The gulf between the two Berlin clubs is vast in every sense. Hertha are traditionally richer in terms of both the paying public and the team itself, have a beautiful, famous stadium and regularly attract thirty to forty thousand fans albeit only half filling the arena. Based in the affluent, West Berlin district of Charlottenberg but with a fan base spreading far into the former east, it would be fair to say that their blue and white stripes have dominated the perception of Berlin football
In comparison, Union are small fry. Potless and having never played in the Bundesliga, despite a UEFA Cup appearance in 2001, until recently the red and white Eisernen had languished quietly in the regionalised fourth tier of German football. The fates of both clubs are inextricably linked to their political backgrounds, and comparisons of east and west will always be made. The former prosperity of West Berlin built upon apparently shaky foundations, threatened after a long exile by the vibrant up and comers from the east.
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So it came to pass then, that on 5 February 2011, Union Berlin made their first competitive visit to play their cross-city rivals at the Olympiastadion, on a cold, dry winter’s day. For the first time in the season, the stadium was close to capacity: Seventy four thousand people, including twenty thousand visiting supporters prepared to compete for local bragging right.