Reunion after 50 years: GDR soccer players meet in Neubrandenburg!

Reunion after 50 years: GDR soccer players meet in Neubrandenburg!

What a beautiful day for nostalgics! On June 24, 2025, the former soccer players of the Neubrandenburg district selection met 50 years after their participation in the GDR Spartakiade. The reunion ceremony took place in the Neubrandenburg consulate and was a joyful event for Uwe Sullies and his comrades at the time, who had not seen each other since the last meeting in 1995. A total of 11 out of 17 former teammates could be reached, with 10 finding their way to the consulate after Sullies had researched a year for three quarters to bring the old friends back together.

The Spartakiade, which took place in 1975, was a formative experience for the young athletes, who were just 13 or 14 years old at the time. Uwe Sullies remembered his goal in the qualifying secondary against Rostock, which secured the equalization to 1-1 and brought the Neubrandenburg selection to the final in Berlin. There, however, they lost 1-2 against Karl-Marx-Stadt and thus ended up in second place. To this day, Sullies has made it clear that the decisive penalty that was spoken against his team was unjustified.

A look back at the Spartakiade

The GDR Spartakiade, which took place from 1965 to 1989, was not only a sporting event, but also part of the state-directed sports policy of the German Democratic Republic. In the context of the GDR sports history, such events are of central importance, since they were organized by the German Gymnastics and Sports Association (DTSB) and served to promote youth and to strengthen the international reputation of the GDR. Statistically speaking, around 997,000 children and adolescents took part in the district sports team in summer sports in 1983 alone, which illustrates the immense interest and popularity of these events, as explained how argus.ststu.bundesarchiv.de determined.

The sports system in the GDR was heavily regulated and lost to a political supervision, which also included possible doping practices, as they were practiced under the direction of the German University of Body Culture (DHfK). In addition, the company sports communities (BSG) and sports communities (SG) were central to the preparation of young talents on competitive sports, as reported to the history of sport in the GDR wikipedia.

The path of Uwe Sullies

While many of the former athletes lost contact after the Spartakiade and many went to the West, Uwe Sullies remained true to his passion, even if his active football career ended after an operation at the age of 17. He took on the role of the young coach in Anklam and Neubrandenburg to pass on his knowledge and experience to the next generation. With the upcoming anniversary of the Spartakiade, the sports fans have now decided to meet every five years to refresh their memories together.

It is clear that the re -encounter of the Neubrandenburg footballers not only represents a return into the past, but also a strong sign of the solidarity and collective idea, which was funded by sport in the GDR. It remains exciting which stories and experiences the next meeting will have.