German Football

FC Astoria Walldorf

Absolutely had no intention of doing this one. But. Sometimes you come across a team that just demands a deeper dive behind the scenes, and FC Astoria Walldorf – competing in the Regionalliga Südwest (the German fourth tier) – are just such a team. One of my all-time favourite history stories is that of John Jacob Astor, and this team, and this badge, pay homage to that man. So let's #GetTheBadgeIn and see what is behind this badge and the team's name... To begin this tale, w

Jun 174 min read

SC Freiburg

Tonight Sports Club Freiburg will take to the pitch at Tüpraş Stadium in Istanbul to play in their first ever European final - for a chance to win the Europa League Trohpy. England's historic Aston Villa stand in their way. Freiburg have been on supreme form in Europe this season as they're progressed to the final, making short of work of Belgium's Genk (5-2), Spain's Celta Vigo (6-1) and Portugal's Braga (4-3). But who are they? They aren't the most famous of German teams -

May 214 min read

FSV Mainz 05

Mainz, Germany. Located on the west bank of the Rhine River – Northern Europe’s most important trade route. It sits opposite Wiesbaden and close to Frankfurt, making it an important transport hub for the wider region. Its football team, FSV Mainz 05 (founded in 1905 – hence the 05, as many German teams do), has in recent decades cemented itself in the Bundesliga without really challenging for the top positions. A few Europa League forays and a quarter-final appearance in the

May 56 min read

FC Schalke 04

A club founded in 1904 (hence of 04), with a huge history, a massive fan base, and one of the strongest traditions of supporter involvement in European football. Relegated recently, yes – but back again now in the Bundasliga and ready to mix it with the big boys of the continent. They have a proud history, able to boast 7 league titles, five German Cups and a UEFA Cup win. They are the 6th biggest club in Europe if using club membership as a metric. To understand Schalke, th

May 14 min read

Hamburg SV

Hamburg SV (Sport-Verein = Sports Club) is a German Bundesliga team from the large and important port city of Hamburg. It is, like many European and Asian teams, a multi-sports club, but its most famous and biggest team by far is its football club. Since their foundation in 1919 they’ve had some remarkable success down the ages: six-time German league champions and winners of the German Cup three times. Last season, they won promotion back to the top division, and this seaso

May 13 min read