FC St Pauli (Germany)

FC St Pauli

Ground: Millerntor-Stadion

Capacity: 29,546

Club Founded: 1910

League: 2. Bundesliga (current level)

Based in Hamburg, FC St Pauli has a unique character and identity with passionate supporters, alternative culture and strong community values. They are one of German football’s most distinctive clubs.

FC St Pauli Club History

Early Years

The club was formed in May 2010. The football club is part of the St Pauli sports club, which also has sections for rugby, baseball, bowling, boxing, chess, cycling, handball, roller derby, skittles, softball and table tennis.

The team began playing local regional football at Heiligengeistfeld, next to the current home stadium. In 1946, the club built its own stadium in the corner between Glacischaussee and Budapester Strasse. As members of Oberliga-Nord, St Pauli reached the semi-finals of the national rounds, where they lost to 1. FC Nürnberg.

The Professional Era

In 1961, construction began on a new home ground, Millerntor-Stadion. Two years later, the club was placed in Regionalliga Nord after the Bundesliga was formed. The team won the title twice but missed out on promotion to the top flight in the playoffs.

Two more titles followed, again ending in playoff disappointment before 2. Bundesliga was formed in 1974, and St Pauli became an inaugural member of the north section. Franz Gerber's goals took the team to the title in their third season. However, they remained at the top level for just one season.

Financial Crises and a New Identity

The club came close to bankruptcy and was denied a license. They were relegated to Oberliga Nord. In 1983-84 St Pauli had recovered sufficiently to win a place in 2. Bundesliga. Freibeuter der Liga (Buccaneers of the League) attracted fans as a 'Kult Club', using its base near the docks and the famous Reeperbahn nightlife location. 

The decade began with crowds of around 1,600 at Millerntor. Left-wing politics and anti-fascism, with punk music, resonated with growing crowds. The skull-and-crossbones pirate flag was adopted, fitting in well with the local ethos and its population.

Ups and Downs and Bigger Crowds

By 1987-88, St Pauli were back in the Bundesliga for three years before being relegated to the second tier. The team had another two-season spell in the top flight from the mid-90s, while work to increase Millerntor's capacity began to deal with demand. The side responded with another single-season spell in the Bundesliga soon into the new millennium.

However, the increased TV money was wasted. It led to another financial crisis. Bayern Munich played a benefit game to help raise funds. Supporters got involved in charity initiatives for children in poorer countries, while continuing to create a party atmosphere on matchdays. 

Recent Years

The team reached the DFB Pokal semi-final in 2006, before Bayern Munich ended any dreams of silverware. 2. Bundesliga status was reclaimed. Led by chief trainer Holger Stanislawski, the team won promotion to the Bundesliga at the end of the 2009-10 season.

During the 2010-11 season, St Pauli beat local rivals SV Hamburg away with a goal from Gerald Asamoah. However, the team were once again relegated at the end of the campaign. Stanislawski was replaced by André Schubert. Trainers came and went as the club tried to reclaim its top-flight status.

Fabian Hürzeler arrived as chief trainer in 2022-23 as St Pauli finished fifth. This became a regular finishing place as the team fell short. The goals of Marcel Hartel fired the side to the 2. Bundesliga title in 2023-24 and promotion back to the top flight. Hürzeler headed off to take the Brighton & Hove Albion job, to be replaced by Alexander Blessin.

After a season of consolidation, St Pauli were relegated to 2. Bundesliga. Marcel Rapp was appointed trainer for the 2026-27 season.

My visit

FC St Pauli 3 Dynamo Dresden 2

2. Bundesliga - Sunday 28th October 2012

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 21,045 🎟️ €50

I was in Hamburg on day three of four on a solo adventure around Germany, taking in as much football and socialising as possible. My morning began in Düsseldorf, before I took an early train north. During my stay, I had already been to games in Cologne and Gelsenkirchen, and a local game at US Paloma when I arrived in Hamburg.

I realised tickets at Millerntor-Stadion were hard to come by. I used the website and accessed the foreign fans email service to buy a seat for €50. This seemed rather expensive for a second-tier game, but someone on the Non League Matters Forum advised me that it was as good as I would get. 

I simply had to turn up with my reservation email and pay on the day, which I thought was very trusting. I left my morning game early. It was played a few miles north, and I wanted to make sure my ticket was still there as the match was in high demand. 

I got off the U3 train at St Pauli station and was met at the top of the stairs by the construction of the Hamburg Dom funfair on the large Heiligengeistfeld. It meant dodging around caravans and steelwork. Near Millerntor, it was confusing. Ongoing construction on a new stand didn't help. 

It explained why tickets were in demand, as Millerntor-Stadion had reduced capacity. Lots of fans held up signs which appealed for the purchase of a match ticket. My advance purchase was definitely necessary. A steward helped me locate the ticket office at the rear of the South Stand. 

The man behind the counter was helpful and friendly, and I was on my way. I bought a scarf for a pal back home and then tried to find my way in. To be honest, the arrangements were a bit of a shambles, but eventually I found the correct gate, and after a quick search, I was inside thirty minutes before the 1.30 kick-off

The concourse had art galleries along the walls. Some concessions sold fish and bread,  relating to local tradition. I was pleased to see the club hadn't adopted the stadium card system and I could buy food and drink from the outlets with cold, hard cash. I bought a sausage, which came with a small piece of bread and a Holsten beer. 

I was eager to find my seat, but I was most concerned that I couldn't find the corresponding entrance. I went up the stairs and asked another steward. I needed to walk along the front and then up to the leather business seats. Happy with my location, I went for a refill before the teams came out.

My seat was at the end of the middle third, nearest to the extremely feisty eastern away fans. Millerntor was creating an incredible atmosphere. I was in the Main Tribune, a raised single tier of seating with a raised level of lounge seats at the rear for corporate clients. 

This stand joined an area of corporate boxes, offices and changing rooms to my right, with the South Stand, which had standing at the front and seating with corporate boxes. Opposite was the stand in mid-construction. It had a large terracing at the front, with portable TV gantries restricting the number of fans. 

The seating deck at the rear and the roof were still awaiting completion. Finally, to the left was the North Stand. This was the stadium's oldest area. It had standing room at the front and seats at the rear. The away section contained 2,155 Dresdeners.

The home fans, predominantly in the South Stand terracing, released rainbow balloons to show their tolerance for all and flew banners while making a real noise, to which the Dynamo fans reacted with their Capos at the front orchestrating them. The teams emerged to the sound of AC/DC's Hell's Bells booming over the PAs.

Kick-off was delayed as the linesman and several stewards disentangled streamers and toilet rolls thrown from the home fans in the South Stand. I was sitting next to a most helpful gent with a good command of English, who was keen to chat once he'd heard of my exploits. 

We were both a little taken aback. Hell was breaking loose in the away section. Dresden fans were trying to scale the fences and fight the police. A front gate was kicked open. It transpired that a banner had been taken from the fencing and confiscated. 

I was looking for places to scarper to, wondering if the Dresden fans would be wanting to fight us. The atmosphere took me back to the 80s back home in England, and I must admit, it was exhilarating. It was everything that modern football wasn't. Eventually, someone with half a brain decided to throw the banner back. Dresden fans applauded and calmed down.

The fans supported their team instead. Dynamo went one up as their fine flying French winger, Idir Ouali, finished off a fine move past the rather static St Pauli defence. It was two after twenty-eight minutes when Mickael Pote scored unmarked, as again, the home team looked as though they'd been out the night before in the nearby Reeperbahn. 

The home fans weren't particularly amused, but their team gradually woke. Fabian Boll turned and fired home to reduce the deficit a minute before the break. I wandered about before returning to my comfy seat and enjoying a fine fightback from the self-proclaimed 'Die Freibeuter der Liga', meaning Buccaneers of the League. 

Christopher Avevor headed St Pauli level from a corner within four minutes of the restart. Seven minutes later, a lovely Boll pass set up a good run from Daniel Ginczek, who scored to complete the turnaround and delight trainer Michael Frontzeck.

After that, the home side saw out the game with relative ease. I said my goodbye and exited near the players' tunnel. I laughed at a sign under the stand below the club crest, which read, 'Non-Established Since 1910'. All day, I hardly saw any fans under sixteen. It really was a place for the sixteen-to-fifty age group.

I had been told about a football pub to try, because I wanted to see the end of the Merseyside derby. I could only see the Jolly Roger fan pub, where celebrations were in full swing. I headed down some side streets to find a bar showing the game, but settled on popping inside Ginst on Paul-Roosen-Straße. 

The noise and passion of Millerntor-Stadion on my visit

Many more football videos are available on Rob’s Roving Sports Report

I settled with a bottle of Astra local beer and asked if it was OK to sit at a table where one bloke was perched, who I thought had been to the game. The conversation didn't go too far, but I didn't think I'd done anything too wrong when he started muttering expletives. Some more men came in and joined us.

I tried to be polite, and felt accepted. I went outside to see a cavalcade of police vehicles. I said my goodbyes on good terms after another bottle, having been told that migrants from the east were a major problem in the city regarding jobs and financial earnings. 

I found myself on the Reeperbahn where I caught the train back to the Hauptbahnhof to pick up my bag and book into the Hotel Lumen am Hauptbahnhof for a siesta. I headed out for the evening and got off near the town hall, but it was quiet, so I walked and caught a train back to Reeperbahn. 

Now I'm a well-travelled, broad-minded man, but I found it too full-on. Ladies, who were obviously not looking to discuss Kevin Keegan's spell at the Volkspark or Georg Albertz's time at Ibrox, grabbed hold of me. I walked round the corner to Budapester Strasse, past Millerntor to the Jolly Roger. 

I decided to give it a punt. I was initially impressed by the buzz and the superb music Christian, the DJ, was playing at his Alcoholic Nightmare night. At that point, I was obviously being spoken about because I wasn't in filthy jeans or T-shirts with a skull and crossbones or declaring that I demanded a class war. 

I think they suspected that I was some kind of infiltrator. Maybe I was trying too hard to mix in. Some accepted me as soon as I spoke in English. I wasn't going to shift. After all, this was meant to be the fans who lauded tolerance? Maybe just if you agreed with them?

Christian knew his place and stopped playing when the TV showed brief highlights of the afternoon game. Stickers on the walls were met with mementoes from other clubs, mainly Celtic. It wasn't unlike the old Tunnel Club in Scarborough. It wasn't a football club; it was a lifestyle choice. 

I ended the evening chatting to two local Borussia Mönchengladbach fans who'd just returned from seeing their side come from two down to win three-two at Hanover. I walked back to the underground and passed an old boy on his bike who seemed to be celebrating the afternoon win, judging by his riding inabilities.

The following day, I returned to buy a mate a shirt at the club shop. The corner of the ground by the Back Straight was open, so I got some better photos. I was amazed at how expensive merchandise was. It was like a punk boutique complete with a dog wandering about and an assistant that looked like a member of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

A playing shirt was €60. So much about being the working class's club! I wandered away, still largely unconvinced, putting it down to an age thing.

Tuesday 31st January 2017

It was the final day of a week-long tour that had taken me from County Durham, Yorkshire and various German destinations in a feast of sightseeing, football, beer, travel and thorough enjoyment, and I had a couple of hours to kill before my flight home.

It was much cheaper to fly from Hamburg than Hanover, where I’d stayed the previous evening. The weather was extremely cold, with snow standing in open areas. I took the U3 train to St Pauli.

The road and park leading up to Millerntor were dicey underfoot owing to the inclement weather. I reached my destination, but sadly, I couldn’t see an open gate. Construction was now complete.

The stand in mid-use during my previous visit was now complete, but another new stand had gone up at the away end. This appeared similar to the one behind the other goal. It looked like a fine stadium. As a consolation, I wandered around and managed to take some decent exterior shots. 

The graffiti announced that St Pauli were still the trendy club in town, despite selling out to commercialism like any other progressive organisation. I headed across to Feldstraße station and took the subway to Habichtstraße, and walked to HSV Barmbek-Uhlenhorst, the final club visit of the tour.