Wilhelm Koch Stadion

FC ST. PAULI

FC St. Pauli were established in 1910. Their address is Millerntor Stadion, Auf dern Heiligengeistfeld, 20359 Hamburg. Telephone for tickets 040/319 1893 they can also be found on the web at http://www.fcstpauli.de/home.idc
The city of Hamburg is better known for the team Hamburg SV, but is also the home of FC St. Pauli, who can only be described as the alternative team to support. If you aver visit the 'Milerntor' you would be surrounded by life's oddballs. The club is supported by punks, anarchists, smellies, left wing sympathisers and every unwashed down and out in Hamburg, a vist is certainly an eye opener. St Pauli were founded in 1910 but didn't make the Bundesliga until 1977 and finished bottom that season. They didn't again make the top flight until 1988 and since then they have yo-yo's between the top two divisions.
The team don't really grab much attention unlike the fans, The St. Pauli area of Hamburg is the home of brothels and strip joints as well as cheap housing which appeals to students, anarchists and the alternative lifestyle culture. On a recent trip to Hamburg I witnessed a number of drunkards sitting at the side of the road, I later noticed these same down and out's at St Pauli's match the next day. These same St. Pauli fans pride themselves on their anti-nazi beliefs, their slogan being 'St. Pauli Fans Gegen Nazis' and on your visit to St. Pauli you'll see plenty of these slogans on t-shirts, stickers and graffiti on walls.

The stadium holds 20,000 and the average gate is around 10-11,000. Occasionally the club plays at Volksparkstadion when a big crowd is expected. Tickets prices are usually around DM12 for standing. To get to the stadium take the U-Bahn 3 to St Pauli or Feldstrasse. St Pauli publish a match magazine, Pauli (DM1), but there is plenty fanzines to choose from the best being 'Ubersteiger, Splitter and Unhaltbar.
St. Pauli fans have such a laid back approach that trouble on a visit there is very unlikely unless your a fan of HSV or Hansa Rostock. The fans of St. Pauli also have a strange affection with Glasgow Celtic and on my visit there I saw almost as many Celtic tops as I did St. Pauli ones.
Hamburg itself is a great place to spend a weekend, with the Reeperbahn area, which is home to St. Pauli, being an excellent place with some great bars and techno/trance clubs as well as the brothels and strip bars. Accommodation is available for all price ranges, the Hotel Stern in the Reeperbahn area, was where I stayed on my visit and it worked out at roughly DM90 per night for a twin room with a toilet and shower, which was pretty good. The Reeperbahn is also the home to Irish Pubs as well as English Pubs (The London Pub) all of which are open late, there is also some 24 hour cafe/bars, so you more or less can drink 24 hours a day.

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