On Sunday 16th March, we went down to Schwalbe
bar in Stargarderstrasse to watch a televised football match between SpVgg Greuther
Fürth and 1. FC Union Berlin. Holing up in a bar to watch a televised match
or, on a dark winter Saturday afternoon, the ‘Konferenz’ – the German
equivalent of Soccer Saturday – has become a favourite pastime since we moved
here. The Konferenz is gripping –
whereas on Soccer Saturday, the action is conveyed verbally to the viewer by
members of a studio-based panel and an army of reporters stationed at various
grounds, the Konferenz actually switches to the matches themselves, showing
each goal and each significant bit of action. Although Schwalbe is a bar for followers of F.C.
Koln, Freiburg and Union, the clientele generally includes supporters of just
about every Bundesliga team, who cheer noisily or drop their heads into their
hands depending on how their team is progressing.
Whether live in the stadium or on TV in a dedicated sports
bar, watching football in Germany is a delight.
It is also something that an increasing number of English fans are
embracing. Often, but by no means
always, the motivation for fans’ defection to the Bundesliga is purely economic. When one considers that a season ticket for
F.C. Bayern can be bought for not much more than two match day tickets to a
high-profile Premiership fixture, the attraction becomes even more
understandable.
Once, in a bar in Birmingham, I got talking to a local who
was wearing a St Pauli T-shirt. He
explained that, although a life-long Villa fan, he could no longer justify the
cost of a game. It was, he said, more
rewarding for him to travel to Germany to watch the 2. Bundesliga side. Pauli, with its famous
anti-racist/sexist/homophobic stance, is a popular choice of club for many who
look to Germany for fulfilment of their footballing needs, and its left-leaning
ideology has long attracted followers of an anarchic or alternative bent. The club had an avowed commitment to
eradicating prejudice and discrimination long before the footballing authorities
acknowledged a need to act and long before the well-intentioned but largely
ineffective ‘kick it out’ type campaigns were established. Although
based in Hamburg, the appeal of Pauli is far-reaching. Here in Berlin, it is common to see people
walking around in clothing which bears the distinctive St Pauli skull and
crossbones motif.
However, nearly every German club seems to have a British
following of some sort. Berlin itself is
home to two clubs which regularly attract a decent number of British fans –
Hertha BSC, a top-flight club which plays its home games at the monumental
Olympiastadion in the far west of the city, and 1. F.C. Union, which can be
found further East in the suburb of Köpenick.
Many English fans have found their way here and, for one reason or
another, chosen to follow Union rather than their better-known rivals. There is a unique and captivating atmosphere
at Union which has to be experienced to be properly appreciated.
During the Cold War, Union remained in the shadow of BFC
Dynamo, whose stature (under Stasi patronage) in East German football, was
massive – the club won the league on ten consecutive occasions between 1979 and
1988. Union was a solid, working class club
with an outspoken resistance to Stasi authority which made it a natural enemy
of Dynamo. In the years since
reunification, Union has worked its way up to a respectable position in 2.
Bundesliga, although its progress has been gradual and not without difficulties.
One of the most impressive things about this club is the
close links it has with its supporters. Union
fans are passionately devoted to their club.
In 2008, aware that the stadium was in need of modernisation that the
club’s finances could not stretch to, fans donated their labour and rebuilt the
ground themselves.
On the pitch, results are almost of secondary importance –
the real raison d’etre for the fans is simply to support the team through thick and thin. This ethos has proven very attractive to a
number of British fans, whether Berlin-based ex-pats or visitors who have
attended a game at the club’s Stadion an der Alten Forsterei and been so
enchanted with the experience that they regularly return.
Mark Wilson and Andrew Cherrie are British fans living in
Berlin. Together, they founded the excellent
website ‘Union in Englisch’, which features news, match reports, and general
information for English-speaking ‘Unioners’.
It is a labour of love and a fantastic forum for anyone interested in
finding out more about the club.
A regular feature on the website is ‘My first time’ in which
fans recall their first visit. In
February, I wrote about the first time I went to an Union match (against Bochum
in August 2011) which was published on the Union in Englisch site. To read it, or just to learn more about 1.
F.C. Union, go to www.union-berlin.com/
Another interesting article, by online magazine Sausages and
Caviar, can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd9UDyu8E98
Schwalbe www.schwalbeberlin.de/
is in Stargarderstrasse, a few minutes’ walk from the S- and U-Bahn station at
Schönhauser Allee.
Another good venue for televised football is FC Magnet Bar http://www.fcmagnetbar.de/ in Veteranenstrasse, Mitte.
Union in Englisch sticker 'You go to football, we go to Union'
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