FC St. Pauli has joined the Union of European Clubs (UEC). The second-division side is the first German professional club to take this step in European football politics, as announced by the club on Monday.
The UEC, founded in 2023, represents around 140 clubs from 25 national associations. It advocates for greater sporting balance, sustainable economic structures, and transparent decision-making in European football. A key aim is reforming the revenue distribution from European club competitions. The UEC also supports a 'Player Development Reward' to involve training clubs in the earnings of players who later compete internationally.
President Oke Göttlich had attended a UEC forum in Brussels about a year ago. There, he called for stronger overarching rules in professional football and urged European institutions to take more responsibility. "It is not a question of whether we do it, but how and how quickly," Göttlich said. He warned, "Otherwise we will ruin a sport so that young people and other fans will soon no longer believe in it."
Just a few days after announcing the UEC membership, FC St. Pauli hosted a 'Stands' conference at the Millerntor on Friday, 25 September. Göttlich discussed the political and regulatory conditions needed for long-term balance in European football with UEC co-founder Gareth Farrelly and operations director Pavel Kolev. The panel was titled 'Room for Change: The State of European Football Governance'.
The move comes as FC St. Pauli sits eighth in the 2. Bundesliga table. After six matchdays, the team has seven points. The team has scored 6 goals and conceded 8 so far this season. The last five results read DWDLL, meaning one win, two draws, and two defeats. The next fixture is at home against 14th-placed Karlsruher SC on 10 October.
Membership in the UEC shows FC St. Pauli's long-standing commitment to shaping a fairer football landscape. The club had previously received inquiries from the European Football Clubs (EFC), led by Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, which represents over 800 clubs. By joining the UEC, the club is now clearly positioning itself in the debate over the future of European club football.
First reported at abendblatt.de
