Berlin derby

The Berlin derby (German: Berliner Derby, pronounced [bɛʁˈliːnɐ ˈdɛʁbi]) is the name given to any association football match between two clubs in Berlin, Germany, but has more recently referred to the derby between 1. FC Union Berlin and Hertha BSC.

Despite producing more Bundesliga clubs than any other German city, Berlin derbies have been a rarity during the history of the current German top division.

An intense rivalry developed between Tennis Borussia Berlin and Hertha BSC in the 1950s. A proposal for a merger between the two clubs in 1958 was resoundingly rejected, with only three of the 266 members voting in favour. However, the pair did not meet in the Bundesliga until the 1970s. Hertha BSC also held a rivalry with SC Tasmania 1900 Berlin. SC Tasmania 1900 Berlin unexpectedly played one season in the Bundesliga in 1965–66 season. However, there were no Berlin derbies during the season. Hertha BSC had been relegated because of rule breaches and SC Tasmania 1900 Berlin was granted promotion as its replacement, in order to still have a representative for Berlin in the Bundesliga. The rivalry was mostly one-sided on the part of SC Tasmania 1900 Berlin, but still lives on through its successor club SV Tasmania Berlin.

The first Berlin derby in the Bundesliga took place between Hertha BSC and Tennis Borussia Berlin at the Olympiastadion on 16 November 1974. Hertha BSC had the privilege of playing at its home ground despite being the designated away team and won the match 3–0. Hertha BSC then completed the double over Tennis Borussia Berlin by winning 2–1 at the Olympiastadion on 10 May 1975. Following the relegation of Tennis Borussia Berlin at the end of the 1974–75 Bundesliga season, the pair did not meet again until 13 November 1976. Hertha won the match 2–0. The pair then met for a final time in the 1976–77 Bundesliga on 16 April 1977. Tennis Borussia Berlin won the match 2-1 and thus achieved its sole victory against the Die Alte Dame 2–1. All meetings between the pair were hosted at the Olympiastadion.

Three Berlin clubs were involved in the 1985–86 2. Bundesliga a decade later: Hertha BSC and Tennis Borussia Berlin, who had both relegated from the Bundesliga, and Blau-Weiß 1890 Berlin who had won the 1984–85 Amateur-Oberliga Berlin. Blau-Weiß 1890 Berlin finished the 1985–86 2. Bundesliga as runners-up and qualified for its first season in the Bundesliga in its history. Plans for another merger involving Hertha BSC had been drawn up with Tennis Borussia Berlin, Blau-Weiß 1890 Berlin and SC Charlottenburg a few years prior in 1982. However, the plan that was nicknamed "FC Utopia" by critics ultimately failed.

Meanwhile, in East Berlin, derbies were more commonplace in the top division. The major clubs in East Berlin were FC Vorwärts Berlin, BFC Dynamo and 1. FC Union Berlin. FC Vorwärts Berlin and BFC Dynamo were associated with the armed organs (German: Bewaffnete Organe der DDR), while 1. FC Union Berlin was a "civilian club". The clubs would meet numerous times in the DDR-Oberliga. All three clubs competed simultaneously in the 1966-67 DDR-Oberliga, 1968-69 DDR-Oberliga and 1970-71 DDR-Oberliga.

ASK Vorwärts Berlin was the strongest football team in East Berlin in the late 1950s and 1960s. The club was originally founded as SV VP Vorwärts Leipzig in Leipzig 1951. It was relocated to East Berlin in 1953, to increase the military profile in the capital. The team played its home matches at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark in Prenzlauer Berg. ASK Vorwärts Berlin hosted teams such as Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., Rangers F.C. and Manchester United F.C. in the European competitions in the 1960s. The club even had a small following in West Berlin before the construction of the Berlin Wall. The football department of ASK Vorwärts Berlin was separated from the sports club and reorganized as football club FC Vorwärts Berlin on 18 January 1966. The club was able to recruit talents from all army sports communities (German: Armeesportgemeinschaft) (ASG) in East Germany. It was also able to recruit talented players from other clubs that had been called up for military service with the National People's Army. The club won 6 titles in the DDR-Oberliga and two titles in the FDGB-Pokal before it was relocated to Frankfurt an der Oder in 1971.

The football team of SG Dynamo Dresden was relocated to East Berlin in 1954. The team and its place in the DDR-Oberliga were transferred to the new sports club SC Dynamo Berlin. The relocation was made for similar reasons as the relocation of SV Vorwärts der KVP Leipzig to East Berlin the year before. The relocation was designed to provide the capital with a team that could rival Hertha BSC, Blau-Weiß 1890 Berlin and Tennis Borussia Berlin, which were still popular in East Berlin and drew football fans to West Berlin. SC Dynamo Berlin had some success in the late 1950s, but would find itself overshadowed by ASK Vorwärts Berlin in the 1960s. SC Dynamo Berlin won the 1959 FDGB-Pokal. However, the team was not allowed to participate in the 1960–61 European Cup Winners' Cup. The German Football Association of the GDR (German: Deutscher Fußball-Verband der DDR) (DFV) instead found local rival and league runners-up ASK Vorwärts Berlin to be a more suitable representative of East Germany in the competition. The football department of SC Dynamo Berlin was separated from the sports club and reorganized as football club BFC Dynamo on 15 January 1966. BFC Dynamo was supported by the Stasi and considered the favorite club of the president of SV Dynamo and head of the Stasi Erich Mielke. The relocation of FC Vorwärts Berlin to Frankfurt an der Oder allowed BFC Dynamo to take its place as the dominant team of the armed organs in East Berlin. BFC Dynamo became one of the designated focus clubs (German: Schwerpunktclubs) in East German football and would develop a very successful youth academy. The club would eventually be able to draw on talents from training centers (TZ) across East Germany through an extensive scouting network that included numerous training centers (TZ) of SV Dynamo.