RB Leipzig II

2006–2009: Negotiations with various clubs and founding

Before investing in Leipzig, Red Bull GmbH, led by co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz, spent three and a half years looking for a suitable location to invest in German football. Besides Leipzig, the company also considered a location in Western Germany, exploring such cities as Hamburg, Munich and Düsseldorf.

The company made its first attempt to enter the German football scene in 2006. On the advice of Franz Beckenbauer, a personal friend of Dietrich Mateschitz, the company decided to invest in Leipzig. The local football club FC Sachsen Leipzig, successor to the former East German champions BSG Chemie Leipzig, had for years been in financial difficulties. Red Bull GmbH drew up plans to invest up to 50 million euros in the club. The company planned a takeover, with a change of the team's colours and club name. Involved in the arrangements was film entrepreneur Michael Kölmel, sponsor of FC Sachsen Leipzig and owner of the Zentralstadion. By 2006, FC Sachsen Leipzig played in the Oberliga, by then the fourth tier in the German football league system. Playing in the fourth tier, the club had to undergo the German Football Association (DFB) licensing procedure. Red Bull GmbH and the club were close to a deal, but the plans were vetoed by the DFB, which rejected the proposed new club name "FC Red Bull Sachsen Leipzig" fearing too much influence from the company. After months of fan protests against Red Bull's involvement, which deteriorated into violence, the company officially abandoned the plans.

Red Bull GmbH then turned to the former West Germany. The company made contact with Hamburg-based club FC St. Pauli, and met representatives of the club to discuss a sponsorship deal. A short time before, supporters of FC St. Pauli had participated in protests against Red Bull's takeover of SV Austria Salzburg. Once it became clear to the Hamburg side that the company had plans that went far beyond conventional sponsoring, it immediately ended the contact, and the question was never considered by the club's management. Red Bull then made contact with TSV 1860 Munich. Negotiations began behind closed doors, but the club was not interested in an investment and ended the discussions.

In 2007, Red Bull GmbH made plans to invest in Fortuna Düsseldorf, a traditional club with more than 100 years of history. The plans became public, and it was revealed that the company wanted to acquire more than 50 percent of the shares. Rumours spread that the company wanted to rename the club "Red Bull Düsseldorf", or similar. This was immediately met with protests from club supporters. As with FC Sachsen Leipzig, Red Bull's offer also ran into legal difficulties: the statutes of the DFB did not allow changing a club name for advertising purposes, nor for an external investor to obtain a majority share.

Eventually, the plans were soundly rejected by club members. The company began to reconsider the former East Germany.

Leipzig was considered a suitable place for an investment, with the city having a rich history in football, being the meeting place for the founding of the DFB and the home of the first German national football champions, VfB Leipzig. During East Germany's existence, local teams such as 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig and its rival, BSG Chemie Leipzig, played at the highest level of the East German football league system, and even on the international level. The current state of football there was, however, poor. No team from the city had played in the Bundesliga since 1994, and no team had played in a professional league since 1998. Its two best teams would soon play in the Oberliga, and local football was plagued by fan violence. The city hungered for top-level football. Leipzig had a population of around 500,000 inhabitants. The city thus had considerable economic strength and fan potential. At the same time, there were no Bundesliga clubs located anywhere near the city, which further strengthened the possibility of attracting sponsors and fans.

Leipzig was fortunate to have a well-developed infrastructure, in the form of an international airport, motorway connections, and a suitable stadium. The Zentralstadion was a former 2006 FIFA World Cup venue and the second-largest football stadium in the east of Germany, after the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

An investment in a club playing in one of the top divisions in Germany would have been a costly affair for Red Bull. From previous experience, the company knew that the existing traditions of such a club would hinder success in the league. It also knew that an investment in a club playing in one of the top divisions would meet legal difficulties, making such an investment risky. Instead, the company found that a newly established club, designed for the company, would be the better option for an investment. Early in 2009, Red Bull GmbH contacted the Saxony Football Association (SFV), about the procedure to establish a new club in Saxony.