Wolfgang, Lars and Annika, are three generations of the Böttcher family. Union Berlin is in their veins and the soul of the family is firmly rooted in their club.
Union (oon-yawn) as they’re known in their current form has existed since 1906, originally as FC (eff-zeh) Olympia Oberschöneweide, but 1.FC Union Berlin as we know it was founded in January 1966. Five years after construction started on the Wall in 1961 that loomed over Unioners for more than 20 years and moulded the not entirely factual reputation of all fans from Köpenick as rebels, dissidents and troublemakers.
Some feel strangely nostalgic about their lives when they lived behind the Berlin Wall, the sprawling concrete barricade splitting the country of Germany into East and West, as a measure to stop the political influence of the western powers. The young ultras of Union sing tales from this era before they were even born, as their fathers or uncles sang the same ones.
The story of Union is aligned with Berlin’s turbulent history, it has been at the forefront of devastation and rebirth, though never quite making a full recovery. The ancient city has been blitzed and halved, and then built anew. Soviet influence, Western influence and the city’s own flair has resulted in the cultural melting pot of the German capital named Berlin. The one constant throughout all of this however, has been 1.FC Union Berlin and their haven in the woods.
Three of the Böttcher family are such fans and they have all experienced different eras of the club’s monumental progression to now, culminating in unbelievable European nights against Ajax Amsterdam and a title race against Der Rekordmeister (The Record Champions) from Bavaria.
Wolfgang Böttcher is 82 now, and the reason Lars and Annika are staunch Unioners. He has been alive for all but 34 years of the club’s fascinating history.
He says: ‘’[I have] visited since the mid-50s when the club was known as SC Motor Berlin, at first sporadically, due to the large amount of time actively playing basketball. But, I have been a fan of the club since before its inception in 1966.’’
He has been a member since 1988, when he and Lars, his son, became members 1089 & 1090 respectively. ‘’Today there’s over 45,000!’’, he proudly proclaims.
The club is rooted in the traditions of its foundation, as the metalworkers’ club. They have been known as The Iron Ones (Die Eisernen) for over a century due to their kits resembling the uniforms of the metalworkers in the local factories.
The humble beginnings of the club lay the foundation of a ‘guideline’ on what it meant and still means to this day, to be a Unioner. Wolfgang calls it the ‘Union Basic Law’ and it has been passed on to both Lars, his son and Lars’ daughter, Annika the third generation. He lists them as follows:
1. Never make a player a scapegoat
2. Never whistle the team
3. Don’t leave the stadium before the final whistle
4. Hoarseness is the muscle ache of the Unioner
The feeling of triumph and victory when the Berlin Wall came down was mirrored when Union celebrated their first ever promotion to unified Germany’s top flight in 2019. Both events came with incomprehensible jubilation, but similarly anxiety and forlorn feelings of what once was, followed.
‘’I had first been to the Alte Forsterei in the early 80’s, perhaps 82 or 83. When I became a member in 1988, Union had avoided relegation to 2nd East German league once again in a spectacular finale,’’ Lars explains.
‘’(My) earliest memories are riding together with my father on my bike from my parents’ home to the stadium in the 80s, everything was very simple,” he continued.
”During this time, a lasting memory is a match in the so called Intertoto Cup against Bayer Uerdingen, playing in the Bundesliga, in 1986, which ended 3:2 for Union.’’
As Lars mentioned, Bayer Uerdingen, now KFC Uerdingen, were a Bundesliga side in the 1986/87 season. They finished 8th that season – above giants of the German game such as Schalke 04 and VfB Stuttgart. Uerdingen had their most successful spell in the 80’s, and now play in the fifth tier of German football.
The fall of Uerdingen, and monumental rise of Union is just one example in German football of events that seemed completely out of question in regards to the two clubs current positioning in the German football ladder, compared to the stakes of the match at the time.
Take this season’s Bundesliga campaign, big clubs such as VfB Stuttgart, Schalke 04 are fighting relegation whereas the East German upstarts are competing in a European competition and for the Meisterschale (Champions’ Bowl).
‘’This season is, like our other three Bundesliga seasons, incredible. Each one different and each on a different level. This season is somehow unbelievable, being on top of the league for seven consecutive match days was amazing. Having these great home, and away games, a fully crowded stadium, it is just a great time.’’
It truly is a fairytale season for Union. Gone are the days of their bitter rivalry with fellow Berlin side BFC Dynamo, Stasi head Erich Mielke’s favourite club. Dynamo currently play in the Regionalliga Nordost and Union have most recently played the likes of Braga, Slavia Prague and Ajax Amsterdam more than they’ve played BFC in the decades following the fall of the Wall.
Andrew Grice, a member of Union Berlin in the UK & Ireland, is an example of how the club’s ethos and story appeals to lots of people around the world. Speaking on why he follows both Liverpool and Union now, he said: ‘’Reading stories about the blood drive and how the stadium was built added to the charm [of the club], matched up with other reasons of romanticism of why I loved Berlin so much.’’
Union’s promotion winning squad is the team of Annika’s generation, the club had long been stable in the 2. Bundesliga and for many, that was still an overachievement given the club’s modest budget and past.
‘’My first game at the Stadium, An der Alten Försterei, was against Karlsruhe I think, then still in the 2. Bundesliga. It was 0:0 but that didn’t matter.”
“At that time we were still a mid-table team and yet the support was strong even then,” she continued. ”I think I’ll never forget how my grandfather didn’t buy me a single ticket for the game, but the season ticket. I’ve never given it back since, not even now that I no longer live in Berlin.’’
Rule 1 of Wolfgang’s Union Basic Law: Never make a player a scapegoat. The culture at the club is one of real togetherness, of the sort that is hard to find elsewhere. Gratitude, respect and appreciation is the backbone of the Unioner. Regardless of results, if you wear the red and white stripes, you know the fans will absolutely adore you.
Annika explains what, in her eyes, it means to be a Unioner: ‘’(I think) Just always sticking with the team no matter what happens, no matter what the result is in the end. We lost our first game in the Bundesliga back then 0:4 against Leipzig and still it never got quiet in the stadium. I think this unlimited support and love for the club is what makes the fan.’’
Urs Fischer, the Union Head Coach, is potentially THE Fussballgott (Football God) in Köpenick, though it is a title all of the players share. Fischer was appointed in June 2018, and in his first season in charge, he led Union to promotion after 10 years in the second tier.
Wolfgang, Lars and Annika unsurprisingly sing the Swiss’ praises. They speak of his excellent man-management skills, describing him as an outstanding coach, and how well he fits at Union as a person.
Wolfgang gives Fischer the ultimate praise of a fan who’s known every single Head Coach since Union’s inception.
‘’He is one of the best coaches who have worked at Union (in my opinion, the best), though just as important is the Managing Director of Sport, Oliver Ruhnert. He has made this success possible through excellent personnel policies.’’
Ruhnert is responsible for the recruitment at Union, he and Fischer have a sensational working relationship and the pair are equally important to Union’s success. Union’s recruitment is excellent given the club’s modest financial availability. Signings like Sheraldo Becker, Danilo Doekhi, Jannik Haberer, Andras Schafer and many more have been signed for either excellent prices, or far less than their impact to the team should merit in terms of value in the transfer market.
The healthy and stable combination of Managing Director or Director of football and Head Coach is key to any club’s success. Especially at a club like Union where the budget isn’t massive and there tends to be a lot of turnover of the club’s best players such as Taiwo Awoniyi. Replacing them with the right fit for Fischer’s system and the club’s ethos is of paramount importance.
Jörg Trodler, a friend of Lars and a fan of Union for more than 40 years, also thinks Fischer is an excellent Head Coach.
‘’He is highly respected and maybe (regarded like) a friendly teacher. (He) makes individual sportsmen better and (is) creating a team at Union.’’
Awoniyi regards Fischer like a father figure, saying he was made to feel so welcome by the Coach and the club, and helped to improve him as a player. This aura about Fischer mirrors that of the longest serving Head Coach in the Bundesliga, Christian Streich. Streich became the manager of SC Freiburg in 2011 and has a similar reputation of making players better and happier.
Annika believes Urs Fischer can build a similar legacy to that of his Black Forest counterpart.
‘’There are some teams in Germany that have stuck with their coach for more than ten years, no matter what the results are, and I think that if Urs Fischer wants it, we can write a similar coaching history to SC Freiburg.’’
The second half of the season has seen Union’s form dip slightly, due to competing in Europe, the cup and the Bundesliga. Though Annika admits the title was a step too far for this Union squad, they are in the hunt for a Champions League spot on merit.
‘’In Berlin, few people really believe they can win the Championship, even if you sometimes hear it joked about in the stadium. Beating the top teams like Borussia Dortmund or drawing with FC Bayern, really is a dream,’’ Annika concludes.
The Germans Always Win 