Hertha BSC became the second German club, after 1. FC Nürnberg, to successfully defend its national title. It managed the feat in 1930/31. And in 1931 the Berliners set a record with their sixth consecutive final appearance, a mark Schalke 04 would later match from 1937 to 1942 but never surpass before the abolition of the championship finals in 1963. After losing four straight finals from 1926 to 1929, the club had been branded the ‘unlucky team of the German Reich’ – until the spell was finally broken in 1930.