. The team played in this league, renamed to Amateur-Oberliga Hessen in 1978, for the next 26 seasons, with three runners-up finishes in 1978, 1983 and 1995 as its best results after the 1970 championship. The last of those three allowed the club promotion to the Regionalliga Süd, newly formed the year before. The team lasted for only one season before dropping back to what was now the Oberliga Hessen but won promotion again in 2002. Again it played in the Regionalliga for only one season but in 2008 it qualified for the new Regionalliga Südwest, where it played for six seasons until 2014. In April 2014, the club board of Eintracht Frankfurt decided to withdraw the U23 team from league operations, as was FSV Frankfurt II and Bayer 04 Leverkusen II, after a ruling by the DFL allowed all Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga clubs to freely choose whether or not to operate an under-23 reserve team. Previous to that such teams had been compulsory.
The recent season-by-season performance of the club:
Season
Division
Tier
Position
2002–03
Regionalliga Süd
III
18↓
2003–04
Oberliga Hessen
IV
10
2004–05
Oberliga Hessen
IV
12
2005–06
Oberliga Hessen
IV
11
2006–07
Oberliga Hessen
IV
5
2007–08
Oberliga Hessen
IV
4↑
2008–09
Regionalliga Süd
IV
3
2009–10
Regionalliga Süd
IV
8
2010–11
Regionalliga Süd
IV
6
2011–12
Regionalliga Süd
IV
3
2012–13
Regionalliga Südwest
IV
15
2013–14
Regionalliga Südwest
IV
12
With the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994 and the 3. Liga in 2008 as the new third tier, below the 2. Bundesliga, all leagues below dropped one tier. In 2012, the number of Regionalligas was increased from three to five with all Regionalliga Süd clubs except the Bavarian ones entering the new Regionalliga Südwest.
