 The team was initially set up by young athletes from the ATV Leipzig 1845 athletics association and managed by them until becoming independent on 26 May 1896, spurred on by the loss of the team to Leizpig BC 1893 and the demanding training schedule being enforced by the athletics association.This was a common occurrence at the turn of the century, with other teams such as FC Bayern Munich also choosing to part ways with their men's gymnastics club.The team competed in the Verband Leipziger Ballspiel-Vereine (Federation of Leipzig Ballgame Clubs), the third established football league in Germany, for two seasons.