Introduction
1 FC Union Berlin can trace its roots back to 1906. Under its first name of SC Union 06 Oberschöneweide it was one of the top German teams throughout the early years of the 20th century.
After the war, all sporting organisations were dissolved, but the club reformed as SG Oberschöneweide in 1945.
Its history through the Cold War period (1945 to 1989) mirrored the split in the country. There was a team called Sport-Club Union 06 Berlin in the Western half of the city and a team called Union Oberschöneweide in the East of the city. This team went through a number of name changes, before emerging as 1 FC Union Berlin in 1966.
After German reunification in 1990, the club did well on the field but suffered from massive financial problems.
Success in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s was followed by a decline through the leagues and by 2005 they found themselves in the fourth tier o;f German football.
Since 2008 Union Berlin’s fortuned have improved and they now play in the 2 Bundesliga.
Fans
Union Berlin fans are renowned for their passionate support for their club and the stadium is famous for its atmosphere
In 2008 they completely renovated the stadium themselves working 140,000 hours to create a wonderful football-only stadium. Although it is big enough to hold 21,717 spectators, there are only 3807 seats.
During the 2014 world cup, fans brought sofas to the ground to create a ‘living room’ where they watched games on a big screen.
One of Union’s most famous fans is the singer Nina Hagen whose song ‘Eiserne Union’ (Iron Union) is the club anthem.
Stadium
The stadium is called Stadion an der alten Försterei, which means Stadium at the Old Forester’s House. Because it is built purely for football the fans are very close to the pitch. This, the high number of standing places and the passion of the Union fans leads to a fantastic atmosphere.
Tickets
You can expect to pay between 11 and 13 euros for standing ticket. There is an online ticket shop. The club website has a long list of places in town which sell tickets – and of course you can get them at the ticket office at the stadium (open from 11- 6 Monday to Friday 11 – 8 on Thursdays and on match days)
Directions
The easiest way to get to the ground is by public transport.
First of all you need to get to Ostkreuz station (S5 or S7 depending on where you start from)
Then you get the S3 towards Erkner. You get off at Köpenick – and then it’s a fifteen-minute walk.
Website
https://www.fc-union-berlin.de/en/
