Ewald Highlights!



Here's my favourite excerpt from #FCSPstreamsUSA – featuring an incredible Ewald Lienen rant against the European Super League and commercialisation of football. Enjoy!
 

Nothing Compares to FC St. Pauli

 

Finally, after 685 days, I was back at the Millerntor. I was lucky enough to be pitch side taking photos. The words & pictures are here.

FC St. Pauli YouTube Tonight at 00:05

 

Excited to be moderating an online discussion panel: 'The Future of Independent Football Vol. 2' tonight (Friday 18th June/Saturday 19th June). It starts at five minutes past midnight GMT. On the panel will be Oke Goetlich, President of FC St. Pauli, Ewlad Lienen and Shawn Roggenkamp of New York Supports Club, The East River Pirates. Tune into FC St. Pauli's YouTube channel from 22:45 for a night of FCSP videos, discussion and music.

A nice mention from James Lawrence


Great to get a mention from FCSP's Welsh centre-back, James Lawrence on social media as he discussed things to keep you occupied in the current coronavirus lockdown. Stay safe everyone. Forza Sankt Pauli!

Terrorvision

Worrying development here in the UK (well, one of many!) Last week it was leaked to The Guardian that FC St. Pauli, along with other left-leaning organisations such as Greenpeace and CND have been included on a terrorism list issued by the Counter Terrorism Police. You can read my blog about it here.

In short, it would be a humorous development if it were not for the equivalence between left-leaning, anti-fascist groups and actual *violent* *right-wing* *neo-Nazi* *fascist* organisations. It is worrying that the British authorities can't appear to see a difference.

#FCSPgoesUSA2019 – Emma Goldman & Belva Ann Lockwood


Emma Goldman and Belva Ann Lockwood: the history they won't teach you in school. Also, click here for words and pictures from FC St. Pauli's recent US tour which included games against New York Cosmos and FC Buffalo.

Southampton Transformed

It was great to take part in a panel discussion about ‘The Transformative Power of Football’ at #southamptontransformed on Saturday 8th June 2019. Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell was our support act! Thanks to @fcsp_soton for the invite.

I do own – and occasionally even wear – other t-shirts. It's just I like to rep' FC Lampedusa when speaking at football events ;)

The Rise of Independent Football, New York


From Left: Sean Mann, Tim Kelly, Oke Göttlich, Joe Barone, Shawn Roggenkamp, Prez & Me

On 23 May 2019, in New York, I was honoured to host a panel discussion, "The Rise of Independent Football" as part of the #FCSPgoesUSA tour. The panelists included: Oke Göttlich, President FC St. Pauli; Sean Mann, Co-owner Detroit City FC; Tim Kelly, Chairman Chattanoga FC; Joe Barone, Vice President New York Cosmos; Shawn Roggenkamp, East River Pirates and Anthoney 'Prez' Stephens, Journalist and Active Cosmos fan.

The discussion focused on how football club's could seek a different and independent course in an increasingly commercialised and globalised football world. Topics also included fan activism, anti-fascism and moving towards a parity/equality in the men an women's professional game. 
From fcstpauli.com
Pre-panel briefing

The Transformative Power of Football

Excited to be joining the panel for the discussion 'The Transformative Power of Football' at Southampton Transormed on Saturday 8th June. 

#FCSPgoesUSA2


Like fellow Hamburg residents, The Beatles before them FC St. Pauli are trying to break America. They are Back in the USS, err, A on 23 May 2018 FCSP play an international friendly against New York Cosmos, two days later they take on FC Buffalo. 

At 11.00am on Thursday 23, prior to the Cosmos fixture, I am delighted to be hosting a panel discussion' The Rise of Independent Football' at the Novatel in Times Square. Panelists include: FCSP President Oke Goettlich, Sean Mann (Co-owner of Detroit City FC), Joe Barone (New York Cosmos Senior Vice President), Shawn Roggenkamp (East River Pirates), Patrick Infurna (active Cosmos fan group member).

The full details of the tour can be accessed here.

Detroit City FC & FC St. Pauli - A Different Kind of Football

As part of FC St. Pauli’s trip to Detroit in May 2018, I was delighted to host a panel discussion: “Detroit City FC and FC St. Pauli – A Different Kind of Football” at the Motor City Hotel & Casino.
In addition to the CEO of Detroit City FC, Sean Mann and St. Pauli President Oke Göttlich were also on the podium. Stefan Szymanski from the University of Michigan (author of Soccernomics), Jackie, a representative from DCFC’s Northern Guard Supporters, Christian Weiß from the FCSP partner Levi's and Ewald Lienen, Technical Director of FC St. Pauli.

The lovely people at the Fell In Love With A Girl podcast put together a recording of the event, you can listen to it here.

From St. Pauli to Detroit #FCSPgoesUSA


At the end of the 2017/18 season FC St. Pauli travelled to the US for an end of season tour. I was fortunate enough to tag along for the Detroit leg of the trip. This was no corporate brand expansion tour, this trip was about solidarity, forging international friendships and showing Trump that his brand of fascism won't be tolerated. Read about it in detail here.

A podcast by Fell In Love With A Girl discussing the tour can be found here

#FCSPgoesUSA

London calling Hamburg & Brighton rocks!


A busy week of talking all things #FCSP. On Saturday 21st October, Hamburg on Tour took over The Boiler House in Brick Lane to promote the city. I took part in a book talk in the afternoon, followed by my short-lived career as a chat show host, interviewing the wonderful Ewald Lienen. A last minute upgrade of venue to the main stage meant my plan to get fans to ask the questions had to be hurriedly superseded by some amateur questioning from me.

It was great to see Ewald again, he's an incredible ambassador for the club.


On Wednesday 25th October it was time to head to Brighton for a book talk organised by Whitehawk Ultras at the lovely Cowley Club in Brighton. Great to meet so many like-minded individuals fighting racism, fascism, sexism and homophobia down on the south coast. Great to meet people from Whitehawk and Eastbourne Town's Pier Pressure. 

Hamburg on Tour (with Ewald Lienen!)

Delighted to be speaking at Hamburg on Tour event at The Boiler House in Brick Lane on Saturday 21st October. In the afternoon, at 2.00pm, I'll be doing my first ever book reading (I've always tried to dodge them in the past!) and then, at 6.40pm, I'll be sitting alongside FCSP legend, Ewald Lienen, talking all things St. Pauli. Come along. 
Before that at The Zeitgeist on Friday 20th October at 7.00pm, I'll be listening to Ewald Lienen's Q&A with members of Lond St. Pauli. It should be a great evening. I'll bring some copies of the book along too!

Ten Years On: The Score Remains The Same


August marked ten years since my first visit to the Millerntor. Read my reflections on the last decade; the game against 1. FC Heidenheim; the Museum Wine Bar; and Thorsten Baering's Retrospective photo exhibition here.

The Heart of Portland, Oregon


Fans of Portland Timbers and FC St. Pauli have more in common than most. Read about fan culture in the Pacific North West here.

A massively overdue write-up of my trip to America, presenting at North American Society for Sports History (NASSH) conference at California State University in Fullerton and then discussing fan culture with Booked107 in Portland. 


Fell in Love with a Girl - Podcast

Here's a link to a podcast interview that was recorded during my recent trip to Portland with Shawn from the Fell in Love with a Girl podcast. We'd just come off the back of a three-hour discussion with the @Booked107 crew, and the podcast was recorded with the Portland Thorns game at New Jersey going on in the background. Look out for the penalty save that occurs about 22 minutes in! Another positive: I don't even sound too mockney in this one! I'm putting it down to the positive influence of a certain velvet-voiced Canadian...

Portland: Booked 107

A few photos from a fabulous Booked 107 event hosted by the lovely people at Cider Riot. Booked 107 is a Timbers Army outreach project that claims to have the largest 'soccer' lending library in North America!

I was very fortunate to follow in the footsteps of Bill Buford and Gwenolyn Oxenham by participating in a book talk and Q&A session. The session last three hours and included a live Skype link-up with Sönke Goldbeck, member of FC St. Pauli's Supervisory Board. I was looked after incredibly well for the duration of my stay in Portland; was fortunate enough to take in a game with the Timbers Army; and be able to forge links between the Timbers and FCSP – united in fighting fascism, racism, sexism and homophobia. 

A full report of the trip will follow shortly. 

 


NASSH 2017



An enjoyable presentation and discussion talking about FC St. Pauli's support for refugees at the 45th Annual Convention of the North American Society for Sport History at California State University, Fullerton. I was part of a panel discussing 'building communities through sport'. 


BOOKED! In Portland!


 
Booked Club: Pirates, Punks & Politics: FC St. Pauli - Falling in Love with a Radical Football Club
Date: 03 Jun 2017 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Location: Cider Riot! 807 NE Couch St, Portland, OR 97232 
 
Super-excited to be speaking for the BOOKED! The Timbers Army Library & Literacy Outreach Project next week. I am also lucky enough to be taking in a Portland Timbers game the night before. So it will be a great opportunity to compare progressive fan scenes either side of the Atlantic. Hopefully, there will be some special guests from Hamburg too linking up via Skype.