Fixtures

Europe Friendlies 03/21 11:00 - Union Berlin vs Magdeburg - View
Germany Bundesliga I 03/30 14:30 27 Eintracht Frankfurt vs Union Berlin - View
Germany Bundesliga I 04/06 13:30 28 Union Berlin vs Bayer Leverkusen - View
Germany Bundesliga I 04/12 18:30 29 Augsburg vs Union Berlin - View
Germany Bundesliga I 04/20 16:30 30 Union Berlin vs Bayern Munich - View
Germany Bundesliga I 04/27 13:30 31 Borussia M'gladbach vs Union Berlin - View

Results

Germany Bundesliga I 03/16 14:30 26 [14] Union Berlin v Werder Bremen [10] W 2-1
Germany Bundesliga I 03/08 19:30 25 [3] VfB Stuttgart v Union Berlin [14] L 2-0
Germany Bundesliga I 03/02 14:30 24 [14] Union Berlin v Borussia Dortmund [4] L 0-2
Germany Bundesliga I 02/24 14:30 23 [13] Union Berlin v Heidenheim [10] D 2-2
Germany Bundesliga I 02/17 14:30 22 [9] TSG Hoffenheim v Union Berlin [15] W 0-1
Germany Bundesliga I 02/10 14:30 21 [15] Union Berlin v Wolfsburg [11] W 1-0
Germany Bundesliga I 02/07 17:30 18 [17] Mainz v Union Berlin [15] D 1-1
Germany Bundesliga I 02/04 16:30 20 [5] RB Leipzig v Union Berlin [15] L 2-0
Germany Bundesliga I 01/28 14:30 19 [15] Union Berlin v Darmstadt [18] W 1-0
Germany Bundesliga I 01/24 19:30 13 [2] Bayern Munich v Union Berlin [15] L 1-0
Germany Bundesliga I 01/19 19:30 18 Mainz v Union Berlin - PPT.
Germany Bundesliga I 01/13 14:30 17 [8] SC Freiburg v Union Berlin [15] D 0-0

Stats

 TotalHomeAway
Matches played 52 26 26
Wins 18 12 6
Draws 8 4 4
Losses 26 10 16
Goals for 64 40 24
Goals against 73 34 39
Clean sheets 14 8 6
Failed to score 19 7 12

Wikipedia - 1. FC Union Berlin

1. Fußballclub Union Berlin e. V., commonly known as 1. FC Union Berlin (pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stɐ ʔɛfˈt͡seː ʔuˈni̯oːn bɛʁˈliːn] ) or Union Berlin, is a professional German football club based in Köpenick, Berlin.

The club's origins can be traced to 1906, when its predecessor FC Olympia Oberschöneweide was founded. During the Cold War, Union was based in East Berlin, joining the German league structure upon the reunification of the city and country in 1990. From 2009 until 2019, they competed in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football. In 2019, Union won promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in the club's history. In 2021, Union finished seventh in the league to qualify to the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League. In 2022, the club qualified for the UEFA Europa League by finishing fifth. The following season, the club qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history, by finishing fourth in the Bundesliga.

The home ground of the club is the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. It is the second-largest in the German capital and has been home to Union Berlin and its forerunners since it opened in 1920. The stadium also hosts concerts and the annual Weihnachtssingen Christmas carols event.

As of 2022, Union Berlin has 45,000 official members. The club has become well known for its enthusiastic and creative fan base and its chant "Eisern Union" (Iron Union).

History

First foundation (1906–1945)

The name 1. FC Union Berlin was used by two football clubs that shared a common origin as FC Olympia Oberschöneweide, founded in 1906 in Oberschöneweide, which at that time was a suburb of Berlin.[] The side took on the name SC Union 06 Oberschöneweide in 1910.[] Union was one of Berlin's premier clubs[] in the interwar period, regularly winning local championships and competing at the national level, including an appearance in the 1923 German championship final which they lost 0–3 to Hamburger SV.

Early on, the team was nicknamed "Schlosserjungs" (English: metalworker-boys) because of their then all blue kit, reminiscent of the typical work clothing worn in the factories of the industrial Oberschöneweide district. The popular cry of Union supporters – "Eisern Union!" (Iron Union) – also emerged at this time. Since its foundation the club has had a distinct working-class image,[] in contrast to other local clubs with more middle-class origins, such as Viktoria 89 Berlin, Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin, BSV 92 Berlin or Tennis Borussia Berlin.

In 1933, German football was reorganized under the Third Reich into 16 top-flight divisions known as Gauligen. Oberschöneweide became part of the Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg, where they generally[] earned middling,[] unexceptional[] results. They were relegated in 1935 and returned to first division play in 1936 after only one season's absence.[] In 1940, the team finished first in Group B of the division and then defeated Blau-Weiß 90 (1–2, 3–0) to win the overall division title.[] That advanced the club to the national playoffs where they were put out by Rapid Wien in the opening group round (2–3, 1–3).[] Union resumed its place as an unremarkable side.[][] They were relegated again in 1942 and played the final war-shortened Gauliga season in 1944–45.

Dissolution and split (1945–1961)

Coach Hanne Sobek (left) in 1955.
Historical chart of Union Berlin league performance

After World War II, occupying Allied authorities ordered the dissolution of all organizations in Germany, including sports and football associations. A new sport community called SG Oberschöneweide was formed in late 1945 and it played in the City League organized immediately after the war which had four regional departments.[] The team did not qualify to the newly created Oberliga Berlin (I) in 1946 after a poor season, but was promoted in 1947, won the division title right away and regained club status as SG Union Oberschöneweide during 1948–49.

The club finished the 1949–50 season in second place in Berlin and qualified to take part in the national final rounds. However, escalating Cold War tensions led Soviet authorities to refuse the team permission to travel to take part. Two Union teams then emerged as most players and coaches fled to the west to form Sport-Club Union 06 Berlin which took part in the scheduled playoff match in Kiel against Hamburger SV, losing 0–7.

The players remaining in the east carried on as SG Union Oberschöneweide while a number of players who had fled to the west to form SC organized a third side called Berliner Ballspiel-Club Südost.[] The western team was a strong side until the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, drawing huge crowds to matches in the Olympiastadion. The division of the city led to a change of fortunes for BBC Südost which plays today in the lower divisions before meagre[] crowds.

Restart as Union Berlin (1961–1990)

Ulrich Prüfke (captain) and Ralph Quest raise the FDGB Pokal trophy in 1968.

The eastern branch of the club went through a number of name changes: Union Oberschöneweide (1950), BSG Motor Oberschöneweide (1951), SC Motor Berlin (1955), TSC Oberschöneweide (1957), TSC Berlin (1963) – finally becoming the football club 1. FC Union Berlin in 1966.

1. FC Union Berlin was founded during the reorganization of East German football in December 1965 and January 1966, when ten dedicated football clubs were created. However, the football department of TSC Berlin was originally not taken into account. Only two clubs were planned for East Berlin, to be formed from the football departments of ASK Vorwärts Berlin and SC Dynamo Berlin. This was already contrary to the original plan, which had envisioned only one football club per district. And the football department of TSC Berlin was only playing in the second tier DDR-Liga at the time.

1. FC Union Berlin was allegedly founded[] on the initiative of the powerful Herbert Warnke. Herbert Warnke was the chairman of the state-controlled national trade union FDGB and a member of the SED Politburo. Another SED politician and Politburo member who pushed for the founding of 1. FC Union Berlin was the SED First Secretary in East Berlin Paul Verner. Both ASK Vorwärts Berlin and SC Dynamo Berlin were associated with the armed organs (German: Bewaffnete Organe der DDR). Warnke therefore argued for the creation of a third "civilian club" for the working people in East Berlin. He would become a passionate fan of 1. FC Union Berlin and a sponsoring member of the club.

1. FC Union Berlin was established in the middle of one of the largest industrial centers in East Germany. 1. FC Union Berlin was initially supported by the FDGB.[] The intention of the SED to win the support from FDGB for 1. FC Union Berlin was likely well thought out. The FDGB unified all workers in East Germany and therefore was most likely[] to carry the proper identity[] for a club of the working people. The club was founded in a ceremony in the clubhouse of VEB Transformatorenwerk Oberschöneheide "Karl Liebknecht" (TRO) in Oberschöneweide on 20 January 1966. The founding of the club was organized by the then-SED First Secretary in Köpenick, Hans Modrow. Like Herbert Warnke, Hans Modrow would be a sponsoring member of the club. SED Politburo member Paul Verner held a speech at the inaugural meeting.

1. FC Union Berlin was the only football club not playing in the DDR-Oberliga at the time of its founding. As a dedicated football club, it was elevated into the upper tier of privileged elite clubs. The official sponsor of 1. FC Union Berlin was the state-owned combine VVB Hochspannungsgeräte und Kabel, which implemented its support through VEB Kabelwerk Oberspree, VEB Transformatorenwerk Oberschöneweide and other local state-owned enterprises. The first club president was the general director of VVB Hochspannungsgeräte und Kabel, Werner Otto, and his deputy was the SED Second Secretary in East Berlin, Hans Wagner. Even as a "civilian club", 1. FC Union Berlin was part of the state sports political system. The most important positions on the board of 1. FC Union Berlin would exclusively be held by directors of state-owned factories or SED representatives. 1. FC Union Berlin was state-funded and all club decisions had to be reported to the all-powerful central sports agency DTSB. In turn, the DTSB stood under direct control of the SED Central Committee.

The support from the FDGB ended when Herbert Warnke was replaced by Harry Tisch as the chairman of the FDGB in 1975. Tisch had begun his political career in Rostock and instead gave his support to FC Hansa Rostock. This event was remarkable,[] as it revealed the large influence that high-ranking politicians exerted on football in East Germany. 1. FC Union Berlin would then had to rely on support from the regional district administration of the ruling SED party in East Berlin and local state-owned enterprises.[] The main sponsors would be VEB Kabelwerk Oberspree (KWO), VEB Transformatorenwerk Oberschöneweide (TRO) and VEB Werk für Fernsehelektronik (WF). 1. FC Union Berlin developed a bitter rivalry with BFC Dynamo, which was supported by the Stasi. While their arch rivals won 10 titles in a row, Union yo-yoed between the DDR-Oberliga and the DDR-Liga with very little success. Union managed to win the East German Cup in 1968 when they defeated FC Carl Zeiss Jena 2–1 although they lost in their second cup appearance in 1986 to 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig by a score of 1–5.

The East German state-owned film studio DEFA produced a documentary about the supporters of 1. FC Union Berlin in 1989. The documentary is called "And Fridays at the Green Hell" and follows a group of supporters of 1. FC Union Berlin to both home and away matches during the 1987–88 season.

2. Bundesliga era (1990–2019)

Supporters choreography in 2010

After German reunification in 1990, the team continued to perform well on the field,[] but almost collapsed financially. They managed to hang on through some tight times[] and find sponsorship, but only after winning their division in both 1993 and 1994 and each time being denied a license to play in the 2. Bundesliga due to their financial problems. The club had another close brush[] with financial failure in 1997.

Union again came close to advancing to the 2. Bundesliga in 1998–99 and 1999–2000, but were disappointed.[][] They were finally successful in 2000–01, under Bulgarian manager Georgi Vasilev, easily winning the Regionalliga Nord (III) and moving up a division to become the city's second most popular side.[] That same[] year they appeared in the final of the German Cup where they lost 0–2 to FC Schalke 04, and advanced as far as the second round in UEFA Cup before being put out by Bulgarian side PFC Litex Lovech. The club slipped to the Regionalliga Nord (III) in 2004–05 and then to the NOFV-Oberliga Nord (IV) in 2005–06, but returned to third division play after capturing[] the Oberliga title. In 2008–09, Union became one of the founding clubs of the new 3. Liga, and its inaugural champion, securing first place and promotion to the 2. Bundesliga on 10 May.

A controversy erupted[] in 2011 when it became publicly known[] that club president Dirk Zingler had been a member of the Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment for three years during his military service. Only two years before, Zingler had cancelled a sponsorship deal with the company International Sport Promotion (ISP) because the head of the board at the company had been a Stasi officer. The Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment was the paramilitary wing of the Stasi.[] Zingler explained that he had sought to spend his military service in Berlin and that he was unaware beforehand that the regiment belonged to the Stasi. However, the Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment was an elite formation; it was not possible to simply apply for the regiment.[] The Stasi selected who it thought were best fit to serve with the regiment, only accepting recruits who were "loyal to the line". Zingler had also been a member of the Socialist Unity Party (SED) and leader in the Free German Youth (FDJ) at the time. Speaking about the reports on Zingler in 2011, Union Press spokesman Christian Arbeit said: "We do have a very unique history, compared to other clubs. But it wasn't us that always claimed we were this big anti-Stasi club. These are stories that get simplified in the media."

On 1 June 2018, Swiss coach Urs Fischer was announced as new head coach of the club. The team remained in the second tier until the 2018–19 season, when they secured a first promotion to the Bundesliga after defeating VfB Stuttgart in the relegation play-offs. The club's supporters invaded the pitch after the victory, but no one was harmed.

Bundesliga era and European football (2019–present)

Union Berlin became the first Bundesliga club from the former East Berlin and the sixth from the former East Germany, after Dynamo Dresden, Hansa Rostock, VfB Leipzig, Energie Cottbus, and RB Leipzig. The team is the sixth to win promotion from the 2. Bundesliga by beating the 16th-placed Bundesliga team in the playoff – since it began in the 1981–82 season, the others being Bayer Uerdingen, 1. FC Saarbrücken, Stuttgarter Kickers, 1. FC Nürnberg and Fortuna Düsseldorf. Ahead of Union Berlin's debut season in the Bundesliga, the club signed Neven Subotić, Anthony Ujah and Christian Gentner, as well as re-signing Marvin Friedrich, who had scored a decisive goal against Stuttgart in the play-offs in the previous season to secure promotion for the club.[] The first ever Bundesliga goal was scored by Sebastian Andersson in a 1–1 draw against Augsburg.[] On 31 August 2019, the club beat Borussia Dortmund 3–1 in a home game, a result that secured its first win in a Bundesliga game. The team finished the season in 11th place, with Sebastian Andersson scoring 12 goals.

On 22 May 2021, in Union Berlin's second Bundesliga season, the club qualified for the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League after finishing seventh, following a 2–1 home win against RB Leipzig, with Max Kruse confirming Union Berlin's first European campaign in twenty years, with a 92nd-minute winner.[] In the following season, the club finished fifth in the league to qualify to the Europa League, where they reached the round of 16. In the 2022–23 season, Union Berlin qualified for the Champions League group stage for the first time in its history, after a 1–0 home win against Werder Bremen on the final matchday.


Union Berlin is a professional soccer team based in Berlin, Germany. The team was founded in 1966 and has since become a prominent force in German soccer. The team plays its home matches at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei, which has a capacity of 22,012 spectators.

Union Berlin has a strong fan base and is known for its passionate supporters who create a lively atmosphere at home matches. The team's colors are red and white, and its logo features a bear standing on its hind legs.

In recent years, Union Berlin has enjoyed success in the German soccer league system, earning promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in the club's history in 2019. The team has also had success in the DFB-Pokal, reaching the semi-finals in 2001 and 2019.

Union Berlin is known for its hard-working and disciplined style of play, with a focus on teamwork and a strong defense. The team has a number of talented players, including striker Max Kruse and goalkeeper Andreas Luthe.

Overall, Union Berlin is a respected and competitive team in German soccer, with a loyal fan base and a strong tradition of success.