FC Union Berlin vs. TuS Koblenz (3:2) (2. Bundesliga, 19. Februar 2010)
1:0 Dogan (11.), 1:1 Kapllani (14.), 2:1 Dogan (28.), 2:2 Hartmann (48.), 3:2 Stuff (59.)
Attendance: 10.046
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| Teams coming onto pitch |
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| Sector 2 Fans |
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| Free kick taken by Union |
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| Corner taken by Koblenz |
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| East Devils, one of Union's many fanclubs |
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| Sector 1 and sector 4 |
Here you get a two-for-one deal, as there is not one, but two clubs named Union in Berlin!
Founded 1966 in it's current format, but the roots are much deeper. In 1906, SC Olympia 06 Oberschönweide was created, and it took 14 years to give up the Olympics and they became SC Union. In 1923, they were defeated by Hamburger SV in the finals of the German championship. In the interwar period, Union was one of Berlin's premier clubs, winning the local championship and playing at the larger German stage.
In the post WWII period, Union was split. The players and coaches fled to the West, and created "Union Berlin", whereas the eastern part of the club remained SG Oberschönweide. The Union team was a powerhouse in Berlin, and big matches drew huge crowds. In 1953, a playoff against Hamburg drew 85,000 into the Olympia stadion, and a decisive game against Tennis Borussia drew 75,000. However, with the construction of the Berlin wall in 1961, things began to go down hill rapidly. Today Union 06 plays in the lower divisions before crowds consisting of players girlfriends, wives and kids.
The eastern branch of the club finally gave up the district name, and became 1.FC Union Berlin in 1966. Now there were two "Unions" in non-unified Berlin, but with the collapse of the western side, FCU became the dominant force. FCU remained the most pouplar East Berlin club for several years. The sole "honor" would be the winning of the GDR-Cup back in 1968. Gradually, they began to lose ground to the cheaters at Dynamo Berlin, the Stasi club.
After the reunification, Union continued to have decent results on the field, but the financial situation brought the club on the verge of oblivion. Only a last minute fan protest saved the club. Although things were a bit tight, they survived and were eventually able to bring in sponsors.
The goal for 1998-99 was champions, and as a result, it has to be considered disappointing. Union challenged for most of the season, but when Chemnitz really turned up the heat, they folded like a deck of cards. On the financial side, things took a nice turn however, as major sponsorship deals enable the club not only to survive, but strengthen for the future. The 2000 season started off well, but with the end in sight, ended in bitter disappointment. After dominating the Regionalliga Nordost, Union dropped the playoffs against VfL Osnabrueck. Both games ended in 1-1 draws, but Osnabrueck won on penalties. Then after a 3-1 victory over South runner up SC Pfullendorf in the "last chance" playoffs, Berlin lost 1-2 at LR Ahlen, thereby failing to make the goal of 2.Liga.
The 2000-01 season will go down in history as a great one for Eisern Union. The Berliners started out slow, but got rolling in full gear by midterm, and ended up easily winning the Regionalliga and gaining promotion to the 2.Liga. Undoubtedly, Union fans were doubly thrilled when rivals Dynamo Berlin got stuck in the 4th division because they couldn't get a license, and Tennis Borussia basically totally collapsed into oblivion.
Playing in the 2.Liga was tough, but there is no doubt that Union has now established themselves and the no.2 Berlin club behind Hertha. After dropping in 2004, Union dominated the initial 3.Liga in 2009 to go back to the 2nd level.
HONOURS:
* German championship:
o Runners-up: 1923
* FDGB-Pokal: 1
o Winners 1968
o Runners-up 1986
* German Cup:
o Runners-up 2000–01
* UEFA Cup:
o 2nd Round 2001–02
* Brandenburg football champions: 2
o Winners 1920, 1923
* Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg: 1
o Winners 1940
* Regionalliga Nordost: 1
o Winners 2000–01
* NOFV-Oberliga Nord: 1
o Winners 2005–06
* Berlin Cup: 5
o Winners 1947, 1948, 1994, 2007, 2009
* 3rd Liga: 1
o Winners 2009
STADIUM HISTORY: (wiki)
Stadion An der Alten Försterei (English Stadium near the old Forester's house) is a football stadium in the German capital Berlin. It has been home to football club 1. FC Union Berlin (and its forerunners) since it was opened on 7 August 1920. The stadium's capacity was approximately 18,100 spectators until its complete redevelopment, which commenced in the summer of 2008. It is now just under 19,000 although some important development aspects (seated main stand and V.I.P areas) have not been carried out yet. The club's management, with the backing of the fans, decided the stadium would now have a capacity of just under 19,000 comprising of 3,014 seats (just over the minimum required for the 2. Bundesliga) whilst the rest of the ground remains terracing.
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