Editing SC Paderborn 07 (section)

==History==
===Fusion into SC Paderborn===
For most of the twentieth century, Paderborn had two football clubs: TuS Schloss Neuhaus and FC Paderborn, who remained rivals until the 1980s. After Neuhaus had been promoted to the [[1982–83 2. Bundesliga|2. Bundesliga]] and finished last in 1983, this set-up had reached its athletic and financial ceiling. Thus, in 1985, the two clubs merged into ''TuS Paderborn/Neuhaus''. In 1997, the club adopted its current identity by assuming the name ''SC Paderborn 07'', named after TuS Neuhaus's founding date 1907.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scp07.de/4-Verein/431-Struktur/27-Chronik/505-%DCber-Fusionen-zur-Einheit.html|title=Über Fusionen zur Einheit|website=SCP07.de|access-date=23 May 2019|archive-date=23 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523213801/https://www.scp07.de/4-Verein/431-Struktur/27-Chronik/505-%25DCber-Fusionen-zur-Einheit.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Beginnings in amateur football (1985–2005)===
During most of the 1980s, the recently merged club competed in the third-tier [[Oberliga Westfalen]], where they counted among the leading teams but never achieved promotion. In 1994, Paderborn won the league and thereby qualified for the promotion playoffs. The team lost to [[Eintracht Braunschweig]] and [[Fortuna Düsseldorf]], but secured a place in the newly formed third-tier of the [[German football league system|German football pyramid]], the [[Regionalliga West/Südwest]]. Except for a brief stint in the fourth tier, Paderborn enjoyed moderate success with regular trips to the [[DFB Pokal]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scp07.de/4-Verein/431-Struktur/27-Chronik/505-%DCber-Fusionen-zur-Einheit.html|title=Der gemeinsame Weg (1985-heute)|website=SCP07.de|access-date=23 May 2019|archive-date=23 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523213801/https://www.scp07.de/4-Verein/431-Struktur/27-Chronik/505-%25DCber-Fusionen-zur-Einheit.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

During one of these, in [[2004–05 DFB-Pokal|2004/5]], the club reached the round of 16, beating [[MSV Duisburg]] and Bundesliga side [[Hamburger SV]] on the way. It later emerged that latter match had been affected by [[Bundesliga scandal (2005)|match fixing]]; referee Robert Hoyzer had received a bribe to let Paderborn win the game. The incident remains the most significant betting scandal in the history of German football.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.welt.de/sport/fussball/article5933223/Hoyzer-zerstoerte-Toppmoellers-Karriere.html|title=Hoyzer zerstörte Toppmöllers Karriere|newspaper=Die Welt|date=22 January 2010|access-date=23 May 2019|last1=Anker|first1=Jens|archive-date=3 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003180420/https://www.welt.de/sport/fussball/article5933223/Hoyzer-zerstoerte-Toppmoellers-Karriere.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 
[[File:Breitenreiter, André Trainer SCP 13-14 WP.JPG|thumb|225x225px|Coach [[André Breitenreiter]] in the [[2013–14 2. Bundesliga|2013–14]] promotion season]]

===Consolidation in the 2. Bundesliga (2005–15)===
Paderborn returned to the [[2. Bundesliga]] for the first time in nearly thirty years at the end of the same season. The team's advance into professional football brought with it a professionalisation of its structures, and, in 2005, construction began on a new [[Benteler-Arena|15,000-seat stadium]], which replaced the dated [[Hermann-Löns-Stadion]]. All of this helped to establish the club as a regular component of Germany's professional football landscape.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scp07.de/4-Verein/431-Struktur/27-Chronik/505-%DCber-Fusionen-zur-Einheit.html|title=Der gemeinsame Weg (1985-heute)|website=SCP07.de|access-date=23 May 2019|archive-date=23 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523213801/https://www.scp07.de/4-Verein/431-Struktur/27-Chronik/505-%25DCber-Fusionen-zur-Einheit.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> This process culminated in the club's first promotion to the [[Bundesliga]] after the [[2013–14 2. Bundesliga|2013/14 season]] under coach [[André Breitenreiter]], who had only joined the club from [[TSV Havelse]] at the start of the season.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/2-liga-sc-paderborn-steht-vor-aufstieg-in-die-1-bundesliga-a-968454.html|title=Aufstiegskandidat Paderborn: Das Leuchten der Province|website=Der Spiegel|date=11 May 2014 |access-date=23 May 2019|archive-date=11 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180211165843/http://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/2-liga-sc-paderborn-steht-vor-aufstieg-in-die-1-bundesliga-a-968454.html|url-status=live |last1=Ahrens |first1=Peter }}</ref>

===Bundesliga and years of turbulence (2015–present)===
Having never been in the Bundesliga before, Paderborn were described as "the biggest outsider in Bundesliga history" going into the season. The team started well; in the fourth game of the campaign against [[Hannover 96]], midfielder [[Moritz Stoppelkamp]] scored a volley from 83 metres out, headline a Bundesliga record for the furthest ever goal. This goal also put the team top of the Bundesliga table at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 September 2014 |title=Who are Bundesliga leaders Paderborn? |url=https://www.espn.co.uk/football/name/10/blog/post/2049607/headline |access-date=22 February 2023 |publisher=ESPN |language=en |archive-date=22 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222185705/https://www.espn.co.uk/football/name/10/blog/post/2049607/headline |url-status=live }}</ref>

Paderborn were 10th in the table at the halfway point, but suffered a number of heavy losses in the second half of the season. On the second last matchday of the season, they dropped to last place, and were relegated on the final day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SC Paderborn: Vom Tabellenführer zum Absteiger |url=https://www.wa.de/sport/sport-mix/bundesliga-rueckblick-saison-2015-paderborn-5005193.html |access-date=22 February 2023 |website=wa.de |date=26 May 2015 |language=de |archive-date=22 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222185701/https://www.wa.de/sport/sport-mix/bundesliga-rueckblick-saison-2015-paderborn-5005193.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Upon relegation, a number of key players such as [[Alban Meha]], [[Mario Vrančić]], [[Lukas Rupp]], [[Marvin Ducksch]] and captain [[Uwe Hünemeier]] left the club, while coach Breitenreiter joined [[FC Schalke 04|Schalke]].

Starting the [[2015–16 2. Bundesliga|2015–16 season]] with [[Markus Gellhaus]] in charge, Paderborn surprisingly gave former Germany international [[Stefan Effenberg]] his first coaching job in October 2015. In March, Effenberg was sacked, with the team bottom of the table and heading for a second consecutive relegation, which was later confirmed.<ref>{{Cite news |last=sport |first=Guardian |date=3 March 2016 |title=Stefan Effenberg sacked by Paderborn after five months in charge |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/mar/03/stefan-effenberg-sacked-paderborn-bundesliga-2 |access-date=22 February 2023 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=15 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215220656/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/mar/03/stefan-effenberg-sacked-paderborn-bundesliga-2 |url-status=live }}</ref> Competing in the [[3. Liga]] for the first time since 2009, Paderborn again found themselves at the bottom of the table. After [[Steffen Baumgart]] took over as coach in April, the team picked up 11 points from his five games in charge, but could not escape the relegation zone, finishing in 18th position. That should have been a third relegation in a row, this time to the non-professional [[Regionalliga West]], but Paderborn were unexpectedly saved by [[TSV 1860 Munich|1860 Munich]] not receiving a license to play in the 3. Liga. [[TSV 1860 Munich|1860 Munich]] were forced to move to the [[Regionalliga Bayern]], which allowed Paderborn to stay in the third tier.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nw.de/lokal/kreis_paderborn/paderborn/21817392_Grosse-Erleichterung-ueber-die-Rettung-des-SC-Paderborn.html|title=Große Erleichterung über die Rettung des SC Paderborn|website=NRW.de|access-date=23 May 2019|archive-date=23 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523222245/https://www.nw.de/lokal/kreis_paderborn/paderborn/21817392_Grosse-Erleichterung-ueber-die-Rettung-des-SC-Paderborn.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Having been saved narrowly, Baumgart's team surprisingly finished second in the [[2017–18 3. Liga|2017–18 season]] and returned to the 2. Bundesliga. In 2019, a remarkable turn of events, the newly promoted side completed another top-two finish, which returned Paderborn to the Bundesliga after years of turbulence.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.zeit.de/sport/2019-05/zweite-bundesliga-paderborn-aufstieg-union-berlin-relegation|title=Paderborn feiert den Aufstieg|website=Die Zeit|date=19 May 2019 |access-date=23 May 2019|archive-date=7 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207111348/https://www.zeit.de/sport/2019-05/zweite-bundesliga-paderborn-aufstieg-union-berlin-relegation|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[2019–20 Bundesliga|2019–20 season]], however, ended in the same way their first Bundesliga campaign did, as Paderborn finished last, meaning relegation back to the second tier in June 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kicker.de/bundesliga_abstieg_besiegelt_paderborns_achterbahnfahrt_geht_weiter-777304/artikel|title=Bundesliga-Abstieg besiegelt: Paderborns Achterbahnfahrt geht weiter|website=[[Kicker (magazine)|Kicker]]|access-date=16 June 2020|archive-date=5 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705200216/https://www.kicker.de/777304/artikel/bundesliga_abstieg_besiegelt_paderborns_achterbahnfahrt_geht_weiter|url-status=live}}</ref> The following season, Paderborn finished 9th in the 2. Bundesliga, the first time since 2012–13 that the club finished outside the promotion or relegation places.

[[File:Paderborn League Performance.png|260px|thumb|Historical chart of Paderborn league performance]]