Scheisse! Were Going Up!

SHORTLISTED FOR FOOTBALL BOOK OF THE YEAR: THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2023

A club on the rise. A city in flux. This is Union Berlin.

No football club in the world has fans like 1. FC Union Berlin. The underdogs from East Berlin have stuck it to the Stasi, built their own stadium and even given blood to save their club. But now they face a new and terrifying prospect: success.

Scheisse! tells the human stories behind the unexpected rise of this unique football club. But it’s about more than just football. It’s about the city Union call home. As the club fight to maintain their rebel spirit among the modern football elite, their trajectory mirrors that of contemporary Berlin itself: from divided Cold War battleground to European capital of cool.

** PRAISE FOR SCHEISSE! **

’Fascinating’ DAILY MAIL

'A wonderful journey into the heart of a very unique club' RAPHAEL HONIGSTEIN, author of Das Reboot and Klopp: Bring the Noise

'The history and culture of a special football club deserve a special kind of chronicling – and Holden has executed it to perfection' PATRICK BARCLAY, award winning sportswriter and author of Football – Bloody Hell!

'An engrossing portrait' PHILIP OLTERMANN, journalist and author of Keeping Up With the Germans and The Stasi Poetry Circle

'For the first time, Scheisse is a good thing! A captivating read on one of the most unique clubs in world football' ARCHIE RHIND-TUTT, Bundesliga touchline reporter for ESPN

'A beautifully crafted set of stories that reveal a personal history of one of Germany’s most special clubs and cities' JONATHAN HARDING, author of Mensch and Soul

'Holden superbly captures the myth, history and spirit that make Union so very special and beloved' ANDREAS MICHAELIS, German Secretary of State, former Ambassador to the UK and long-time Unioner