The Reference Council

FC St. Pauli

Photo by Benne Ochs from the current St. Pauli Merchandising Catalogue

Is that how the message and image was transported internationally?

To a degree yes, obviously, the message behind the skull and cross bone is internationally recognized. In a way, the ethos of the club developed like a music scene, through fanzines and so forth. No other club in the world is so directly linked to the local music scene like St.Pauli and that transported the ethos around the world. Every left wing scene around the world understood what we are about and oddly enough automatically became a fan of the club. So you now have the effect that you have a lot of people who are interested in the club not because of the football anymore but because of the ethos. That’s really the reason why the club has been able to survive as long as it has, because it occupies a field of interest that transcends football and hence, does not have to compete with other football clubs in regards to sales etc.

My job now, from starting off as a fan to the position I am in now, is to maintain the clubs authenticity by making product that reflects this scene, rather than blindly making product that no one wants.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15