Okay, so this is more of a question than anything else... I'm planning a trip to watch some footy in Germany with a mate.. trying to work out the best place... Anyone got any experience.. was thinking of Hamburg (nice city) and St Pauli.. reckoned by 442 magazine to be a great visit. Has anyone done something similar and where would you recommend... T.i.a
Thoroughly agree with the Hamburg/St Pauli experience. You're lucky that you just missed the derby, which was last weekend, which tends to be pretty nasty. If you are going to do that, support St Pauli, who are sort of like the Saints of Germany and actually having a brilliant season in the second division.
Yeah, there's something about St Pauli that appeals... They have a strong loyal support and are a bit of a unique bunch. I imagine it's a decent place to visit..
This is a large part of why they're ace - they're actually my "second" team (and one of my best mates, who is a Saints fan, lives in Hamburg and loves them). St. Pauli enjoys a certain fame for the left-leaning character of its supporters: most of the team's fans regard themselves as anti-racist, anti-fascist, anti-homophobic and anti-sexist, and this has on occasion brought them into conflict with neo-Nazis and hooligans at away games. The organization has adopted an outspoken stance against racism, fascism, sexism, and homophobia and has embodied this position in its constitution.[18] Team supporters traditionally participate in demonstrations in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg, including those over squatting or low-income housing, such as the Hafenstraße and Bambule. The centre of fan activity is the Fanladen St. Pauli. Partly because of shared leftist political views, St. Pauli fans have strong relationships with supporters of Ternana, Rayo Vallecano, SV Babelsberg 03,[19]Hapoel Tel Aviv, AEK Athens (Original 21) and Celtic.[20][21][22][23][24] In the past they also had a friendship with the fans of Bohemians 1905 and Partizan Minsk. The group Ultrá Sankt Pauli also has a special friendship with the group Schickeria München, from the ultras scene of Bayern Munich.[25] A banner of the Schickeria München is occasionally displayed at the Millerntor Stadion, and a flag of the Ultrá Sankt Pauli – sporting a picture of Che Guevara – has been displayed at the Allianz Arena.[26] Both Ultrá Sankt Pauli and Schickeria München are members of Alerta Network, an international anti-fascist network of supporter groups. The club prides itself on having the largest number of female fans in all of German football.[27] In 2002, advertisements for the men's magazine Maxim were removed from the Millerntor-Stadion in response to fans' protests over the adverts' sexist depictions of women.[28] In 2011, the club banned lap dancers from performing during match before guests at a corporate suite, following fans' complaints. The suite belonged to local lap dance club Susies Show Bar.[29] St. Pauli is also a worldwide symbol for punk and related subcultures.[30]
A lot of the guys I worked with were sent on manufacturer's courses in Hamburg. They went to a place called The Reeperbahn, it must have been good because some of them went every night.
It's a fantastic city. Didn't catch a game but drank in one of their supporters bars, The Jolly Rodger. A unique experience! It's a lawless city in the best possible way
