- 06/15/2019 -
Once in the direction of the seaport of Emden and back. From Berlin there are a good 530 km between the two cities. I arrived in Otto Waalkes' hometown and birthplace by train in less than 5 hours. At the main station I searched in vain for an e-scooter, as they are everywhere (in the way) in Berlin. The bus to the hotel, of course, left before my eyes, so I had to wait, a long time. But in order not to waste any more time, I went to the taxi stand after an hour. After the hotel check-in and the room assessment, we walked straight to the stadium. 25 minutes and 1.7 km walk later I'm there. Through the steel lattice fence I try to photograph the lettering of the stadium name towering over the main entrance unnoticed. Two fans who were just about to prepare something for the next home game day, as I found out later, saw me and asked what I was doing there. When I asked if I could go to the stadium to take a picture, after a moment's hesitation they answered 'yes'. After some football shop talk, Erik showed me his living room. He and his buddy Kevin have been active members of the BSV ultra scene since they were teenagers, they always stand behind their club and would never turn their backs on their BSV, even when, like in 2011, things got very tight financially and forced relegation with a complete restart in League 6 was the result. During my private tour of the stadium, we stayed longer in some places and Erik told his legendary stories about unforgettable away trips to Berlin, Bremen or the Ruhrpott. I can relate to this very well, since as a teenager I often traveled to Düsseldorf or Hamburg with the Hannover 96 ultra scene. Sitting on the north stand, Erik explained to me what the bus stop symbol was all about. At the beginning of the 2004/2005 season there was no official (and sponsored) stadium name, so the fans decided to rename their stadium to the Deichkicker Arena. Some fans noticed that their standing room grandstand with its sheet metal and windows looks like a local bus stop. Strange stories made in Emden.