Ferdinand Wilhelm Fricke (October 11, 1863 – January 17, 1927) was a German teacher and, at the age of 15, founder of the Deutscher FV 1878 Hannover, the oldest rugby union club in Germany.
Fricke donated a rugby ball and then held exercises with a number of local youth who then went on to form the Hannoversche Fußball-Club von 1896, upon his suggestion.
[3][4] In 1899, Fricke discovered the ideal playing area for the club, Am Schnellen Graben, still its home ground today.
[7] Ferdinand Wilhelm Fricke died on 17 January 1927, aged 63, in his hometown Hannover.
In 1957, the city of Hannover honoured Fricke by naming a street after him, the Ferdinand-Wilhelm-Fricke-Weg, where the club facilities of DSV 78 are, behind the AWD-Arena.