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, all regulars in the West German national team. 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 date was 22 September, a day etched into the season's timeline as the moment Dortmund's flawless run came to an end. Leading up to this fixture, the club had qualified for the Champions League and navigated a treacherous group stage that saw them defeat Real Madrid in the semi-finals with a 4–3 aggregate scoreline. Yet, on this specific Saturday, the focus shifted entirely to the Bundesliga table. Hamburger SV managed to overcome Dortmund's momentum, stopping a streak that had lasted through 31 matches. This result stood out starkly against the backdrop of their European success later in the year, where they would reach the final only to lose 2–1 to Bayern Munich on 25 May.

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 in football 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.
• HSV is one of the biggest sports clubs in Germany with over 84,000 members total in all its sections.
• According to Forbes, HSV is among the 20 largest football clubs in the world.