SAMSTAG 15:30

Founded: Jan 1, 1926
Club Members: 657
Nickname: SVWW
Coach: Markus Kauczinski
Captain: Sascha Mockenhaupt

Oberliga Hessen: 1
Landespokal Hessen Winner: 7

Website: www.svww.de

In terms of winning trophies, 1.FC Union Berlin are far from being one of football's most successful clubs. They are however one of its big success stories. Living up to their nickname Eisern Union (Iron Union), they survived the communist regime and post re-unification upheaval to become one of the very few former East German clubs still playing professional football today. They were an alternative for punks, hippies, rockers and social outcasts who rejected the GDR ideology. This is a club that has rebelled against the all-out commercialism of modern football and instead has its roots planted firmly in the working class community it represents. This is a club that takes football back to basics. This is a club of the people.

Although a child of the GDR, Union's origins can be traced back as far as 1906 and up until World War 2 they were a largely uncompetitive side playing first as Olympia Oberschöneweide and later as Union Oberschöneweide in regional championships. They moved into their current Stadion an der Altern Försterei home in 1920 but it wasn't until shortly after the war that the story of how they came to be the 1.FC Union Berlin of today really began.
At the time, the club had more or less fallen apart as players defected to allied controlled West Berlin, and in the east the Soviets intensified their efforts to stamp out fascism which their paranoia led them to believe was harboured in the minds of sportsmen. As a consequence, the order was given for all sports clubs to disband and start from scratch; and it was as a result of this sporting 'Stunde null ' (zero hour) that 1.FC Union Berlin were formed in 1966.
 
The state had total control over everyday life including football, and the Stasi  (State Security Forces) began to favour certain clubs, with BFC Dynamo a particular favourite. With state sponsorship behind them, and amid accusations of biased refs and corruption which saw the best players 'stolen' from other teams, Dynamo won 10 consecutive East German League titles between 1979 and 1988. Players considered to be past their best were sent to Union who at this time were viewed as perennial underdogs with their only success being an East German Cup win in 1968. After the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 however, the football landscape in Germany changed markedly as Dynamo's previous dominance disappeared along with the communist leaders; and they tumbled down to non league obscurity. Despite Union having since left their old GDR foe behind, memories remain strong however and Dynamo's name is still Ein Schimpfwort (a swear word) at the Stadion an der Altern Försterei.

After reunification, Union performed well on the pitch but financial troubles during which they sent fake bank drafts to the DFB in order to secure their playing licence saw them twice prevented from being admitted into the Bundesliga.2, before being allowed in at the third time of asking following promotion in 2001. The same year they reached the DFB-Pokal Final which as a third division club was unheard of in German football. Bundesliga heavyweights Schalke 04 denied them glory that day and things gradually began to unravel for Union after that, both on and off the pitch. Relegations were suffered against a backdrop of yet more financial difficulties and only a campaign by supporters called 'Bleed for Union' raised enough cash to secure the club's playing licence in 2004. 

Recent years however have seen a return to form for the club and after re-establishing themselves in the second tier as a financially stable club, Union enjoyed a remarkable campaign in 2019 when they beat VfB Stuttgart in a play-off to secure promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history.