Posted on March 7, 2010 – 19:18 in Features | Steven
FC St. Pauli
Photo by Benne Ochs from the current St. Pauli Merchandising Catalogue
TRC: Before we get into the detailed question about the finer point of the clubs merchandising, I would like to hear from you what it is about St.Pauli – Why is it as cool as it is, what is the myth behind it all, how did it come to it and following this, how that all ties in with your work?
Hendrik Lüttmer: Wow, that’s a question and half, one which I could answer at great depth. It’s a story that is in actual fact unbeknown to most people, a story of a lot of lucky circumstances and to be honest, it’s actually a pretty simple story.
The story is also pretty logical if you can explain it form a non-fan point of view, which isn’t always easy for me.
To answer your question as to why St.Pauli is what it is unemotionally: the football club and it’s fans are a clear reflection of what the neighbourhood currently is, and the neighbourhood reflects what the football club currently is. All changes, social, economic and political that have happened in the neighborhood these past 20-30 years happened to the club also.
Which means, that up until the early 80s the club was a really small, relative unnoticed and somewhat stiff football club. Sure, the club was close to the red light district and because of that had a bit of a bad or seedy reputation, but in reality, it had something around 5000 visitors per game and no one really cared.
With what happened in the neighbourhood in the early 80s, I guess the occupation of the Hafenstrasse being the most representative fact, as well as the transformation of the neighbourhood from a strictly working class and red light area to a “cool” neighbourhood – at first politically since the “typical” gentrification took another ten years, the inhabitants of the area changed. All of sudden you no longer “just” had hookers, pimps, sailors and port workers, but also had artists, musicians, grass root anarchists and left wing politicians adding to the neighbourhood scenario.
13 comments for “FC St. Pauli”
Excellent feature!
written by Llywarch on 11. Mar, 2010
Very nice!
written by Hodja on 11. Mar, 2010
Wow, great review on the hood and club i hate to love love to live in! Thanks!
written by Earl Harbor on 12. Mar, 2010
magnificent club with best fans ever seen !
written by jan west on 16. May, 2010