St. Pauli in transition: reorientation for the stadium anthem!

St. Pauli in transition: reorientation for the stadium anthem!

St Pauli, Deutschland - The discussion about the stadium song "The Heart of St. Pauli" does not end and recently took a new turn. FC St. Pauli organized a hybrid discussion event that was focused on the topic and attracted numerous interested parties. Around 1,000 people virtually took part in the ballroom at the Millerntor to debate the future of the controversial song. Celina Albertz and Peter Römer presented insights from a scientific report, while Christopher Radke informed about how the song could develop into a stadium anthem and compared this process with the departure of "You’ll Never Walk Alone" over 20 years ago

At the event, various options for further use of the song were discussed. The majority of the participants voted that the current versions of the song are no longer portable. Three options were made up for debate: preserving the previous version, an option that has not yet been specified and playing the song with a new text. It was particularly striking that many of the participants changed their opinion in the course of the discussion, which shows how dynamic and respectful the discussion culture is within the club.

difficult past

The debate about "The Heart of St. Pauli" is not new, but it intensified after the Nazi past of the copywriter Josef Ollig came to light. Ollig was a journalist at a national conservative newspaper and later served in the Wehrmacht. His involvement in inhuman propaganda media and the associated award for his deeds throw a shadow on the song that many fans consider part of the club and its identity. For this reason, the club management decided in the course of this debate to not play the anthem for the time being, which was already implemented in the stadium in the last game against SC Freiburg.

OKE Göttlich, the President of FC St. Pauli, emphasized the importance of this discussion in times of back on the right and underlined that the association would like to deal with this topic carefully. The tendency goes clearly in the direction of the creation of something new, instead of holding on to a contaminated heritage. The decision to no longer play the song for the time being found mostly approving applause.

A look into the future

FC St. Pauli plans to stay in a constant exchange with his fans and to create a comprehensive documentary about the song and Ollig's past. Many supporters argue that the song is primarily associated with the values ​​of the association and that a realignment is desirable. The event showed that the declared motto "no football to the fascists" must not be promised to an empty and the musical future at Millerntor offers plenty of space for creative solutions.

The next round of discussion, in which the results mentioned above are presented, is eagerly awaited, while the club is reflecting on a new musical identity. The debate about the stadium song remains a hot iron and of great importance for everyone involved to keep the spirit of FC St. Pauli alive.