FC St. Pauli

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from FC St Pauli)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". Template:Use dmy dates Template:Short descriptionScript error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Fußball-Club St. Pauli von 1910 e.V., commonly known as simply St. Pauli (Script error: No such module "IPA".), is a German professional football club based in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg. The team plays in the Bundesliga for the 2025–26 season, their second consecutive season in the top flight following promotion from the 2. Bundesliga in 2023–24.

The football department is part of a larger sports club that also has departments in rugby (FC St. Pauli Rugby), baseball, bowling, boxing (FC St. Pauli Boxen),[1] chess, cycling, handball, roller derby (Harbor Girls Hamburg),[2] skittles, softball, table tennis, and since 2011, marathon.[3] Until the end of 2013, the club also had a department in American football, but it was dissolved because it lacked the youth team required in order to hold a men's team.[4] As of April 2023, FC St. Pauli has 30,400 members.[5]

The men's professional football team dropped down to the Regionalliga in 2003, at that time the third highest football division in Germany and remained there for four years. In 2007, they won promotion back to the 2. Bundesliga, the German second tier. In 2010, they won promotion back to the top-flight Bundesliga, but were immediately relegated the following season. Their current tenure in the top-flight dates to their promotion in 2023–24 season.

FC St. Pauli has a cross-city rivalry with Hamburger SV, with whom they contest the Hamburg derby, the only cross-city derby currently featured in the Bundesliga. The club also has a more recent rivalry with Hansa Rostock, known as the Political derby, or even the Fear derby, reflecting the divergent political identities of the two clubs.[6][7]

Although the club has been only modestly successful, it is widely recognised for its distinctive social culture and has a large popular following as one of the country's "Kult" clubs.[8][9] FC St. Pauli and supporters are strongly identified with their support of left-wing politics.[10]

History

Early years

The club began its existence in 1899 as a loose, informal group of football enthusiasts within the Hamburg-St.Pauli Turnverein 1862.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". This group did not play its first match until 1907, when they faced a similar side assembled from the local Aegir swimming club.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Officially established on 15 May 1910, the club played as St. Pauli TV in the Kreisliga Groß-Hamburg (Alsterkreis) until 1924, when a separate football side called St. Pauli was formed.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The team played as an undistinguished lower-to-mid table side until making their first appearance in 1934 in the top-flight Gauliga Nordmark, 1 of 16 premier level divisions created in the re-organization of German football that took place under the Third Reich. They were immediately relegated, but returned to the top flight in 1936. Relegated again in 1940, St. Pauli re-appeared in the Gauliga Hamburg in 1942, and played there until the end of World War II.

Post-war football

File:St. Pauli Performance Chart.png
Historical chart of St. Pauli league performance

After the war, the club resumed play in the Oberliga Nord in 1947. A second-place finish in the 1947–48 season led St. Pauli to its first appearance in the national championship rounds.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". They advanced as far as the semi-finals, where they were knocked out 2–3 by eventual champions 1. FC Nürnberg.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The club continued to play well throughout the early 1950s, but were unable to overtake rivals Hamburger SV, finishing in second place in five of the next seven seasons, and going out in the early rounds in each of their championship-round appearances from 1949 to 1951.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". In the late 1950s and into the early 1960s, St. Pauli were overtaken by rivals such as Werder Bremen and VfL Osnabrück, but finished fourth a number of times.

Promotion to the Bundesliga

In 1963, the Bundesliga – West Germany's new top-flight professional league – was formed. Hamburger SV, Werder Bremen, and Eintracht Braunschweig joined the new circuit as the top-finishers from the Oberliga Nord, while FC St. Pauli found themselves in the second-tier Regionalliga Nord.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". That year, the club signed Guy Acolatse, who became the first Black professional footballer to play in Germany.[11][12]

Nearly a decade-and-a-half of frustration followed. St. Pauli won their division in 1964, but finished bottom of their group in the promotion play-off round.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". They won their next Regionalliga Nord title in 1966, but, while they performed far better in the play-offs, still could not advance to the top-flight, losing to Rot-Weiss Essen on goal difference, having conceded two more goals.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Division championships in 1972 and 1973, and runner-up finishes in 1971 and 1974, were each followed by promotion-round play-off disappointment.

The success of the Bundesliga, and the growth of professional football in West Germany, led to the formation of the 2. Bundesliga in 1974.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". St. Pauli was part of the new second-tier professional circuit in the 2. Bundesliga Nord and, in 1977, they advanced to the top flight as winners of their division. The team survived for one season at the highest level in the Bundesliga.

The club's return to the 2. Bundesliga Nord was also short-lived. On the verge on bankruptcy in 1979,Script error: No such module "Unsubst". they were denied a license for the following season and were sent down to the Oberliga Nord (III). Strong performances that set the team atop that division in 1981 and 1983 were marred by poor financial health.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". By 1984, the club had recovered sufficiently to return to the 2. Bundesliga, overtaking Werder Bremen's amateur side, who, despite finishing two points ahead of St. Pauli, were ineligible for promotion.

"Kult" phenomenon

It was in the mid-1980s that St. Pauli's transition from a standard traditional club into a "Kult" club began. The club was also able to turn the location of its ground in the dock area part of town, near Hamburg's famous Reeperbahn – centre of the city's night life and its red-light district – to its advantage. An alternative fan scene slowly emerged, built around left-leaning politics, social activism and the event and party atmosphere of the club's matches. St. Pauli became the first team in Germany to officially ban right-wing nationalist activities and displays in its stadium during a period of fascist-inspired football hooliganism across Europe.[13] In 1981, the team was averaging small crowds of only 1,600 spectators, but by the late 1990s they were frequently selling out their entire 20,000-capacity ground.[14]

File:FC St. Pauli Flagge.jpg
The club's official skull and crossbones symbol on a supporter flag

Supporters adopted the skull and crossbones as their own unofficial emblem in the 1980s.[15] Although precise details are uncertain, the story goes that named "Doc Mabuse", a singer in a Hamburg punk band, nailed a Jolly Roger flag to a broomstick and brought it to the Millerntor-Stadion.[16][15] The original flag featured a skull with pirate eyepatch. Inspired, other fans began to bring similar flags to matches.[17] In 1989, Hamburg screenprinter Steph Braun created an image combining a detailed representation of a skull (taken from an anatomy textbook) with the words "ST. PAULI" underneath. Intended to represent the area itself, and sold in various record shops around the district, Braun's graphic was adopted by St. Pauli fans and came to be seen as specifically associated with the club.[17][18]

In the early 1990s, the media in Germany began to recognize the Kult-image of the club, focusing on the punk part of the fan-base in TV broadcasts of the matches.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". By this time, the media also started to establish nicknames like "Freibeuter der Liga" ("Buccaneers of the League") as well as the satirical "das Freudenhaus der Liga" ("Brothel of the League", literally "House of Joy").Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The club itself realized the potential and in September 1999 bought the rights to Steph Braun's skull and crossbones graphic, making it an official club logo.[17][18]

St. Pauli moved in and out of the Bundesliga over the course of the next dozen years: the club was narrowly relegated to the Oberliga in the 1984–85 season, but won the 1985–86 championship and returned to 2. Bundesliga.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Two increasingly strong years followed, resulting in promotion and three seasons in the Bundesliga, from 1988 to 1991.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Four seasons followed in 2. Bundesliga, and then another two in the Bundesliga in 1995 to 1997, before another return to the 2. Bundesliga.

Into the new millennium

File:Millerntor budapester 2009.JPG
The new South Tribune of the Millerntor-Stadion, seen from Budapester Straße in 2009
File:FC St. Pauli logo.svg
Former logo

Until 2010, the club's most recent appearance in the top-flight had been a single-season cameo in 2001–02. A win against Bayern Munich, the reigning Intercontinental Cup winners, led to the popular "Weltpokalsiegerbesieger" ("World Club Champion beaters") shirts.[19] However, the team finished last in the league, partly because the management did not trust the team which surprisingly won the promotion in 2001, but rather spent the additional money from Bundesliga TV contracts and advertisements on expensive but disappointing players. After the relegation to the 2. Bundesliga, only a skeleton of the successful 2001 team remained. The 2002–03 season ended up in chaos, with the team fighting relegation (ultimately in vain) from the very beginning, various coaches departing and other problems internal to the club.

With the club almost bankrupt again and the less-lucrative Regionaliga Nord (III) looming, the club began its fund-raising activities, the so-called "Retteraktion".Script error: No such module "Unsubst". They printed t-shirts with the club's crest surrounded by the word Retter ("rescuer/saviour") and more than 140,000 were sold within six weeks.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". They also organized a lucrative benefit game, against Bayern Munich, to raise funds to save the club.

The club has also been active in terms of charity and in 2005 the club, the team and the fans initiated the Viva con Agua de Sankt Pauli campaign, which collects money for water-dispensers for schools in Cuba, for clean water in Rwanda et cetera.

During the 2005–06 season, the team enjoyed unprecedented success in the DFB-Pokal, with wins over Burghausen, VfL Bochum and, significantly, Bundesliga sides Hertha BSC and, in the quarter-finals on 25 January 2006, Werder Bremen.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Their 3–1 victory in front of a sell-out Millerntor crowd, and their subsequent place in the DFB Cup semi-final, netted the club approximately €1 million in TV and sponsorship money, going a long way to saving the club from immediate financial ruin.

St. Pauli finally went out of the cup to Bayern Munich on 12 April, going down 3–0 with a goal from Owen Hargreaves and two from Claudio Pizarro.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Coincidentally, Bayern were also St. Pauli's opponents and dispatchers in the first round of the following season's cup.

After success in the 2006–07 season, the team was promoted to the 2. Bundesliga.[20] After defeating SpVgg Greuther Fürth in the 2009–10 season, the team secured promotion back to the Bundesliga for the 2010–11 season.[21] On 16 February 2011, during the 2010–11 season and for the first time since 1977, St. Pauli defeated their cross-city rivals, Hamburger SV, away at the Volksparkstadion, courtesy of a Gerald Asamoah goal.[22] The team, however, finished the domestic season in last place, resulting in their relegation to the 2. Bundesliga for the 2011–12 season.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Since then, the club remained in the 2. Bundesliga, finishing fourth in 2011–12 but declining in results in the years to come, until they earned promotion back to the Bundesliga in the 2023–24 season.[23]

Football Cooperative St. Pauli von 2024 eG

In order to be able to guarantee and expand financial security in professional football, the board and members of the club have decided in the End of 2024 to found the Football Cooperative St. Pauli von 2024 eG. The cooperative will enable fans and members to acquire shares for 750 euros plus a subscription and administration fee of 100 euros. The club is expecting 20,000 to 30,000 shareholders, which should raise up to 30 million euros, with the sale of shares to be discontinued once 36 million is reached. The co-operative will use these funds to acquire a majority stake in the Millerntor stadium operating company. The income is also needed to service existing loans, in particular from the new stadium construction and the coronavirus period. Members of the cooperative have co-determination rights according to the one man, one vote - principle and elect the Executive Board. The Football Cooperative St. Pauli von 2024 eG is the first cooperative in German professional football.[24][25]

Colours and kit

Template:Sister project The colours of FC St. Pauli are brown and white, and to a lesser extent red.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Black is also common among fans and on third kits.

The club has worn brown and white since 1910, when it joined the Northern German Football Association (Norddeutscher Fußball-Verband).[26] These early uniforms were made up of brown shirts and socks with white shorts.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Some time between the 1920s and 30s, the club took on what would become its traditional look, namely a white shirt, brown shorts and brown socks with a white turnover.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". From early on in the club's history until the 1990s, the club readily wore its brown change shirts at home, even during such games as those against rivals HSV, who also wear white shirts.

During the 1960s, the club introduced white socks which regularly alternated with plain brown socks.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". A motif was used on the club shirt for the first time in 1968, when the club donned stripes, and, in the 1970s, various other motifs adorned the club's first and second-choice shirts.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". In the 1976–77 season, St. Pauli began wearing Adidas kits, marking the end of a period of often experimental shirts, and this traditional look continued when the club started wearing Puma kits in the 1980s.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". For the 1985–86 season, the club sported an all-white Puma kit, which would be worn for four consecutive seasons before some brown details returned to the shirt.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". However, the Kiezkicker would continue to wear these predominantly white kits until 1993.

At this point, the club would return to a kit based on a white-brown-white scheme, but in a more contemporary style, often incorporating patterns.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The Reusch kits of 199496 and 1996–97 had hoops and stripes respectively, while Kappa would also produce a striped kit in 2000–01.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The Italian brand would provide a set of kits for the 2001–02 and 2002–03 seasons in which the shirt, shorts, and socks were all available in white and brown, meaning that the team would wear a different combination each game, reminiscent of the club's look between the 1960s and 1980s.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". During the 2001–02 season, the team would frequently make recourse to the previous year's all-black away kit.

In 2003–04, the club would once again sport a white shirt with brown sleeves, manufactured by Stanno.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". However this is, as of the 2022–23 season, the last time the club has donned its traditional kit.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". While the club's uniform for the 2005–06 season would combine a light shirt and brown shorts, St. Pauli would wear an all-black kit during the following campaign (marking the first time that neither of the club's colours were present on the home kit).Script error: No such module "Unsubst". From the 2007–08 season, St. Pauli has worn an all-brown home kit on all but three occasions, one of which saw the team return to a striped shirt, while in the two other instances the team wore white shorts.

Between 2019–20 and 2021–22, LGBT details were integrated into the third shirt. In 2020, having sought a kit supplier who would meet their ecological and ethical requirements since 2018, St. Pauli founded their own brand, Di!Y ("Do it. Improve Yourself").[27] From the 2021–22 season, St. Pauli have worn kits made in-house by Di!Y.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Sponsors

Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Period Brand Sponsor
1975–1976 Hummel Lüder Bauring
1976–1977 Adidas
1977–1978 Minolta
1978–1979 Lüder Bauring
1979–1980
1980–1981 Puma
1981–1982 Block House
1982–1983
1983–1984 Klein-Kleckersdorf
1984–1991 Deutscher Ring
1991–1992 Diadora
1992–1994 Patrick
1994–1995 Reusch
1995–1997 Böklunder
1997–2000 Puma Jack Daniels
2000–2001 Kappa World of Internet/Astra
2001–2003 Securvita
2003–2005 Stanno Mobilcom
2005–2006 Do You Football
2006–2009 Congstar
2009–2010 Dacia
2010–2013 Fernsehlotterie
2013–2014 Relentless
2014–2016 Hummel Congstar
2016–2021 Under Armour
2021–2024 Di!Y
2024– Puma

Stadium

The home venue of the FC St. Pauli is the Millerntor-Stadion. Work on the stadium began in 1961, but its completion was delayed until 1963 as there was initially no drainage system in place, making the pitch unplayable after rain.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". It originally held 32,000 supporters, but the capacity was later reduced for safety reasons.

In 1970, the stadium was renamed the Wilhelm Koch-Stadium in honour of a former club president.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". However, this name became highly controversial when it was discovered by historian René Martens that Wilhelm Koch had been a member of the Nazi Party from 1937 to 1945, as stated in his 1997 book "FC St. Pauli - You'll never walk alone".[28] After protests by fans, the name was changed back to Millerntor-Stadion in 1999.

A total redevelopment began in 2006. The final phase of the redevelopment work ended with the completion of the new north stand in July 2015. The stadium is since then permitted for a capacity of 29,546 spectators of which 16,940 are standing and 12,606 are seated.[29]

The stadium is located next to the Heiligengeistfeld, and is overlooked by the Flak Tower IV to the north and a building of the Deutsche Telekom to the south.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". It can be reached with the Hamburg U-Bahn line U3 (St. Pauli Station and Feldstraße Station).

Club culture and supporters

File:Kollmarlibre 06.JPG
The ska punk group Kollmarlibre are avowed supporters of FC St. Pauli.
File:Supporters FC Sankt Pauli 002.jpg
FC St. Pauli fans flying banners and hoisting tifos in 2020

FC St. Pauli is considered one of the most left-wing football clubs in the world, with a long-standing commitment to anti-fascism, anti-racism, anti-sexism, and LGBTQ+ rights. The club’s culture is closely linked to the St. Pauli district of Hamburg, an area historically associated with alternative lifestyles and the red-light district, the Reeperbahn.[30] Its distinct political identity began to develop in the mid-1980s, when local residents, squatters, and left-wing activists rallied behind the team in response to a growing far-right presence among rival Hamburg SV supporters, establishing St. Pauli as a refuge for fans opposed to right-wing extremism in German football.[16][31] The club operates under a democratic, member-driven structure, and its fans actively engage in political and social causes, including support for refugees, marginalised groups, and local community initiatives.

The skull and crossbones, or Jolly Roger, was adopted in the late 1980s after a local punk singer, Doc Mabuse, displayed the flag at a match.[16] Originally a symbol of the club's underdog status, it became associated with St. Pauli's anti-establishment values. By the end of the 1980s, attendances at Millerntor Stadium increased significantly, aided by the club's promotion from the third division to the Bundesliga in 1988.

St. Pauli emphasises inclusivity and social responsibility, and these principles are central to both its operations and its fan culture. Fans frequently display banners opposing fascism, racism, homophobia, and sexism, while the club operates under a democratic, membership-driven structure that allows supporters to vote on major decisions. In 1989, St. Pauli fans staged a boycott that successfully blocked plans to integrate the stadium into a sports dome featuring a hotel and shopping centre, reinforcing the club’s commitment to prioritising social and political values over financial gain.[30][32] Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, St. Pauli formalised its political commitments; on 28 October 1991, at the football club’s annual general meeting, the decision was made to ban neo-Nazis from the stadium and to make anti-fascism club policy.[33] The club also promotes multicultural engagement and grassroots activism, supporting refugees, marginalised youth, and local squatter communities. It has hosted initiatives such as the FIFI Wild Cup, an alternative to the 2006 World Cup for nations not recognised by FIFA, and during the European refugee crisis of the mid-2010s, the club allowed refugees to stay overnight at the Millerntor Stadium and supported fundraising efforts for organisations assisting migrants in the Mediterranean.[31] St. Pauli has also acted in response to fan protests over sexism. In 2002, advertisements for the men's magazine Maxim were removed from the Millerntor-Stadion due to their depictions of women.[34] In 2011, the club banned lap dancers from performing for guests in a corporate suite belonging to a local lap dance club, following complaints from supporters.[35] These actions, along with the club’s broader social and political initiatives, have contributed to the establishment of over 400 official supporter clubs worldwide.[30]

The club's footballing performance has varied, including relegation to the third division in 2003 and near relegation in 2015. Despite this, the fanbase remains engaged, prioritising the club's social and cultural values over purely sporting success. During the 2010–2011 Bundesliga season, fans protested commercial practices that they felt compromised the club's identity, including VIP boxes and corporate sponsorships.[30]

FC St. Pauli has been supported by both local and international musicians. Local contributors include Dave Doughman and his band Swearing at Motorists, who released the song St. Pauli 'til I die and established a music school at the Millerntor Stadium. Other international musicians seen supporting the club include Ed Sheeran, Blink 182, Fontaines D.C., Green Day, Bad Religion, and the Kaiser Chiefs.[16] Songs linked to the club include AC/DC's Hells Bells and Blur's Song 2.[16] In 2017, FC St. Pauli collaborated with the Boston-based punk band Dropkick Murphys on a limited release of a cover of the song You'll Never Walk Alone, and jointly designed a scarf and an exclusive T-shirt featuring the song title. The band has long been associated with St. Pauli and frequently visits the club’s local pub, the Jolly Roger.[36]

In February 2025, St. Pauli suspended the use of the song Das Herz von St. Pauli by fans after research revealed that its original creators, including Hans Albers, Michael Jary, and Josef Ollig, had ties to Nazi propaganda. The club emphasised that an anthem must unify fans, and the historical associations prevented this. Following publication of the findings and member discussions, no plans were made to reinstate the song, and alternative matchday music has been introduced to maintain fan engagement while addressing ethical concerns.[37]

Friendships and rivalries

St. Pauli's politics and values have earned them admiration from other teams around the footballing world, such as Celtic FC and Bohemian FC. Celtic supporters, particularly segments like the Green Brigade, have developed a longstanding friendship with St. Pauli fans, rooted in shared left-wing and anti-fascist outlooks.[38] Connections between the supporters date back to the 1990s, and there is mutual influence in chants, tifos, and political expression. Bohemian FC in Dublin has drawn inspiration from St Pauli’s left‑wing stance, incorporating similar political values into its own club culture and community work, including anti‑racism, LGBT and refugee advocacy.[39]

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". FC St. Pauli's primary rivals are Hamburger SV. Their meetings are known as the Hamburg derby or Stadtderby and are the most significant local fixture in the city. The rivalry stretches back over a century, with the two clubs first meeting in competitive fixtures in the early 20th century and maintaining a long history of encounters. HSV became Hamburg's larger, traditionally wealthier club with a long tenure in the Bundesliga and a more establishment profile, while St. Pauli developed in the port quarter with a distinct identity and supporter culture. The social contrast between the clubs adds to the derby’s intensity; Hamburger SV's supporter base and institutional image have often been associated with more conventional sporting culture and, historically, a less politicised fan environment. In contrast to St. Pauli's politically engaged fan culture, HSV's terraces have at times been sites of right-wing fan presence, contributing to the ideological tensions that accompany the fixture. Head‑to‑head records show HSV with more wins across over 100 matches, but St. Pauli have taken notable victories that carry symbolic weight for their supporters. A prominent example was St. Pauli’s 1–0 win at HSV’s Volksparkstadion in February 2011, their first away derby win there in many years. Another intensification of the rivalry followed HSV’s relegation to the 2. Bundesliga in 2018, increasing the frequency of derby matches. Matches attract heightened attention and occasionally elevated security measures because of the derby’s atmosphere and local importance. Media coverage routinely highlights both the competitive stakes and the cultural symbolism of the fixture, reflecting deep civic loyalties across Hamburg and the broader social identities of each club’s supporters.[40]

FC St. Pauli has a rivalry with Hansa Rostock; when the two face off, it is known as the "Fear Derby". Hansa Rostock is associated with a region that has experienced a rise in right-wing extremism, particularly following the fall of East Germany. Matches between the two frequently involve violent confrontations, heavy police deployment, and disorder both inside and outside the stadium.[41]

Fundamental Principles

St. Pauli were the first club in Germany to integrate a set of Fundamental Principles (Leitlinien) to dictate how the club is run, passed by an overwhelming majority at the club's annual general meeting in 2009.[42]

The first five Principles states that:

  1. In its totality, consisting of members, staff, fans and honorary officers, St Pauli FC is a part of the society by which it is surrounded and so is affected both directly and indirectly by social changes in the political, cultural and social spheres.
  2. St Pauli FC is conscious of the social responsibility this implies, and represents the interests of its members, staff, fans and honorary officers in matters not just restricted to the sphere of sport.
  3. St Pauli FC is the club of a particular city district, and it is to this that it owes its identity. This gives it a social and political responsibility in relation to the district and the people who live there.
  4. St Pauli FC aims to put across a certain feeling for life and symbolises sporting authenticity. This makes it possible for people to identify with the club independently of any sporting successes it may achieve. Essential features of the club that encourage this sense of identification are to be honoured, promoted and preserved.
  5. Tolerance and respect in mutual human relations are important pillars of the St Pauli philosophy.[42]

Players

Current squad

As of 1 September 2025[43]Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

<templatestyles src="Template:Football squad player/styles.css" /> Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Template:Fba/core Ben Voll
2 DF Template:Fba/core Manolis Saliakas
3 DF Template:Fba/core Karol Mets
4 DF Template:Fba/core David Nemeth
5 DF Template:Fba/core Hauke Wahl
6 MF Template:Fba/core James Sands (on loan from New York CityScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".)
7 MF Template:Fba/core Jackson Irvine (captain)
8 DF Template:Fba/core Eric Smith (vice-captain)
9 FW Template:Fba/core Abdoulie Ceesay
10 FW Template:Fba/core Danel Sinani
11 DF Template:Fba/core Arkadiusz Pyrka
14 DF Template:Fba/core Fin Stevens
16 MF Template:Fba/core Joel Chima Fujita
17 MF Template:Fba/core Dapo Afolayan
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 FW Template:Fba/core Martijn Kaars
20 MF Template:Fba/core Erik Ahlstrand
21 DF Template:Fba/core Lars Ritzka
22 GK Template:Fba/core Nikola Vasilj
23 DF Template:Fba/core Louis Oppie
24 MF Template:Fba/core Connor Metcalfe
25 DF Template:Fba/core Adam Dźwigała
26 FW Template:Fba/core Ricky-Jade Jones
27 FW Template:Fba/core Andréas Hountondji (on loan from BurnleyScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".)
28 MF Template:Fba/core Mathias Pereira Lage
30 GK Template:Fba/core Simon Spari
34 DF Template:Fba/core Jannik Robatsch
38 FW Template:Fba/core Romeo Aigbekaen
42 MF Template:Fba/core Marwin Schmitz

Out on loan

<templatestyles src="Template:Football squad player/styles.css" /> Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
FW Template:Fba/core Scott Banks (at Blackpool until 30 June 2026Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".)

FC St. Pauli II

As of 18 June 2025[44]Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

<templatestyles src="Template:Football squad player/styles.css" /> Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Template:Fba/core Kevin Jendrzej
2 DF Template:Fba/core Luca Günther
3 DF Template:Fba/core Muhammad Dahaba
4 DF Template:Fba/core Jannik Westphal
5 MF Template:Fba/core Jamel Gramberg
6 DF Template:Fba/core Thieß Mahnel
7 FW Template:Fba/core Romeo Aigbekaen
8 MF Template:Fba/core Max Herrmann
10 MF Template:Fba/core Rawley St. John
11 FW Template:Fba/core Bennet Winter
No. Pos. Nation Player
12 GK Template:Fba/core Juri Behr
13 DF Template:Fba/core Julius Grunwald
14 DF Template:Fba/core Sisco Ngambia Dzonga
15 DF Template:Fba/core Selçuk Rinal
16 MF Template:Fba/core Ols Backhaus
17 FW Template:Fba/core Haron Sabah
18 MF Template:Fba/core Luis Jahraus
19 FW Template:Fba/core Toralf Hense
20 FW Template:Fba/core Isma Baraze Adam
27 FW Template:Fba/core Oleg Skakun

Notable players

International players

The following international players have also played for St. Pauli:

<templatestyles src="Div col/styles.css"/>

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Greatest ever team

In 2010, as part of the club's celebration of its 100th anniversary, fans voted the following players as the best in the club's history:[46]

Coaching staff

File:2025-04-23 - FC St Pauli - Alexander Blessin - Peter Németh.jpg
Head coach Alexander Blessin (left) and assistant coach Peter Németh in 2025
Position Name
Head coach Template:Flagicon Alexander Blessin
Assistant coach Template:Flagicon Peter Németh
Goalkeeping coach Template:Flagicon Sven Van Der Jeugt
Athletic coach Template:Flagicon Karim Rashwan
Template:Flagicon Thomas Barth
Template:Flagicon Frederic Bokelmann
Match analyst Template:Flagicon Sami Pierau
Performance Manager Template:Flagicon Dr. James Morgan
Club Doctor Template:Flagicon Dr. Sebastian Schneider
Template:Flagicon Dr. Volker Carrero
Physiotherapists Template:Flagicon Dominik Körner
Template:Flagicon Jan Altmeyer
Osteopath Template:Flagicon Florian Lechner
Kit Manager Template:Flagicon Siegmar Krahl
Template:Flagicon Thorge Düwer
Template:Flagicon Kenta Kambara
Team Manager Template:Flagicon Jonas Wömmel

Managerial history

As of 24 August 2025[47]Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Honours

League

Cup

Reserve team

Records

Note: FC St. Pauli did not play in the Bundesliga or the 2. Bundesliga until 1974, 1979–1984, 1985–86 and 2003–2007.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Statistics are correct as of 22 June 2022.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Most appearances overall

Script error: No such module "Unsubst". BL = Bundesliga, 2.BL = 2. Bundesliga, OLN = Oberliga Nord (1947–1963), RLN = Regionalliga Nord (1963–1974)
OtL = Other leagues: Oberliga Nord (1974–1994), Regionalliga Nord (since 1994)
Cup = DFB-Pokal, OtC = Other competitions: German championship (1947–1951), Relegation play-offs, Hamburg Cup

Rank Name First Last BL 2.BL OLN RLN OtL Cup OtC Total
1 Template:Flagicon Jürgen Gronau 1981 1997 117 202 112 21 24 476
2 Template:Flagicon André Trulsen 1986 2005 177 206 1 20 5 409
3 Template:Flagicon Klaus Thomforde 1983 1998 100 217 42 17 13 389
4 Template:Flagicon Harald Stender 1947 1960 336 5 15 356
5 Template:Flagicon Ingo Porges 1956 1968 166 147 3 12 328
6 Template:Flagicon Peter Osterhoff 1958 1970 138 170 3 9 320
7 Template:Flagicon Werner Pokropp 1960 1970 78 223 3 11 315
8 Template:Flagicon André Golke 1983 1991 98 107 62 10 16 293
9 Template:Flagicon Fabian Boll 2003 2014 28 141 103 19 1 292
10 Template:Flagicon Michael Dahms 1982 1991 65 97 97 8 22 289

Most appearances in Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga

[48][49]

Rank Name Years Bundesliga 2. Liga Total
1 Template:Flagicon André Trulsen 1986–1991, 1994–2002 177 206 383
2 Template:Flagicon Jürgen Gronau 1984–1997 117 202 319
3 Template:Flagicon Klaus Thomforde 1984–2000 100 217 317
4 Template:Flagicon Dirk Dammann 1990–1999 81 179 260
5 Template:Flagicon Holger Stanislawski 1993–2003 80 178 258
6 Template:Flagicon Dietmar Demuth 1974–1979, 1984–1988 34 192 226
7 Template:Flagicon André Golke 1984–1991 98 107 205
8 Template:Flagicon Daniel Buballa 2014–2021 191 191
9 Template:Flagicon Christopher Buchtmann 2012–2022 190 190
10 Template:Flagicon Stephan Hanke 1994–2000 61 119 180

Top goalscorers in Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga

Numbers in brackets indicate appearances made.[50][51]

Rank Name Years Bundesliga 2. Liga Total Ratio
1 Template:Flagicon Rüdiger Wenzel 1974–1975, 1984–1990 4 (27) 59 (137) 63 (164) 0.38
2 Template:Flagicon Franz Gerber 1976–1978, 1986–1988 16 (32) 42 (73) 58 (105) 0.55
3 Template:Flagicon Dirk Zander 1986–1991 20 (80) 31 (90) 51 (170) 0.30
4 Template:Flagicon André Golke 1984–1991 25 (98) 24 (107) 49 (205) 0.24
5 Template:Flagicon Marius Ebbers 2008–2013 3 (31) 43 (107) 46 (138) 0.33
6 Template:Flagicon Marcus Marin 1994, 1997–2000 40 (102) 40 (102) 0.39
7 Template:Flagicon Martin Driller 1991–1997 10 (49) 29 (103) 39 (152) 0.26
8 Template:Flagicon Horst Neumann 1974–1979 3 (25) 33 (132) 36 (157) 0.23
9 Template:Flagicon Jens Scharping 1993–1998 12 (46) 20 (55) 32 (101) 0.32
10 Template:Flagicon Rolf Höfert 1974–1979 3 (23) 28 (118) 31 (141) 0.22

Recent seasons

The club's recent seasons: Template:List missing criteria

Year Division Position
1999–2000 2. Bundesliga (II) 13th
2000–01 2. Bundesliga 3rd (promoted)
2001–02 Bundesliga (I) 18th (relegated)
2002–03 2. Bundesliga (II) 17th (relegated)
2003–04 Regionalliga Nord (III) 8th
2004–05 Regionalliga Nord 7th
2005–06 Regionalliga Nord 6th
2006–07 Regionalliga Nord 1st (promoted)
2007–08 2. Bundesliga (II) 9th
2008–09 2. Bundesliga 8th
2009–10 2. Bundesliga 2nd (promoted)
2010–11 Bundesliga 18th (relegated)
2011–12 2. Bundesliga 4th
2012–13 2. Bundesliga 10th
2013–14 2. Bundesliga 8th
2014–15 2. Bundesliga 15th
2015–16 2. Bundesliga 4th
2016–17 2. Bundesliga 7th
2017–18 2. Bundesliga 12th
2018–19 2. Bundesliga 9th
2019–20 2. Bundesliga 14th
2020–21 2. Bundesliga 10th
2021–22 2. Bundesliga 5th
2022–23 2. Bundesliga 5th
2023–24 2. Bundesliga 1st (promoted)
2024–25 Bundesliga 14th
2025–26 Bundesliga

Other sports

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote".

The St. Pauli rugby section has several teams, both in the men's and women's leagues.

The men's rugby department has not been as successful as its female counterpart, reaching the German final only once, in 1964.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". In 2008–09, St. Pauli was the only club to have a team in both the rugby and football 2nd Bundesliga.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". In 2008–09, the men's team finished fourth in the second division.

The women's team have won the German rugby union championship eight times (1995, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005–08) and the sevens championship 3 times (2000, 2001 and 2002).Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Several of their players play in the national squad.

St. Pauli has a blind football team which plays in the Blindenfussball Bundesliga.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

St. Pauli also has a Roller Derby team known as Harbor Girls Hamburg.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

The club's chess section competes in the German Chess Bundesliga. In 2024, the section landed a coup when they were able to recruit five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen to play in Bundesliga matches for them. Carlsen made his debut for St. Pauli on 11 January 2025.[52]

Notable presidents

Template:List missing criteria

See also

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

  1. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. Fabian Balicki: Więcej niż piłka nożna? St. Pauli jest tą możliwością. Poligraf, 2015, Template:ISBN.
  4. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".
  30. a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. a b Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  32. Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  33. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  39. Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  40. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  43. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  44. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  45. Jankowski/Pistorius/Prüß, Fußball im Norden (Barsinghausen 2005), p. 100
  46. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  47. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  48. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  49. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  50. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  51. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  52. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

External links

Template:Sister project

Script error: No such module "Navbox". Script error: No such module "navbox". Script error: No such module "Navbox". Script error: No such module "Navbox". Script error: No such module "Navbox". Template:U17 Bundesliga North Northeast Template:Portal bar Template:Authority control