FC St. Pauli has received over 4,000 song submissions for a fan-driven contest to choose a new official club anthem. The listening phase for all entries began on Monday and runs until October 30, kicking off a knockout-style vote.

The contest became necessary after the old anthem 'Das Herz von St. Pauli' was retired in February 2025 due to the Nazi past of its author, Josef Ollig. The club is now seeking a new soundtrack, decided directly by its supporters. The submissions are split into two categories: existing songs and newly composed pieces, with around 400 entries being brand-new creations.

From Pop to Anti-Anthems

Proposals range from well-known tracks like Thees Uhlmann's 'Das hier ist Fußball' to Rihanna's 'Diamonds'. New contributions include songs from artists like Marlo Grosshardt with 'Wo die Elbe fließt' and the band ZSK with 'Ich liebe Dich, oh FC St. Pauli'. Even club staff, such as security chief Sven Brux, submitted an entry. Pop star Bosse collaborated with the Hansemädchen and fan initiative FC Braun-Weiße-Vielfalt on 'Mein St. Pauli'.

There are also deliberate counter-proposals. The band The NØ entered 'Golfplatzhooligans' as a "conscious anti-entry". "We are not interested in quick commercial success!" the group said. Artist Florida Klaus submitted a full anti-anthem with critical lyrics. "The last thing we need is an anthem and I'll give you a hundred thousand reasons for it." Klaus said.

How the Vote Works

The first voting round starts on October 30. Eligible members, ticketing customers and VIP season ticket holders will select 25 songs to advance. From these, five finalists will emerge, with the ultimate winner becoming the new FC St. Pauli anthem. Songs fully generated by AI were excluded, though the use of AI tools to implement human-created ideas is permitted.

The contest runs alongside a solid on-pitch season for the team. FC St. Pauli currently sits 7th in the 2. Bundesliga with 11 points and is unbeaten in its last five matches. Top scorer Abdoulie Ceesay scored recently in the 1-1 draw at Hannover. The next fixture sees the team travel to face bottom side SV Darmstadt 98 on Friday, a match that could deliver key points in the standings. The detailed stats for the season show 11 goals scored and 9 conceded.

First reported at fcstpauli.com