Huge clash As Borussia Dortmund DFB Pokal opponents HEBC Hamburg

On Tuesday, eight‑time Meister Borussia Dortmund travel to Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion for the penultimate first‑round game of the DFB Pokal, facing HEBC Hamburg. The club called the tie ‘Huge’, adding ‘Next Saturday we’re back to fighting relegation’ as they prepare for the league battle.

Cup tie at the Volksparkstadion

The opponents are not 1983 European Cup winners Hamburger SV, but Hamburg‑Eimsbütteler BC, a club founded in 1911 that has spent most of its history between the Landesliga (VI) and the Verbandsliga (V).

A rare high point came in the 1982‑83 season when the club reached the county cup final, the Verbandspokal, losing 5‑4 to local rivals Hummelsbütteler SV at the Adolf‑Jäger‑Kampfbahn before a crowd of 3 400.

After that, the side fell as low as the Kreisliga B, the eighth tier, before earning promotion to the Oberliga in 2020. The club is run by Konstantin Zimmermann, an engineer at national airline Lufthansa.

HEBC Hamburg’s amateur roots

None of the 28 first‑team players receive payment; they are students, teachers, shift workers and bank clerks, a stark contrast to England’s National League where players can earn £6 000 a month.

HEBC play on a 3G pitch at Professor Reinmueller Platz, which holds 1 400 spectators, and the facilities are owned and managed by the local authorities, reflecting strong municipal support.

Germany’s 50+1 rule limits investors to 49.9% ownership, keeping clubs community‑based but also restricting money below the third tier; TV deals for Regionalliga clubs average €75 000 per season, versus £1.13 m for England’s League 2.

Financial and cultural contrast

About 2.3 million people play football at roughly 31 000 clubs across Germany, yet less than an estimated 0.5 % become professionals, keeping dreams of becoming the next Serhou Guirassy or Marco Reus alive.

Marco Reus, a former Dortmund star, earned €15 million a season and could have made three times that in the Premier League, but injuries and loyalty kept his earnings at Dortmund.

Hendrik Diekmann, the 28‑year‑old former captain, retired months before what could be the biggest match in the club’s history and will watch as a spectator. He said, “Borussia Dortmund is a Champions League club. One of Europe’s biggest clubs. That’s where the best players play.”

The piece was written by Ben McFadyean.