Allez Altona 93
Hamburg is different. It almost doesn't feel German. Like Rotterdam or Marseille, a port city of extreme, almost transactional migration. It is a meeting point for people of different religions, backgrounds and nationalities, for sharing ideas, art and thoughts. Even the greetings are different, a warm Moin can mean hello, goodbye and everything in between. A city of sinners and saints, dockers and artists. The Reeperbahn sums this up in a heady mix of vice behind neon, music, culture and self expression. The wider city has stunning architecture, The Chilehaus of Brick Expressionism, or the Herzog & de Meuron designed Elbphilharmonie. Hamburg's uniqueness is everywhere to see, and its football teams are no different, and it's not just the club with the skull and crossbones.
Altona, the borough, used to be Danish and was founded by fishermen, and then independent until 1937, so you can start to see this isn’t an ordinary suburb. It's matchday, one of the cities 'big 2' are playing this evening, but the residential streets and carnival vibe around the Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn is the place to be, a welcoming DJ spinning soul and reggae in front of a pop up bar. Inside is just as splendid, a huge terrace spans the length of the pitch with its overgrown weeds and concrete, a main stand with its seats from the old Volksparkstadion, and behind one goal, a hill, with a DIY scoreboard.
Also, behind the goal, is a dog, wearing a Kutte! Merlin, who is famous in these parts, barks and attempts to save the players shots as they warm up, he is vocal and a very good boy indeed. It’s not everyday you hear Skepta at a match, let alone in a German Oberliga ground. There is fair trade coffee with the Altona badge, slogans that even in German are clear to read, Against Nazis, everyone is equal. Nods to the Freundschaft with Dulwich Hamlet are clear to see. Welcoming taglines are easy to write, and chant, but what is it that makes this community different? Jan, prolific writer of Altona 93 fanzines explains:
“Ten years ago some of us started an antiracist fan tournament called “Cup der Angst - gegen die Festung Europa“ which helped us to collect some money for anti racism initiatives helping migrants and “illegal“ people in our area. By chance, the first tournament was the first occasion the Tennis Borussia supporters presented their 'Fußballfans gegen Homophobie' flag outside Berlin. Some years later our friends from Dulwich Hamlet FC gifted us a 'Football fans against Homophobia' flag with kissing players from our teams at a away match in Buxtehude. When homes for people seeking asylum were built nearby in 2015 we organised a bus transfer to bring the families to the matches and organised some food (as well as a bouncy castle for the kids) together with the club. We collected clothes for them in the winter - and we still do this for people who visit drug consumption rooms.”
“For fifteen years our fanzines have been places that provide information and educate football supporters about history and social issues. We think/hope this might have helped some of us to get involved with left wing ideas. In a more striking way we place slogans (along with our club crest and colours) on stickers: 'Hate Racism - Love Altona', 'Gegen Homophie', 'Gegen Rechts', 'Fight Fascism', 'Good Night White Pride'. Recently, some dedicated supporters got more involved with the club and are organising social media and merchandise now. They are helping to spread those words officially in the name of the club. We use some of the fanzine money to offer free period products”
So as you can see, these aren’t just catchphrases, this is a way of life for Altona. There is a game to be played though, and the teams are out to the Star Wars theme. Its end to end with some fine shots from outside the box, as Currywurst and beer is consumed in numbers. Just before halftime, Tor! For 93, El-Nemr with the goal. Nelly the Elephant theme tune plays out, the DIY scoreboard is adjusted in glee… make that two, Tor! Skillfully finished by the Altona number 7, Sulejmani of Albania. Allez allez Altona rings around the ground.
It’s not just political activism the club gets involved with, it’s inclusivity. Lebenshilfe Soltau, for more than 50 years, has been a self-help association for its residents who are differently abled, and their families. It is doing amazing work in the community, as Martin Rink and Tim Lookhof explain. “We try to achieve inclusion: enable people to be part of the society we live in. We ask residents for advice on how to improve residence, work and leisure activities, rather than dictating to them”
One of these key leisure activities is football. Tim and Martin describe a feeling we are all familiar with, irrespective of our background. “In the first place it means being part of a community. Being on the road or rails to get to the stadium and above all: getting excited during the game. Bertram for example calls Altona “Alkola“, not exactly knowing the meaning of the words ‘league’ or offside… but who cares? They’re all having fun and that’s what counts for them”
Why Altona, or Alkola, as Bertram prefers? There are a myriad of clubs in the Hamburg region. Once again, it’s a exceptional club. “It’s a great community, a cool place and last but not least a safe environment for our people. Stefanie Keding is our door opener at Altona Football Club, covering different tasks at the Club. She also works at one of the facilities for our residents. She always welcomes our people at the stadium when they travel from Soltau to Hamburg by train on their own. In case of delay she calls Tim to keep him updated. During the game Bertram and the rest of the group chit chat with fans to whom they are no strangers anymore” describes Martin. Football is for everyone.
A fairly uneventful second half as the carnival atmosphere is resumed. Altona in complete control, and the scoreline is 3-0, the players celebrating with the fans, a true connection. A quicktime double and it's 4, up to second in the league, this is a special team and club. The Kutte wearing dog is busy looking for Wurst scraps, wheeling away in celebration, and marks his territory on the stand, just like this team did.
Put simply, this is a unique, special place. It's welcoming. If you just like football, it's there for you. If you are different, marginalised in any way, it's there for you. If you want to fight injustices, fight marginalisation, it's there for you.
If you want to learn more about the Lebenshilfe Soltau, you can visit their website lebenshilfe-soltau.de
Jan can be found at https://twitter.com/all_to_nah
