History
As AC/DC’s "Hell’s Bells" rings across the Millerntor-Stadion, St. Pauli begins to play in front of a near capacity crowd of arguably the best supporters in the world. A goal is scored and Blur’s "Song 2" blasts over the speakers. United, all-encompassing, St. Pauli. A club with a deep, rich history and supporters who accept everyone, this team, this organization, is one of the best in Germany and in the world.
It all began 11 years before the club was officially established, the club began as a simple organization that didn’t play a competitive match until 1907. From 1910 to 1924, a side known as St. Pauli TV played in the Kreisliga before a separate organization known simply as St. Pauli was formed.
But in 1934, when the Third Reich began the redesign of German football, St. Pauli reached the Gauliga Nordmark first division, flipping between there and the second division until 1945.
Following World War II, German football was split into regional leagues until the founding of the Bundesliga in 1963. St. Pauli had made the national championship a handful of times through the 1950s, making it as far as the semifinals.
In 1963, St. Pauli found themselves in the Regionalliga Nord. It took 14 years and a host of promotion playoff losses but in 1977, three seasons after the 2. Bundesliga combined regional leagues into one, St. Pauli advanced to the top flight.
Success was short-lived. Quickly relegated back to the 2. Bundesliga, bankruptcy plagued the organization sending St. Pauli to the Oberliga Nord. After years of financial inconsistency, St. Pauli was promoted back to the second division.
Financial stability sparked a new era for St. Pauli. New left-leaning supporters began to follow the club. Within ten years of being bankrupt, the new supporters flocked to see St. Pauli play, filling the Wilhelm-Koch Stadion to capacity.
From the mid ‘80s until the new millennium, St. Pauli enjoyed a run of success that saw three separate stints in the top flight. The 2002-03 season saw internal controversy leave the club relegated to the Regionalliga Nord. With the club on the verge of decline and folding, fans still believed and began fundraising efforts to save the team.
A miracle run to the 2006 DFB-Pokal Semifinals was what ultimately saved St. Pauli. The following season, St. Pauli made the rise back to the 2. Bundesliga and then to the top flight again three years later.
Despite relegation after one season back up top, St. Pauli beat bitter rivals Hamburg for the first time since 1977. Since dropping from the Bundesliga in 2011, St. Pauli has experienced mid-table finishes in the second division, but are on the rise and could be back in the Bundesliga soon.
Current Squad
Although the 2. Bundesliga has less allure to the more skilled players, there is still a vast array of talent at the club. Today’s St. Pauli team features a few former members of Borussia Dortmund in the side - Lasse Sobiech, Marvin Ducksch, Marvin Hornschuh, and Jeremy Dudziak.
The manager of the squad, Ewald Lienen, is a legend in German football. Lienen played with Arminia Bielefeld and Borussia Monchengladbach. He is most known for an severe injury he suffered in a match against Werder Bremen.
A hard tackle from Norbert Siegmann, presumably intentional, left a huge gash on the side of Lienen’s leg, exposing his femur bone. It took 23 stitches and only 17 days for Lienen to hit the training ground again.
Another great story on the squad belongs to American Fafa Picault. After a youth career with Italian club Cagliari led to a dead end, Picault played in the American second division with the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Cut after one season, Picault returned two years later to the NASL with Fort Lauderdale where he scored 12 goals. With his career back on the rise, Picault went to Sparta Prague, but was released after six months before heading to St. Pauli.
This never say die attitude has been the mantra of St. Pauli throughout its existence; continuing to fight despite being knocked down. Even Lienen has embraced this attitude. From his ghastly injury to his time coaching the now defunct Otelul Galati in Romania, Lienen has a no-quit attitude, much like the club.
Supporters
Extending this no quit attitude, the supporters of St. Pauli are some of the best, if not the best, in the world. Helping to save the club from financial disaster, the fans of St. Pauli are the driving force behind the club.
Left-leaning, the supporters are well-known for being anti-racist, anti-fascist, anti-sexist, and anti-homophobic. The fans are so all-encompassing, they’ve even forced stadium adverts to be removed, most notably Maxim magazine.
Fans display Skull & Crossbones flags, which have become club symbols. A traditional symbol in Hamburg, fans began using the flag in the 1980s in order to ward off right-wing supporters in a time where fascism threatened world football.
Currently, the club is the only 2. Bundesliga side to average close to 100% capacity for home-attendance. St. Pauli even has more season ticket holders than most Bundesliga teams. With around 11 million fans in Germany and over 500 official supporters groups worldwide, St. Pauli is one of the largest clubs in Germany.
So as "Song 2" continues to play at the Millerntor-Stadion, everyone is celebrating. All races and all sexual orientations, St. Pauli welcomes everyone to support their team. They're back to playing and the fans are back to chanting and singing. They aren’t hooligans, they reject that label.
Dortmund fans are known to say "Echte Liebe," the club motto. St. Pauli encompasses this same motto. All-encompassing, real love, St. Pauli.