Following World War I, Adler became part of the Arbeiter-Turn- und Sportbund (ATSB, en:Worker's Gymnastics and Sports Association), a nationwide leftist sports organization that became home to a large number of worker's clubs.

The ATSB ran a separate competition from that of the DFB (Deutscher Fußball Bund, en:German Football Association) and staged its first national championship in 1920.

Adler won the ATSB title in 1928 by beating VfL 88 Naumburg 6:3 in their semifinal match up before defeating ASV Westend Frankfurt 5:4 in the final[1][2] staged 6 May in Berlin's Grunewald Stadium in front of 12,000 spectators.

In addition to its footballers, Adler brought to Favorit its ground at Kühnemannstaße and strong hockey and handball departments.

After the conflict, occupying Allied authorities banned most organizations across the country, including sports and football clubs, as part of the process of de-Nazification.