A lovely #WorldBookDay mention from the Football Beyond Borders crew. In some pretty esteemed company there... Goldblatt, Zirin! Although, quite rightly, I'm at the bottom of the pile!
25-years of the Fanladen
TWENTY. FIVE. YEARS. It's hard to believe, that a quarter of a century has passed since Sven Brux established Fanladen St. Pauli (there's a great photo on the club website that even shows the container where it all began). The fantastic work for the local community and for football has been documented brilliantly elsewhere. I'd just like to add a more personal thanks as - quite simply - without the Fanladen, I'd never have got that ticket for the Gegengerade. I'd never have fallen in love with FCSP. I'd never have met the fantastic people that I've met through St. Pauli. Thank you.
Now available in the Museum's online shop
The 1910 e.V. Museum now have an online shop. If you are in Germany, this is the best place to buy your copy as it maximises the amount of money that goes back to the project.
Here's the link.
All Together Now
Happy winterpause! Thanks you for all your help and support with the book this year.
(Football) season's greetings
This will probably upset my publisher, so I'd better put in the caveat that copies of Pirates, Punks & Politics are still available here! But really, as FCSP fans all we want for Christmas is #Nakiback with apologies to Half Man Half Biscuit and others.
Bollzen
with Ian Joy
Socialist Review
"More than just a story of a love affair with a football team
— to describe it as Fever Pitch with politics would be a huge insult."
Rebecca Bryson, Socialist Review
Rebecca Bryson, Socialist Review
Just published, a lovely review of the book in Socialist Review. Including my favourite pull-quote of all time (although, to be fair, I love Fever Pitch!) Many thanks! Read it here.
Available at The National Football Museum...
Pirates, Punks & Politics is available at The National Football Museum in Manchester. Many thanks to Nicole Cunliffe and Fuzz Meister for the photo! Forza Sankt Pauli!
Playing Politics: Politics in Sport
Back in June I was delighted to take part
in Playing
Politics: Politics in Sport festival at the People’s History Museum in Manchester.
Having not visited the Museum before, I
found it a really inspiring place. Documenting the history of working people in
Britain, it was so refreshing to wander through the exhibits, seeing the
achievements of real, working people celebrated. In an era where the political
and economic elite persist in demonizing the working class, using the age-old
(but finely-tuned) techniques of divide and rule to drive a wedge between
public and private sector workers; the unemployed and the working poor;
economic migrants and more established communities it was incredible to see the
progress that can be made if we put aside the crap the elite feed us and work
together. Of course, hysterical stories about migrants and refugees, stealing
‘our’ jobs and bringing the country to its knees is just Daily Mail hyperbole designed to protect those really looting the
nation for all it is worth – big business and the bankers. We live in a time
where wages are suppressed to record lows, yet corporate profits and
shareholders dividends continue to grow. They really don’t want us to work that
out. Owen Jones pretty much nails it here.
The trade union banners were a particular
highlight. I especially loved the Country Standard banner, embroidered with the
legend: ‘Peace and Socialism in the Countryside’ – stick that in your pipe and
smoke it Countryside Alliance!
After an enjoyable wander around the
museum, it was time to attend the talks. I was on near the end, which gave me
plenty of time to feel nervous, but also to listen to some other really
interesting presentations. I enjoyed learning about the ‘Tennis Radicals’
Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean King along with the story of Dick, Kerr Ladies FC –
a factory team – who back in1921 played to over 900,000 fans. Both papers were
presented eloquently by Peter Marsden.
Of obvious interest to me was Michael Lavalette’s presentation on the Green Brigade, there being so
many close links between the Green Brigade and Ultra Sankt Pauli. We also
managed a nice book swap, which saw me bag a copy of the excellent Capitalism and Sport.
My talk went ok, with my overview
of the fan scene at St. Pauli turning into its usual recruitment drive, trying
to persuade people to visit the Millerntor!
It was a pleasure to discuss
sport and politics with so many distinguished speakers and a well-informed
audience. It was even nicer to discover that a place like the People’s History
Museum exists. It’s about time our story was told and celebrated. People not profit.
Blog about the Museum and FCSP v SV Sandhausen
Here's my latest blog, which looks at the F*ck You, Freudenhaus! Das Millerntor exhibition and St. Pauli's 2-1 win over Sandhausen.
New York times – Book launch and conference debut, blogged
East River Bar
Still playing catch up here... Back in April, I was fortunate enough to be invited to New York to speak about FC St. Pauli at Hofstra University's conference: Soccer as the Beautiful Game – Football’s Artistry, Identity and Politics. I was also lucky enough to combine this with visiting the East River Pirates, New York's wondeful St. Pauli fanclub. Read about it, in quite some detail, here.
Millerntor Exhibition (until 30.08.2014)
I was asked to do a few Skype interviews with St. Pauli fans from around the world and I'm looking forward to seeing the results (and the rest of the exhibition in August), reports and pictures to follow.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is the scale model of the Millerntor, that has been lovingly recreated. I'm also looking forward to seeing the model of the 'Freakwave' stand that was one of the options for a rebuilt Gegengerade.
The people behind the Museum project deserve a lot of praise, they give up an awful lot of free-time to make events like this happen. It's is great to be connected with them via the book.
Find out more about the exhibition here: http://www.millerntor-ausstellung.de/
8th ANTIRA SANKT PAULI Weekend
It's long overdue, but here is a report on my trip to the 8th ANTIRA Sankt Pauli tournament and the Millerntor Gallery #4. It was a hell of a weekend and another reminder of what makes St. Pauli great.
Übersteiger articles
Here's a scan of an article about the Lampedusa march in October 2013,
translated into German and published in Übersteiger 113.
And below is a scan of Übersteiger's review of
Pirates, Punks &Politics from issue 114.
Pirates, Punks &Politics from issue 114.
Millerntor Gallery #4 and 8th ANTIRA Sankt Pauli
Really excited to be taking part in two amazing events in Hamburg this weekend. I am speaking about the book at the Millerntor Gallery on Saturday 31 May at 2.30pm and also taking part in the 8th ANTIRA Sankt Pauli guesting for Republica Internationale of Leeds.
Millerntor Gallery is a joint project between Viva Con Agua and FC St. Pauli, raising money and awareness for Viva Con Agua's clean drinking water projects around the world. The event runs from 29 - 31 May 2014 at the Millerntor Stadium. I'll be posting photos and a report from the even next week.
The 8th ANTIRA Sankt Pauli is running concurrently to the Millerntor Gallery, bringing together 35 like-minded anti-fascist teams from around Europe. There's football, discussion groups and entertainment. This year, for the first time, the tournament is being held on the pitch at the Millerntor.
It promises to be a fantastic weekend of football, art and politics.
Millerntor Gallery is a joint project between Viva Con Agua and FC St. Pauli, raising money and awareness for Viva Con Agua's clean drinking water projects around the world. The event runs from 29 - 31 May 2014 at the Millerntor Stadium. I'll be posting photos and a report from the even next week.
The 8th ANTIRA Sankt Pauli is running concurrently to the Millerntor Gallery, bringing together 35 like-minded anti-fascist teams from around Europe. There's football, discussion groups and entertainment. This year, for the first time, the tournament is being held on the pitch at the Millerntor.
It promises to be a fantastic weekend of football, art and politics.
Just 17
Dear Boller,
Over the course of this weekend alone, thousands of words have been written about you and what you mean to FC St. Pauli. Even in retirement, you’ll never have a chance to read through them all, but hopefully just knowing that so many people have felt the need to put pen to paper (or sit at a keyboard) will make you realise how much you mean to us all.
I only joined your adventure halfway through in 2007, but you scored the first goal that me and my Dad ever saw at the Millerntor (against Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB Pokal). It happened in an instant, yet I can still see it clear as day: you sliding in to score in front of the Nordkurve, wheeling away to celebrate, sliding on your knees, in front of the old Haupttibüne. That 87th minute goal crowned a perfect first visit to the Millerntor and it played its part in me returning as often as I could in the years that followed.
Of course, back on that sunny August afternoon, I was struggling to drink it all in: the fans, the atmosphere, the pitch, the players – the Millerntor was a football experience like no other, it literally blew my mind. I must admit, it wasn’t you that stood out that day for me, but your fellow midfielder Björn Brunnemann. I put it down to the fact it was his debut, he seemed to be an all-action type player, full of energy. In reality it was probably his shock of punk-rock, bleach-blonde hair that made him stand out ;) Indeed, shamefully, it took me a little while longer to realize that it was you Boller, who was the beating-heart, lungs, legs, guts, spirit and so often the brains behind FC St. Pauli in the years that followed. Of course, there have been others too, others that have represented something of St. Pauli’s passion and spirit during my time as a fan: both Florians’ Bruns and Lechner, Takyi, Naki, Eger, Ralle, Bene and Ebbers – I love them all dearly, but over my seven years following FCSP I have realized that you are the modern day embodiment of FC St. Pauli.
There’s so many matches, not even matches, seasons, where you have driven the side forward both physically and mentally. Pushing them over the line. We owe a great deal of the promotion from the Regionalliga in 2006/07 (which admittedly I only watched via the highlights DVD) and the return to the Bundesliga in 2009/10 to you. There were important goals too. We could see from your face what your goal at the Millerntor against HSV in 2010 meant to you. On a personal note, your goal at SV Freiburg that same season meant a lot to me: it was the first game I took my daughter to. As a result, it means that you scored the first goal that three generations of my family had seen watching FCSP (it also triggered the comeback and our eventual 3-1 victory down in the Black Forest on another boiling hot August afternoon).
I can’t believe that your St. Pauli adventure is coming to an end. I wish you weren’t retiring as I still think you’ve got at least another season in you at this level. The influence you have on the pitch you still command was still evident last Sunday in Köln – when you came on, a rudderless, listless and tactically all at sea ship was almost instantly steadied. Sure you couldn’t alter the result, but you instilled some stability and passion into a side that was sadly lacking in all departments. However, I can appreciate the amount you have given on the pitch has taken its toll on your body physically. But also, never underestimate the influence that you have had off the pitch. You have made a genuine connection with those of us that watch from the stands. We understand that you hold the club as close to your heart as we do. You have stood with the fans, supporting us on numerous issues. You have earned our trust and respect – not bad for a policeman, eh? ;) You share our passion and our principles, and that’s why we love you.
In so many ways this feels like the end of an era. I worry that not enough of the players coming through share your ethos, or recognise the need for the bond between player and supporter (although I’m delighted that at least Sebastian Schachten seems to have picked up the baton).
Anyhow, these are just my reflections on your contribution to FC St. Pauli’s rich history. There are many people better placed and who can explain far more eloquently than me what you mean to us all, but I just wanted you know that you will never be replaced in our hearts. Thanks for everything.
You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Nick
talkSPORT interview
For a limited time only (some may view this as fortunate!) you can listen again to my talkSPORT interview with Danny Kelly and Andy Jacobs right here
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