Not really attractive, but successful: Few goals are scored in 1. FC Union games, but that’s exactly what helps the Bundesliga club get back on track. Now that the sporting leadership has been reorganized, the big plans in Berlin can begin.
Normally he hardly misses an away game. But Dirk Zingler, who runs a logistics company in Berlin with almost 300 employees, also has a vacation. The president of 1. FC Union is currently in Africa. He recovers, he switches off. But the 60-year-old will be watching from afar how the club, which he has managed since 2004, performs on Sunday in the away game against Bundesliga promoted Holstein Kiel (3:30 p.m., in the WELT sports ticker).
Almost two weeks ago, when Union managed a 2-1 win at home against Borussia Dortmund, Zingler then ran beaming through the catacombs of the “An der Alten Försterei” stadium. “That was important,” he said: “That felt good.”
With eleven points, Union is in the top third of the Bundesliga table after six matchdays – and is in a much better position than a year ago. The Berliners started the season perfectly with successes against Mainz and Darmstadt, but then they went on a cross-competition negative streak of 16 competitive games in a row without a win, which only ended in December with a 3-1 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
It was weeks of frustration and disappointment that they hadn’t experienced in this form at Union for a long time. After promotion in 2019, the club managed to stay in the league with three game days to go in its first Bundesliga season. The following year he qualified for the Conference League, another year later for the Europa League and finally, sensationally, for the Champions League. The elevator, which Union had symbolically boarded, rose steadily upwards.
Relegation only on the last match day
The documentary “The Best of All Days,” which was released in April of this year, shows very impressively how fast he drove and how overwhelming everything that happened there was. Stefanie Vogler, head of sales communications at Union, says: “We can’t really prove ourselves anymore. We can no longer show what is special, namely that we stand behind the team even when things don’t go well or when things go downhill. We haven’t been able to prove that for three years.”
Then they were able to do it. Because the elevator almost rushed down to the second division last season. Tears of relief flowed when Union managed to stay in the league on the last match day. After months that had cost a lot of strength – and two trainers their jobs. In mid-November 2023, Union announced its separation from Urs Fischer. With prudence and restraint, he had lifted Union into higher spheres. The popular fisherman was followed by Nenad Bjelica. He was able to temporarily stop the negative trend, but then had to leave two games before the end of the season.
In the summer, Union finally repositioned itself in terms of sporting leadership. Bo Svensson, who previously worked in Mainz, was hired as coach. And in Horst Heldt a new sports director came. By signing Heldt, who had already worked in this role at VfB Stuttgart, FC Schalke 04 and 1. FC Köln, Oliver Ruhnert moved back to the position of chief scout. In any case, it is expected that he will switch to politics soon. In August, Ruhnert, who is a member of the Sarah Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), indicated that he was considering running for the Bundestag. And he has to tackle this in 2025.
With Svensson and Heldt in charge, the club is currently back on track. It’s only occasionally exhilarating football that Union plays, but the team is once again convincing with its effectiveness. With a quality that she lost last season. They still rarely pose a threat on offense and, alongside VfL Bochum, have scored the second fewest goals of all first division clubs (six) – only newly promoted St. Pauli is even worse (four). On the other hand, Union is defensively stable again and only conceded four goals. Only RB Leipzig is better in this ranking (two).
“The cooperation is unique”
President Dirk Zingler is happy that Union started the new season well after the turbulent previous season. “I’m happy for everyone involved and it’s good for us. But a good start is no guarantee for a good season, which is why we classify it very objectively: Every point brings us closer to the goal of playing in the Bundesliga again next season,” Zingler told WELT AM SONNTAG and praised them “Open-minded and respectful collaboration” with trainer Svensson and managing director Heldt. This is a good basis for mutual success. Heldt, in turn, said how good it would feel to work at Union. “This club is something special. The togetherness is unique and speaks for itself.”
But whether Svensson, Heldt or Zingler – they all know that it’s not just about the here and now, it’s also about the future. When asked how he would see his club’s role in German football, also against the background of increased expectations and demands, Zingler said that it was the task of those responsible to create the necessary conditions to be consistently successful in sport and to position the club in a stable manner for the next generations. “We are concerned with issues such as the expansion of our stadium and the fact that it should belong to the people who feel at home here, ensuring non-profit status and co-determination. If we succeed in this, we will play a positive role in German football,” said Zingler, who recently spoke at the general meeting about the planned expansion of the stadium.
Union wants to increase capacity from 22,000 to 40,000 places. Including 32,000 standing stands, more than in any other German stadium. The renovation is scheduled to begin in 2026. The now almost 70,000 members have the opportunity to subscribe to up to ten stadium shares for 500 euros each. There are 120,000 shares in total. However, there will be no dividends and the securities will not be freely negotiable. The sales phase is scheduled to start in December. “Owning this share gives rise to the right and responsibility to participate in the maintenance and development of the ‘An der Alten Försterei’ stadium in accordance with the law and statutes,” the club says.
By joining forces they want to shape the future at 1. FC Union. The team is responsible for this on the pitch. Like this Sunday in Kiel. In the last duel between the two clubs so far in spring 2019 – when they were still second class – the Berlin team won 2-0. It’s not just the president on vacation who would be happy about another victory.
