Supporters
St. Pauli enjoys a certain fame for the left-leaning character of its supporters: most of the team's fans regard themselves as anti-racist, anti-fascist, anti-homophobic and anti-sexist, and this has on occasion brought them into conflict with neo-Nazis and hooligans at away games. The organisation has adopted an outspoken stance against racism, fascism, sexism, and homophobia and has embodied this position in its constitution. Team supporters traditionally participate in demonstrations in the Hamburg district of St. Pauli, including those over squatting or low-income housing, such as the Hafenstraße and Bambule. The centre of fan activity is the Fanladen St. Pauli. St Pauli fans currently have a strong relationship with Celtic F.C fans, Hapoel Tel Aviv fans and Bristol Rovers fans, sharing the iconic 'pirate' theme.
The club prides itself on having the largest number of female fans in all of German football. In 2002, advertisements for the men's magazine Maxim were removed from the team's stadium, in response to fans' protests over the adverts' allegedly sexist depictions of women.
St. Pauli is also a worldwide symbol for punk and related subcultures. The Skull and crossbones logo and the team's brown and white football jerseys have often been worn by international artists such as the bands Asian Dub Foundation, Gaslight Anthem and Panteon Rococo. The KMFDM frontman and Hamburg native Sascha Konietzko is a recognisable St. Pauli fan, at one point placing a huge picture of a fist smashing a swastika on his band's main page, with the caption "St. Pauli Fans gegen Rechts!" ("St. Pauli fans against the Right") underneath it. Another notable supporter and sponsor is Andrew Eldritch, lead singer of band The Sisters of Mercy. On his 2006 "Sisters Bite The Silver Bullet"- tour, Eldritch wore the famous skull and crossbones shirt. Georg Holm, the bassist of the Icelandic post rock band Sigur Rós, has performed at several festivals wearing a St. Pauli t-shirt. Alex Rosamilia, the guitarist for The Gaslight Anthem, frequently wears a St. Pauli hat. Editors guitarist and synthesiser player Chris Urbanowicz frequently wears the skull and crossbones t-shirt. Dave Doughman, the singer for Dayton, Ohio's Swearing at Motorists, who has been spotted in concert with the skull and crossbones on his guitar and amplifier, moved to St. Pauli in 2010. Bad Religion played a charity match against St. Pauli's third team in 2000. German musicians that are fans include: Fettes Brot, Die Ärzte singer/drummer/songwriter Bela B., Kettcar, Tomte and many other bands, most of them underground.
Several bands has also made music directly related to St. Pauli: The Norwegian punk rock band Turbonegro recorded a special version of their song "I Got Erection" with re-worked German lyrics for St. Pauli. In 2009, Italian Ska Combat-Folk Punk band Talco from Marghera, Venice wrote the song "St Pauli". The team has since used the song as an anthem and Talco has played a number of concerts at Millerntor-Stadion. Glasgow band The Wakes have also played the Millerntor, having written "The Pirates of the League" about the club. Also the British band Art Brut has written a song about the club called "St Pauli", which is featured on their album It's A Bit Complicated. In 2010 the FC St. Pauli celerated 100 years. To the jubilee the Fan club 18auf12 had recorded a song: "Happy Birthday St.Pauli, One Hundred Beers for You" (Words and music by Henning Knorr and Christoph Brüx).
When the team plays in Germany's second football division, their home fixtures at the Millerntor use to average greater attendances than any other team and often exceeded turnouts for second division teams. As of the 2011-12 season, St. Pauli is the only team that has close to one hundred percent in average home attendance.
St. Pauli have more holders of season tickets than many Bundesliga teams. One study recently estimated that the team has roughly 11 million fans throughout Germany, making the club one of the most widely recognised German sides. The number of official fan clubs passed 500 in year 2011 which is an increase of 300 over just three years.
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Famous quotes containing the word supporters:
“No Government can be long secure without a formidable Opposition. It reduces their supporters to that tractable number which can be managed by the joint influences of fruition and hope. It offers vengeance to the discontented, and distinction to the ambitious; and employs the energies of aspiring spirits, who otherwise may prove traitors in a division or assassins in a debate.”
—Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881)
“The opposition is indispensable. A good statesman, like any other sensible human being, always learns more from his opponents than from his fervent supporters. For his supporters will push him to disaster unless his opponents show him where the dangers are. So if he is wise he will often pray to be delivered from his friends, because they will ruin him. But though it hurts, he ought also to pray never to be left without opponents; for they keep him on the path of reason and good sense.”
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974)
“The hydra of corruption is only scotched, not dead. An investigation kills and it and its supporters dead. Let this be had.”
—Andrew Jackson (1767–1845)