Hanover or Hannover (German:  Hannover (help·info), [haˈnoːfɐ]), on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg (later described as the Elector of Hanover). At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the Electorate was enlarged to become the capital of the Kingdom of Hanover.

In addition to being the capital of Lower Saxony, Hanover was the capital of the administrative area Regierungsbezirk Hannover (Hanover region) until Lower Saxony's administrative regions were disbanded at the beginning of 2005. Since 2001 it is part of the Hanover district (Region Hannover), which is a municipal body made up from the former district (Landkreis Hannover) and city of Hanover (note: although both Region and Landkreis are translated as district they are not the same).

With a population of 522,686 (31 December 2010) the city is a major centre of northern Germany, known for hosting annual commercial trade fairs such as the Hanover Fair and the CeBIT. Every year Hanover hosts the Schützenfest Hannover, the world's largest marksmen's festival, and the Oktoberfest Hannover, the second largest Oktoberfest in the world. In 2000, Hanover hosted the world fair Expo 2000. The Hanover fairground, due to numerous extensions, especially for the Expo 2000, is the largest in the world. Hanover is also of national importance because of its universities and medical school, its international airport, and its large zoo. The city is also a major crossing point of railway lines and highways (Autobahnen), connecting European main lines in east-west-direction (Berlin - Ruhr area) and north-south-direction (Hamburg - Munich et al.).

Dieter Hecking (born 12 September 1964 in Castrop-Rauxel, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German football manager and former professional player who works as head coach of 1. FC Nuremberg. He played for both Hannover 96 and Eintracht Braunschweig. He returned to manage Hannover despite the long-standing and bitter rivalry between the two clubs.

His football career began as a youth player at Westfalia Soest, then serving time at Soester SV, Borussia Lippstadt and 1. FC Paderborn, respectively, before joining Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1983. His opportunities there were limited though and he managed only six games in two years for the top flight club before leaving for 2. Bundesliga outfit KSV Hessen Kassel in 1985. Here, Hecking became an integral part of Jörg Berger's side, as they claimed a string of top five finishes and came within a final day defeat of promotion to the Bundesliga in 1985.

Although the club was relegated to the Oberliga Hessen in 1987, Hecking's contributions didn't wane as he contributed a highly impressive 45 goals from midfield during two successful seasons, finishing second then first, earning them a return to 2. Bundesliga through the promotion playoffs and Hecking the award for top goalscorer (with 29 goals) in 1989.