FC St. Pauli facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
FC St. Pauli

Full name	Fußball-Club St. Pauli von 1910 e.V.
Nickname(s)	Kiezkicker (Neighbourhood Kickers) Freibeuter der Liga (League Buccaneers)
Founded	15 May 1910; 115 years ago (1910-05-15)
Ground	Millerntor-Stadion
Ground Capacity	29,546
President	Oke Göttlich
Head coach	Alexander Blessin
League	Bundesliga
2020–21	2. Bundesliga, 10th of 18
Home colours Away colours Third colours

FC St. Pauli is a German professional football club. It is located in the St. Pauli area of Hamburg, Germany. The team plays in the Bundesliga, which is the top football league in Germany. They were promoted to this league in the 2024–25 season.

The football team is part of a bigger sports club. This club also has teams for rugby, baseball, bowling, boxing, chess, cycling, handball, roller derby, skittles, softball, table tennis, and Marathon. As of April 2023, FC St. Pauli has over 30,000 members.

The men's football team played in the third-highest league, the Regionalliga, in 2003. They stayed there for four years. In 2007, they moved up to the 2. Bundesliga, which is the second-highest league. In 2010, they were promoted to the Bundesliga. After being relegated, they played in the 2. Bundesliga until the 2023–24 season. Then, they were promoted back to the Bundesliga.

FC St. Pauli has a big rivalry with Hamburger SV. Their matches are called the Hamburger Stadtderby. The club also has a newer rivalry with Hansa Rostock.

Even though the club has not won many big trophies, it is famous for its unique culture. It has many fans and is known as a "Kult" club. FC St. Pauli supporters are known for their support of left wing politics.

Club History

How it Started

The club began in 1899 as a group of football fans. They were part of the Hamburg-St.Pauli Turn-Verein 1862. Their first game was in 1907. The club officially started on May 15, 1910. It was called St Pauli TV. In 1924, a separate football club named St Pauli was formed. The team usually played in lower or middle leagues. In 1934, they played in the top league, the Gauliga Nordmark. This was one of 16 top divisions created in Germany at that time. They were quickly relegated but returned to the top league in 1936. After being relegated again in 1940, St Pauli played in the Gauliga Hamburg from 1942 until the end of World War II.

After the War

St. Pauli's league performance over the years

After the war, the club started playing in the Oberliga Nord in 1947. They finished second in the 1947–48 season. This led St. Pauli to play in the national championship for the first time. They reached the semi-finals but lost 2–3 to 1. FC Nürnberg. The club played well in the early 1950s. However, they could not beat their rivals Hamburger SV. They finished second five times in seven seasons. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, other teams like Werder Bremen became stronger.

Moving Up to the Bundesliga

In 1963, the Bundesliga was created. This was West Germany's new top professional league. Hamburger SV and Werder Bremen joined this new league. FC St. Pauli played in the second-tier league, the Regionalliga Nord. In that year, the club signed Guy Acolatse. He was the first Black professional footballer to play in Germany.

For almost 15 years, St. Pauli tried to get promoted. They won their division in 1964. But they finished last in the promotion play-off. They won the Regionalliga Nord title again in 1966. They played better in the play-offs but still could not reach the top league. They lost to Rot-Weiss Essen by goal difference. They also won division championships in 1972 and 1973. They finished second in 1971 and 1974. But each time, they were disappointed in the promotion play-offs.

The success of the Bundesliga led to the creation of the 2. Bundesliga in 1974. This was a new second-tier professional league. St. Pauli joined the 2. Bundesliga Nord. In 1977, they won their division and moved up to the Bundesliga. The team stayed in the top league for only one season.

The club's return to the 2. Bundesliga Nord was also short. In 1979, they were almost bankrupt. They were not given a license for the next season. So, they were sent down to the Oberliga Nord (III). They played well in this division in 1981 and 1983. But their financial problems continued. By 1984, the club was healthy enough to return to the 2. Bundesliga. They moved up instead of Werder Bremen's amateur team. Werder Bremen finished ahead of St. Pauli but could not be promoted.

The "Kult" Club

In the mid-1980s, St. Pauli started to become a "Kult" club. The club used its location in the dock area to its advantage. A different kind of fan group grew around the club. These fans supported left-leaning ideas and social causes. They also enjoyed the party atmosphere at the club's matches. St. Pauli was the first team in Germany to officially ban right-wing nationalist activities in its stadium. This happened when there was a lot of fascist-inspired football hooliganism in Europe. In 1981, the team had only about 1,600 fans at games. But by the late 1990s, they often sold out their 20,000-seat stadium.

The club's official skull and crossbones symbol on a supporter flag

Supporters started using the skull and crossbones as their unofficial symbol in the 1980s. The story says that a singer from a Hamburg punk band, "Doc Mabuse," brought a Jolly Roger flag to the Millerntor-Stadion. Other fans liked it and started bringing similar flags. In 1989, a screenprinter named Steph Braun created a new image. It combined a detailed skull with the words "ST. PAULI" below it. This image was meant to represent the area. St. Pauli fans adopted it, and it became linked to the club.

In the early 1990s, the media noticed the club's Kult image. They focused on the punk fans in TV broadcasts. The media also started using nicknames like "Freibeuter der Liga" ("Buccaneers of the League"). The club saw how popular this was. In September 1999, they bought the rights to Steph Braun's skull and crossbones image. It then became an official club logo.

St. Pauli moved between the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga for the next 12 years. They were relegated to the Oberliga in 1984–85. But they won the championship in 1985–86 and returned to 2. Bundesliga. They had three seasons in the Bundesliga from 1988 to 1991. Then four seasons in 2. Bundesliga, and two more in the Bundesliga from 1995 to 1997. After that, they returned to the 2. Bundesliga.

Into the New Millennium

The new South Tribune of the Millerntor-Stadion, seen from Budapester Straße in 2009

The club's most recent time in the top league before 2010 was in 2001–02. They famously beat Bayern Munich, who were then world champions. This led to popular "Weltpokalsiegerbesieger" ("World Club Champion beaters") shirts. However, the team finished last in the league. This was partly because the club spent money on expensive new players who did not perform well. After being relegated to the 2. Bundesliga, many of the successful 2001 players left. The 2002–03 season was difficult. The team struggled to avoid relegation, and there were many changes in coaches.

The club was almost bankrupt again. They were facing relegation to the less profitable Regionalliga Nord (III). So, the club started a fundraising campaign called "Retteraktion" (Rescue Action). They sold T-shirts with the club's crest and the word Retter (rescuer). Over 140,000 shirts were sold in six weeks. They also played a special benefit game against Bayern Munich to raise money.

The club is also involved in charity work. In 2005, the club, team, and fans started the Viva con Agua de Sankt Pauli campaign. This campaign raises money for clean water projects. For example, they provide water dispensers for schools in Cuba and clean water in Rwanda.

During the 2005–06 season, the team had great success in the DFB-Pokal (German Cup). They won against teams like VfL Bochum and Bundesliga teams Hertha BSC and Werder Bremen. Their 3–1 win against Werder Bremen in the quarter-finals brought the club about €1 million. This money helped save the club from financial problems.

St. Pauli lost to Bayern Munich in the cup semi-final on April 12. Bayern also beat St. Pauli in the first round of the next season's cup.

After a good 2006–07 season, the team was promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. In the 2009–10 season, they beat SpVgg Greuther Fürth. This secured their promotion back to the Bundesliga for the 2010–11 season. On February 16, 2011, St. Pauli beat their rivals, Hamburger SV, away from home. This was the first time since 1977. However, the team finished last in the league that season. They were relegated to the 2. Bundesliga for the 2011–12 season. The club stayed in the 2. Bundesliga until the 2023–24 season. Then, they earned promotion back to the Bundesliga.

Team Colours and Kit

The main colours of FC St. Pauli are brown and white. Red is also used sometimes. Black is a common colour among fans and for third kits.

The club has worn brown and white since 1910. This was when they joined the Northern German Football Association. Their early uniforms had brown shirts and socks with white shorts. Later, the club started wearing its traditional look. This was a white shirt, brown shorts, and brown socks with a white top. For many years, the club also wore its brown away shirts at home games.

In the 1960s, the club added white socks. In 1968, the club shirt had stripes for the first time. In the 1970s, other designs were used on the shirts. In the 1976–77 season, St. Pauli started wearing Adidas kits. This ended a time of many different shirt designs. This traditional look continued when the club wore Puma kits in the 1980s. For the 1985–86 season, the club wore an all-white Puma kit for four seasons. Then, some brown details returned to the shirt. The team continued to wear mostly white kits until 1993.

After 1993, the club returned to a white-brown-white kit. This time, it had a more modern style, often with patterns. The Reusch kits from 1994–96 had hoops and stripes. Kappa also made a striped kit in 2000–01. For the 2001–02 and 2002–03 seasons, Kappa provided kits where shirts, shorts, and socks were available in white and brown. This meant the team could wear different combinations for each game. During the 2001–02 season, the team often used the previous year's all-black away kit.

In 2003–04, the club wore a white shirt with brown sleeves. This was made by Stanno. However, as of the 2022–23 season, this was the last time the club wore its traditional kit. For the 2005–06 season, the uniform had a light shirt and brown shorts. But in the next season, St. Pauli wore an all-black home kit. This was the first time the home kit did not have the club's main colours. Since the 2007–08 season, St. Pauli has mostly worn an all-brown home kit.

Between 2019–20 and 2021–22, LGBT details were added to the third shirt. In 2020, St. Pauli started its own brand, Di!Y. This was because they wanted a kit supplier that met their ethical standards. Since the 2021–22 season, St. Pauli has worn kits made by Di!Y.

Sponsors

Home Stadium

The home stadium of FC St. Pauli is the Millerntor-Stadion. Work on the stadium started in 1961. It was finished in 1963. There was a delay because there was no drainage system. This made the field unplayable after rain. The stadium first held 32,000 fans. But the capacity was later made smaller for safety.

In 1970, the stadium was renamed Wilhelm Koch-Stadium. This was to honor a former club president. However, this name became controversial. A historian found that Wilhelm Koch was a member of the Nazi Party. After protests from fans, the name was changed back to Millerntor-Stadion in 1999.

A full renovation of the stadium began in 2006. The last part of the work finished in July 2015. This was when the new north stand was completed. The stadium can now hold 29,546 spectators. Of these, 16,940 can stand and 12,606 can sit.

The stadium is next to the Heiligengeistfeld. It is near the Flak Tower IV and a building of Deutsche Telekom. You can easily reach it by taking the Hamburg U-Bahn line U3. The closest stations are St. Pauli Station and Feldstraße Station.

Club Supporters

St. Pauli is known for its supporters' left-leaning views. The club has taken a strong stand against racism, fascism, sexism, and homophobia. These values are even part of the club's official rules. Fans often join protests in the St. Pauli area of Hamburg. These protests are about things like housing. The main place for fan activities is the Fanladen St. Pauli. There is also a St. Pauli supporters group in England called Yorkshire St. Pauli.

St. Pauli fans have good relationships with supporters of other clubs. This is partly because they share similar political views. Some of these clubs include Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen, Rayo Vallecano, Celtic, and Hapoel Tel Aviv. A fan group called Ultrá Sankt Pauli has a special friendship with Schickeria München from Bayern Munich. You can sometimes see a banner from Schickeria München at the Millerntor-Stadion. And a flag of Ultrá Sankt Pauli, showing Che Guevara, has been seen at the Allianz Arena. Both groups are part of Alerta Network. This is an international anti-fascist network for fan groups.

The club is proud to have the most female fans in German football.

St. Pauli is also a global symbol for punk and similar music styles. The skull and crossbones logo and the team's brown and white jerseys are often worn by famous artists. These include bands like Asian Dub Foundation, Gaslight Anthem, and Molotov (band). KMFDM frontman Sascha Konietzko is a known St. Pauli fan. He once put a picture of a fist smashing a swastika on his band's website. The caption said "St. Pauli Fans gegen Rechts!" ("St. Pauli fans against the Right"). The American punk band Anti-Flag wears St. Pauli shirts in their music videos. Andrew Eldritch, singer of The Sisters of Mercy, is also a supporter. He wore the skull and crossbones shirt on his 2006 tour. Georg Holm from Sigur Rós has worn a St. Pauli shirt at festivals. Alex Rosamilia from The Gaslight Anthem often wears St. Pauli gear. Editors guitarist Chris Urbanowicz also wears the skull and crossbones T-shirt. Dave Doughman from Swearing at Motorists moved to St. Pauli in 2010. Bad Religion played a charity match against St. Pauli's third team in 2000. Many German musicians are also fans, including Fettes Brot and Die Ärzte singer Bela B..

The ska punk group Kollmarlibre are big supporters of FC St. Pauli.

In 2006, St. Pauli had more season ticket holders than many Bundesliga teams. One study estimated that the team had about 11 million fans in Germany. This makes the club one of the most recognized German teams. In 2011, the number of official fan clubs passed 500. This was an increase of 300 in three years.

In January 2020, the club's skull and crossbones flag was mentioned by UK counter-terrorism police. It was in a guide for public workers to spot potential extremism. This caused a strong reaction from St. Pauli's Welsh player James Lawrence.

Club Culture

St. Pauli starts its home matches with "Hells Bells" by AC/DC. After every home goal, "Song 2" by Blur is played.

The former club president Corny Littmann is openly gay. He is also involved in German theatre.

St. Pauli has played pre-season matches at Wacken Open Air. This is a heavy metal music festival.

The club hosted the 2006 FIFI Wild Cup. This was a tournament for national football teams that are not officially recognized. Teams like Greenland, Tibet, and Zanzibar played. St. Pauli participated as the "Republic of St Pauli."

In 2008, Nike honored the club with two special Dunk shoes. These were released in limited numbers. The High Dunk, which was black with the skull and crossbones, had only 500 pairs made for Europe. The Low Dunk, which was white with the team's logo, had only 150 pairs made for Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

Club Principles

St. Pauli was the first club in Germany to create a set of Fundamental Principles (Leitlinien). These rules guide how the club is run. They were approved by a large majority at the club's meeting in 2009.

The first five principles state that:

• "St Pauli FC, including its members, staff, fans, and honorary officers, is part of the society around it. It is affected by social changes in politics, culture, and society."
• "St Pauli FC understands its social responsibility. It supports the interests of its members, staff, fans, and officers, not just in sports."
• "St Pauli FC is the club of a specific city district. This gives it its identity. It has a social and political responsibility to the district and its people."
• "St Pauli FC wants to share a certain feeling for life. It represents true sportsmanship. This allows people to connect with the club even if it doesn't win many games. The club's key features that create this connection should be honored and kept."
• "Being tolerant and respectful in how people treat each other are important parts of the St Pauli way of thinking."

Team Players

Current Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Ben Voll 2 DF Manolis Saliakas 3 DF Karol Mets 4 DF David Nemeth 5 DF Hauke Wahl 7 MF Jackson Irvine (captain) 8 DF Eric Smith 10 FW Danel Sinani 11 FW Johannes Eggestein 14 DF Fin Stevens 16 MF Carlo Boukhalfa 17 MF Dapo Afolayan 18 FW Scott Banks 19 FW Andreas Albers 20 MF Erik Ahlstrand

No. Position Player 21 DF Lars Ritzka 22 GK Nikola Vasilj 23 DF Philipp Treu 24 MF Connor Metcalfe 25 DF Adam Dźwigała 26 FW Elias Saad 27 FW Simon Zoller 28 GK Sören Ahlers 29 FW Morgan Guilavogui (on loan from Lens) 30 GK Sascha Burchert 32 GK Eric Oelschlägel 33 FW Maurides 34 DF Muhammad Dahaba 39 MF Robert Wagner (on loan from Freiburg)

Players on Loan

FC St. Pauli II (Reserve Team)

No. Position Player 1 GK Kevin Jendrzej 2 DF Luca Günther 4 DF Lennart Appe 5 MF Peer Mahncke 6 DF Maximilian Brauburger 7 FW Romeo Aigbekaen 8 MF Max Herrmann 9 MF Jamel Gramberg 10 FW Julian Ulbricht 11 FW Bennet Winter 12 GK Ronny Seibt 13 FW Theo Schröder

No. Position Player 14 MF Marc Bölter 15 MF Tim Hoffmann 16 DF Selçuk Rinal 19 GK Phil Kolvenbach 21 DF Thieß Mahnel 22 DF Julius Grunwald 23 MF Johann von Knebel 28 DF Jannis Turtschan 29 FW Luis Jahraus 30 FW Isma Baraze Adam 31 DF Emil Staugaard GK Pascal Kokkot

Famous Players

International Players

Many players who have played for their national teams have also played for St. Pauli. Here are some of them:

Greatest Team Ever

In 2010, the club celebrated its 100th anniversary. Fans voted for the best players in the club's history. Here are the players they chose:

• Klaus Thomforde
• André Trulsen
• Walter Frosch
• Karl Miller
• Dirk Dammann
• Michél Mazingu-Dinzey
• Thomas Meggle
• Jürgen Gronau
• Harald Stender
• Peter Osterhoff
• Franz Gerber

Coaching Staff

Position	Name
Head coach	Alexander Blessin
Assistant coach	Peter Németh
Goalkeeping coach	Marco Knoop
Athletic coach	Karim Rashwan Thomas Barth
Match analyst	Sami Pierau
Performance Manager	James Morgan
Club Doctor	Dr. Sebastian Schneider Volker Carrero
Physiotherapists	Dominik Körner Jan Altmeyer Marius Abraham
Sport Psychologist	Dr. Christian Spreckels Hinnerk Smolka
Osteopath	Florian Lechner
Kit Manager	Siegmar Krahl Andreas Kreft Thorge Düwer Kenta Kambara
Team Manager	Jonas Wömmel

Coaching History

Club Achievements

League Titles

• 2. Bundesliga (Second Division)
  • Champions: 1977 (North), 2023–24
  • Second Place: 1987–88, 1994–95, 2009–10
• Regionalliga Nord (Second Division)
  • Champions: 1963–64, 1965–66, 1971–72, 1972–73
• Regionalliga Nord (Third Division)
  • Champions: 2007
• Oberliga Nord (Third Division)
  • Champions: 1981, 1983, 1986
• Stadtliga Hamburg (First Division)
  • Champions: 1947

Cup Wins

• Hamburger Pokal (Hamburg Cup)
  • Winners: 1986, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008

Reserve Team Achievements

• Oberliga Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein (Fourth Division)
  • Champions: 1995, 1999, 2003
• Oberliga Hamburg (Fifth Division)
  • Champions: 2011
• Hamburger Pokal
  • Winners: 1998, 2001, 2008, 2009, 2010

Recent Seasons

Here are the club's results in recent seasons:

Other Sports at FC St. Pauli

The St. Pauli sports club has several rugby teams. There are teams for both men and women.

The men's rugby team has not won as many titles as the women's team. They reached the German final only once, in 1964. In 2008–09, St. Pauli was the only club with a team in both the rugby and football second divisions. In 2008–09, the men's team finished fourth in their division.

The women's rugby team has won the German rugby union championship eight times. They also won the sevens championship three times. Many of their players play for the national team.

St. Pauli also has a blind football team. This team plays in the Blindenfussball Bundesliga.

St. Pauli also has a Roller Derby team called Harbor Girls Hamburg.

Notable Presidents

• 1990–00: Heinz Weisener
• 2002–10: Corny Littmann

See also

In Spanish: F.C. San Pauli para niños