Fussballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (German: [ef tse: 'Salk@ nUl fi:a] (listen)), Schalke 04 (German: [,Salk@ nUl 'fi:a] (listen)), or abbreviated as S04 (German: ['es nUl fi:a] (listen)), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. "04" in the name is derived from "04" in Schalke's name is derived from the date of its founding in 1904. Schalke are among the most popular professional soccer teams in Germany despite it was a thriving club in the 1930s and the 1940s. Schalke are part of the Bundesliga which is the highest tier of the German football league system since 2022following their promotion out of the 2. Bundesliga in 2021-22. In 2022 the team counts 160,000 members and is the second-largest soccer club within Germany and the fourth largest club worldwide with regards to membership. Other sports provided by the club include basketball, athletics table tennis, handball, winter sports and eSports.
Schalke have been crowned champions seven times: seven German championships Schalke have won five DFB-Pokals One DFB Ligapokal, one DFL-Supercup and one UEFA Cup. The year 1937 was the time Schalke made history as the only German club to complete the double. Since 2001, the stadium of Schalke has been called the Veltins-Arena. Schalke have been in a long-running battle with Ruhr close neighbors Borussia Dortmund, known as the Revierderby.
