For the little HEBC it is the biggest game in history, a “game of the century”. In the first round of the DFB Cup, the fifth division team from Hamburg will host none other than Borussia Dortmund. The game will be played on Tuesday in the Volksparkstadion. Kick-off is at 8:45 p.m. RTL and Sky broadcast live. As of Monday lunchtime, more than 41,600 tickets had been sold. Record for a first round game involving a fifth division team.
Who is the HEBC?
The Hamburger-Eimsbüttel Ball Game Club was founded in 1911 under the name Sportclub Elbe. In his self-promotion, he calls himself the “purple and white cult club in the heart of Eimsbüttel” with reference to the club colors. According to the latest survey by the Hamburg Sports Association from the beginning of the year, the club from the district of the same name ranks 111th among all sports clubs from the Hanseatic city with 818 members.
Football, table tennis, boxing and children's sports are available. The HEBC is the “little brother” of the Eimsbütteler TV, which with 21,908 members is the fourth largest club in Hamburg after Hamburger SV, FC St. Pauli and the municipal company sports association.
Football in HEBC
The HEBC plays in the fifth-class Hamburg Oberliga. On May 23rd, coach Philipp Obloch's team achieved the greatest success in the club's history. The national cup was won for the first time with a 5-1 win over league rivals Vorwärts Wacker. Previously there were successes over USC Paloma (on penalties), SC Nienstedten, SC West-Eimsbüttel, TSV Buchholz 08 (on penalties), VfL Hammonia and Viktoria Harburg. The last time the HEBC was in the state final was in 1983, but lost back then.
Things aren't going quite well in the current season so far. After two wins and three defeats, HEBC is currently in 13th place in the league table. The dress rehearsal last Friday ended with a 0-1 home defeat against final opponent Vorwärts Wacker.
The club usually plays its home games on Sunday mornings in front of around 250 spectators at 10.45 a.m. on Professor-Reinmüller-Platz - surrounded by apartment buildings. The once feared Grandplatz has now become an artificial turf facility.
Names in HEBC
Some players who later made a name for themselves played at HEBC. These include Daniel Brückner (including Werder Bremen, SpVgg Greuther Fürth, SC Paderborn), André Trulsen (FC St. Pauli, 1. FC Köln, Holstein Kiel) and Thomas Wolter (Werder Bremen).
The best-known name in the current squad is Semir Demirovic. The 26-year-old midfielder is the younger brother of Ermedin Demirovic, who is under contract with Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart. Bastian Stech is very unlucky. The defender seriously injured his ankle at the beginning of August and will miss the big game.
Support in the district
There is great enthusiasm in the Eimsbüttel district. The district office made a special statement: a total of 40 windows on the facade of the administration building were covered with purple foil and created a large, shining heart for the HEBC in the evening hours. The campaign is part of the “Football's coming Eimsbüttel” campaign and is intended to show how united the district is behind its club.
Players and fans worked together to decorate a Hamburg bus that the team will use to travel to the game on Tuesday. The fact that it is a public bus, of all things, fits with the HEBC's self-image: "We are an amateur club, we come from Eimsbüttel, and we remain down-to-earth even in the face of an opponent like Borussia Dortmund," said club chairman Konstantin Zimmermann, commenting on the campaign.
The future of HEBC
The first round of the DFB Cup is not just a huge success for HEBC in terms of sport. A lot of money is also put into the district association's coffers economically. The wage is 211,886 euros. Money that can flow into some projects. Among other things, the renovation of the outdated clubhouse and the conversion of a second course are planned.
The bottom line is that the HEBC wants to continue on its path, which league manager Eduardo Avarello described in a preview of the “game of the century” as follows: “Describe the HEBC in just a few words? Heart, family and friendships for life."
