Techno and Togetherness; How FC Union Berlin embody their city
Techno, Currywurst and now, maybe, football. Union, the city’s perennial underachievers, narrowly missed out on promotion to join Hertha in the Bundesliga, however they’re still the perfect embodiment of Berlin’s unique atmosphere, music and culture.
Europe’s counter-culture capital; Berlin, a metropolis of creativity, liberal freedom, all of which is sound-tracked by techno. A forward thinking city with a heavy past, a symbol of innovation and a testament to the fact that people are better united. There are plenty of reasons to visit this incredible city but until recently none of those had been football. Despite boasting 3.6 million inhabitants the city has been shy of footballing success. Hertha, the biggest club in Berlin, haven’t won a top division title since the Olympiastadion was finished in 1936, with football understandably gravitating further west and away from the divided city. So what is it that makes FC Union Berlin the perfect embodiment of their city?
Union, despite their modest trophy cabinet, are far from an ordinary club. Despite what Europe’s elite clubs would have you believe there is more to football than trophies and Union with their unique identity and passionate fan-base are a very special football team. The club appeared with it’s current name in 1966, despite tracing their roots back to 1906. The years following the Second World War were tough for Union, with the team dissolving, reforming and then splitting into two teams, one on either side of the wall. The club on the West initially drew big crowds but these fell in 1961 after the construction of the wall, whilst in the east, after a number of name changes, FC Union Berlin were reborn. It is this period of history where Union begun to forge their unique identity. The club developed a rivalry with Dynamo Berlin, who were the dominant post-war team in East Berlin, winning ten titles back to back. The incredible success of Dynamo is perhaps easiest explained by mentioning their supposed links to the Stasi, East Germany’s brutal secret service. It is alleged that due to Dynamo’s links there were a number of coerced transfers from rival clubs as well as favourable refereeing decisions. This rivalry, both on the pitch and in political ideals, unofficially positioned Union as opponents to the Communist system. The fall of the wall initiated another transition period in German football with Eastern teams being integrated in the Western pyramid, and the promised land of the Bundesliga. Union finally managed to reach the Bundesliga 2 in the 2000/2001 season, where they remain now despite suffering relegation and promotion again in the meantime. Since reunification teams from the former GDR haven’t fared well at the highest level in Germany, with Dynamo Dresden and Hansa Rostock both having unremarkable tenures in the division. This last season has seen RB Leipzig, with their soft drink money, achieving a high level of success in the Bundesliga and this season Union hope to follow them.
It’s now time for me to visit the Stadion An der Alten Förstrei, with a head banging from last night’s pilsner and techno, we bundle in a cab and head to the ground. The taxi drive is non-descript, with little noise beyond music, which is, you guessed it, techno. Despite very little traffic, the journey took what seemed like forever, hurtling past the east side gallery and the famous painting of the fraternal kiss. We moved from Berlin’s classic architecture, through it’s modern glass towers, past industrial units before pulling up besides some woodland. An outstretched finger pointing us toward a well-worn path through the trees. We followed others decked in red scarves and begun walking through tall trees, before we saw what looked like an old, small house turned ticket office. An unusual feature for any football ground, best explained by the translation ‘Stadium by the old forester’s house’. Our tickets worked out around £10, a fraction of the cost to see a second division team back home in England. By now the fantastic value offered by German football clubs is no secret to British fans, despite that there’s still a moment when they give you the price that you question if they have made a mistake.
With over an hour before kick-off we navigated around the ground, finding an area with pop up bars and food stalls. There was singing and a relaxed atmosphere whilst everybody bonded over beer and sausages. When looking around the fans gathered you could already start to see the differences between this club and others. Every subculture was represented, men in leathers and mohicans next to youngsters in sportswear. With hair of the dog having finally got us past our hangover we decided it was time to join the action. The noise was building before the teams came out, the club allowing fans to create the atmosphere as opposed to the British method of piping the top 40 in through speakers. Like all great clubs they have their own song Eisern Union (Iron Union) which filled the air as the match kicked off.
The game wasn’t spectacular but the Union fans created an incredible atmosphere, pushing their team onward, despite eventual defeat. What was astounding was the makeup of the crowd, standing amongst us were families and a diverse mix of race and gender. We even met a baby boy, complete with ear muffs to protect his young ears, who was attending his very first game. The communal atmosphere indicative of the special bond between this club and it’s fans. This isn’t a club, it’s a way of life. After the final whistle the players walked toward the home end and talked to the fans, only further highlighting this special bond.
In England we’ve lost the sense of community with our football teams. Football is a commodity, we are there to be entertained and that is it. Costs have skyrocketed and traditional fan-bases have been forced out, replaced my punter who expect bang for their buck. The entitlement of fans at Premier League clubs, some of whom protest their most successful ever manager, because they’ve ONLY managed to be Top 4 each season, is evidence of a new breed of fan. A lot of fans have little personal investment in the local area, coming from further afield, they are customers and little more. Union on the other hand is a club by the fans, for the fans. Chairman Dirk Zingler is himself a fan and behind some of the clubs most famous projects. Money was so tight at Union that the club couldn’t modern the ground, so in 2008 over 2,000 Union supporters spent their own time, over 140,000 working hours, and built the stadium themselves. A few years ago the club needed money in order to reserve it’s place in the league, this led the fans to create the campaign Blüten für Union (Bleed for Union). Unlike the UK there is financial reimbursement in Germany for blood donation, so thousands of fans begun taking regular trips to the blood bank in order to collect money for the club. Can you imagine such a large section of any fan-base in the Premier League building their team’s own ground or quite literarily bleeding for the club. The club also hosts an annual Christmas celebration where the fans, and some from other clubs, gather to drink mulled wine and sing carols. Starting from humble beginnings where only 89 people turned up this has now grown to an event attended by over 27,000 people in little over ten years.
Community is unheard of in the money obsessed Premier League but Union have forged an identity, a community and a way of life that represents their city. Whilst the rest of the real and football worlds are getting more corporate and sterile, Union and Berlin continue to offer a refreshing alternative. Union are the mirror image of their city; open, friendly, creative, liberal and a symbol that in these hard times, people are better together.
