Red Trousers, Storks and Breisgau Brazilians: The origins of German football club nicknames

What’s in a nickname? That is a question The Athletic will be answering this week as we trace the origins of football clubs’ monikers in England, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and the rest of the world.

Next up, Germany…

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The world of Bundesliga nicknames is a strange one. Most supporters never use them. Graffiti artists would rather give up their cans for good than be caught spraying them onto a bridge or railway carriage, and yet somehow they endure.

So, here begins an odd journey through German football, and where better to start than with Bayern Munich?

They are commonly referred to as Die Rekordmeister — the Record Champions — on account of having won 32 Bundesliga titles, but it is not a nickname, as such, or at least not one they own, even if they will likely wear it in perpetuity.

FC Hollywood is another familiar one, describing the club’s penchant for drama and celebrity. It does feel like it belongs to a different era now, though, so more plainly they are Die Roten, the Reds, or Die Bayern, the Bavarians.

Anyone who has been to a home game at Allianz Arena will recognise Stern des Sudens (“Star of the South”), the club anthem with the catchy chorus that the fans sing before games.

“FC Bayern, Stern des Südens,
du wirst niemals untergehn,
weil wir in guten wie in schlechten Zeiten zueinander stehn.
FC Bayern, Deutscher Meister,
ja, so heißt er, mein Verein,
ja, so war es und so ist es und so wird es immer sein!”

(“FC Bayern, Star of the South,
You will never go down
We will stand by each other in good times and bad
FC Bayern, German champions
Yes, that’s the name of my club
Yes, that’s how it was, how it is, and how it will always be”)

Star of the South is rarely used to describe the club, but lyrical writers are liable to flash it every once in a while.

Bayern fans show their support for Die Roten (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)(Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

Bestia Negra is rarely seen now, either, but that is more of a sign of the times. Bayern’s historic record against Real Madrid, having beaten them more often than any other side from outside Spain, made them a black beast, or bogey team to the Spanish giants.

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Here is a caveat, though. In the same way that a Manchester United season-ticket holder would never say they spent their Saturdays watching the Red Devils, you will find few supporters in Germany who lean into these identities. Many, for instance, know their teams by their initials instead.

Borussia Dortmund are a case in point.

While their nickname is Die Schwarzgelben, the black and yellows, inside the Westfalenstadion you would be much more likely to hear the team referred to as BVB (Bay—Vow—Bay) — Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e.V Dortmund (“Ball sports club Borussia Dortmund”).

Similarly, a fan or local would refer to the team as Borussia and the town as Dortmund.

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Another former European champion, Hamburg, now in the second division, are another good example of this. Officially, they are known as Die Rothosen, the Red Trousers, because of their traditionally red shorts — 2.Bundesliga side SV Regensburg, from Bavaria, share that with them — but more commonly they are HSV (Ha—Es—Vow) or Hamburger Sport-Verein, the Hamburg Sports Club.

The formal names of these teams can be confusing, and Mainz’s nickname, the Nullfunfers (“the 0-5ers”) is an opportunity to explain that. Typically, whenever you see a number, that refers to a club’s year of founding. In this case, Mainz were established in 1905.

Many of the other abbreviations are, once you know what you are looking for, easy to understand. In German, club is “verein” and that is used in different ways. So, it is common to see Stuttgart — officially Die Roten, the Reds, or Die Schwaben, the Swabians, after the region — referred to as VfB. That stands for Verein fur Bewegungsspiele, which translates, slightly awkwardly, as “club for movement games”.

Werder Bremen are Die Grun-Weissen, the Green and Whites. Their Weserstadion home is on the banks of the river from which it takes its name. On a sunny day, the route from the old town to the ground is one of the most beautiful walks in German football. Die Werderaner, the River Islanders, describes the mood.

But while on that walk, you will see plenty of graffiti — Bremen’s footballing street art is fabulous — in which the team are referred to as SVW, or Sport Verein Werder Bremen (Sports Club Werder Bremen).

(Martin Rose/Getty Images)

Wolfsburg are VfL Wolfsburg — VfL is Verein fur Leibesubungen, or “club for physical activities”. They are Die Wolfe, the Wolves, but while that sounds unimaginative, the origins of the city’s name are fun.

Today’s Wolfsburg was founded in 1938 as a home for employees at the Volkswagen plant. But the city’s name can be traced back to Wolfsburg Castle, which dates to at least the 14th Century. It might be a better story if that castle was set in perpetual moonlight, surrounded by howling wolves, and home to a local eccentric. Unfortunately not. The family who built the castle had a leaping wolf in their coat of arms and used that as inspiration when naming it.

The Bundesliga has a nice line of regional nicknames. Hoffenheim is a small village in Baden-Wurttemberg, home to barely 3,000 people, but the club is in the region of Kraichgau, making them Die Kraichgauer — “of the Kraichgau region”.

Augsburg, from Bavaria, are Die Fuggerstadter — literally “residents of the Fuggercity”. Historically, the Fuggers were one of Augsburg’s prominent families, who had all sorts of sources of wealth, but became prominent bankers and venture capitalists across Europe and, ultimately, entwined forever with the city.

Up into the Ruhr and to Bochum, who are known as the Die Unabsteigbaren — the undescendables. Between 1971 and 1993, they held onto their Bundesliga status, never suffering relegation, despite finishing 14th or lower nine times across those 22 seasons. Since 1993, they have been relegated five times — not very undescendable at all — but have been back in the Bundesliga since 2021, and have held firm.

Never have they been truer to their identity than in last season’s relegation play-off. Beaten 3-0 in the first leg at home by Fortuna Dusseldorf, they came back to level the tie 3-3 on aggregate in the second game, before winning on penalties.

Bochum lived up to their nickname last season in the relegation play-off (Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen are Die Werkself, or the factory team — literally “factory eleven”. Alongside Wolfsburg, they are one of two teams in the Bundesliga who enjoy an exemption from the 50+1 rule, on account of the Bayer company’s historic patronage.

Their history dates back to 1903 and company employees petitioning directors to allow them to take part in organised sport. The football club was founded a year later, in 1904 — see the common abbreviation for Leverkusen, B04 — and they have been Die Werkself ever since.

RB Leipzig do not have an exemption from 50+1; they were constructed in a way that allows them to artificially conform to the rule. Rasenballsport Leipzig are, as everyone knows, Die Roten Bullen. For those who do not know, they are Rasenballsport, lawn ball sport, rather than Red Bull Sport, because the DFB does not permit company names to be used.

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Schalke are no longer in the Bundesliga and given their indifferent form in 2.Bundesliga, seem unlikely to return soon. But they are the Konigsblauen, the Royal Blues. The city of Gelsenkirchen is deep in what was once German coal country, also making Schalke “Die Knappen” — the miners. The club’s academy is even known as the knappenschmiede, or miners’ forge.

Heading back into footballing antiquity, Schalke won six German championships between 1934 and 1942 and their teams of that period employed a style of play known as the Kreisel, or Spinning Top, for its short passes, speed and movement. Not a nickname as such, but an identity all the same — albeit one long out of date.

Nuremberg are also languishing in the 2.Bundesliga — but in an even worse state. However, they have one of the most regal nicknames in Germany: Der Club — simply, the Club.

It dates back to the early 20th century when Nuremberg were a dominant team in the south. The nickname sounds pompous, but it encapsulates not just success, but admiration for FCN’s innovation and receptiveness to outside influence during that period.

Animals next. Eintracht Frankfurt are Die Adler, the Eagles. Attila the Golden Eagle flies around the Waldstadion before games. Why an eagle? The clue is in the city of Frankfurt’s crest, which features an eagle wearing a crown, with blue talons and a blue tongue. Terrifying.

Attila the Golden Eagle, of Eintracht Frankfurt (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Borussia Monchengladbach are Die Fohlen — the Foals — and that has a more romantic origin.

When Gladbach were first promoted to the Bundesliga in 1965, their team had an average age of 21, including a young Gunter Netzer. Foals was a nickname used by the local media at the time to capture the essence of those precocious sides.

Holstein Kiel are new to the Bundesliga this season and they are Die Storche — the Storks.

This one is quite vague. There is a myth that claims the nickname was inspired by an early kit the team wore, which had a shirt, short and sock combination that made the players look like storks. It is a nice story, but it is not actually true. The nickname comes from an early members’ bar, the Storchennest (Stork’s Nest), where the players used to change before training.

Kaiserslautern were relegated from the Bundesliga in 2012 and have not returned. But they and their nickname reappeared on the biggest stage at the final of the 2024 DFB Pokal, with an astounding tifo in the Olympiastadion — they are Die Roten Teufel, “the Red Devils”.

The Red Devils at the 2024 DFB Pokal final (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Like Kiel, St Pauli are new to the Bundesliga this year. “The Boys in Brown”, because of their kit colours, is a nickname they have tried to make work, but it seems more of a social media identity. “Kiezkicker” or “Neighbourhood Kickers” is traditional, but more often used by television commentators rather than fans. St Pauli are just St Pauli.

Frank Schmidt’s Heidenheim are really just FCH. But — and this is good trivia — their mascot is a bear called Paule, made by the Steiff company. Steiff is a manufacturer of soft toys and has a museum in nearby Giengen. And — and — Schmidt’s mother worked in one of their local factories when he was a boy.

Onto Union Berlin, who are Die Eisernen, or the Iron Ones. Union have had a troubled past and are the only truly East German team in the Bundesliga. Before reaching the top flight for the first time, winning the relegation playoff in 2019 against Stuttgart, they had earned the moniker the Unpromotables owing to their long spell in the 2.Bundesliga.

Die Eisernen is more abstract. Union have had to adapt their form around the times, through the Second World War and then before and after reunification, but the club from which they descend, SC Union 06 Oberschoneweide, founded in 1906, drew its members from local factories and working-class communities.

Under GDR (German Democratic Republic) rule, Union’s biggest local rivals were Dynamo Berlin, who counted Erich Mielke, the former director of the Stasi, as club president and were much more successful. That was not a coincidence — nor was it that in the 1970s, Union became the club of the dissident, which helped to harden the “iron” identity.

Finally, Freiburg: Die Breisgau-Brasilianer — the Breisgau Brazilians.

Volker Finke’s reputation has not been exported with the same success as someone such as Ralf Rangnick. Nevertheless, Finke’s accomplished and watchable teams of the 1990s — hence the reference to Brazilians — were one of the over-performers of the decade. They finished third in 1995 while having the league’s smallest ground.

Finke (at Freiburg from 1991 to 2007) was the longest-serving coach in the history of German football until Heidenheim’s Schmidt surpassed him in 2023. His football legacy lives on in that nickname, though.

(Top image: design by Eamonn Dalton)