DFB Cup final-a city sees blue: Bielefeld and her Arminia

Thomas Steinbicker can tell some anecdote about the cup finalist Arminia Bielefeld, including those to the wild party night in the 1997 winter training camp in Cyprus. The then 19-year-old Steinbicker and a friend were the only Arminia fans on site and danced with the Bielefeld Bundesliga players on the Sirtaki street. The fact that no pictures of this have been handed down was due to Stefan Kuntz, who had switched to Arminia as a European champion half a year earlier and had collected the batteries from the photo cameras of the two fans at the beginning of the party night.

The alp in the moonlight

Another anecdote is about how Steinbicker painted the goal posts on the Bielefeld Alm in the club colors in the club colors in the club colors in the club colors in the early 90s. In an attempt, they initially left their paint buckets back on a playground because the floodlights burned in the stadium at night. When the students sneaked into the stadium, they got to know a criminal officer. “We explained to him that we are big fans of the Arminia and wanted to admire the Alm in the moonlight,” says Steinbicker. The policeman showed understanding for this romantic need. The post painters were never caught.

It is not always such spectacular anecdotes that the 330,000 inhabitants can tell about Arminia in Bielefeld. But some story connects many with the club. Just because you can’t get past the city of Arminia. The Alm is in the heart of Bielefeld, in a residential area between the center and the university. In Berlin, this would correspond to the neighborhood in Friedrichshain, in Hamburg to the Schanzenviertel and in Munich to the Glockenbachviertel. There is hardly any more closeness to people.

Sports lessons at football professionals

The floodlights from many parts of the city can be seen during evening games, often the murmur of the audience can be heard. The association also shapes the cityscape through flags, graffiti or stickers. There is even an Arminia petrol station that »12. Man «means and is designed in the club colors. Generations of teenagers went right next to the stadium to school and for physical education to the Almhalle, in which the professional jacers used to move. That connects. Sometimes so much that a mother who worked as a castle attendant who stood by the keys and in 1995 was raised to promotion to the second league Arminia flag on the Sparrenburg tower.

An official tradition developed from the then youth prank. There were enough occasions. Since 1970, when Bielefeld had made it into the first of 19 Bundesliga playing times so far, the association has increased 23 ascents and descents between the first, second and third division. He constantly commutes between the extremes: to climb and then to the relevant participation in the Bundesliga scandal. The maximum was two eighth places in the Bundesliga in 1983 and 1984. Bielefeld would have relegated almost three times in a row between 2022 and 2024 – from the Bundesliga to the regional league.

Second instead of fourth league

And now: One year after the rescue before the fourth class, the promotion to the second division succeeds and the greatest success with moving into the cup final. The team of coach Mitch Kniat switched four Bundesliga clubs on their way to Berlin, in the semi -finals champion and cup winner Leverkusen with 2-1. Bayer’s squad is worth almost 80 times as much as that of the Arminia.

At the latest for ten days, the whole city has seen blue-since then the Hermann Monument, Germany’s largest statue, has been wearing a 130 square meter Arminia jersey. Should Bielefeld also win the cup final against VfB Stuttgart on Saturday, the club would play in the Europa League in the coming season. So it is also a story for all football romantics. The great passion of their own fans is explained by Arminia as follows: “Because we know what it feels like to be down, we are able to celebrate victories like others just winning.”

Several times at the end

Uli Zwetz witnessed almost all of the rashes, initially as a spectator, later as a reporter of Radio Bielefeld. The 64-year-old has only missed two games since 1996. However, he also cannot find out the club’s ambivalence, which was financially finished several times. This does not fit the down -to -earth mentality in the well -known region of medium -sized companies. “Why don’t you get this East Westphalian stability from the Arminia?” Asks Zwetz. There would be good conditions. Like the people, the region in the region are firmly behind the association, including large corporations such as Dr. Oetker and main sponsor Schüco. A good example of this was the East Westphalia Alliance, which was established in 2017, in which companies connected to preserve the highly indebted Arminia from bankruptcy.

A pronounced local pride is shown through the association. If you ask the sociology professor Thomas Faist from the University of Bielefeld, he justifies the passionate relationship of many people to Arminia with the great social commitment of the association through cooperation with disabled institutions, schools and in the art area. “Arminia is very present in the urban society,” says Faist, he speaks of “giving communication processes” and an “felt together of everyone involved”.

So now the cup final in Berlin, where tens of thousands of Bielefeld fans are expected. The now 47-year-old Steinbicker will be in the Olympic Stadium and hope that this wonderfully imperfect association will create a surprise and wins his first big title three weeks after his 120th birthday.