Hamburger SV

Lore & Background

HSV has won the German national championship six times, the DFB-Pokal three times and the former League Cup twice. The team's most successful period was from the mid-1970s until the mid-1980s when, in addition to several domestic honours, they won the 1976–77 European Cup Winners' Cup and the 1982–83 European Cup. The outstanding players of this period were Horst Hrubesch, Manfred Kaltz, and Felix Magath. To date, HSV's last major trophy was the 1986–87 DFB-Pokal. Up until the 2017–18 Bundesliga season, which found the team relegated for the first time in history, HSV's football team had the distinction of being the only team that had played continuously in the top tier of the German football league system since the founding of the club at the end of World War I. It was subsequently the only team that had played in every season of the Bundesliga since its foundation in 1963.

In Their Own Story

The rain slicked the pitch at the Volksparkstadion, turning the grass into a mirror of the grey Hamburg sky. In the stands, the red and white scarves of the Reeperbahn Boys waved in unison, their chants drowning out the cold wind blowing off the Elbe. On the field, Leverkusen's midfield pressed with surgical precision, looking to break the stalemate that had defined the first half. A sudden burst of speed from the wing cut through Hamburg's defense, and for a heartbeat, the stadium fell silent before erupting—a single moment where the future of the season hung in the balance.

Reader's Guide

HSV play their home games at the Volksparkstadion in Bahrenfeld, a western district of Hamburg. The club colours are officially blue, white and black but the home kit of the team is white jerseys and red shorts. The team's most common nickname is 'die Rothosen' (the Red Shorts). As it is one of Germany's oldest clubs, it is also known as der Dinosaurier (the Dinosaur). HSV have rivalries with Werder Bremen, with whom they contest the Nordderby, and Hamburg-based FC St. Pauli, with whom they contest the Hamburg derby.

Did You Know?

• HSV is notable as a grassroots-oriented organisation which places strong emphasis on youth development.
• The club had a team in the Women's Bundesliga from 2003 to 2012 but it was demoted to Regionalliga level because of financial problems.
• Other club sections include badminton, baseball, basketball, bowling, boxing, cricket, darts, ice hockey, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, handball, and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation exercises.
• HSV is one of the biggest sports clubs in Germany with over 84,000 members total in all its sections.