Established on March 23, 1899,[1] it was the first club in the city and took part in top-flight regional Western German competition until the 1930s.
Their best result came in the 1902/03 season when they finished as runners-up to Kölner FC.
After the 1930s, Essener SV slipped into lower level local football competition.
Successor Essen SG is still active today as one of the larger sports associations in the city with departments for badminton, ice hockey, table tennis, and gymnastics.
In the 2009/10 season, the footballers were promoted to the Fußballverband Niederrhein (VIII).