Page 18 - 358264 LP231909 A Love Supreme 48pp A5 (Issue 257)

FROM THE WEAR TO THE
SPREE
When you think of football in Germany, the first names that pop into your head are usually Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and, to a lesser extent, RB Leipzig. Even within the capital, you first think of Hertha Berlin, and not their city rivals. Yet it is across the city that a club is making waves in football, both at home and on the continent.
Union Berlin are relatively new to the Bundesliga, but they are proving to be a club worthy of international support due to exploits off the pitch as well as on. In just their third
ever season in the modern-day German top flight, Die Eisernen (The Iron Ones) have played European football, beaten their city rivals in the league and cup and competed regularly against sides in the top six.
Eric Steinbeck is one of the founders of a Union Berlin fan club that focuses on inclusivity. Giving us the lowdown on his club, he said: “That Union Berlin is not just a kind of organisation owned by some rich old guys was one of the main reasons to fall in love with that club. I am pretty sure that almost everyone who has ever witnessed a game at our stadium would be absolutely thrilled by the energy of our fans.”
GOOSEBUMPS
“I’ve visited so many games but every time when I hear our club anthem or the chanting “Eisern” from one side of the terraces and the other is going to answer with “Union”, I get goosebumps all over. It’s hard to explain but the atmosphere around that club is more than just a football game. Just to say “it’s family”, I honestly think that’s way too greasy but when you travel along with the team and you meet someone in the same colours even at a shabby gas station and when you just grin to each other and say “Eisern”, that’s what Union is all about. We go to Union, not to see a common football game.”
NORMAL PEOPLE
“In my personal opinion, football is the number one sport for the normal people and a kind of social glue. But if investment companies or huge players like Bayern Munich or Real Madrid just chase for even more profits, people are going to leave the highest national divisions in order to go back where football was coming from, the lower leagues. At
the first coronavirus lock down a few fans had met each other over twitter and other social networks to discuss football and some issues around our club.”
POLITICAL ROLE MODEL
“Generally, we have to be clear, Union Berlin fans are just a cross section of society and not every fan of this club is a kind of political role model or that kind of guy you would love to hang out with. In the last years there where a few situations in which people of colour or gay people were oppressed or bullied by other Union fans. we came to the clear opinion that we want to be a counterpart of this development and a safe kind of space for open minded people like us.”
“For us, Union Berlin should be a home for anyone unseen of any kind of skin colour or sexual orientation. That’s why we called our fan club “grenzenlos eisern” (eisern without frontiers). Since last summer, we now are an official fan club of Union Berlin. We collect money for social relief actions
18 ALOVESUPREME ISSUE257
HOME FOR ANYONE
or organise political readings or social workshops. At last we are travelling along with our team and meeting each other at home games.”