( 8 min. documentary)
St. Pauli "Kult" phenomenon
It was in the mid-80's that St. Pauli's transition from a traditional club into a "Kult" club began. The club was also able to turn the location of its ground in the dock area part of town St. Pauli near Hamburg's famous Reeperbahn - centre of the city's nightlife and its red-light district - to its advantage
An alternative fan scene emerged built around left-leaning politics and the "event" and party atmosphere of the club's matches. Supporters adopted the skull and crossbones as their own unofficial emblem. Importantly, St. Pauli became the first team in Germany to officially ban rightwing, nationalist activities and displays in its stadium in an era when fascist inspired football hooliganism
threatened the game across Europe. In 1981, the team was averaging crowds of only 1,600 spectators: by the late 90's they were frequently selling out their entire 20,000 capacity venue.
St. Pauli began a roller coaster ride that saw them in and out of the Bundesliga over the course of the next dozen years. They returned to the Bundesliga in 1988 for a three year stay, followed by another two-season-long run in 1995.
