1. FC Union Berlin

The name 1. FC Union Berlin was used by two football clubs that shared a common origin as FC Olympia Oberschöneweide, founded in 1906 in Oberschöneweide, which by that time was a suburb of Berlin. The side took on the name SC Union 06 Oberschöneweide in 1910. Union was one of Berlin's premier clubs in the interwar period, regularly winning local championships and competing at the national level, including an appearance in the 1923 German championship final which they lost 0–3 to Hamburger SV.

Early on, the team was nicknamed "Schlosserjungs" (English: metalworker-boys) because of their then all blue kit, reminiscent of the typical work clothing worn in the factories of the industrial Oberschöneweide district. The popular cry of Union-supporters – "Eisern Union!" (Iron Union) – also emerged at this time.[5] Since its foundation the club has had a distinct working-class image, in contrast to other local clubs with more middle-class origins, such as Viktoria 89 Berlin, Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin, BSV 92 Berlin or Tennis Borussia Berlin.

In 1933, German football was reorganized under the Third Reich into 16 top flight divisions known as Gauligen. Oberschöneweide' became part of the Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg where they generally earned middling, unexceptional results. They were relegated in 1935 and returned to first division play in 1936 after only one season's absence. In 1940, the team finished first in Group B of the division and then defeated Blau-Weiss (1–2, 3–0) to win the overall division title. That advanced the club to the national playoffs where they were put out by Rapid Wien in the opening group round (2–3, 1–3). Union resumed its place as an unremarkable side. They were relegated again in 1942 and played the final war-shortened Gauliga season in 1944–45.

Coach Hanne Sobek (left) in 1955.

Historical chart of Union Berlin league performance after WWII

After World War II, occupying Allied authorities ordered the dissolution of all organizations in Germany, including sports and football associations. A new sport community called SG Oberschöneweide was formed in late 1945 and it played in the City League organized immediately after the war which had four regional departments. The team did not qualify to the newly created Oberliga Berlin (I) in 1946 after a poor season, but was promoted in 1947, won the division title right away and regained club status as SG Union Oberschöneweide during 1948–49.

The club finished the 1949–50 season in second place in Berlin and qualified to take part in the national final rounds. However, escalating Cold War tensions led Soviet authorities to refuse the team permission to travel to take part. Two Union teams then emerged as most players and coaches fled to the west to form Sport-Club Union 06 Berlin which took part in the scheduled playoff match in Kiel against Hamburger SV, losing 0–7.[6][7]

The players remaining in the east carried on as SG Union Oberschöneweide while a number of players who had fled to the west to form SC organized a third side called Berliner Ballspiel-Club Südost. The western team was a strong side until the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, drawing huge crowds to matches in the Olympiastadion.[5] The division of the city led to a change of fortunes for the club which plays today in the lower divisions before meagre crowds.

Ulrich Prüfke (captain) and Ralph Quest raise the FDGB Pokal trophy in 1968.

The eastern branch of the club went through a number of name changes: Union Oberschöneweide (1950), BSG Motor Oberschöneweide (1951), SC Motor Berlin (1955), TSC Oberschöneweide (1957), TSC Berlin (1963) – finally becoming the football club 1. FC Union Berlin in 1966. The club was sponsored by the large state-owned combine VEB Kabelwerk Oberspree (KWO) and the state-owned companies VEB Transformatorenwerk Oberschöneweide (TRO) and VEB Werk für Fernsehelektronik (WF).[8][9][10] It was initially also supported by the state-controlled national trade union FDGB.[8]

1. FC Union Berlin developed a bitter rivalry with BFC Dynamo, which was supported by the Stasi.[5] While their arch rivals won 10 titles in a row, Union yo-yoed between the DDR-Oberliga and the DDR-Liga with very little success. Union managed to win the East German Cup in 1968 when they defeated FC Carl Zeiss Jena 2–1 although they lost in their second cup appearance in 1986 to 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig by a score of 1–5.

The East German state-owned film studio DEFA produced a documentary about the supporters of 1. FC Union Berlin in 1989. The documentary is called "And on Friday’s we go to 'Green Hell'" and follows a group of supporters of 1. FC Union Berlin to both home and away matches during the 1987-88 season.[5]

Supporters choreography in 2010

After German reunification in 1990, the team continued to perform well on the field, but almost collapsed financially. They managed to hang on through some tight times and find sponsorship, but only after winning their division in both 1993 and 1994 and each time being denied a license to play in the 2. Bundesliga due to their financial problems. The club had another close brush with financial failure in 1997.[5]

Union again came close to advancing to 2. Bundesliga in 1998–99 and 1999–2000, but were disappointed. They were finally successful in 2000–01, under Bulgarian manager Georgi Vasilev, easily winning the Regionalliga Nord (III) and moving up a division to become the city's second most popular side. That same year they appeared in the final of the German Cup where they lost 0–2 to FC Schalke 04, and advanced as far as the second round in UEFA Cup before being put out by Bulgarian side PFC Litex Lovech. The club slipped to the Regionalliga Nord (III) in 2004–05 and then to the NOFV-Oberliga Nord (IV) in 2005–06, but returned to third division play after capturing the Oberliga title. In 2008–09, Union became one of the founding clubs of the new 3. Liga, and its inaugural champion, securing first place and promotion to the 2. Bundesliga on 10 May. They remained in the 2nd-tier until the 2018–19 season, when they secured their first ever promotion into the Bundesliga after defeating VfB Stuttgart in the play-offs. The fans invaded the pitch, but no one was harmed.[11]

Union Berlin became the first Bundesliga club from the former East Berlin and the fifth from the former East Germany, after Dynamo Dresden, Hansa Rostock, VfB Leipzig and Energie Cottbus. The team is the sixth to win promotion from the 2. Bundesliga by beating the 16th-placed Bundesliga team in the playoff – since it began in the 1981–82 season, the others being Bayer Uerdingen, 1. FC Saarbrücken, Stuttgarter Kickers, 1. FC Nürnberg and Fortuna Düsseldorf. Ahead of Union Berlin's debut season in the Bundesliga, the club signed Neven Subotić,[12] Anthony Ujah[13] and Christian Gentner,[14] as well as re-signing Marvin Friedrich, who had scored a decisive goal against Stuttgart in the play-offs in the previous season to secure promotion for the club.[15] The first ever Bundesliga goal was scored by Sebastian Andersson in a 1–1 draw against Augsburg.[16] On 31 August 2019, the club claimed its first ever Bundesliga victory by beating Borussia Dortmund 3–1 in a home game.[17] The team finished the season in 11th place, with Sebastian Andersson scoring 12 goals.

In 2014, the club came up with the idea of inviting their fans to take their own sofas to the ground for the whole of the World Cup, in order to enjoy the televised matches in the company of fellow supporters.[19] More than 800 sofas were placed on the pitch in rows in front of a big screen.[20] The event was later recognized with the Fan Experience Award at The Stadium Business Summit 2015 in Barcelona.[21]

As of 5 February 2021[22]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  GER Andreas Luthe 4 DF  GER Nico Schlotterbeck (on loan from SC Freiburg) 5 DF  GER Marvin Friedrich (Vice-captain) 6 MF  NOR Julian Ryerson 7 MF  GER Akaki Gogia 8 FW  GER Leon Dajaku (on loan from Bayern Munich) 9 FW  FIN Joel Pohjanpalo (on loan from Bayer Leverkusen) 10 FW  GER Max Kruse 11 FW  NGA Anthony Ujah 12 GK  DEN Jakob Busk 14 FW  NGA Taiwo Awoniyi (on loan from Liverpool) 15 FW  GER Marius Bülter 18 MF  JPN Keita Endo (on loan from Yokohama Marinos)

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 DF  GER Florian Hübner 20 GK  GER Loris Karius (on loan from Liverpool) 21 MF  GER Grischa Prömel 23 DF  GER Niko Gießelmann 24 FW  CRO Petar Musa (on loan from Slavia Prague) 25 DF  GER Christopher Lenz 27 FW  NED Sheraldo Becker 28 DF  AUT Christopher Trimmel (Captain) 30 MF  GER Robert Andrich 31 DF  GER Robin Knoche 32 FW  DEN Marcus Ingvartsen 33 MF  GER Sebastian Griesbeck 34 MF  GER Christian Gentner 36 FW  GER Cedric Teuchert

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  GER Lennart Moser (on loan to Austria Klagenfurt until 30 June 2021) — DF  GER Nicolai Rapp (on loan to SV Darmstadt 98 until 30 June 2021) — MF  GER Tim Maciejewski (on loan to Austria Klagenfurt until 30 June 2021)

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  NGA Suleiman Abdullahi (on loan to Eintracht Braunschweig until 30 June 2021) — FW  GER Laurenz Dehl (on loan to Hallescher FC until 30 June 2021)

Robert Huth left the club's youth system in 2001, joining Chelsea.

• Karim Benyamina
• Daniel Teixeira
• Sergej Barbarez
• Jörg Heinrich
• Robert Huth
• Marko Rehmer
• Patrick Kohlmann
• Bobby Wood

Karim Benyamina (87)[23]

The number 22 won’t be worn on the back of an Union shirt for the foreseeable future — until someone manages to break the all-time Union scoring record of Karim Benyamina who scored 87 goals in 213 appearances for the club. “This is a great gesture by president Dirk Zingler. That is the reward for six successful years,” he said in 2016. Over 14,000 fans turned out to give Benyamina his career send-off alongside another legend, Torsten Mattuschka, who is often seen as the face of that particular era for Union[23]

The club's reserve team, 1. FC Union Berlin II, most recently played in the tier four Regionalliga Nordost, having won promotion to the league in 2012. Previous to this it spent two seasons in the NOFV-Oberliga Nord. At the end of the 2014–15 season the club withdrew the team from competition.[24][25]

Union Berlin's women's team was formed in September 1969, becoming the first women's team in Berlin and one of the first in East Germany. The women's team initially competed against Union Berlin's youth teams due to a lack of opponents, playing their first game on 17 January 1970, losing 7–1. In 1971, the team were amalgamated into KWO Berlin's women's team, before KWO merged with Union Berlin in June 1990 following German reunification.[26] The team currently compete in the Regionalliga Nordost.

In former GDR times, Union was known for a rivalry with BFC Dynamo which was reputedly affiliated with East Germany's Secret Service (Stasi). Union was patronized by Eastern German Trade Union FDGB. The club played some identificatory role in the unofficial opposition against the authorities of the communist system.[33] Between 1979 and 1988, BFC Dynamo won ten consecutive East German league titles, with popular allegations of sporting misconduct helping to fuel the rivalry, and clashes between both sets of fans occurred.[34] It is said that fans of Union often chanted "The wall must go!", with a reference to the Berlin Wall, when the opponents formed a wall during free kicks in 1980s. However, some sources suggest that this is partly a myth and exaggerated.[35][36][37]

Despite Union Berlin and Hertha BSC making up Berlin's two biggest clubs, a rivalry between the two is much less pronounced. On 27 January 1990, 79 days after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Hertha hosted Union Berlin at the Olympiastadion in a friendly in front of 52,000 spectators. Fans of both club's paid for admission in East and West Germany's respective currencies and sang songs of German reunification as Hertha won 2–1. Over twenty years later, on 17 September 2010, the duo faced each other for a second time, in their first competitive meeting, at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei, drawing 1–1 in the 2. Bundesliga.[38] On 2 November 2019, Union Berlin faced Hertha at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei, in the first clash between the clubs in the top flight of German football. An 87th minute Sebastian Polter penalty secured a 1–0 win for Union, in a game temporarily suspended by referee Deniz Aytekin, following fireworks fired by Hertha fans landing amongst Union Berlin fans, as well as on the playing surface. 1,100 police officers were on duty for the game, with Hertha fans burning Union Berlin shirts, flags and scarves during the game. Following full time, Union Berlin goalkeeper Rafał Gikiewicz won praise from fans and media alike after ushering Union Berlin ultras from the field of play, following a minor pitch invasion devised to attack Hertha supporters.[39]

Union Berlin also holds rivalries with Hansa Rostock,[40] Dynamo Dresden,[41] and Magdeburg dating back to when the teams used to compete in the DDR-Oberliga.[42]

More recently, the club has developed a rivalry with RB Leipzig, following the takeover of license and teams from fifth division side SSV Markranstädt financed by Red Bull GmbH and the ascension by Leipzig to the Bundesliga system. In 2011, Union Berlin ran adverts against the investment of the club whilst also cancelling a pre-season friendly with the club. On 21 September 2014, Union Berlin fans staged a silent protest for the first 15 minutes of a 2. Bundesliga home game against RB Leipzig, labelling RB Leipzig a "marketing product pushed by financial interests" with "brainwashed consumers in the stands". Union Berlin won the game 2–1.[43] On 18 August 2019, during Union Berlin's first ever Bundesliga game, at home against RB Leipzig, the club's oldest ultras group, the Wuhlesyndikat, successfully called for a 15-minute silent protest at the start of the club's 2019–20 opener.[44]

The official Union Berlin song is "Eisern Union" by German punk singer Nina Hagen.[45] The composition was recorded in 1998. Four versions were issued on a CD single by G.I.B Music and Distribution GmbH.

The famous supporters' chant 'Eisern Union' (Iron Union) bounces back and forth between the terraces named Waldseite and the Gegengerade, and is followed by mutual acknowledging applause.[46]

Union Berlin is also well known for its Christmas traditions celebrated in their home stadium.[47] In 2003 the yearly Union Weihnachtssingen started as an unofficial gathering to which just 89 fans showed up. In 2013, 27,500 people attended, including players and supporters of other teams from around Germany and Europe. Fans drink Glühwein (mulled wine), wave candles around, light flares and sing a combination of Christmas carols and football chants.[48]

Ritter Keule (Literally: Cudgel the Knight) is the mascot of Union Berlin.[49] He was first introduced in 2000.[50]

Union fürs Leben (Union for life) is a 2014 documentary film that showcases the supporters passion for 1. FC Union Berlin.[51]

1. FC Union Berlin is sponsored by around 300 private and corporate partners.

Young Union Berlin supporter

The team celebrates their Berlin Cup victory at the Köpenick town hall in 2007.

• German Champions
  • Runners-up: 1923[lower-alpha 1]
• DDR-Liga Nord (II)
  • Winners: 1966, 1970,
  • Runners-up: 1964[lower-alpha 2]
• DDR-Liga B (II)
  • Winners: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, 1982
• DDR-Liga A (II)
  • Winners: 1985, 1991
  • Runners-up: 1990
• II. DDR-Liga I (III)
  • Winners: 1962[lower-alpha 3]
• 3. Liga (III)
  • Winners: 2009
• DFB-Pokal
  • Runners-up: 2001
• FDGB-Pokal:
  • Winners: 1968
  • Runners-up: 1986

• Berlin/Brandenburg Champions (−1933)
  • Winners: (2) 1920,[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 1923[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 3]
  • Runners-up: 1917,[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 1925[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 3]
• Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg:
  • Winners: 1940[lower-alpha 1]
• Oberliga Berlin (1945–63):
  • Winners: 1948[lower-alpha 4]
  • Runners-up: 1950[lower-alpha 4]
• NOFV-Oberliga Mitte (III)
  • Winners (3): 1992, 1993, 1994
• Regionalliga Nordost (III)
  • Winners: 1996, 2000
• Regionalliga Nord (III)
  • Winners: 2001
• NOFV-Oberliga Nord (IV)
  • Winner: 2006
• Berlin Cup (Tiers III-VII)
  • Winners: 1947,[lower-alpha 4] 1948,[lower-alpha 4] 1994, 2007, 2009
  • Runners-up: 1926,[lower-alpha 1] 1997

• UEFA Cup:
  • 2nd round 2001–02

• East German Youth Championship (de)[lower-alpha 1]
  • Runners-up: 1985, 1988
• East German Junior Cup (Junge Welt-Pokal) (de)[lower-alpha 2]
  • Winners: 1960[lower-alpha 3]