Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (IPA: [haˈnoːfɐ ˌzɛksʔʊntˈnɔʏntsɪç]), is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.

The club was founded on 12 April 1896 as Hannoverscher Fußball-Club 1896, upon the suggestion of Ferdinand-Wilhelm Fricke, founder of the Deutscher FV 1878 Hannover.

[citation needed] The club made regular appearances in the national playoffs through the early 1900s, but was unable to progress past Eintracht Braunschweig, planting the seeds of[tone] a rivalry that has survived to this day.

[vague] During Nazi rule, German football was re-organized into 16 top-flight leagues in 1933 and Hannover became part of the Gauliga Niedersachsen.

[citation needed] The club resumed league play in 1947 in the first division Oberliga Nord and was relegated, but quickly returned to the top-flight in 1949.

The beaten side included five of the same players who would go on later that year to win Germany's first World Cup in a surprise victory known as the Miracle of Bern.

Hannover played in the Regionalliga Nord (II) that season, but earned promotion to the senior circuit in the following year.

Hannover went on to acquire new players, many of whom went on to play for the national team – notably Gerald Asamoah, Sebastian Kehl and Fabian Ernst.

[citation needed] Since their promotion, the club have consolidated in the top flight, consistently earning mid-table finishes under several managers.

Coach Dieter Hecking was brought in just weeks into the 2006–07 season after a poor start under Peter Neururer, in which the club lost the first three matches by a combined 11 goals.

[citation needed] The season started with a late 1–0 loss to Hertha BSC and a home draw to Mainz 05, after which coach Dieter Hecking resigned voluntarily.

Shortly before the end of the 2011–12 season, Hannover Technical Director Jörg Schmadtke resigned due to family issues.

He led the team to seven wins in the final 11 games, helping the club secure second place behind VfB Stuttgart and return to the top flight.

Adverse publicity resulted for the club when a large contingent of ultras travelled to England for a 2017–18 pre-season game against Burnley.

Once inside Turf Moor, they responded to a brief altercation on the pitch after 40 minutes by charging the home fans, tearing out seats and using them as missiles.

[citation needed] On 10 November 2009, at the age of 32, Hannover's first-choice goalkeeper Robert Enke died as a result of suicide after he stood in front of a regional express train at a level crossing in Eilvese, Neustadt am Rübenberge.

[7] Upon news breaking of what had happened, many fans immediately gathered at Hannover 96's AWD-Arena home, where they laid flowers, lit candles and signed a book of condolence.

His former club Barcelona held a minute's silence before their game that night, and several international matches the following weekend paid the same tribute.

As a mark of respect, the German national team cancelled their friendly match against Chile, which had been scheduled for 14 November.

[11] As a further mark of respect for their former teammate, Hannover 96 players displayed the number one in a circle on the breast of their jerseys, as approved by the German Football Association (DFL), as a subtle tribute for the rest of the 2009–10 season.

[14] The club's honours: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.