FC St. PauliFC St. Pauli is a club whose identity rests not on trophies but on culture, symbolism and social attitude. Its most recognisable emblem, the skull and crossbones (German: Totenkopf), was born on the terraces rather than in a marketing department. Around 1986 a supporter known as Doc Mabuse, a resident of the squats on Hafenstraße, brought a skull-and-crossbones flag taken from the Hamburger Dom funfair to the stadium, and the idea quickly caught on. Independently, the screen printer Steph Braun created the club's distinctive design around 1989, basing the skull on an illustration from an old anatomy book; the club officially adopted it in the late 1990s.
Founded on 15 May 1910, the club represents Hamburg's St. Pauli district, famous for its port, nightlife and the alternative culture centred on the Reeperbahn. During the 1980s a singular supporter community grew around the team, drawn from the city's punk scene and squatter movement. St. Pauli consistently opposes racism, fascism and homophobia, positions it has enshrined in its own club constitution.
In sporting terms, the club has spent most of its history moving between Germany's top two divisions and has never won a national championship. Its legend is built instead on individual, unforgettable matches. The most famous came on 6 February 2002, when a bottom-of-the-table St. Pauli beat Bayern Munich 2–1 at the Millerntor-Stadion. As Bayern were the reigning Intercontinental Cup holders, fans coined the celebrated compound word Weltpokalsiegerbesieger – "beaters of the world club champions" – and printed it on shirts sold by the tens of thousands.
In 2003, on the brink of bankruptcy, the club was saved by a grassroots fan campaign known as Retteraktion. History tends to rhyme here: in the 2023–24 season the Kiezkicker, coached by Fabian Hürzeler, won the 2. Bundesliga and returned to the top flight after a thirteen-year absence. Although the brown-and-white side were relegated once more following the 2025–26 season, their popularity has long extended far beyond Hamburg, with St. Pauli supporters' clubs active around the world.