St. Pauli

FC St. Pauli is a football club unlike any other. With an unremarkable existence bouncing between the second and third tiers since the 1960s, and an honours list consisting mostly of local cup competitions, St, Pauli have always lived in the shadow of Hamburger SV, their more illustrious neighbour. In the last 30 years however, this club from the west of Hamburg, home to the notorious Reeperbahn red-light district, has grown to become one of the most popular clubs in Germany and around the world. Promotions are celebrated, relegations commiserated, but this 'cult' club is more renowned for what its fans do off the pitch - fighting against racism, sexism and homophobia, both in society and on the terraces. This book goes behind the skull and crossbones to tell the story of a football club that is about more than just trophies and star signings. In a sporting landscape governed by corporate capitalism, driven by revenue and increasingly divorced from community, St. Pauli and its fans show that another football is possible. Book jacket.