Featured Image: 1989 German Hungarian Major Team at the US National Donauschwaben Tournament in Mansfield, OH
WHAT IS A “GERMAN-HUNGARIAN,”?
Put simply, a German-Hungarian is an ethnically German person from the areas of Eastern Europe that were once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. These countries today are Serbia, Hungary, and Romania. The founders and many members today of our club come from this area and descend from German colonists that settled the area in the 17th and 18th centuries. What is important is that these people kept their German language, heritage and customs. Our people are labeled more popularly “Donauschwaben” meaning Danube Swabians. These two terms “German-Hungarians,” and “Donauschwaben” mean the same thing.
ABOUT THIS NATIONAL DONAUSCHWABEN TOURNAMENT
In the United States there exists an umbrella group linking all the German clubs with Donauschwaben roots together. They hold a dance group weekend like a big Oktoberfest each year on Labor Day weekend at one of the clubs. The group also hosts this tournament over Memorial Day weekend each year at one of the clubs. This year marks the 46th Year of this tournament. The quality of soccer at this tournament improves with every year and the clubs take a serious on the field competition and combine it with friendship and sportsmanship on and off the field. Some historic clubs with major amateur soccer records participate.
US AMATEUR CUP TITLES:
- Carpathia Kickers (Detroit) – 1962 (Finalist 1968, 2010)
- German Hungarians (Philadelphia) – 1965 (Finalist 1964, 1970, 1977, 1999)
- Chicago Kickers – 1966, 1968, 1970 (Finalist 1975)
- Milwaukee Sport Club – (Finalist 1997)
As far as winners of this tournament go, Detroit Carpathia holds the record having won the Major Division 10 times, with Chicago Green White winning 8 times, and Clevelend just behind with 7. The winner of the Major Division gets the travelling “Mike Talan Wanderpokal.
Our club first participated in 1977 when Danubia in Philadelphia hosted. We then did not participate until 1988 in Chicago. We won our first tournament in 1990 again at Danubia in Philadelphia. Teams then travelled to various tournaments in the 2000s, and we have been steady participants since 2010, only missing the 2013 tournament in Milwaukee. Since 1990 we have only been able to win at “home” winning the trophy in 2011 and 2018 in Philadelphia.
PETER SCHOCK CUP
Peter Schock is the name of one founder and the first president of our club. Around 2013 we discovered that Schock left Philadelphia and around 1913 founded the club that eventual became the Detroit Carpathia. In 2019 in Akron our club created a cup trophy that would travel between the two clubs any time we play one another. The “Peter Schock Cup” was won in 2019 by Detroit and they promptly filled it with beer inviting us for a drink.
- Interested in more photos like the featured image on this post? Checkout our archives of Major Soccer photos between 1987 & 1999.
- Photo Album: Sports | Major Soccer | 1987-1999
EDITOR’S NOTE: The above writing was compiled from a variety of sources by Michael N. Fricker, as part of a “fact sheet” presented to our players, members and friends who traveled in May of 2021 to Akron, OH for the US National Donauschwaben Soccer Tournament which was held at the German Family Society. The history and information we felt warranted publishing here at http://www.ughclub.us for posterity.
